Established collection patterns
Seasoned antiques and collectibles dealers may consider the concept “old”, but the truth is that the more popular and desirable a thing is, the more likely it is to sell quickly. However, that truth is not always apparent to those who are new to this rather specialized field of sales. So the ‘True Collectible’ guideline is an attempt to convey the principle.
The field of online sales can also seem endless in scope, with millions of potential customers all over the world. However, success in selling collectibles on the Web is achieved in the same way as in the physical world, by knowing the needs of buyers and satisfying them. Success can largely depend on whether or not you offer collectible properties capable of meeting at least one of these three key business elements:
1. It is not easy to obtain locally.
2. Broad appeal due to a current increase in popularity or because an item is capable of ‘crossing’ the boundaries of collections.
3. Competitive prices.
Consider the opinion of the market on the article
Say that whenever she can, your neighbor’s great-aunt Mable cuts out articles about David Hasslehoff from current newspapers. She collects them by pasting them into a scrapbook. Are multitudes of other people likely to share your desire to do this? If you tried to sell such a scrapbook full of modern clippings online, would many buyers react favorably and compete to buy it? While her scrapbook may indeed be described as ‘rare’ or a ‘one-of-a-kind’ item, who else but Mable would want to own it, even so? How can such an item be assigned safe status as a ‘true collectible’ with an established and recognizable monetary value?
Because collectors often view their collections as having investment potential, collectibility always has monetary implications. Therefore, manufacturers often exaggerate the ‘limited’ nature of the new items they have to sell, or may place a public statement on the item itself, to imply certain certain future value.
However, neither limiting production nor printing the words “Excellent Collectible” on an item or the box it came in can guarantee that future collectors want items more than others today, or are willing to pay more for them. owning them Great-Aunt Mable’s Scrapbook illustrates that simply knowing that someone, somewhere collects a particular thing cannot automatically give that thing the status of a ‘true’ collectible. Maybe 50 or 100 years from now, Mabel’s scrapbook will be all the rage. Today, and probably in the near future, it will be considered by others as a scrapbook full of common clippings.
Only the market in general can decide what things are highly desirable or more valuable than other objects. The individual collector or manufacturer has little real ability to influence secondary market options with respect to premium items.
So what is a ‘true collectible’?
Basically, a true collectible is an item for which a reasonably large audience of avid buyers can be expected to exist and for which a recognizable pattern of trade has been established in the secondary market.
If that statement doesn’t sufficiently clarify the notion, it may be helpful to mentally replace the word ‘true’ with the word ‘legitimate’. A 20 year old sock that previously belonged to a musician would not be a “legitimate” collectible. But a sock of the same age, and the unblemished provenance of having been on Elvis Presley’s right foot while performing ‘Jail House Rock’ on The Ed Sullivan Show, would be legit, as the Elvis memorabilia trade is a collectible. Well established. niche.
‘Collect’ means to accumulate as a hobby or to study. A ‘collection’ is a group of objects or works to be viewed or stored together. But a ‘collectible’ is a group or class of objects sought after by collectors. Note that the definition is expressed in the plural form, ‘by collectors’.
When something can stand the ‘test of time’ and, although it is an older item (or perhaps because it is older), people seek it out, then one can logically expect to offer it to collectors on the open market at a attractive price results in its sale. . If you still can’t find something brand new in a print, collector’s print price guide, chances are it’s either slow or non-existent selling, or the price it has to sell for to get it out of inventory isn’t making an appreciable profit.
Confirming whether a piece has been mentioned in a printed price guide as required by the site’s listing requirements can help ensure that it meets the designation of a “true collectible” as defined above. If decisions like this are always made before newer items are posted, shoppers will likely start finding a wider variety of the types of things they are actively looking for. And a gradual increase in sales may well be the welcome result.
