8mm Forum: Super 8 collection to be liquidated

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Posted by Gregory S. Coad (Member # 2466) on March 15, 2011, 04:35 PM:

I have made the painful decision to liquidate my movie collection. It will include the Elmo ST1200 (needs a belt), projector external speaker, four spare projection bulbs, a splicer, 4-600 ft. movies, 71-400ft. commercial super 8 sound movies, various size empty reels and I think I have two 16 mm projectors in my storage area. The films start with early silent black & white movies of the early comedians all the way to a Star Wars excerpt. Many are the major films of the 3 Stooges (all with Curly) from Columbia Pictures, Blackhawk's Laurel & Hardy both silent and sound in original boxes, and many color/sound cartoons from MGM, Walt Disney, Ub Iworks, Max Fleischer, Warner Brothers and many more companies. The projector and films are in pristine condition, but I would highly recommend cleaning and lubricating the films as they haven't been run in 23 years. I'm preparing a list of the films but it will take me weeks. As soon as I have a comprehensive list of all films I will post in the 8mm films and equipment section for sale.

I would like to sell the whole lot, not bits and pieces. I have registered on E-bay but don't have a clue how to arrange transactions. I will have to do some research. I've never used E-bay for buying or selling.

Thanks to all for their help and support.

Posted by Kirkamus Anderson (Member # 2441) on March 15, 2011, 05:46 PM:

Hey Gregory,

I wish you well on your new endeavors and hope your equipment and films in up in the hands of people who will cherish them.

As far as selling stuff, my personal opinion is that you won't get near as much money selling stuff as a package, but it is the easiest way. It's a one payment, one sell situation.
I use Ebay a lot to buy and sell and hate the high ebay fees. I can't believe I end up paying, around 8-12% of my sell to fees from paypal and ebay. But you get a mass audience and will most likely sell. Sometimes people get in bidding wars and you get more money than anticipated.

I would make a list of everything and prices you want for it. (You're going to make one either way.) Post it on here and sell stuff individually, then what doesn't sell either put on ebay one by one or in a big group.

It's a little more work on your end, but you would see more of a return in my opinion. However if the trouble's not worth it to you. Make a list, box it up, and put it as a lot on Ebay or on here.

Again sorry to hear about your super8 departure. Sometimes it's just time to move on.

Posted by Gregory S. Coad (Member # 2466) on March 15, 2011, 07:24 PM:

Thanks for your input, Kirk.

You bring up some good points. Of course I would prefer to sell the whole lot in one sweep, but if I don't see any response to that idea I may be forced to sell it off piece by piece.

Posted by Nathan DeHahn (Member # 2192) on March 15, 2011, 08:39 PM:

I was just wondering how much is for Elmo ST1200 projector? I am just asking, i have to think about it. [Smile]

Posted by Adrian Winchester (Member # 248) on March 15, 2011, 08:47 PM:

Sorry to hear this - I hope nothing bad has happened. It previously sounded like your enthusiasm for 8mm had recently been renewed.

Posted by Dan Lail (Member # 18) on March 15, 2011, 09:10 PM:

Gregory wrote.....

quote:
The projector and films are in pristine condition, but I would highly recommend cleaning and lubricating the films as they haven't been run in 23 years.

Yikes!!!

I think your best bet is to make a list of titles in a document on your computer and copy and paste them here with a price beside each title. Maybe section them out a few at a time. Members will natch them up! If you put a belt on the projector and test it you will get more money for it.

Selling them as a lot will bring you way less than half of what you would make if you pieced them out. There aren't many buyers for whole collections. Collectors like to choose titles.

Posted by Gregory S. Coad (Member # 2466) on March 16, 2011, 02:24 PM:

Dan - Thanks for your input. I'm beginning to see that it probably would be to my best advantage to sell everything piece by piece. No, I'm willing to sell the projector for less and have someone else wrestle with getting a belt, I just don't have the time or inclination to do it.

Adrian - Thanks for your concern, but no, everything is fine. It's just that I have heavily invested in computers and need to continue doing that and I don't have the finances to do both. And too, I have to be realistic, I'm 66 years old and have a serious hip degeneration problem so I can't get around or lift things like I used to. My computer asks very little from me except to strike keys with my fingers - THAT I can still do!

