# Best Way to Sell Used RPG Material?



## Retreater (Feb 23, 2011)

I have a ton of RPG books that I'm not using. I'd like to sell them to generate a little extra cash and to make some extra room around the house, but mostly to get these great titles in the hands of RPGers who are more active gamers than me who will use them. 

Without getting into the specifics of what I want to sell, I'd like to know what's the best venue for 1) reaching the most gamers; and 2) getting the best prices.

I've been looking at Amazon marketplace and Ebay, but I see a ton of material sitting there not moving, perhaps due to ridiculously high prices. 

Did I imagine a marketplace on ENWorld in the past?

Thanks,
Retreater


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## Mark CMG (Feb 23, 2011)

Setting your opening price low on eBay is the key to getting the bidding started but gives no guarantee of getting a fair price, and it takes time.  I mentioned some options in another thread recently -

http://www.enworld.org/forum/media-...geek-stuff/301422-where-donate-rpg-stuff.html



Mark CMG said:


> Check for Half Price Books in your area.  Gamers don't mind getting a good deal on used books and there is no reason why you shouldn't get a few bucks back (and it will only be a few but better than nothing).
> 
> Half Price Books, Records, Magazines, Inc.
> 
> ...


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## Ranes (Feb 23, 2011)

I've bought a number of collectible items in recent years, to replace things I foolishly allowed to escape my clutches long ago. I hope you find what I've learned useful.

First, I recommend www.theaceum.com. It's a website dedicated to collecting D&D and other RPG materials. You'll find useful discussions and guides on the worth of many specific items, as well as good advice on buying and selling. I recommend you register and contribute to a sticky thread in which new members can introduce themselves.

The rest of the advice I give you will mirror what you're told there. If you want to get the most for your items, do the following:

1. Make sure you know exactly what you have. If you have an old 1e PHB, for example, learn how to identify the different printings (there's a phenomenal amount of info on site to help) and advertise it accurately.

2. Be honest. Describe the condition truthfully. Photos help. Offer to provide them by email, if necessary. Be willing to answer potential buyers' questions.

3. For the best return, sell items separately. Use eBay. It will give you the greatest exposure. The Acaeum also has a classified advert section. You can advertiise directly to members or point them to your eBay listings. Please read the site's guidelines for using classifieds first. There's no cost to using classifieds.

4. Before you do any of this, don't be afraid to ask other members for information or advice. They love collectors and they're not out to defraud sellers. You're asking questions in an open forum, so you'll get impartial and honest responses.

Good luck.

Oh: and there's an interesting thread on collecting newer material - some of which is already quite sought after - so don't think people won't be interested just because your books weren't signed by Gary Gygax.


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## Treebore (Feb 23, 2011)

If you have the Star Wars Saga Revised Core Rule book you can PM me about it. I'm in need of additional copies, 1 is not enough for our group.


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## scourger (Feb 24, 2011)

eBay is alot of work, and overall your returns will not be that great.  In my experience, you might make out OK on things that are truly collectible or sought after; but you will work pretty hard to list, sell & ship all that stuff.  

Noble Knight games is a great place to sell or trade stuff, and they advertise on this site (KODT, too, which is how I first found them several years ago).   I've traded with them some, and it is very easy & convenient.  Details are on their site.  Aaron will even send you shipping labels to send your stuff to them.  You can keep credit there and have the new release you want shipped straight to you.  I hate for my FLGS to lose the business, but I need the space management.  Plus, Noble Knight has a great selection of new & used RPG stuff to choose from.  Here's alink:

NOBLE KNIGHT GAMES - Role Playing Games, RPG's, Board Games, Miniatures, Dungeons and Dragons - New & Out-of-Print

Either way, you may be disappointed in the market value of your collection; but at least you'll be making room and sending that material to someone who may use it.


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## freebfrost (Feb 24, 2011)

If you are willing to forego the extra cash until next year, I suggest donating the books to your local library.

It's tax deductible for next year, and it gets the books in the hands of many gamers.


