Amongst other things, I've been keeping an eye on complete Moldvay Basic sets. I've got B2 and a copy of the Basic rules in worn but ok shape, but I'd like a nice, complete box set in collectible condition.
For months, a complete set has been going for $25 to $50 dollars, even when several competing auction listings have been present. Strangely, a bunch sold last week in the $10 - $20 range, so I missed my chance! A fairly nice looking set is on auction currently at $46. It's ending today.
Holmes Basic continues to rock! I've rarely seen a set go for less than $30 and several have been reaching the $40+ dollar range. A shrinkwrapped set, recently went for $112. As always, condition and luck are factors.
If you're looking for just the rulebooks on either of these, you can snag a nice one for $5 to $10, plus shipping. If you're a little patient.
If you're planning on buying or selling some gaming stuff and you haven't kept up with ebay in a while, I'd suggest performing a few weeks of research, first. Especially if you're selling. I'm noticing some real crazy swings and ebay has been volatile as all hell! And pay real close attention to what "Buy it Now's"and "Fixed Price Listings" are doing, as opposed to "Auctions," both in price and rate of sale. Especially if you're selling items that are fairly marketable, but not super-hot at the moment. There's a very good chance that "Fixed Price" is the way you'll want to go.
If you're buying, you can snag some great deals on auction style listings, right now. But, as usual on ebay, caveat emptor.
Some of you are just getting back into Old School gaming and may have decided to head to ebay, to procure and/or replace TSR era treasures. Unfortunately, while there's honest folk dealing on ebay, there are also a lot of schmucks who try to get over and hide the fact that they're selling shit! Even some "professional" dealers fail to list major defects.
A few things to keep in mind:
If the seller doesn't provide a good description, contact him and ask questions, especially if you're spending more than a few dollars. Like, is there any writing or prominent staining? Are any module inserts still attached? Any splitting at the ends of the spines on module covers? Tears or creasing to the covers or pages? Even if you're not overly concerned about condition, you don't want to pay a premium price for a cheeto-stained, highlighted and chewed-up copy.
Do some research and find out what's supposed to be included in the item you're interested in and if the listing doesn't mention these, ask the seller! If you don't get an answer, don't bid!
Again, do some research! People will list items with ridiculously inflated prices, hoping to catch someone unawares. Sometimes, out of their own ignorance as well.
That DMG may have the original cover, but unless it's a real early printing, it's not worth as much as you might expect! You'll see listings for $30+ all the time, but you can snag a nice copy for $10 - $20 bucks, if you're a little patient. If you're looking for several AD&D HC's, you might get a better deal in a lot, but Dealers jump all over those to the point that it often isn't worth the trouble.
I haven't been checking out the multiple item lots recently, so I'm not too sure what they're doing at the moment. Again, patience and research is important.
A lot of these sellers use some rather wacky grading schemes. And if you're used to the usual Professional Bookseller guidelines for grading books, Do Not expect these to be in use. The Acaeum grading guidelines are far more forgiving than those a professional bookseller would use.
I'm not trying to knock The Acaeum guys and realize we're dealing with gaming material, not books, but their grading conventions could easily cause some confusion/consternation for someone not familiar with their system.
Detached inserts and minor writing wouldn't say "Very Fine" to someone used to more usual grading conventions, so follow the link above and check it out. Not all ebay sellers use The Acaeum conventions, but some do. When it comes to selling gaming material, I don't use "Grading Terms" at all and rely upon highly detailed description.
Checking out the seller's feedback is always a good idea. But it's absolutely no guarantee of fair dealing!
A couple of more tips. If you sell and buy on ebay, consider a separate account for buying. That way, you won't have to worry about retaliatory actions from a seller you might choose to leave bad feedback.
Lastly, if you buy something and feel you got taken, don't hesitate to contact the seller and civilly, but firmly demand he make it right! If he won't, don't hesitate to hit his feedback and stars! Everyone makes mistakes and it's only decent to give someone the benefit of the doubt, but, if after doing so, the seller proves to be a schmuck, then bad feedback does make an impact and will force the seller to fix his attitude or quit.
I know this isn't old school, but I've been surprised away by the cost of D&D 3.5 Players Handbook, which routinely goes for $30. I had some extras that I gave away to players. I wish I would have kept and sold them instead.
ReplyDeleteYeah there is a fair amount of demand for 3.5. It didn't go away as quietly as WotC probably hoped.
ReplyDeleteWRT eBay, there seem to be a lot more BIN auctions than there used to. It is probably the overall global market (less discretionary income for collectibles etc.). If there aren't enough rival bidders within the auction period, the likelihood of an item going low becomes much higher.
Thanks for this James. Useful advice like this is priceless.
ReplyDeleteGood points. I tend to have good luck with old school lot items. Ive written about it couple of times tagged "eBay" at WWW.digitalorc.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteBIN is a lot more popular and important than it use to be. When I start my next ebay selling round, most items will be BIN/Fixed Price listings.
ReplyDeleteYeah, 3.5 core and some of the more useful splatbook hc's are doing very well! I recently sold my copy of the Spell Compendium. It's going for a rather pretty penny.
[taking notes]
ReplyDeleteAltered the reference to BIN to Fixed Price, which is the correct term for a listing offered at one price only, with no possibility of bidding involved. (Hi Bigby's LH!)
ReplyDelete3.x is the most played set of rules around right now.
ReplyDeleteNot only are a lot of people going back to it but the source books are great for material to put into indie / OSR games.
Amazon is where I tend to look these days. I feel lucky that my poison is AD&D 1e. Rates on those items tend to be very reasonable :)
This is excellent advice. I'd like to collect up some older books, and I'd always assumed (for some reason) that they'd be more expensive than they are.
ReplyDeleteThere's a few things that are really pricey, but most of it can be had quite reasonably.
ReplyDeleteIn general, some of the 2nd edition Greyhawk Stuff, Vecna Lives and the like, can go for $40 or so. Some of the rarer B/X modules can shoot up into the $30+ range.
Most AD&D items, in particular, are quite reasonable. A decent set of the first six Arduin Grimoires recently went for $60, which at ten bucks a piece, I wish I had caught wind of.
I know there's something about having the original books in your hands, but there's also the wonders of the internet to explore! What I mean is, with a little creative google usage, you can find decent PDFs of those old books. Again, it's not the same, but if you want to at least look at the content it's one way to go. Heck, it's at least a way to determine if you even want to buy the originals at all.
ReplyDeleteBTW, James, did I read that you were looking for a copy of B1? I think I have a good copy of that. Anything interesting you would be willing to trade?
Hi Drance. Someone's already contacted me about that, but thanks!
ReplyDeleteI was lucky enough to snag a copy of Holmes set when I worked at a used bookstore. It's in nice condition and had some extras inside (AD&D game screen with Trapier's artwork, home made bookmark size character sheets).
ReplyDeleteI still check out Ebay from time to time, I need to get an Expert set!
Also, pay by PayPal, because you can get your money back easily.
ReplyDeleteEbays a lottery for RPG stuff at the moment it seems. I saw a copy of Dawn of the Emperors sell for £0.99 this week.
ReplyDeleteIts certainly put me off for now!