Pricing a theatre program collection

[normlin]

-Have 6 hard binder books each with 33 Broadway programs  to be sold as individual book.  Some programs are bit more valuable than others, and in searching sold some of the included programs among my 33  were sold at prices all over the place.

-To avoid confusion will sell each book at same price

- Programs to be chosen randomly.

-Each hardcover collection of 33 book will also have one autographed programs (though the cover may have a single autograph, not whole cast)

-Search showed 0ne 33 similar collation without  any autographs and without any valuable programs.

-I have done search to learn of those a bit more valuable.

How to be price each binder collection?

[maxine*j]

I can't tell you how to price what you sell.  No matter how my suggestion worked out, you'd be unhappy and decide my suggestion was too low or too high.  And I don't know what your investment is or your expectations are.

Having said that, I'm interested to know, if you'd care to say:

Why did decide to not sell them individually, especially the valuable and / or autographed ones? 

Having decided to sell them as lots, why did you decide to make the lots "random," instead of grouping them by year, or by theatre, or by type of performance (dramas, comedies, musicals), or some other non-random way? 

Why does each lot have to have the same number of items, or sell for the same price?  They're surely going to be listed individually.

I'm just wondering if you are losing out on potential sales with your approach, because it doesn't sound collector-oriented.

[argon38]

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[argon38]

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@normlin wrote:

-Search showed 0ne 33 similar collation without  any autographs and without any valuable programs.

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Sorry for the blank post. I was just wondering what is so special about the number 33. Are you selling yours in groups of 33 because the other seller did? Did their "33 similar collation" once belong with yours? Is there some sort of theatre tradition behind it?

[melda58]

I assume you are planning to identify each program (Playbill?) in each binder in your listings?   Buyers like to know what they are getting.  You could just use the auction option and see where each collection goes.  

Rita

[normlin]

Book would hold 34 programs each and that's very tight.

33 divides nicely onto the 198 programs and 6 books already owned.

No tradition, simply practical way to load book

With 198 total programs and 6 owned books I am choosing to not to look, type and indicate any price difference per book

[normlin]

I really do not wish to change existing content in each book, moreover to take time to list all 198 programs. I am also willing to receive less if done individually.

At best I may remove the 1/2 dozen or so more valuable programs and sell individually.

[normlin]

Basically, with 198 programs I would prefer not to research, type and then list all 198.

Lots are random as result of my original loading. However, i would put the more valuable ones (if not retrieved) and photo those

The 33 is a very tight fit in book. Also divides nicely into my existing collection of 198-99

At best I may then move the 1/2 dozen or so and sell individually.

I am willing to make less, rather than research collate, sort, type et al).

[argon38]

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@normlin wrote:

Book would hold 34 programs each and that's very tight.

33 divides nicely onto the 198 programs and 6 books already owned.

I see, thanks. I just found it curious that you'd found another seller offering a group of 33 and was wondering if the number was important in some way.

You'll be missing out on so many legitimate keywords (and potential views) by choosing not to describe the individual contents, but that's your decision to make. At a minimum you should take clear photos of them all, unbound and spread out so that collectors can clearly see the covers.

[maxine*j · Accepted solution]

Okay.  I do understand your thinking:   Always, you have to take the value of your own time into account.  Sometimes extensive research doesn't feel justified.   Sometimes a fast nickel seems better than a slow dime. 

I agree with Argon, though, that you'll need photos of each item in each lot, though they wouldn't have to be individual pictures.  I mean, you could photograph them in groups of six or eight, say.

Anyhow, I hope they do well for you.

[melda58]

In my opinion, you'd might be better off selling all 198 at one time as an archive collection, and identifying and highlighting the 6 more desirable Playbills.  But you seem to know what you want to do.  

Rita

[maxine*j]

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@melda58 wrote:

In my opinion, you'd might be better off selling all 198 at one time as an archive collection, and identifying and highlighting the 6 more desirable Playbills.  But you seem to know what you want to do.  

Rita

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If I didn't want to sort, research, categorize, or otherwise "mess much" with them, I'd sell them as one lot, too.  I think they'd bring as much, or more, than they would as random lots of 33.   If they brought a bit less, it would still be a gain in time and effort.  But OP has a plan and was only seeking advice on pricing, which I simply can't offer.

[normlin]

You'll be missing out on so many legitimate keywords (and potential views) by choosing not to describe the individual contents

Are the items in any LIST a key word in searches? Or just the  title?

[normlin]

Can try... but have the thought of photo  the more valuable one(s) together with the autographed single in each collection.

[argon38]

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@normlin wrote:

You'll be missing out on so many legitimate keywords (and potential views) by choosing not to describe the individual contents

Are the items in any LIST a key word in searches? Or just the  title?

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eBay's Advanced Search allows people to search for keywords in both title and description. Ordinary search is restricted to the titles.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/ebayadvsearch