How do I thin my collection? How do YOU thin your collection?

[Neonchameleon]

Can anyone think of a use for the sort of 3.5 splatbook I picked up for £5 (i.e. less than a third of cover price) when it was new? I'm talking about books like Dragonmarked, Races of Eberron, Secrets of Sarlonia, etc? (Yes, I'm an Eberron fan but the core 3e and 4e Eberron books have more than enough for me and I might keep Sharn: City of Towers). I've recently had a clearout of my book shelves and taken a couple of hiking rucksacks of books to charity shops - but don't think they would even be able to sell Dragonmarked. And I'm never going to use it.

 

[Zhaleskra]

I mostly prune by selling on eBay, there is the occasional messageboard post, but generally eBay.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Secrets of Sarlona had some good stuff in there for some combo of Warforged, Monks or Soulknives, but I can't recall off the top of my head.

 

[JediSoth]

As to HOW I get rid of stuff, I usually sell it to Noble Knight.

As to how I decide WHAT to get rid of, I take a long look at my books and determine whether or not I've used the book, or even looked at it for any reason over the past couple of years. If the answer is yes, it stays. If the answer is no, then I try to decide if it's likely that I will use it in the next year. If the answer is no, I'll sell it.

I usually only get rid of stuff for space considerations. I have two bookshelf for fantasy RPGs & supplements (D&D, Pathfinder, HackMaster, Dragon Age, etc.) and another bookshelf for other RPGs. While I do have some additional space, I really don't want to expand into those areas because that will mean I have to find a new home for my board games.

 

[sabrinathecat]

Have you used in in the last 5 years? Are you likely to use it in the next year? If the answer to both is "no", then it is time to sell it. eBay is your friend here. I had great results (some even insane ones) when I helped a friend sell of his D&D collection 2 years ago. Some of his old 1st ed modules were going for $80. And they weren't even good ones (that's why they were rare, which is why the collectors were screaming for them). Others go for $5 or less.
Another way to look at it is "Is it worth $10 for me to keep this book?" If the answer is yes, keep it. If the answer is unsure, maybe keep it for another year.
Personally, I've rid myself of all my older edition D&D except for the spelljammer boxes that I have so I can build models of them in maya, and a monster manual book for some of the images--and that will be going up on ebay in a few months. I've kept my 2nd ed WEG StarWars mainly because I like the system, and don't want to lose it, even though I have PDF versions of most of the books. That said, there is something to be said for having an actual book version.

 

[TerraDave]

Another vote for Noble Knight.

One technique is to just set aside a certain amount of space, then prioritize. Whatever ends up at the bottom goes, and when you get something new, you get rid of something.

 

[Mark CMG]

As to HOW I get rid of stuff, I usually sell it to Noble Knight.

Could you describe this process and your results in using them, please?

 

[JediSoth]

Could you describe this process and your results in using them, please?

Typically, I'll e-mail them a list of the items I want to sell, along with an estimate of what their condition is and whether I want a quote for cash or store credit (you get more money in store credit). Within a day or so someone from Noble Knight responds with a offer.

If I accept the offer, they provide prepaid FedEx Ground mailing labels (takes a couple of days to get then via USPS). I then box up the goods, drop them off at FedEx. A few days later, I get an e-mail telling me they arrived and either a check is on the way or my store account has been credited.

In my experience, I get better prices from Noble Knight than from Half-Price Books and its much less trouble than eBay.

 

[Mark CMG]

Typically, I'll e-mail them a list of the items I want to sell, along with an estimate of what their condition is and whether I want a quote for cash or store credit (you get more money in store credit). Within a day or so someone from Noble Knight responds with a offer.

If I accept the offer, they provide prepaid FedEx Ground mailing labels (takes a couple of days to get then via USPS). I then box up the goods, drop them off at FedEx. A few days later, I get an e-mail telling me they arrived and either a check is on the way or my store account has been credited.

In my experience, I get better prices from Noble Knight than from Half-Price Books and its much less trouble than eBay.

Thanks! It sounds like a very streamlined, no-hassle process.

 

[nightwind1]

I don't understand...

What is this "thinning my collection" of which you speak?