Dear lavery-ga;
Thank you for allowing me an opportunity to answer your interesting
question.
I will begin by telling you that historically, rare books sold on the
market at large by private collectors/owners do not do well. Targeted
sales, direct sales and high-end auctions do much better. Even then,
you almost have to have someting really special before you can demand
a record price for them. Having said that, here are some of the most
obvious methods that seem to work for many people.
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EBAY
http://www.ebay.com
http://www.ebay.com.au
Online auctions such as eBay seem to do the trick for may people.
There are a number of online auction sites but eBay is probably the
best known. The exposure is global and anyone who shops eBay will have
access to your books and be able to offer a bid on them. Some books
have successfully sold recently in the thousands of dollars (USD).
EBAY COMPLETED SALES
http://search-completed.ebay.com.au/search/search.dll?MfcISAPICommand=GetResult&query=1st+edition&cgiurl=http%3A%2F%2Fcgi.ebay.com.au%2Fws%2F&ebaytag1=ebayctry&ebaytag1code=0&siteid=15&ht=1&from=R10&currdisp=2&itemtimedisp=0&st=2&SortProperty=MetaHighestPriceSort&SortOrder=d&BasicSearch=
--GOOD POINTS: Seen by a worldwide audience. Categorized for quick
exposure to interested audiences. Relatively low fee. This site has a
fairly successful track record as a means of selling many types of
merchandise.
--DRAWBACKS: Auction time is limited. As with most types of sales the
current world market plays a part in how well items sell. Using this
forum requires some experience but this can be overcome by enlisting
the aid of someone who knows what they are doing and knows a few
tricks that only an experience user could know. Selling at certain
times, days of the week, etc can make a difference in how well your
item sells, or if it sells at all. Using this method places you at
risk of a deadbeat bidder or being taken advantage of by someone who
is dishonest. The site is a bit difficult for a novice to navigate.
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CLASSIFIED ADS
“Australian Newspapers Online”
http://www.nla.gov.au/npapers/npapers_state.html
“Newspaper Links.com”
http://www.newspaperlinks.com/home.cfm
While this would certainly be a time consuming and relatively costly
method, if you are certain your items would sell for enough to make it
worth your effort, a brief listing in appropriate newspaper classified
ads might very well get some attention from a willing buyer.
--GOOD POINTS: If you choose the right kind of classified ads and only
use a few good ones that have a lot of exposure or readership you can
keep the costs low. This means of advertising is locally available and
easy to use.
--DRAWBACKS: Too many classified as can be quite costly and there’s no
guarantee that anyone will see your ad. It may require multiple
attempts before you reach an interested buyer. Your ad’s exposure it
directly proportionate to the rage the publication extends. Only those
who get the paper or magazine will have an opportunity to read it.
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TRADE/SPECIALTY PUBLICATIONS
WORLD WIDE ARTS RESOURCES
http://www.wwar.com/categories/Antiques/Publications/Publication_Related/
ANTIQUES MAGAZINE
http://www.nbaf.com/subscriptions/a/atw.html
ART & ANTIQUES
http://www.artantiquesmag.com/
Placing an ad in the appropriate trade, arts or historical
publications may also prove beneficial. If you contact the publication
they may even have additional information for you or recommendations
on how best to sell your item, especially if it has particular
historical, social or artistic significance.
--GOOD POINTS: Again, if you select the right publications with large
readerships you can keep costs low. These types of ads target only the
audience you are seeking so you won’t have people seeing your ad who
are not interested in specifically antique books.
--DRAWBACKS: Too many ads can be costly. Again, your ad will only be
available to those who get the publication so you will have to select
only the right ones.
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HOST SUPPORTED INTERNET POSTING
Google – ANTIQUES MAGAZINE
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=ANTIQUES+MAGAZINE
Alternatively, you might contact antiques web sites as see if any of
them would be willing to post a small ad on their web site for you.