Nathan - Sorry I haven't gotten to the point of pricing anything yet but when I do I will post in the 8mm equipment and films for sale section. First, however, I will get a complete comprehensive list of all the films together and put it up for viewing. This is several weeks worth of work, I don't work as fast as I used to. Thanks for your concern.

Posted by Scott Mallory (Member # 2393) on March 16, 2011, 08:16 PM:

Hi Gregory,
If you decide to part out your films, I would be interested in the Ub Iwerks and MGM cartoons. Also, I've sold things as packages on Ebay, it really is worth your time to part out your collection. Collectors will buy the single items or sets, resellers will buy the bulk stuff on the cheap. Either way Good Luck!
Scott

Posted by Michael De Angelis (Member # 91) on March 16, 2011, 09:53 PM:

Greg,

Keep healthy and happy. [Smile]

Posted by Gregory S. Coad (Member # 2466) on March 17, 2011, 08:56 AM:

Scott - Thanks for your input. I have taken note of your interest in Iwerks and MGM cartoons. I have decided to sell off in pieces rather than one big lot. I am reluctant to use e-bay or paypal and all that. I'm thinking of just having people pay in bank money orders, no personal checks or cash and using USPS for delivery to keep things simple. Do you think people would be willing to do that?

What is the danger of sending magnetic striped film through the U.S. mail system? Don't they use some kind of electronic scanners to process mail?

Michael - Thanks for your good wishes. You all have been so supporting, I will miss this group very much.

Posted by Paul Adsett (Member # 25) on March 17, 2011, 09:20 AM:

Greg,
I have never had a problem with stripe de-magnetization through the mail system.

Posted by Lee Mannering (Member # 728) on March 17, 2011, 09:39 AM:

Hello Gregory.
You have my thoughts in sorting out a collection for sale and I have been doing much the same having after so many years got round to parting with films I have got more than one copy of already. It has been a daunting task as I have run every film which has left my hands including very long features which has taken absolutely ages. What has been rewarding is to see the surplus films go to appreciative hands and I have as result had some very nice mail in showing appreciation which is nice. Its tempting to sell everything as a job lot or separate into items the latter being the best option perhaps providing you have plenty of time. If you decided to sell individual items try not to over face yourself listing lots of things at once and take a gradual steady approach to selling. I still have piles of movies to get through myself and it will take time, but it is most certainly not worth being rushed into selling as keen as we all are to obtain missing films from our collections. At the end of the day collectors will appreciate the time you put in making sure movies are checked prior to sale, at least that’s what I have recently. Every success with your items.

Posted by Gregory S. Coad (Member # 2466) on March 17, 2011, 11:05 AM:

Lee - Thanks for your thoughts and sharing your experiences with me. You bring up a good point about not trying to do too much at one time - it is a bit overwhelming. Maybe I will release a few movies at a time and see what problems develop if any. I am more interested in getting these films into the hands of people who will cherish them and take care of them for future generations than making a lot of money. I hope to price them so that they are affordable for the average film member.

Paul - Thanks for your experiences in sending magnetic sound films through the mail, I was concerned about that.

Posted by Scott Mallory (Member # 2393) on March 17, 2011, 01:51 PM:

Hey Gregory,
This really is the place to sell your films. Its free and like other members have already said, your films will end up in the hands of people that appreciate them. I've mailed and received numerous films through the mail. They'll be perfectly fine as long as you package them safely. Also, I have no problem sending money orders, but don't let PayPal scare you. It only takes a second to set up and then buyers can immediately get the funds to you. If you don't want PayPal taking a cut of your end, just have the buyers send payment to you as a gift. Give me a list of the films that I might be interested in with your price when you get around to it, and I'm not worried about them needing cleaned and lubricated, I like doing it.
Thanks,
Scott

Posted by Gregory S. Coad (Member # 2466) on March 18, 2011, 01:53 PM:

Scott - Thanks for your encouraging words about using Paypal, I would like to try it. Yes, I agree with you, I would like my films to stay in this wonderful group of dedicated film people. I don't think people outside this group would have the same appreciation for these films.

