# Best way to sell your entire collection?



## spook1s (Jan 7, 2016)

I've been kicking around the idea of letting go of my collection...   I'm wondering if any of you guys or gals have any opinions on what might be the best route to take to do this?  Where would I get the most money? Who or what company might be the best to work with?  Is Copake a good way to do it? Those of you that have consigned with Copake, what was your experience like?
In my opinion putting items on Ebay is like taking things to the local county junk auction.  I'd rather take my things to Christie's or Sotheby's! It seems Copake is one of the more well known bicycle auctions. Are there any others on the eastern side of the country?
Taking items to swap meets is a lot of work and usually not worth it... breaking even at best.


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## cyclingday (Jan 7, 2016)

I've always thought that Copake is a good way to liquidate an entire collection.
They have the most experience with classic and antique bicycles of any auction house.
I think that they do an excellent job of cataloging and exposing items for sale, and their auctions are a lot of fun for both buyers and sellers.
My only personal experience with them is as a buyer, but it has been very positive.
I would be remiss, if I didn't ad that I'm sure a lot of us right here at the Cabe would love to see what your thinking about selling.


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## Freqman1 (Jan 7, 2016)

The better stuff never has a problem selling. If its middling to base model type bikes then it will be a lot harder and Ebay, CL, or swap meets may be a better alternative. V/r Shawn


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## bairdco (Jan 7, 2016)

Best way to get rid of your collection is sell it off really cheap. Waddaya got?


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## kccomet (Jan 7, 2016)

i guess it would depend on what you have, ive bought two collections in the last year and i came out pretty well. did i pay retail for each bike....no, usually a large discount is given for quanity and you take the good with the bad. once again it depends on what bikes you have, if your wanting top money your prob better off selling individually or in groups of two or three bikes. most people have unrealistic values for their bikes,depends how motivated you are to sell. i dont like ebay, but for exposure its hard to beat. if you have some killer bikes and arent shooting for the moon, im sure there are several here on the cabe who would be buyers. how many bikes do you have and what are the highlights in the collection....good luck


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## spoker (Jan 7, 2016)

if the last big auction that was posted about on here,it prolly just isnt a good time to sell


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## frankster41 (Jan 7, 2016)

Take them all apart and sell the pieces for the most money.
LOL!!!!


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## kccomet (Jan 7, 2016)

i was watching the rapoza auction until the last day, i couldnt find the final bids. he had some high end bikes, but they were mostly restored, and im sure with his reserves wanted top money, like we all would like to get for our bikes. bikes arent hard to buy, but sometimes very hard to sell depending on your price expectations. as shawn said really good stuff sells if your realistic


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## filmonger (Jan 7, 2016)

Can you pick a few items to sell to us here just for fun?


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## videoranger (Jan 7, 2016)

Lot's of experience on this forum from high end collectors to bargain hunters. You might consider posting good pictures of what you have and let the forum members help with sale venue recommendations. Depending on what you have the best sale venue could vary from bike to bike. There is also the issue of shipping or moving them to a sale location, payment collection, sales fees etc. Desirability and available buyers can change all the time also. It's also good to keep one one for yourself


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## the tinker (Jan 7, 2016)

frankster41 said:


> Take them all apart and sell the pieces for the most money.
> LOL!!!!




There is a lot of truth to what Frank said . Sell off the cream of what you have.... but what about what's left?
Several years ago I helped a widow sell off her late husband"s collection. He had , if I recall 22 ready to ride  and another 14 in various stages of completion. These bikes were 1932 to 1955 and really nice. It took us over a year to sell them.The 14 bikes that he had been working on[ super nice pre WW2  bikes] were all parted on ebay. Every last piece was sold , and  brought more then the bikes would have if they were put together. I brought some collectors that I knew would be interested in what she had over to her house, but not all at once. What I wanted to avoid was a big free for all that would overwhelm her. She had experience selling stuff on Ebay . I would give her a description of what she had and she would list it. I brought some of the bikes to a couple swaps and fellow Cabers bought them. Her husband collected reflectors and every bike was equipped with primo glass reflectors, some of which  I removed and were sold on ebay and did very well.Other the removing the reflectors all the bikes were sold as is.
I ended up with maybe 3 really nice bikes left that did not sell. These I disassembled and every last piece was sold on ebay for more than I could have sold the bikes for.
There also was lots and lots of loose parts that was sold on Ebay. One of the surprises was a headbadge that I found in a large box of greasy nuts and bolts, Carelessly buried in junk.
That badge sold for $250 . All in all I believe unless you have to pay someone to take your bikes apart they may be worth more sold piece by piece, if you have the time. 
On the other hand I was talking to a collector I know two weeks ago that I had not seen in at least three years. He had tired of collecting and stopped going to shows and called me up wanting some pre war Schwinn fenders. He said he sold his entire collection of pre war Schwinns lock stock and barrel to a fellow for S125,000.00 and now was wanting to get back into the hobby........I think he regretted selling off what took him many years to collect.

