Star Wars Action Figures...Whaaaa!

[Texican]

As many of you guys know, I'm moving at the end of August. It is a big move from Texas to Massachusetts where I will be attending seminary.

I'm looking at my life and all the crap I've accumulated during my mere twenty-four years here on this planet.

And then, my mother came by and dropped a whole bunch of childhood toys at my apartment one day.

I have a whole bunch of Star Wars action figures. Most of them in the box. Yes I know, I'm a nerd, and my wife immediately pointed out my resemblance to Steve Carrell in the 40 Year Old Virgin. I really don't want them anymore. And hey - before Katee Sackhoff - I had Carrie Fisher.

So, I'm a bit wary of selling things on eBay or Craigslist (selling a computer? Ship it to Nigeria and I'll send payment!). I've done it before and I've been scammed one to many times by people to ever think of going on there.

Does anyone have any suggestions as far as what I should do with these things? Are there any specialty shops that deal with this sort of thing? Has anyone ever had a problem dealing with eBay or Craigslist?

 

[DunEdinRanger]

Was there ever a Jabba The Hutt action figure?

 

[stobes21]

No real experience with stuff like that. I have sold fairly expensive items on the bay though. Ebay is still pretty okay. There are a lot of scammers, but if you know what to look for and how to structure your auction you'll be fine. I would spend some time figuring out value for them and then sell one of your mid priced items. If the sale goes well then keep going, if you don't like it go somewhere else with the rest of your stuff.

If you are nervous you could take them to one of those stores that sells stuff on ebay for you (taking a cut of course). You could also try going to one of those sci-fi conventions. I'm sure there are collectors there that would love to buy them. Or you can cruise the web and try to find a collector's website with a sale forum.

 

[RILEY]

Here in Vancouver, there is a house called Ronald Macdonald House.

It is a house where terminally ill kids & their families that have come from out of town to Vancouver, can stay while the kids undergo their treatments.

Possibly there is a place similar to where you live or will be moving to, that would be more then happy to receive these figures as a donation, where the figures could remain at the place of donation for the kids to play with.

It would be priceless to bring a smile to the kids faces & help, or to help take their mind off their treatments if even for but a moment.

Just a thought.

 

[xbostonirishx]

If your going to Massachusetts I know of some friends of mine who own two comic book shops, and maybe they would help you sell them on commission or have some idea on how to sell them for you. They are great people. if you want their number PM me.

 

[Stubblefield]

eBay. Sell them as a lot, insure them, and ship to a confirmed address only. Paypal only, of course.

 

[Bertilak]

I like the idea of donating them, but with one caveat.

Try to get a fairly reliable estimate of their value. If it turns out they are worth a small fortune it might be better to sell them and donate all or some portion of the money instead of the goods themselves.

Even if they are only moderately valued my instinct would be to preserve their collectability by leaving them in their original packaging, converting them to cash and donating the cash.

All told, I guess eBay is the way to go. That will get you at least a ball-park cash equivalent and you can take it from there.

 

[Kratos]

Bob's right. I was going to suggest the same when I read this thread but I go caught up in something. It would be pretty much a waste to donate the collectibles to the kids. The condition and packaging and everything would be all for naught, and the kids are not in the position to appreciate all that, nor should they be expected to. They also aren't really the kind of toys kids these days would like. Most of them aren't going to recognize the characters, for one thing. They are tiny, as action dolls go, and the lightsabers, guns and stuff are tiny and easy to lose(and choke on) as well. Sell 'em, and donate the cash or buy some modern toys to donate to the kids, if that's the route you choose.

 

[mark the shoeshine boy]

kind of like hot wheels, you are going to have some good ones and some great ones....

i guess it depends what series you have. are they the first edition that came out during the first movie...etc ?

I would check with ebay and see what the market is bearing on those items.

I might list them not as a total group, depending upon the size but several smaller groups.

Are there any super rare items in that bunch? I would pair it with a weaker item.