You might be surprise at how many would be willing to do so. This
method could take a while before you get some good bites but it’ll
likely be free so there’s absolutely no risk involved. Not to mention
the fact that you will have a targeted audience. Since everyone
visiting their site is interested in antiquities to begin with, you
can beat this for exposure – especially for the price.
--GOOD POINTS: Nothing to lose here. If someone agrees to post your ad
as a courtesy to you, there’s no harm in trying it.
--DRAWBACKS: Your ad will be at the mercy of the Internet host. If he
decides to take it down before the sale there’s nothing you can do
about it. Along these same lines, if the books sell and the ad stays
up, you may be getting calls and letter for years afterward.
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ONLINE BOOK SELLERS
AMAZON
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/513040/bibliofind/ref=b_bib_01/104-0265484-5394358
AMAZON – BILBIOFIND
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/feature/-/99547/104-0265484-5394358
ABEBOOKS.COM
http://www.abebooks.com/
Google – HOW TO SELL RARE BOOKS
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=how+to+sell+rare+books
Another good way to sell your books without putting too much effort on
the line is to list them with a reputable book seller such as Amazon,
which has a feature called Bibliofind. This will allow you to post
your books for a fee and sell them through Amazon’s internationally
known outlet.
--GOOD POINTS: Great exposure with a reputable seller and
internationally recognized name. Very little work for you to do (if
any).
--DRAWBACKS: It might not be worth your time to sell the books like
this if you don’t expect to get much for them. The fees could outweigh
the effort to use this option.
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PRIVATE DEALERS
Google – ANTIQUES DEALERS
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=ANTIQUES+dealers
Google – ANTIQUE COLLECTORS
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=ANTIQUE+COLLECTORS
Google – ANTIQUE BOOKS
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=ANTIQUE+BOOKS
Along this same line of thought, you might consider approaching
dealers and collectors directly. Take some time and draft a nice
descriptive sheet on each item you have. Include the details inside
the cover, the book’s condition and take some digital photos. Offer
these to anyone who seems interested. If you are working with dealers,
you can expect to get offers less then top dollar, but if it is
collectors you are working with, you may find that several of them are
quite willing to pay what you are asking (or at least willing to make
an offer).
--GOOD POINTS: Direct targeted exposure. These dealers deal only with
people who are interested in what you have. No work for you to do on
your end.
--DRAWBACKS: This takes time. You may have to leave your books in the
hands of a trustworthy dealer for a long time perhaps before a sale
takes place. Fees could outweigh the value of this option.
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CONSIGNMENT
Google – ANTIQUE BOOKS CONSIGNMENT
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%22ANTIQUE+BOOKS%22+consignment
Google – RARE BOOKS CONSIGNMENT
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%22RARE+BOOKS%22+CONSIGNMENT
Consignment sales are easy, clean and you leave all the work to those
who are wiling to drum up a buyer. These types of sales are nice
because your seller is experienced and has the connections to those
who might be interested in your books. If the seller has a good
reputation, he’ll have great buyers who trust his sound judgment and
are willing to pay top dollar for his wonderful finds. The tradeoff is
that consignment sales require you to “share the wealth”. You will
have to pay a percentage of the sale to the consignment seller, which
will reduce your net income from the sale anywhere from 10%-25%
depending on the kind of contract you enter into.
--GOOD POINTS: Again, this is direct-targeted exposure to customers
who are interested in what you have. No work for you to do on your
end.
--DRAWBACKS: You MUST to trust the person you are dealing with. People
who re-sell merchandize for others are often more interested in making
a sale rather than pursuing top dollar, especially after the
merchandise has languished in their store for a long time. You are
also at the mercy of someone else’s fate (burglary, fire, flood, etc).
