I would Lose my Shirt if I got out of D&D!

[shurai]

I believe you've already lost your shirt. Selling your collection would help you buy back some of the buttons.

Exactly so. I wouldn't expect to ever make money collecting D&D books. I mean, you're buying mass-produced works of fantasy. They have no capital value (that is, you can't use them to generate wealth). The only way noncapital stuff goes up in value over time is if:

1) the thing is rare and prone to destroying itself over time (hence, antique cars and antiques generally), or
2) there is a finite amount of it on the earth (land, uranium), with no possibility of producing more.

D&D manuals are neither, except on the very long term (There are books a century old that you can buy for less than a copy of the PHB).

Also, publishers actually depend on the books becoming worthless. The RPG market is pretty much zero-growth, which means that to stay in business publishers have to ensure that consumers are buying new books all the time instead of circulating old ones among themselves.

Finally, as some posters have sort of said, D&D manuals are objects of entertainment value only. Economically speaking its in none of our interests to take D&D very seriously. As much as we all love them, economically speaking they're trifles to be bought with disposable income. "Disposable" is meant literally here -- what you're doing when buying D&D products, from a financial point of view (and neglecting whatever therapeutic value the game may have), is flushing your money down the drain. Especially considering how many low-cost alternatives there are.

 

[WayneLigon]

Actually, I think I realized I lost my shirt when my collection of old dragon mags sold for $1.50.

Next time, look at 'Reserve Price' It might take three or four tries to net a decent price for something nowadays with all the eBay stores, but a reserve price will keep you from selling something for pennies.

 

[EvilPheemy]

I doubt I'll ever sell my role playing books. I'm gonna keep em in a bookcase in my den. Then, years from now when my grandkids come to visit, I'll show 'em what we did for fun back when I was a kid.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

I don't look at D&D as an investment. It helps me sleep at night.

Ditto. I feel exactly the same way.

 

[papastebu]

Hi-

Correction, it was a 1.30, below is a link to the auction:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110110097516

No big deal, its the roll of the iron dice on eBay sometimes. But I have no further incination to get rid of my stuff, I plan on keeping it. I really enjoy the hell out of D&D and hope it never comes down to where I gotta dump my D&D collection, Like other people, I too am a pack rat.


Scott
Visit the best ASL forum on the net:
http://www.freepowerboards.com/asl/...635fcdadc6507ad

My brother used to be a bit of a shadetree mechanic. When he needed parts---especially obscure ones no longer produced except as after-market specialties---he'd buy a whole car that had been totalled, or had some major oil leak or something, and he'd get parts for three or four repair/replacement jobs for about 50 to 100 bucks.
My point is that the reverse is also true. If you had sold your issues one at a time, or in sets of three to five, or all of a story arc together, but not all of them at the same time, you might have gotten quite a bit more for them. 10-20 cents a magazine would still have netted you a whole lot more than a buck thirty for the whole mess. Another thing you could have done---I haven't looked at the auction---was played up the fact that Dragon as a physical product is essentially done. The idea that something is not going to be around anymore increases value. You can do this with anything. Also, for future reference, Google whatever you're trying to sell. Research and product knowledge is everything in the auction game. Also, in similar circumstances, you should tally up what everything you are selling actually cost you, figure out some sort of depreciation/appreciation table for things, and say "I'll take nothing less than this: X." wher x is the absolute lowest price, or you won't sell.

 

[jefgorbach]

I doubt I'll ever sell my role playing books. I'm gonna keep em in a bookcase in my den. Then, years from now when my grandkids come to visit, I'll show 'em what we did for fun back when I was a kid.

wait.... "a" bookcase? As in single?? lol

No offense, but as one who's been collecting since the original PH/DMG...plan on having several Im currently using a small two-shelf unit upstairs with reference materials for the current Savage Tide, while the main selection of two full bookcases (and growing) of original hardcopies in the basement and ??? full CDs of PDFs stand ready in the basement awaiting recall to active duty.

All I know is decades from now there are gonna be some rather annoyed pall bearers wondering where they can find a forklift and why, oh why, did he want to take the whole collection w/him to the eternal game in the Summerlands?

 

[Festivus]

I regret not grabbing my box of D&D stuff when I moved out of my Mom's house. 20 years later and I asked about it, she threw it out. I didn't have much stuff but I did have some stuff that I enjoyed fondly as a kid. I have since repurchased a lot of that stuff (albiet a lot in PDF format) and read just for nostalgia sake (Isle of Dread, Keep on the Borderlands) and some irreplacable stuff (e.g. old Pegasus magazines) will never be seen again by my eyes unless I spot them at a garage sale or on ebay.

I vowed that I would never leave any of my stuff behind again, because frankly, nobody in my family can apprciate it like I do. I'll pass it on to my kids when I die, saving them a ton of money.

edit: When I die, I only want my dicebag with me. Nobody gets to use my dice.

 

[caudor]

When I die, I only want my dicebag with me. Nobody gets to use my dice.

Buried with a dice bag...now that's a gamer!

 

[WayneLigon]

Was mussing while I had some dead time at work and thought, if I was to sell all my D&D stuff, I would lose my shirt IE I would never regain what I paid in full for my D&D collection.

It also depends on what you have and what condition it's in. Unfortunately, you're looking at a very small group of collectors and the supply far outstrips the demand - that will create virtually no value. Most people view older editions as worthless and the comparative few that do not almost always already have the books they need. You'd need to catch someone at exactly the right time to get anything of real worth for most old D&D stuff, such as someone wanting books for players of a new 1E campaign (OSRIC or scanned books will probably destroy what little of that market remains). Most of it was so plentiful and so many books were printed that even near the end of 2E you could still find and buy 1E stuff for pretty much nothing.

Most places other than large chain bookstores couldn't return unsold merchandise for credit, so they dumped it at low prices ($2.00 for Wilderness Survival Guide, for instance) just to get it off their inventory.

You might have better luck selling them to a used book store (though a lot of them won't take magazines, since they're usually in terrible condition and contain outdated news).

Or donate them to the Salvation Army, your local library, or a children's hospital. Then you can usually take it off your taxes; ask your accountant about specifics and how it works in your state.

 

[Tetsubo]

I recently sold off the bulk of my 2E collection. I made enough to buy six or seven new 3.5 books. So I think I did OK. I still have around 45' of shelf space dedicated to RPGs. I'm looking to sell off my Dragons (#27 - #250) so hearing you got so little for yours is painful. I may list them on Craig's List just to avoid having to ship them. Let them go to a local... though I have at least one gaming shop I have to call and see if they are interested...