My brother owns a comic book/collector shop and i have been collecting and selling stuff for a long time, too.

good luck.

 

[gollum83]

Well do you have any comic book stores around you? They may be able to help you, as many deal in collectible items like the ones you have. Or how about a good old-fashioned ad in the local newspaper?

 

[TimmyBoston]

Here in Vancouver, there is a house called Ronald Macdonald House.

It is a house where terminally ill kids & their families that have come from out of town to Vancouver, can stay while the kids undergo their treatments.

Possibly there is a place similar to where you live or will be moving to, that would be more then happy to receive these figures as a donation, where the figures could remain at the place of donation for the kids to play with.

It would be priceless to bring a smile to the kids faces & help, or to help take their mind off their treatments if even for but a moment.

Just a thought.

I would normally agree with these, but these are collectors items. Some of them have high value, donating them is silly. If you want to make a donation, Sell them for their value and use that money to buy new toys you'd easily be able to donate 3 times of the amount of toys as well as make a profit.

 

[TonyH]

Would it be totally out of line to offer them up here for a while? I would suspect that there are more than a few Star Wars nerds (ahem, such as myself) that would possibly be interested.

 

[gollum83]

Would it be totally out of line to offer them up here for a while? I would suspect that there are more than a few Star Wars nerds (ahem, such as myself) that would possibly be interested.

So has Texican found a potential buyer then?

 

[Trench]

Was there ever a Jabba The Hutt action figure?

Yes, actually, there was. And I wanted it so bad when I was a kid and never got one.

 

[Nishnabotna]

The tail moved when you turned his head.

 

[nikkuchan]

ebay is probably your best bet. I've bought and sold loads of stuff through it, and it's quite reliable. Since you will recieve payment first, you won't have to worry about not getting paid.

Also, we're talking about packaged Star Wars action figures. If you put those up on ebay, all the nerds and collectors will be all over them fast.

A note though, you probably won't see the price get high until just before the auction ends, so just be patient.

 

[mmack66]

ebay is probably your best bet. I've bought and sold loads of stuff through it, and it's quite reliable. Since you will recieve payment first, you won't have to worry about not getting paid.

Also, we're talking about packaged Star Wars action figures. If you put those up on ebay, all the nerds and collectors will be all over them fast.

A note though, you probably won't see the price get high until just before the auction ends, so just be patient.

+1. You won't get anywhere close to what they are worth if you go to a retail establishment.

 

[RazorDingo]

If you really don't want to go to the trouble (and risk) of selling your Star Wars stuff on e-Bay, then I suggest contacting a store that specializes in selling collectibles. Such places are almost always interested in "new in box" quality vintage figurines, and will be most likely to give you a "fair" price - in cash - for your merchandise. Remember "fair" price doesn't mean the absolute top price you might get on an e-Bay auction.

One store in the Houston area is Third Planet, phone # (713) 528-1067.

 

[ClubmanRob]

Retail stores will pay you about one fifth of the figures actual worth. If you have a pristine/mint Chewbacca that the price guides quote you as being worth 100.00, you will possibly get 20.00 from an honest retailer. Your best bet is Ebay. Star Wars stuff is always "warm", but it does tend to fluctuate in intensity. I would wait for some similarly themed event, such as a new Star Wars cartoon, video game, or DVD release that tends to give the popularity a minor jumpstart. In the meantime, familiarize yourself with what you have, do a little research, and see if you have any outstanding, rare, or error figures that may possibly be worth a great deal. I'm not the biggest toy collector, but there are quite a few variant/error figures in the original Star Wars lineup that may be worth checking into.

Stay away from Craigslist. You will have guys that look like this:

coming to your home, insulting your collection, lowballing the hell out of you, taking your toys that they just ripped off and re-selling them on Ebay or through their store.

 

[TimmyBoston]

I personally think you'll get the most money on ebay or Craig's List. I don't understand the reluctance.