This post was written in December 2024. Now it's July 2025. I really did intend to list the action figures back during the winter, but then my eyes became terribly inflamed—most likely from Covid—and are still a problem. As my summer break begins to wind down, I'm finally getting some stuff listed. I have my extra action figures laid out, and I will hopefully get them photographed and listed.
............................................................
I backed the Nancy Drew Kickstarter in May 2023. The pledge totaled $605.00. I was later charged $209.08 shipping. I also purchased another set of action figures at a total cost of $332.63.
Everything I have from this Kickstarter was acquired at a total cost of $1,146.71.
I want to sell all of the extras, but I haven't had any idea of what I really paid for each item. I need to know what I paid so that I can decide how to price them.
This is what I have along with the listed prices on Kickstarter before shipping.
1 Detective Accessories, add-on for $3.00
1 silhouette stand, add-on for $2.00
5 book stands with figure, $27.00 each
1 white t-shirt, ?
5 black t-shirts, ?
Old Clock carded figure, $26.25
Old Clock carded figure, $26.25
Hidden Staircase carded figure, $26.25
Hidden Staircase carded figure, $26.25
Old Attic carded figure, $26.25
Old Attic carded figure, $26.25
Dancing Puppet carded figure, $26.25
Dancing Puppet carded figure, $26.25
Old Clock boxed figure, $27.00
Old Clock boxed figure, $27.00
Hidden Staircase boxed figure, $27.00
Hidden Staircase boxed figure, $27.00
Lilac Inn boxed figure, $56.00
Lilac Inn boxed figure, $56.00
Old Attic boxed figure, $27.00
Old Attic boxed figure, $27.00
Dancing Puppet boxed figure, $27.00
Dancing Puppet boxed figure, $27.00
Crooked Banister boxed figure, $56.00
Crooked Banister boxed figure, $56.00
6 Case of the Curious Collection books, $22.00 each
Since the above prices do not include shipping, my cost was higher. I have 39 items all together. Some items, like the silhouette stand or detective accessories, are worth considerably less than other items. Ignoring that, if I take my total cost of $1,146.71 and divide by 39, I get an average cost of $29.40 per item. That is not cheap. It's easy to see that I will have to sell anything that is more desirable (the action figures and book) at $50 or above at a minimum.
I expect that I will sell everything except for one of each action figure, one book, and one book stand. I might keep the detective accessories, but I'm not sure.
I know what the prospective buyers will think when they see my future listings. They'll think I'm overcharging unless I price the action figures well below my costs. That's the sad reality. People don't appreciate how much cost is involved with backing a venture like this. They just think about how the action figures would be priced if they saw them for sale in Walmart. These action figures will never be in Walmart and were only produced in low quantity. They weren't cheap and won't be sold secondhand for cheap.
I expect it to be a real problem for me to get my money back for the extra action figures. The key is to try to profit off of the five extra copies of Case of the Curious Collection. It's a Nancy Drew story that isn't available anywhere, and it never will be. The only way to get to read it is to obtain one of the limited edition copies of the book.
Whenever I decide to sell one of the books, it will be via eBay auction. The starting bid will be at least $75.00. Remember, eBay fees are high, and I offer free shipping on orders above $40. Postage is getting expensive as well.
I created a spreadsheet and redistributed my costs to where my cost for each Curious Collection book is higher than some of the action figures. For that reason, I consider a $75.00 starting bid to be an "at cost" selling price for me. If I can pull more money into the book, then I can list the action figures at somewhat lower prices to make it more likely that they will sell.
That's my reasoning.
I've been hoping that someone would list an extra Curious Collection book on eBay so that I would have some idea of what the market will support. It's looking like I'm going to have to go first. I may go with a $100.00 starting bid just to be safe.
I don't know when I will try listing one of the books. I might end up waiting another month or more. At least I do now have a reference point on how much I paid for each item, which opens the door for me to list some of them.
No doubt many of you are thinking that I could just sell on Facebook and avoid the eBay fees. Sure, but it's too much trouble for me. I have two autoimmune diseases, one controlled by medication that flares regularly and one currently untreated that flares constantly. Even the slightest stress causes a flare.
This is how it goes if I sell on Facebook. If I post in a group, I photograph the items, state the price per item, the postage, and that I accept PayPal. I tell them everything they need to know upfront.
The questions will start rolling in. What is the cost? Do you have ______ available? Can I pay through PayPal? What will the shipping cost be?
Next, three people will want the same item. I have to contact all three, accepting the first one and declining the other two. One of the people who lose out will express disappointment.
Let's say I want to avoid PayPal fees. I give the buyer my PayPal information, and they'll send payment through PayPal via the friends and family option without including their address. I have to ask for it. I then have to go to PayPal and manually enter the buyer's address into the shipping label. I have to give the buyer tracking number.
I am very prone to mistakes, so I have to triple-check every step. It's too much, and I refuse to go through it.
I'd rather be hosed on fees. All tasks must be streamlined in order to continue to do the things that I want and need to do. The process is so easy when done through an online marketplace, and it greatly minimizes my work.
No comments:
Post a Comment