Long time reader, first-time poster. Thanks for having me
I've been working on reviving my old 2E campaign, and have hunted down numerous books in my quest to complete the library; consequently, I feel like I'm pretty in tune with the market for 2E books. I've bought from four places, and looking at them should give you a good idea on how to price your books.
www.titangames.com
They're known for having a good selection and for being very reliable in their grading, shipping and inventory management. They also tend to represent the high end of the price scale--you know exactly what you're getting, but you pay for that certainty.
www.nobleknight.com
These guys have a smaller selection, but lower prices. You can get four or five splatbooks for $30, if you don't care about their condition.
www.amazon.com
The Amazon marketplace has a lot of 2E books from various sellers, and the prices/conditions vary wildly.
www.ebay.com
EBay has its advantages and disadvantages: good deals, unreliable vendors, and bizarre fluctuations in market values (depending on who happens to log on and bid). This is important, because you need to price yourself low enough to draw interest, but high enough to make sure that you don't get screwed because you happened to post your items during a week in which nobody is looking for your particular books.
If I were you, I would use those four resources to get an idea of what a used book retailer expects for their items in relation to what the bull market of EBay will bear out. The BEST advice I can give you is to isolate those books which have a high market value and auction them off individually.
Some products--whether by virtue of low print runs; of being extremely useful and/or popular; or of being boxed sets (the contents of which are often lost to time)--command a pretty steep price compared to what you would think. You'd be surprised at what some of these books sell for. Know your valuable books, and sell them intelligently.
Most core books and splatbooks hold steady at cover price or slightly higher, depending upon condition: high print runs means that supply is plentiful and they're cheap in relation to their usefulness. However, the Ninja's HB and Barbarians HB go for a pretty penny, because they are more rare (and, to many players, very cool).
The Forgotten Realms boxed set (2E) can be had for as low as $5 in good condition, and the FR series of supplements (as well as its ancestors) are also cheap; however, many of the expansion boxes (Spellbound, The North, City of Splendors, Mezoberranzen, Myth Drannor) sell for $40 - $90!
If I went to Titan Games and wanted to pick up Aurora's Whole Realms Catalog, I would spend $25 for a VF copy; on Amazon, some sellers ask as much as $32 for similar condition. I got my NM+ copy on EBay for $10, with no competitive bidding (despite the fact that another auction for the same book, in LESSER condition, was very competitive). On Titan Games, a NM copy of The North boxed set goes for $80 or so; I got mine in similar condition off of EBay for $20.
The point is, don't be the seller who gets ripped off because he doesn't know what his book is worth. Do your research and think carefully about what you bundle into a lot, what you sell individually, and where you start your bidding.
Please let us know when you're about to auction off your wares: I know I'm interested, and others here are as well.