I have begun the sorting and writing down of titles. I am gathering information and I plan to release small blocks of titles to begin with to see how it goes. It will probably be another few weeks before I am ready to release.

Thanks again for your help.

Posted by Steve Klare (Member # 12) on March 18, 2011, 02:03 PM:

I think you will do best if you try to put the films in categories.

Ex:
"Laurel and Hardy"
"Disney Animation"
"Railroad Films"
"Bugs Bunny/Warner Bros."
(Etc.)

That way people are less inclined to avoid the groups because of the feeling they will be stuck with a bunch of films they didn't want if only one or a few catch their interest.

Even in cases where some of the prints are already in their collections, a duplicate could mean a shot at a better print, or a backup/hazardous duty one to be used often while the "good one" is reserved for company. (This kind of logic(?) has caused me to have as many as three prints of my favorite films!)

Posted by Gregory S. Coad (Member # 2466) on March 19, 2011, 09:39 AM:

Steve - Not a bad idea. Thanks for your comment.

Posted by Tony Stucchio (Member # 519) on March 19, 2011, 12:43 PM:

quote:
That way people are less inclined to avoid the groups because of the feeling they will be stuck with a bunch of films they didn't want if only one or a few catch their interest.

I'm confused -- why would the way the films are grouped on a list matter?

Posted by Barry Fritz (Member # 1865) on March 19, 2011, 12:43 PM:

Gregory: I'll second the opinion about Paypal. I have had over 600 transactions on Ebay selling and buying, and while the fees are annoying, it is a good place to get exposure to millions of people. I've only had 3 issues with sellers and all were resolved by Ebay/Paypal (Ebay owns Paypal now). Many people will not do a transaction unless Paypal is on option. It is very simple and convenient. If you don't like keeping you sales money in the Paypal account you can easily trasfer it to a bank account. Get a digital camera if you don't have one already and include at least one photo of what you are selling on Ebay. As others have said, if you list your items here first, you most likely will have a lot less to sell via Ebay and phtos would not be necessary here. Good luck.

Posted by Bill Phelps (Member # 1431) on March 19, 2011, 02:29 PM:

Tony...I think the grouping of films is refering to if they were sold in lots or packages it would be good to group them with similar genres instead of just misc. films together. Steve, please correct me if I'm wrong!

And welcome to the forum Gregory! I will be keeping my eyes open for your listings.

Bill [Smile]

Posted by Gregory S. Coad (Member # 2466) on March 19, 2011, 02:42 PM:

Barry - Thanks for your opinion of PayPal. So many people have said positive things about it that I would be crazy not to sign up.

Yes, I have two digital cameras, one is a Canon A-60 and the other is now a collector's piece, a Polaroid PDC 700.

I was over my storage area today and found 2-Bell & Howell 8mm projectors. They aren't in premium condition but would be great for people that like to clean them up. They both run just fine. I also discovered a 16mm Keystone projector, Model A81. This machine is solid metal throughout and looks like you could run over it with a tank and it would still run! The electrical power cord is totally shot though. It is a reddish color and has just disintegrated with age, so I don't know if it runs or not. I think I will clean them up, take photos of them and offer them for sale. The model numbers are: 253A and 253R.

Thanks again for your advice.

Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on March 20, 2011, 08:42 AM:

It can take a good while, but "guage the market" when it comes to ebay. I see countless prints of this or that on ebay, that just sit there for weeks and months on ebay, just building up lots of dollars for the ebay bosses, never selling.

See what is out there. Type in your films on ebay and see what comes up. Be sure to put the title as well as "Super 8" or "8mm" along with the name of the title.

But I would certainly list them on here first. Depending on the title, some will sell for more or less (obviously). For instance, some Blackhawk titles are so common that they get a few mere dollars while others will get big dollars due to the rarity of the title.

Posted by Gregory S. Coad (Member # 2466) on March 20, 2011, 08:54 AM:

Osi - Thanks for your tips, they will be very helpful to me.

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