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Messages - EdSolo

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121
I have sold a bunch of Star Wars stuff through marketplace.  There is nothing that restricts getting paid before shipping.  Perhaps they do if you pay through facebook itself.  Honestly FB only gets involved if you are trying to list something illegal.  The bots will generally block a listing for a replica blaster, they have even blocked lightsaber hilt replicas calling it a weapon.

As for listings, I always offer shipping.  I generally list items as $XXX or best offer plus shipping.  All my payments have either been cash in person or paypal for items I have shipped.  I have always been paid first before shipping an item.  Overall, it is so much easier than ebay and you are only paying fees for paypal payments.

You do find you get a lot of people who want something for nothing or people that just don't respond.  Essentially any listing you click on has a standard "is this item still available" message button.  You get a lot of those messages from people who then don't respond when you tell them it is available.  You also get a lot of "I'll pay you $50 shipped for the item you have listed for $100 that will cost $25 to ship".  They are quite persistent in stating they have the money ready to go and that even though the item has sold on ebay $100, ebay and paypal takes fees, so their $50 offer is really generous.  Also they act like they are doing you a favor by having you ship the item rather than meeting to pick it up.  Also be wary of overseas buyers.  I have made a lot of great deals overseas, but also a lot of headaches dealing with them.  No offense to Australians, but a lot of them are a huge pain in the rear.  I have had countless inquiries about multiple lots of stuff.  Put everything together to get a shipping quote, then deleted stuff to get a lower quote, to then finally say, "oh, what about import tax, I can't offer as much because I have to pay that".  As a general rule of thumb, anything over around six pounds is $100 to ship to Australia.  Additionally, USPS only insures up to $200 to Australia.  UPS and Fedex do not want to ship internationally.  Every quote from them is $500.

So overall, it is quite doable, especially if you get local buyers.  At this point, in past year to year and a half, I have sold the following:

All my carded figures from orange carded POTF2 through the beginning of the black series (1995 to 2008 or so)
All my battlepacks, deluxe figures, exclusive figures, etc. (essentially everything that isn't a standard carded figure, but not a vehicle)
All my loose figures (bulk detail to a guy in the UK - he even used a parcel broker, so DHL came to my house to pick everything up, I just had to box it, print out the labels he sent, and fill out a customs form)
A majority of my loose vehicles and beasts (still have several lots listed)
A majority of boxed vehicles and beasts (again, all remaining items are listed, I'm down to 42 items left grouped into several lots)
30 Sideshow 12" figures and counting (starting with prequel items, 19 figures left plus 60 OT items, which I will probably keep a decent amount of)
Several Master Replicas items

Once I get all my listed items sold, I'm moving on to attempting to unload my Hasbro 12" series, then I'm sorting through Legos to see what I want to keep.

Just know that this does take a lot of time and effort between sorting through stuff, taking pictures, and making listings.  My dining room has been a staging area for the past year or so.  Stuff comes up from the basement, then I take pictures and make listings, and just leave it in the dining room until it sells.  You will probably get inquiries from dealers who will offer to buy everything, but that will really lowball you.  At this point, I have made a really decent profit overall, especially since I have sold stuff that I never thought I could unload and the vast majority at cost or above.

So easy answer, definitely go with FB marketplace.  It is really nice when you make a sale and just have to drive a few miles down the road for an in person pick up.  Otherwise, definitely get a digital scale.  I got one on amazon for $25.  It has a 110 lb capacity and I have weighed boxes that are 24" on a side on it.  Also remember that USPS are supposed to measure a box that has any dimension greater than 12".  They always remember on very large boxes, but not always on the smaller ones that they should be measuring.  That will up the shipping price.  Also, they have a max size.  The 24" a side boxes are too large to ship via USPS and have to go UPS.

122
Too bad WB doesn't realize they could do the Snyderverse movies as well as their current projects and work towards a Crisis on Infinite Earths story.

Except they already did Crisis in the current Arrowverse of WB.

123
DC's problem at this point is that they have already semi-rebooted with no true plans in sight.  JJ Abrams is doing a new Superman movie without Cavell.  Pattinson is Batman.  The Flash movie is supposedly still happening, but Cyborg has been booted.  Aquaman 2 is supposedly still happening.  They are making Black Adam and Shazam 2, which really is a waste.  Imagine Marvel saying, well we had some problem with Age of Ultron, so we're scrapping Infinity War, but her is Iternals and Shang-Chi, enjoy.

