Ebay advice please…selling vintage Talking Mother Goose

[cloud_weaver]

Hi all!  I'm needing help deciding how to sell my goose.  =P  In the '80s World of Wonder created two talking toy lines, one being Teddy Ruxpin and the other being Mother Goose.  And when I was little, my parents bought me the Mother Goose and a bunch of the tapes and books.

Now…we're downsizing due to a move, and I'm purging a lot of stuff that isn't really needed anymore.  So, I'm trying to figure out the best way to sell my Mother Goose.

I haven't tested her in years, but the last time that I had batteries in her, I do know that she animated, with the exception of her beak which has been disconnected.  Also, her head has been cut open and then hot glued shut (gotta love Mom's creative solutions sometimes!).  And I just pulled her out of the closet, and discovered that one of her eyes are cracked.  =(  So - that's her condition.  Not sure if she still works, but positive that the beak is disconnected.  I don't have any C batteries to test her out, and honestly don't want to purchase them if avoidable.

As per tapes and books, I've got 13 different sets.  Again, as far as my last recollection goes, they all worked perfectly.  But without a working tape player, I have no way to test the theory.

My question comes in…  should I sell as a lot, or separately?  *sigh*  Shipping her will be a pain, and very expensive.  But if I ship an individual tape/book set, I would save a lot.  I'm really torn…  should I gamble and stick them up in a big lot and see how it goes, or just list everything individually with a BIN/Best Offer?

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I want to move stuff out ASAP, but also having extra $$$ to move would be helpful as well. 

Thanks in advance!
Cloudie <3

[moving to TS - kkat]

[ponylady]

I would probably do a little research on eBay for her to see what her going price is?

I did a quick search and she ranges a lot in price depending upon if she is working, restored, etc? I know you mentioned not wanting to buy batteries but I feel that is important. I doubt you will get a decent price for her if you list her as not being tested. And going by the search I just did you can fetch a decent price for her if she's working, even with the broken eye and beak.

As far as separating, I would probably list it as a lot, again that is going by completed and active listings.

Good Luck with whatever you do decide. She is really cute!

[cloud_weaver]

Thank you for the tip.  ^_^  I'm going to invest in the batteries, apparently there are two different versions of the goose, one with a moving head and one who's head doesn't move.  The earlier version's head moves, and I know that's the version I've got.  So I suppose it won't hurt to invest in it and see.  Fingers crossed it goes well!  =)

[emery]

If you have a $1 store or Dollar Tree near you you can pick up some C batteries without investing much

A good thing to do is to make a short video of her working, load it on YouTube and then embed it in your listing. Also, put a link to your auction in the YouTube listing to draw people to your auction.

Listing all together vs separately is all up to you as it's a time vs money thing. If you want it all gone and faster I would do the auction and then you are shipping everything to the highest bidder. If you list everything separate as BIN you could make more in the long run but then you have no idea when someone would actually buy them so you may end up being left with a stack of books. Plus you would be dealing with multiple buyers, more packing materials and supplies instead of just packing it all in one box and being done with it.

Be sure to offer Parcel Select first (or even UPS or FedEx if it's cheaper) for your shipping option 'cause Priority starts getting really expensive the second you go over a 12x12x12 size box. I would still offer Priority but just put it last so that your cheaper options show first.

[kitkatvintage]

I would recommend selling as a lot, especially if Mother Goose herself is in less than perfect working condition. I'd recommend researching similar sized lots & start with a reasonable starting bid then let the auction go, rather than offer a BIN. Having multiple book & tape sets can drive the total price up even if the Goose has issues.

There's a fair number of people who fix WoW toys, so there's a good chance that she will end up being purchased by a person who can restore her. I've restored a few Teddy Ruxpins, but have never worked on a Mother Goose, so I don't have much to offer in the way of advice on her condition. I will say that if she has sat unused for years, the motors that move her face may be "frozen".

Good luck with your sale, whatever you decide.

[Ringlets]

I think you've had some great advice here already   Definitely go get some cheap C batteries to test whats working since that will effect the price, and selling as a lot will get you a higher price as well, especially since the goose herself has some flaws. i still think the lot should get you some decent money but its important to know whats working and what isnt . Wishing you all the best with your sale

[Tap Dancer]

Maybe Betty at www.toysthattalk.com can offer some advice. Check out her website. She fixes, buys, and sells old talking toys.

[SeashellnBubbles]

Don't forget to take the batteries out when you're done the test!! I've heard it isn't a good idea to ship with batteries and people get...erm...excited, and not in a good way!

[StarGleamer]

its illegal to ship batteries anyways, plus it ads to the weight!!

[ponylady]

its illegal to ship batteries anyways, plus it ads to the weight!!

I believe it is only lithium batteries and electronic devices containing lithium batteries that are shipped through USPS. A common dry cell (e.g., AA, C, D batteries) are not restricted. However a packages containing dry cell batteries of more than 9 volts must be marked "not restricted. I am going to assume going by the age of the goose she most likely uses a dry cell, so it shouldn't be a concern.

[cloud_weaver]

Thank you ladies for all your help and advice.    I did get some batteries, but had no luck in getting the compartment to stay shut.  ><  But she's up and running on ebay now, and her reserve has been met so I'm very happy.    Hoping all goes well!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/251456088301?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

Post Merge: February 22, 2014, 01:19:50 PM

Oh!  And good to know about the batteries.  I had no idea!  If I put them in a ziplock, they should be okay, right?