Best practices when selling collectibles:
- Ensure that your item for sale is authentic and not altered. Research or ask knowledgeable collectors about the condition and rarity of your item. Measure your item, especially cards. Sprunger Originals offers free ai grading for raw vintage trading cards. Read: Where should I get my cards graded?
- Price your item based on the average sold price of comparable items.
- Sell your items through reputable collectibles sites/apps, dealers or social media groups. Read: Where should I sell my collectibles?
- Post quality pictures of your item. Multi-angles, sharp, good lighting, no shadows no glare, Crop to fill canvass. For trading cards, remove card from protective case where possible and place on dark background. Take pictures of full front and back, close up of all corners (both sides), surface by holding the card on an angle to capture light reflection (known as raking). Bonus: take a couple of pictures through a loupe to capture ink pattern and register. For graded cards, crop or block the serial number to prevent scammers from using your image for fraudulent sales.
- Provide the price in local currency and a detailed description of your item. Year, subject, card number, manufacturer, printer or card company, condition, measurements, how was it stored, how long have you owned the item, where did you obtain the item. A high value item should have shipping, tracking and insurance costs included. Otherwise, mention any additional fees in your listing and what payment methods you prefer.
- Provide buyers proof of seller and proof of possession with a Seller Verification Certificate. Provide item provenance with a receipt, paper COA or Web3 COA.
- Have a written shipping policy based on payment gateways, processing time, carrier, tracking, insurance, signature, duties, returns and lost items. Consider escrow for high-value item.
- When sold, take pictures of the item beside your photo ID just in case you need proof of ownership to make a claim.
- Provide the buyer with images or video of the actual item that has been purchased beside the addressed envelope or package. Package the item to prevent damage from impact, crushing, folding or moisture. Provide the buyer with images of the parcel showing shipping address and stamp, pre-paid label or waybill. Confirm that the address and format is correct. Include tracking number if applicable. A high value item should have tracking, insurance coverage and a signature requirement.
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Ask the buyer to send a picture of the parcel prior to opening (this could be helpful for an insurance claim if the item is damaged).
- Update your listing by removing it or adding "SOLD" to the description.
- Resolve disputes quickly based on your written policy. If the item is damaged, ask for pictures and verify that they are not Ai generated. Ask the buyer to return the item and send a refund once you receive the item.
Note: Selling an authentic item will subject you to local, provincial/state or federal laws for withholding or shipping a stolen, forged, altered, tampered or substituted item.