At this point, they are too far behind to completely reboot and start over, even if they tried to make Wandavision style shows.  Who wants to see yet another Superman or Batman origin story?  I think the MCU shows work in part because they started as movie characters.  So far they are smaller characters who never would have gotten this type of back story or focus in an ensemble piece.

Honestly, if DC were smart, I would movie towards a Justice League 2 based on Batman's end of the world dreams.  That seems far more interesting than anything they have on their slate.  The fact you have all these superheros and you have already changed actors on the two biggest doesn't bode well.  They released their team move four years ago and now have no plans for another is not a positive thing.  It isn't an easy world for movies in general right now.  Who knows how much longer the superhero boom can last in these conditions.

124
From what I remember from the original, this is an improvement, but it still suffers being in the DCEU in general.  They really don't seem to have had a plan, and they certainly don't have a coherent plan going forward.  Honestly this version should replace their canon timeline for the universe, but they have crapped the bed on the whole franchise.  The universe is just too over the top bleak.  If Covid happened in this universe, it would have only lasted a week at most because it just isn't dark and depressing enough for the DCEU.

I think they tried too hard to be "not Marvel" and it killed them.  While Marvel has strayed from the comic sources in many respects, they at least set up the MCU properly.  They chose Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, and Thor to be the founding Avengers for the MCU.  One can argue about Hank Pym being a founder in the comics, but it is easy to understand why they went the route they did.  Then, before making their tentpole movie The Avengers, they made Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, and Captain America the First Avenger, in that order.  Everyone gets a background story and the major characters are fleshed out.  In comparison, DC makes Man of Steel, Batman v. Superman, Suicide Squad, and Wonder Woman leading up to Justice League.  While I really loved Guardians of the Galaxy, can you imagine if Marvel released that as it third movie?  Suicide Squad should never have been made when it was.  That spot should have been for Aquaman.  DC didn't even give us a Batman stand alone movie in the lead up to Justice League.  They just didn't establish the universe well enough.

That is where this new version comes in and tries to fix some things.  It does flesh out the other characters a bit more.  However, the universe would have been better served by putting out Aquaman and a Flash movie that featured Cyborg, prior to Justice League.  The introduction of Darkseid as a future threat defiantly helps the universe overall.  It gives a reason to need a Justice League.  In either cut, Steppenwolf just isn't that big of a threat.  Again, it all boils down to Superman.  Why do you need a Justice League, when Superman can come in at the last ten minutes and take care of everything?  That is one problem with this cut.  I think Superman isn't brought into the picture until the two hour mark.

I am still baffled about how poorly DC has handled this in general.  I would think if you asked the average person who the most famous superhero is, especially prior to the MCU and DCEU were formed, you top three in no particular order would be Superman, Batman, and Spiderman.  DC has two of the three and has screwed it up to the point that they are already replacing both Superman and Batman actors a mere 8 years into the franchise.  Really, it is only four years into it since Man of Steel was 2013 and Justice League was 2017 and Superman and Batman haven't been seen since. They are in such a bad state, they have cancelled so many movies and there are no plans for a Justice League 2.  It seems that there really isn't a DCEU anymore.  I don't think they really have plans to link everything together.

125
LEGO / Re: The End of the Road?
« on: February 9, 2021, 07:01 AM »
I'm in the same boat.  It has just gotten to be too much.  At this point, I've just started to sort through everything.  I am thinking of keeping more of the bigger playsets, like the Death Star, Cloud City, Ewok Village, etc.  I haven't got to the point of selling yet.  I would probably start with unopened sets.  At this point, I have been concentrating on selling off Hasbro stuff.  After about a year or so, I finally see light at the end of the tunnel.  I have sold off all of my 3 3/4" carded and loose figures and all my multipacks and deluxe figures.  I'm down to around 50 items left that are mostly vehicles at this point.  Then is task of trying to unload Hasbro 12", which I am doubting has much resale value.

I have had a couple of bulk sales.  I sold all my loose figures to one person.  I'm sure I could have gotten more money if pulled out certain figures and sold them separate, but it was so much easier not to have to sort and take pictures.

For Legos, I am sure a bulk sale is easily possible.  However, they are worth a lot and I'm sure a bulk buyer won't even pay MSRP on sets bought in bulk.  Everything I have sold with very few exceptions have been on FB marketplace.  That has been a relatively easy process.  Honestly, if you have the time, especially on sealed sets, I would try selling them individually or in small lots.  You will get the best return that way.

I have been tracking my collection in excel sheet for quite some time.  When I started selling, my desire was to try to cover what I paid for everything.  I figured that would be a tough order, but I have actually been successful so far.  Really, my Hasbro 12" figures are the only thing left I think I will take a loss on.  All it takes is time and patience.

