Make money from a collection?

[greentea]

I'm curious if anyone here collects stuff and also makes money off of their collection. I used to collect Hallmark ornaments back in the day before they became really popular. I have recently been selling some of my vintage ones for good money since I don't collect anymore. Does anyone collect stuff that ends up making them money?

[disneysteve]

I've been collecting Disney memorabilia since the mid 70s. I started selling it in 1986. By the early 90s, I had a 40-page mail order catalog. Then the internet came along and I started a website. In 1997, I got on ebay and my business skyrocketed. Throughout those years, I was also selling at toy and collectible shows from NY to VA. My best year was 2000 when I was out of work for a few months and ebay'ed full time. I grossed over $13,000 that year.

Now, it's just a now and then kind of thing as I don't really have the time to do it as much. There are no more shows. The internet put them all out of business. I really miss doing those. Selling from my basement is convenient but not nearly as much fun.

I have a lot of items in my personal collection that were essentially free because I bought two, sold one and covered the cost of the other one.

[Peaples]

Sure but its not always a sure thing. eBay tends to be full of collections going up for auctions, ironically to other collectors.

[97guns]

i collect silver and gold coins for wealth preservation and sell when i need cash

been trying to sell off my sports card collection with no takers, i'm getting pennies on the dollar for them if that, my next course of action is to throw them away

my gun and knife collection has preserved wealth very well too and like gold and silver they are very liquid

[caterpillar]

I collect coins, but never heard someone willing to buy those.

[FrankFacts]

This reminds me of the Beanie Baby and Pokemon collections of my childhood... obviously, that yielded $0...

[Singuy]

I collected Hot Toys and made some money because they used to double in value just within 2 years.

Now the company is getting bigger and are reissuing the same things over and over so getting good value from them halted.

I also collected a lot of airsoft guns but that's pretty much break even or take a loss.

[sj11041990]

I clearly read this wrong haha!

[Gailete]

Not sure if it started from a collection, but I had a huge amount of needlework/sewing books that I started selling on line and eventually started selling some of my sewing patterns that I hadn't used. Eventually I was buying more. Some my collection that came straight from my sewing room started a business that I've been working at for around 14 years now. This was a case of bootstrapping a business. No loans, other than charges on a cc which usually gets paid off monthly.

My ex collected all sorts of crap with no reason other than he thought it might be collectible someday. Last I knew he was collecting those 'collectible' plates and bobblehead dolls! To make money on a 'collection' avoid anything that the maker touts as being collectible!

[disneysteve]

To make money on a 'collection' avoid anything that the maker touts as being collectible!

Excellent advice. If it says "collectible" on the packaging, that's a sure sign that it's not.

[sv2007]

I'm curious if anyone here collects stuff and also makes money off of their collection. I used to collect Hallmark ornaments back in the day before they became really popular. I have recently been selling some of my vintage ones for good money since I don't collect anymore. Does anyone collect stuff that ends up making them money?

I'm also an accidental collector and made money.

I used to be really into firearms (you know guns). I'd buy a bunch of different ones just for personal collection but the main thing is, I was involved in competitions. The thing about gun competitions is that you end up buying specific guns to get an edge in the games.

After leaving TX, I had about 60+/- guns of various kinds. I've been selling for the past 10 years and still have a bunch (mainly left with higher-end shotguns). Each gun has been sold at or above my purchase price (and I buy them new); so used guns sold at above new prices I paid.

I didn't expect that at all, but was happy to find out. Silly CA laws; I often joke that I can't buy a pistol (CA requires safety test) but I'm selling them just fine.

[james.hendrickson]

Yep...I also collect historic coins and silver bullion. I picked up a roman silver coin a while back. It was impressive to hold something in my hand that was over 2,000 years old.

[ronb]

I collect stocks.

[Milly]

I have a penny collection, but can't imagine making a profit on it. By the time you add the presentation folder, shipping, and selling fees, you've list.

As for the Pokemon cards, I still have a bunch too. Since pokemon is still popular with kids, I hear you can turn a profit turning your collection into party favors or room decorations. I'm planning on making mine into note book covers (or something). Probably not worth my time except it would be fun.