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## Ghost2020 (Feb 24, 2011)

Just post it here or go to rpg.net under the sales forums and sell there.

Yes there used to be a marketplace here, but not sure what happened to it.


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## Thunderfoot (Feb 24, 2011)

It went the way of the do-do bird....


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## Retreater (Feb 24, 2011)

> If you are willing to forego the extra cash until next year, I suggest donating the books to your local library.




Unfortunately, the local library has no RPG collection and would not accept them (other to sell in a used booksale for $1 each.)

But thanks for the tip.

Retreater


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## Crothian (Feb 24, 2011)

I'd start by posting here.  There are collectors like myself around that may be interested in something you have.


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## Stumblewyk (Feb 24, 2011)

scourger said:


> NOBLE KNIGHT GAMES - Role Playing Games, RPG's, Board Games, Miniatures, Dungeons and Dragons - New & Out-of-Print



 Have to second the Noble Knight suggestion.  I got good (not great, but good) pricing on my 3e and 2e products before the release of D&D 4e, and bought a bunch dice, books, and minis with the credit I earned form Noble Knight.  Friendly, easy to work with, and quick turnaround.


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## Mercurius (Feb 24, 2011)

Before getting into any of that, I'd first ask yourself a question: How badly do you need the money and how much do you want to get rid of your stuff? For most items you're not going to get a great return, especially when you factor in the time it takes to put stuff up online and drive to the post office. If you really need the cash and want to get rid of your stuff, read on. If not, well, just enjoy the way your books look on the shelf. 

The problem with selling RPG stuff is that quite a lot of it has little or no value, especially third-party stuff from the OGL/d20 days. Trying to get rid of your copy of Diomin or Codex of Erde? Good luck.

It really depends upon what you're trying to sell. There are some basic rules of thumb, but RPG material can vary widely in price. Feel free to post a list of what you have and I'll try to let you know what has value and what is kindling.

RPG.Net has a good sales/trade forum, but the same principle applies - you might garner interest in your copy of Wilderlands of High Fantasy or Knights of the Old Republic, but no one wants your copy of Oathbound.

This is the same for used books in general - the availability of materials on the internet has both increased the price and value of truly rare items, and decreased the value of everything else. You'll see $.01 priced copies of books on Amazon; the price of shipping is $3.99, so one can only surmise that a small profit is made if the seller ships cheaply.

Ebay or Amazon are both useful, Half.com as well, but especially with the latter two you might just put your stock online and then forget about it until you get an email four months later that one book sold.

You might also want to consider selling them as lots on Ebay. You won't make much money per book, but you could sell a bunch of stuff and still make a few dollars. A "twenty book d20 lot" might make you $20-50, whereas most of them wouldn't sell individually. Of course then it depends upon how desperate you are for the money or if, in the end, you'd rather keep a given book than sell it for $2-3.

Hope that helps and good luck! Again, feel free to post your list of stuff and plenty of the folks here will be able to help you out.


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## Aberzanzorax (Feb 24, 2011)

I also will say Noble Knight Games is an excellent company.

I've only bought from them (not sold to them) so I can't speak to that aspect.

They very clearly care about their company, but also about games and books. They have been THE best of the companies I've dealt with in buying hundreds of used gaming products. I suspect that this would be true on the purchasing end as well as the sales end.


That said, what I would do is pick out the "big ticket" items and give them a shot on ebay. Like trading in a car versus selling it outright, I would guess that Nobleknight (or any seller) will give you less than full market value, but be more of a guaranteed sale (which is what they should do, if they are planning to sell it at full market value).

I also think there may be materials even a reseller like Nobleknight may not want. The low quality, sells on ebay for $1 books may be best sold as a "lot" or bundle on ebay.


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## Mark CMG (Feb 24, 2011)

For those in the Chicagoland area, the Games Plus - Auction is coming up next week.


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## TerraDave (Feb 24, 2011)

I will, 4th?, nobleknight. 

Also, they will give you an estimate. You might be surprised by what is worth something, and what is not. 

The way store credit is handled is super handy (well, if you want to get more stuff).


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