126
Watto's Junk Yard / Re: Everything eBay! Scams, questions, etc...
« on: January 20, 2021, 07:00 AM »
I haven't sold on ebay for over a year now.  I knew they were eventually getting rid of paypal as a payment method.  I made a purchase around Christmas and was still able to use paypal to pay for it.  At this point, I really don't think ebay gives any sort of protection as seller anymore.  I have found Facebook marketplace to be much easier to use at this point.

127
The Vintage Collection / Re: 2020 TVC Haslab Project
« on: October 29, 2020, 06:54 AM »
I am getting tempted on this one.  I have been selling off my collection and haven't been buying much Hasbro for several years.  I don't have a single Mando figure, so I figured it was an easy pass.  I still haven't found room to open and display the Barge yet, so buying another large vehicle didn't seem practical.  However, the one thing I have been buying has been the retro figures, mainly to keep carded.  I have been buying two of the figures like Tarkin that were never made in the original line.  So what does Hasbro do?  They make a line of retro Mandalorian figures which I have preordered two of each, including the Stormtrooper that comes with the Monopoly game.  So now I could display this with the retro figures and not have to worry about hunting down a bunch of Mando figures I never purchased.  I guess I have a little over a week to decide.

128
The Vintage Collection / Re: 2020 TVC Haslab Project
« on: September 14, 2020, 06:51 AM »
If they make the cantina, I would say the first two figures on the list are the Tonnika sisters.  Not sure where the whole likeness thing stands at this point.  I can't imagine they are holding out for millions at this point, especially since one of them passed away over a decade ago.

129
The Vintage Collection / Re: Shipping Experiences?
« on: August 13, 2020, 06:34 AM »
After a few experiences shipping stuff overseas, I am really beginning to believe all the shipping services in the US are a giant scam.  I have been selling off a lot of my Hasbro stuff and most of the buyers are located overseas.  For several packages, I used USPS to ship.  In one week, I shipped to the UK, Germany, and Australia from the east coast US.  UK took two weeks, Germany three, and Australia close to two months, with around a month of it being stuck in US customs.  My last few shipments have been bulk buys shipped to the UK.  The buyer arranged the shipments through a parcel broker.  Each shipment has been 5 to 7 large boxes.  DHL has come to my house, picked up the boxes, and had them delivered in 36 to 48 hours after pick up.  My last shipment was picked up at 5:00 PM EST on Monday and was delivered Wednesday at 9:30 AM.  No clue how much it costs, but it really shows that shipping doesn't have to be the disaster we have been seeing.

130
The Vintage Collection / Re: Big Items of the Future!
« on: July 29, 2020, 06:29 AM »
Paging Adam Pawlus!

That's weird that its a vintage box with TVC logo.

I would bet they had it printed up themselves using the original picture from the vintage Death Star.  It fits the line since all the vintage collection vehicles are made to look like the 70's/80's packaging.

131
The Vintage Collection / Re: Big Items of the Future!
« on: July 14, 2020, 09:05 AM »
This is my $0.02 on all of this.  The Barge is a very cool item, but hardly an item that I think fandom had been clamoring for.  I also think people held back on signing up because the number required for it get made.  I had quit Hasbro for years by the time they made the Barge, but I purchased one just because of the playset aspect and I liked the concept of large items actually seeing the light of day in this fashion.  I didn't get on board until the goal had been met.  I still haven't unpacked the thing because I really don't have room to display it.

As for Marvel, I can see a large scale sentinel being a highly desired item for that collecting base.  As people have mentioned, multiple purchases for this type of item for just display seems likely.  No one was buying multiple barges for display, only resale.  While the Barge got the exclusive Yakface, the Sentinel is getting additional add ons based on total sales, which certainly helps.

For Star Wars, I don't think making a Haslab 6" item would be the way to go.  Like others have mentioned, items like the TIE Fighter in that scale wasn't the best mover.  I think if Hasbro had went with a Death Star playset or some type of large version of the vintage Star Destroyer set would have been a much better mover than the Barge.  I personally hope for a Death Star playset.  I would sign up on day one for that.

132
The Vintage Collection / Re: Wow - Modern eBay Auctions
« on: June 11, 2020, 06:37 AM »
When this auction popped up I thought of you guys.

It breaks down to only $278 a figure (plus shipping and tax!)

