Advice on selling playsets

[darlingfaerie]

Hi! I am looking to downsize my collection - I am starting other various hobbies and have found that I now want to only have very specific ponies/playsets. That said, I have a lot of G1 playsets that I am hoping to sell and/or trade (baby bonnet, satin slipper sweet shoppe, pretty parlour, home sweet home, lullaby nursery, perm shoppe, waterfall, etc)... Most of these playsets I have the boxes for and nearly all accessories.

That said, shipping is VERY expensive. Does anypony have advice on how I might go about selling playsets? Should I even bother -- and instead wait and continue to hoard the sets in the meantime?

[Shatyr]

I can't speak for selling them, but I am very interested in the Waterfall and Home Sweet Home.

[reddsetgogirl]

When selling anything, as long as the price for shipping is stated when the item is purchased, the buyer can decide if they are willing to pay that amount. Many people these days assume that especially for international buyers, the price is too high for anyone to willingly pay. I've had sellers try to cancel purchases because they thought shipping is too much. If I know how much shipping is at the time of purchase, then I've already decided that it's a price I am happy to pay. It may be expensive but I'm willing to pay it for the right item.

How much shipping is should not bother the seller if the buyer is paying for it. In the case of deciding between same country and international shipping, particularly with auctions, limiting it to your own country can limit how much profit you make. If someone in the US only sells to US customers, they may sell something for $30. Had it been open to other countries, they may have gotten significantly more.

TLDR:
As long as you aren't offering free shipping, let your buyers decide if they want to pay for expensive shipping. Offering to post something will always increase the likelihood of selling something and in auction scenarios, you may also make more money.

[lovesbabysquirmy]

Playsets pretty much have to be sold locally... the shipping prices are too much. 

Are you going to this year's Canadian Pony Fair?  Try to sell them there!!!

[Taffeta]

In theory I agree with redsetgirl's mantra. It is a decision for the buyer. But shipping it in general is also about practical means. I am very pro international shipping and agree with everything redsetgirl said about that. But with playsets there can be additional logistical concerns.

If you can drive, then there's no real problem. It might mean a trip to the PO to get a quote, but if you drive, you can put the playset in a box in the back of the car and take it there. If like me, you can't drive and are stuck on public transport, that becomes impossible. I won't ship large playsets even within the UK because I can't get a quote for them and therefore am at high risk of misjudging the cost. My scales do for pony lots but don't really accommodate large boxes very well. The biggest I have managed is the Waterfall.

On the odd occasion where I have had duplicate bigger playsets, they ended up either donated or at the carboot sale. But that can be good, too. A little girl got very excited about my old Crimp & Curl Hair salon when I told her about how the shower worked, and she went home with the playset and a handful of common G1 and G3 ponies to play in it. I don't regret selling it that way, even though online it might have done better - it was less hassle and it made a kid happy a plan with no flaws!

My very old damaged and incomplete Paradise Estate shell went to a charity shop with some loose G1 common ponies in played with condition right before Christmas. It vanished from the charity shop but has not since turned up on Ebay, so I assume that either it was bought by a collector or a parent looking for something for a kid - and that also makes me satisfied.

With rarer sets like Home Sweet Home you might want to consider selling online, though, if the possibilities are there to do so.

You could always advertise locally though there are risks associated with that. But it might be someone on here is willing to drive up to collect them and pay on collection, which would be a solution. It depends how comfortable you feel about people coming to collect items.

[darlingfaerie]

Thank you all for your advice, I really appreciate it

I am unfortunately unable to go to the fair this year But I am hoping to attend one next year! This summer is likely to be quite busy as I am getting married haha.

@Shatyr - Thank you for your interest! I think I will try to sell them locally first as I have someone who has expressed interest. If that doesn't work out, I will contact you next!!

[Shatyr]

Thank you all for your advice, I really appreciate it

I am unfortunately unable to go to the fair this year But I am hoping to attend one next year! This summer is likely to be quite busy as I am getting married haha.

@Shatyr - Thank you for your interest! I think I will try to sell them locally first as I have someone who has expressed interest. If that doesn't work out, I will contact you next!!

I understand completely, local does make it easier for buyer and seller. Congratulations on your wedding!

[SwirlyWhirly]

I've never sold a playset myself but I've bought them internationally. I'm pretty sure my dream castle became rather overpriced with the shipping and the import fee but I found one in a condition I thought was worth the money and decided to buy it anyway. Don't assume people won't buy something because the shipping is too expensive. It all comes down to how much someone wants something and how hard it is to find where they live.