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Now for the serious seller:
CHRISTIES
http://www.christies.com/home_page/home_page.asp
SOTHEBY’S
http://sothebys.ebay.com/
Premium auction houses are world-recognized forums for selling
high-end merchandise. An item sold by with Christie’s of Sotheby’s
actually tends to go up in price simply because it has gained the
legacy of having been handed by these firms. This legacy forever
becomes the provenance associated with the sold item and the
accompanying documents following the sale projects an added worth. Now
this may not be of as great a value to you as it will be to the next
owner, but it has everything to do with investment and resale worth.
Basically, it means that someone who might be interested in your books
at one of these auctions could theoretically opt to pay a much higher
price knowing that his investment will start to grow the moment the
gavel falls. You will be required to pay a seller’s fee at the end of
the auction but a larger net take home price from such a sale may make
it worth the effort.
--GOOD POINTS: If you can get your items listed in one of these
catalogs, this is a good bet. Some sales from these firms rack up
world record prices. The provenance alone from having sold at one of
these firms may create a professional reputation for you personally
with regard to future sales should you choose to use them again.
--DRAWBACKS: Your item will have to be accepted for sale. They don’t
deal with items of little or relatively low value. The fee might be
high but again, it might be worth it.
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MUSEUMS, EXHIBITS, UNIVERISITES, LIBRARIES
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=site%3Aau+rare+book+museum
You can always have your books placed on display in rare book museums,
exhibits, universities or libraries along with a descriptor and a
price catalog. Many of these places would gladly welcome your
temporary contribution so their visitors can enjoy seeing and
examining them.
--GOOD POINTS: Your books will be displayed to hundreds, perhaps
thousands of viewers. They will be in the company of other items of
great value implying that they are just as worthy if not more so. Even
if your books don’t sell, you will be doing a great community service.
--DRAWBACKS: This method sometimes takes years. You will basically be
loaning your books for display purposes pending an offer, which may
never come. Your items will be at the mercy of the exhibit’s fate but
fortunately most of them have both security systems and insurance.
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Personally, if I thought I had something worthy of a high-end auction
such as Christie’s of Sotheby’s, I’d choose that method.
My second choice would be a reputable dealer who came highly
recommended and dealt specifically with rare books. Otherwise, I try
and find a consignment shop that I could trust who had some past
experience with rare books (and insurance) as part of his past sales
history.
If I had all the time in the world and was not in a great rush, I’d do
the museum, exhibit or library thing or try to appraoch collectors
directly.
Of the remaining options, I’d probably use eBay, but this is because I
have a great deal of experience. If you don’t, your probably better
off pursuing ads in trade publications or classifieds. These are not
all that productive but they are infinitely safer. Regardless of the
method I chose I'd try to get as many people to post my ad on their
web site for free as I could possibly find.
Below you will find that I have carefully defined my search strategy
for you in the event that you need to search for more information. By
following the same type of searches that I did you may be able to
enhance the research I have provided even further. I hope you find
that that my research exceeds your expectations. If you have any
questions about my research please post a clarification request prior
to rating the answer. Otherwise, I welcome your rating and your final
comments and I look forward to working with you again in the near
future. Thank you for bringing your question to us.
Best regards;
Tutuzdad-ga
* SEARCH STRATEGY *
SEARCH ENGINE USED:
Google ://www.google.com
* SEARCH TERMS USED *
RARE BOOKS
AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPERS
US NEWSPAPERS
ANTIQUE BOOKS
BOOKS ANTIQUTIES
HOW TO SELL RARE BOOKS
HOW TO SELL ANTIQUE BOOKS
FIRST EDITION BOOKS
1ST EDITION BOOKS
RARE BOOK DEALERS
RARE BOOK COLLECTORS
RARE BOOK SELLERS
ANTIQUE BOOK DEALERS
ANTIQUE BOOK COLLECTORS
ANTIQUE BOOK SELLERS
AUCTION DRAWBACKS
ONLINE AUCTION DRAWBACKS
ANTIQUE BOOK CONSIGNMENT
RARE BOOK CONSIGNMENT
RARE BOOK MUSEUM
RARE BOOK EXHIBIT
ANTIQUE BOOK EXHIBIT |