To be fair, he opens the listing stating he is trying to garner interest and to make him an offer.  The whole SDCC description, while partially true, ignores that the figures were at Target.  Granted, they were impossible for a lot of people to find there.  I had to get my two off the secondary market, but paid in the $30 to $40 range per figure.

I would think maybe $3600 for the lot or $100 per figure.  I have to imagine it did take a lot of work putting the set together.

133
The Vintage Collection / Re: Wow - Modern eBay Auctions
« on: June 10, 2020, 06:56 AM »
It is interesting.  I've noticed some specific items selling for high values.  I have been selling off my Hasbro carded figures in lots on facebook marketplace.  For the large part, figures have been selling for what they cost back in the day.  I've been going in release order and I'm currently up to the ROTS figures on the Vader cards.  They have been languishing for a month at $6 a figure and they are in figure cases.  I have had very few things sell for above cost.  I have avoided listing on ebay for the most part due to the fees.

SDCC exclusives seem to garner big bucks.  For example, the two mini card figures from the Revenge of the Jedi set have sold for $500 each.  I always go to ebay before listing anything just to make sure something hasn't gone through the roof for unknown reasons.  I haven't been really surprised yet.  The original red and green card figures are still generally in the $3 to $4 per figure carded unless they are some sort of variant.  Even the old original EU wave of figures that had the 3D scenes on the cardbacks sell for all that much.  I got about $11 per figure for the wave of nine figures.  Good to know some specific stuff is selling for good prices for even loose figures if I ever get to that point in sales.  I just have what feels like a million boxes of stuff in my basement taking up space at this point that I'm trying to unload.  I just want someone to finally buy all this prequel stuff so I can move on to the 30AC and BAD stuff that people are more interested in overall.

134
Watto's Junk Yard / Re: How's everyone doing?!
« on: April 14, 2020, 06:42 AM »
Got hit with a 27% temporary pay cut this morning.  The company says they have a plan and think that with this reduction they can weather the storm without any layoffs - which is my preference anyway.

It stings, but since we didn't buy that condo this month, we can get by.  The pay reduction is similar to the increased amount I was going to be spending on the new place. 

This next check will be my last full one until things get back to normal, my goal now is still just to stay employed and hopefully not dip into our downpayment money.   

I feel your pain.  My company has done something similar for all of Q2 with a "we will re-evaluate in June to see if it needs to continue".  At this point, I am toying with a mortgage refinance with a cash out to build up some emergency funds.  I just want to make to the end of May at this point when hopefully things might look better.  I'm just glad my internet connection has been stable over the past four weeks.

135
Kenner Retro Collection / Re: 2020 Kenner Retro Collection - ESB
« on: March 3, 2020, 07:04 AM »
I am so glad that the pain of acquiring things for me hasn't translated to disliking collecting. The peaks of enjoyment happen less often but I still enjoy it. I personally can't imagine quitting collecting SW over it being more difficult. I'd much rather get stuff here and there than not at all. Anyway, I don't really have a point to this post, just thought I'd share my feelings as there's been a few posts similar to Ed and Justin's as of late.

It isn't that I dislike collecting, I just knew once Disney took over, there was no way I could keep up anymore.  At the time, I was trying to divide things up by movie, so I would need need seven sets of shelves for Hasbro figures, one for each movie plus a seventh for EU stuff.  Same thing with lego.  Once Disney made the purchase, my mind kind of exploded that day.  I was just sitting there reading the news on Facebook and I knew I couldn't hope to keep up.  Hasbro was the first casualty.  Then sideshow (however I did preorder the Baby Yoda and did order the remaining BH figures to complete the set).  I got divorced back in July, so I had to move all my stuff so everything is in boxes and totes filling up my basement with no real room to display anything.  I'm going through the slow and painful process of selling off Hasbro stuff in the hopes of eventually make some space in order to display things like my vintage stuff and loose Hasbro stuff.  I never even got around to unboxing stuff like the Big MF from so many years ago.  It sits in a box somewhere. 

I have kept up with Hallmark since I put the new ones on the tree every year.  The novels and comics have always been a big part of what I enjoy so I keep up with those as well.  I could really use a library or study type room so I could have them all on shelves instead of in boxes.  I really dig the John Tyler Christopher action figure covers so I think I have them all except for the B&W version of Star Wars #1 with Luke.  I buy the blurays in regular edition as my one to watch as well as the Best Buy steelbook to keep sealed and the UK 3D steel book since I still have a 3D TV.  At this point, I'm just focusing on downsizing with the hope of finally displaying what I enjoy.  Really not sure what to do with all the lego sets at this point, there are just too many of them.

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