8mm Forum: 16mm collection selling strategies?

This is topic 16mm collection selling strategies? in forum 16mm Forum at 8mm Forum.

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Posted by Logan Rothstein (Member # 5810) on February 25, 2017, 11:56 PM:

A couple of days ago I put up post in 16mm films for sale/trade/wanted about selling my collection. It can be seen at:

http://16mmsale.com/

Films include educationals, features, TV shows, home movies and cartoons. There are many rare prints like old declassified military film, Star Trek episodes, Lost in Space, Barbarella in Cinemascope, Rocky Horror Picture Show, Superman, commercials, home movies as old as the 1920’s, Wonder Woman, the Mary Tyler Moore Show and even some Adult films from a porn theater in Brooklyn that shut down in the 1970’s.

Also there are educational films ranging from the 1940’s – 1970’s and include topics such as VD, school bus safety, health, driver’s ed, seatbelt safety, drugs, hygiene, manners, bicycle safety and much more.

It was my first post here and Doug advised me that to do it per forum rules, I should set a price on it. And while I think if I parted it out, it might hit around $20k (US) but of course as a lot, I would take much less.

Doug was kind enough to talk with me about it via email and he suggested that I set a lower price so buyers feel they'd be getting a deal. But my concern was that if I knock, say 25% off, then in negotiation I lose another 25% it is starting to hurt. But with a small lot or one film, I could see how a set price would be better for everyone.

In any event I went ahead and listed it on Ebay with an opening bid of $13470 (which was the highest my account would let me go) - and have already had some people offering to make a deal with a discount from the OPENING BID PRICE!

I haven't bought or sold film for 15+ years and really don't want to make selling this collection a new hobby. But at the same time, I realize it's a huge collection and may be difficult to sell as a lot because of the size.

I guess short of redoing the post like Doug suggested and lowering my asking price, what other strategies do you think I could use to try to offer a good deal to buyers, yet still get a fair deal for what I put into the collection, and for what it is worth now?

[ February 26, 2017, 02:38 AM: Message edited by: Logan Rothstein ]

Posted by Bill Phelps (Member # 1431) on February 26, 2017, 06:54 AM:

Maybe you could break it up into smaller lots of similar subjects that might appeal to collectors. I would think that selling the entire collection as one piece is only going to attract dealers and they are only going to buy it to resell individual pieces so they will not pay the top value for everything as they are buying it to make money. I think if you sell the whole collection you would have to take a loss (I don't know what you paid for it or if it's your own collection thru the years) but you could possibly make some money by breaking it up. If I were to sell my entire film collection as one unit I could never ask what I paid for it. Usually you can come close to a films value if you sell it individually or in small lots.

Bill😀

Posted by Jason Smith (Member # 5055) on February 26, 2017, 07:28 AM:

Logan, I agree with what Bill says. If you haven't already, there is another forum where there are more 16mm film collectors. There may be more interest there in your films.

If you sold all of your films separately, you might be able to get the money you want. There are dealers on the other forum who would buy your films for a discount. I think Bill's idea of breaking the collection into categories could attract more offers.

Posted by Logan Rothstein (Member # 5810) on February 26, 2017, 02:01 PM:

Bill and Jason, that's a really good suggestion and seems to be naturally moving towards that itself. The "problem" is I don't know the categories or what people already have. However, people have been telling me their categories and then we've been talking about bulk deals.

For instance, for me, a category was "educational films" -- but I spoke with one guy who specifically collects drug and alcohol films only. And I suppose there is a Driver's Ed guy and a School Buy safety guy out there.

Now that so much of this is sorted, and the more I go through it, I can do it. Baby steps!

Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on April 02, 2017, 02:46 PM:

Logan
How are things going with your 16mm film sales?

Posted by Tom Photiou (Member # 130) on April 02, 2017, 04:47 PM:

Wow that is one huge collection.

Posted by Logan Rothstein (Member # 5810) on March 28, 2018, 05:10 PM:

Hi Maurice, thanks for checking on me!

It looks like I'm not going to be able to sell it as a lot, but people have been emailing me over the last year, and I've sold off titles that they wanted. Even sold a Star Trek to a fellow in the UK.

Posted by David Skillern (Member # 607) on March 29, 2018, 02:12 AM:

Hi Logan,

Any chance of a list ?

Posted by Logan Rothstein (Member # 5810) on April 04, 2018, 12:23 PM:

Hi David, there is a list at 16mmsale.com that shows everything and pictures.

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