Best way to sell a HUGE gaming collection?

[S'mon]

I cleared out some stuff recently when I realised it wasn't giving me joy (BTW, sad to hear you've not played in 20 years - you should give it a try!). In the past I've sold stuff on amazon, but that is a lot of hassle for a few pence. I've also given away stuff to other RPGers, but the blighters are fussy what they take and have a nose for quality.

This time I took it all to a nearby charity shop - let them worry about it.

 

[LordEntrails]

There used to be a store near me that all they did was resell stuff on eBay for others. They cataloged it, they took the pictures, they did the research on pricing, they listed it, they sold it, etc. I think they took 20%, but not sure.

Not sure there are still places like that. But that would be my first go to.

If you want to take the time, selling on eBay is going to get you the best prices. Or maybe that FB page.

 

[Svetgar]

Thanks for the advice all.

To answer the question as to why I haven't played, there really isn't one reason. Basically after high school we all sort of drifted apart, or moved away and lost touch. I've thought about going to a game store on DnD night but I feel awkward doing so. And I'm not talking about social anxiety either; just the idea of barging in on a group of strangers to play seems... weird, I guess? Also the more modern games and rule systems are so heavily focused on precise detailed combat and miniatures. Can't I just hit the orc with my sword? And if I wanted to play with minis, I would just play Warhammer.

I also work alot, so when I have free time I spend it with my kids, or home with my wife. I've tried getting them to play RPGs, but it hasn't stuck. I bought the Pathfinder beginner box and we tried that; it was pretty much a disaster. (And I hated the rules anyways). I was never good at being a DM so I'm sure that has a lot to do with it. I don't really know where to begin. Or maybe they were too young when I tried. I honestly think they would enjoy it if they were properly introduced. But I'm rambling now.

Anyways, keep the ideas coming.

 

[Mark Hope]

If it's dollar return you're after, Ebay is a good choice. Yes, there are fees, but if you take the time and effort (and it will take both), you can offload your collection a piece at a time and make decent returns. I recently sold off most of my third edition material and made double to quadruple what I paid for it. Worth considering.

 

[pickin_grinnin]

You can avoid fees on Craigslist or any number of local Facebook groups.

 

[Yaztromo]

A couple of years ago I was in a similar situation with collectible gameing cards (I didn't want to relocate again carrying with me that boxes of cards that I haven't been playing with for many years) and I went to eBay, first offering some rare singles (that I found in high demand) and later on some packages (that are harded to sell).
The money that I raised from that auctions (after paying the fees) was so out of the scale of my expectations that I gave a good percentage of it directly to charity. Some people in gaming is ready to pay some crazy money I felt ashamed to receive in full.

 

[Greatwyrm]

My experience with Noble Knight was pretty similar to Doc_Klueless'. The only real difference is that I took store credit, where it sounds like he opted for cash. I traded a bunch of stuff that had nice memories, but was otherwise just gathering dust, and ended up with some nice books that got regular use after that. Much easier than when I was trying to do it all myself on ebay.

Just keep in mind you're not going to make a ton of money regardless of what you do. There's just not a ton of resale value in old rpg stuff, unless you've got good condition collector items.

 

[ahungbunny]

Maybe https://www.facebook.com/groups/RPGAuctionsLobby/
?

https://www.facebook.com/groups/RPGAuctions is the actual auction group. if you don't want to ebay, i'd fully suggest this place. you'll get a good return on your collection from people who care about the game and know what things are worth

 

[Zhaleskra]

I am realizing how much too much stuff I have after I had to move back in with my father. After speaking with college friends at a gaming convention in Minnesota, one said he'd probably just hold on to his stuff than try to sell it. That won't work with me, some day my dad is going to die, but probably before that I'm going to move again and moving makes you realize just how much too much stuff you have.

I know the Planescape stuff can fetch good prices on eBay. About a year ago, I had someone interested in buying a bunch of my Dark Sun stuff with some other products in a lot. Even that still leaves about 20 pounds of AD&D2E books mixed with other RPGs that are just collecting dust around the house.

I read an article that claims at least one Goodwill store just throws out RPG book donations. While I'd rather they re-sell it, while I get rid of it, at least it would cover the getting rid of it part.

There's a game store in Ann Arbor that possibly might take the AD&D2E stuff. Also there are friends, but I don't want to create the problem for friends that I'm currently trying to solve for myself.

 

[Wolfpack48]

Can I offer some alternative advice? Maybe try posting a gaming request at your local hobby store or an online forum like meetup.com, and see if you can find/meet some local folks who are interested in gaming. Or maybe just join in someone else's game for a bit, and meet some people.
I find that actually having a semi-regular ongoing game makes all the difference in the joy you feel as regards all your games. Start small, but build a group of friends around the hobby, because at the end of the day, the games are not fun unless you have friends to enjoy them with.

It might be even more depressing if you sold/gave away something you truly love just because you haven't been active in the hobby for awhile. Do you have space to host gaming? If not, maybe travel to someone else's place for awhile, or find a good public place to meet. I'm not doubting that you feel the games have become a millstone, but I am guessing that the reason they feel that way is that you need a core group of friends to enjoy them with. Not to say some of that stuff couldn't go into storage or be sold if you don't think you'll ever use it.

Anyway, just food for thought.