b'By Jim and Bobbi Jeen Olson,WesternTradingPost.comM ost collectors eventually become sellers. We sell to trade up, downsize, for various other reasons. As seasoned collectors we learned it is best to do research before buying, but what about when it comes time to sell? I believe it wise do our research here as well.Do we go to an auction house? Consign to a gallery? Sell it ourselves online or at a swap meet? There are numerous optionsand all should be studied because some are better for particular situations than othersand each person is different. There are pros and cons depending upon each sellers needs and skillsets. Below are ten general things to consider when choosing an outlet to work with.1 REPUTATION. Does the person/dealer/site you are considering working with have a good reputation? How long have they been in business? Are they known for fair dealings? Do they have complaints with the Better Business Bureau, etc.? Do they have good reviews? Sites like Yelp, Google, and others can be helpful. Just remember that online reviews areof enjoyment received in the process. When selling or upgrading our normally only a fraction of theircollection, we should expect a pleasant experience as well.actual customers and that happy customers are less likely to leave7 LENGTH OF TIME. How long will they have the item(s)? One month? feedback and say something than Six months? A year or more? Do they buy it outright, right now? a dissatisfied one is. Generally, when people are ready to sell, they want to sell now. Some are willing to wait longer in hopes of realizing a higher price and many are 2 KNOWLEDGEABLE. Do theysomewhere in betweenthey want know what they are talkingthings to sell fairly quickly and at about when representinga reasonably higher price. Keep in items? Nobody can knowmind that time = money.everything, but a wise person will search out what they need to know.8 COST OF SELLING. How A person with knowledge helps us through the selling process. They helpmuch are the selling costs in us from setting a price too high or even too low. They can help us fromrelation to the final price? If making other mistakes which may come back to bite us later.selling on consignment, what is the percentage taken by the dealer 3 ONLINE PRESENCE. Do they sell online and have a good digitalor site? Are there hidden fees such footprint? In this day and age, it is very important that folks sellingas insurance or photographing fees? Or if selling outright, what amount of just about anything have some sort of an online presence. Where dowholesale discount do they expect to get? Its not always the selling price that they rank with search engines?matters, it is your net amount. The bottom line is important.When you Google X, do they show up? Remember if you have trouble9 CUSTOMER SERVICE. What is their customer service like? How finding them, so will others. they treat buyers is actually important to sellers as well. Happy buyers will purchase more and pay better. Happy buyers are less likely to 4 SOCIAL MEDIA. Continuingcome back later with unfavorable demands or in extreme cases even somewhat with the onlinelawsuits. With good customer service, future problems are minimized. theme, but a different piece of the puzzle is a social media10 SHOW following. Facebook, Instagram,ME THE LinkedIn, YouTube, and otherMONEY! similar sites are basically like theOne of the most radio and television of yesteryearimportant things when it comes to exposure. Having a social media following is importantto know is how for visibility. long till payday? Do they pay 5 OPTIONS? Do they offer more than one way to sell? Do you consignwithin a week? or sell outright? Can you set a base price or is that at the discretion ofTwo weeks? A month? Six months or more? It is important to find this the dealer? Maybe you could consign for a while and then if it doesout because the best place for our money is under our control, in our own not sell, send it through an auction? Do they deal in more than one class ofpocket, not sitting with someone else for weeks or months at a time.items? Options are nice.There are other factors one may consider and of course, the selling experience 6 EASY TO DEAL WITH. Are they friendly and easy to deal with inis a little different for each of us. A sure thing to remember is that selling or general? Some might say, I dont care as long as the job gets done,trading our collectibles can, and should be, a fun experience just like buying but if they are not easy to deal with, your experience will not bethem was. In many cases, it is the final chapter of our experience with that as fulfilling. A noted benefit of the collecting experience is the senseparticular item, so we should strive to make it a good one. ArizonaRealCountry.com December 2020 15'