As for me, when I croak, the wife and daughter can do what they want and believe me they have no interest in what I have.
So.... if I die....beat feat over here to clean the place out!!!


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## spook1s (Jan 7, 2016)

Some people have messaged me and suggested parting out.  I may. Listing hundreds of parts separately sounds like a task. 

I still am curious about the Copake bike auction.

As for beating feet over to your place.. Can you tell me how to get to planet Mongo?!


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## bikecrazy (Jan 7, 2016)

Interesting, I live in N.E. Ohio


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## bricycle (Jan 7, 2016)

If you are not in a super hurry (less than a year) just sell here. Sell your best things/ bikes first. Price items as if you were buying (unless you are real frugal). stuff should go. That's what I'm planning. After your good bikes/items go, sell the remainder. if sales sluggish, your prices are a bit high/ and or we are going thru another recession/depression. Sell to your buddies first. Good photo's help, show imperfections, honesty will get you more sales.


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## vincev (Jan 7, 2016)

Bring to the Lebanon,In. show coming up and put fair prices.


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## stoney (Jan 7, 2016)

Many years ago I sold a number of bikes at Copake's auction. 1st, I had to give them the bikes approximately 6 months in advance so they could photo and advertise and catalog. 2nd if you are not close enough to deliver them there yourself and had to ship---you have shipping worries, Example, damage and then hoping who ever is assembling the bikes once they are there knows what they are doing and doesn't damage them in the process. 3rd, once my bikes sold I had to wait 2 1/2 months to be paid. Total of about 9 months without MY bikes in MY possession and without the possibility of selling them. 4th, if they all don't sell at auction, you either have to pick them up or have them shipped back. Again, taking them apart, packing and shipping worries. Depending on how many you have i would probably try to sell here on The CABE or Ann Arbor, Memory Lane. Good luck, wish you the best.


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## Freqman1 (Jan 7, 2016)

spoker said:


> if the last big auction that was posted about on here,it prolly just isnt a good time to sell




There are guys dropping serious coin right now. It needs to be good and realistically priced. V/r Shawn


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## bikeyard (Jan 7, 2016)

If you are selling balloon tire bikes, unless it is highly desirable, I would avoid Copake as they do not seem to do well.  If they are turn of the century or earlier they seem to do pretty well.  That being said, I sold a Victor C model some years ago for $13200 on ebay, I had asked Michael at Copake prior and he said I would be lucky to see $10,000, so you never know.


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## jkent (Jan 7, 2016)

What if there was someone here "hint, hint" that would be interested in a collection.
but would need pictures, details, and A price.
JKent?


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## Nickinator (Jan 7, 2016)

stoney said:


> Many years ago I sold a number of bikes at Copake's auction. 1st, I had to give them the bikes approximately 6 months in advance so they could photo and advertise and catalog. 2nd if you are not close enough to deliver them there yourself and had to ship---you have shipping worries, Example, damage and then hoping who ever is assembling the bikes once they are there knows what they are doing and doesn't damage them in the process. 3rd, once my bikes sold I had to wait 2 1/2 months to be paid. Total of about 9 months without MY bikes in MY possession and without the possibility of selling them. 4th, if they all don't sell at auction, you either have to pick them up or have them shipped back. Again, taking them apart, packing and shipping worries. Depending on how many you have i would probably try to sell here on The CABE or Ann Arbor, Memory Lane. Good luck, wish you the best.




Selling at Copake sounds like a nightmare to me! No thanks. Like most have said, if they are high end they will sell, if they aren't, price them nicely and someone will want them.

Last year Nick and I bought out a collector with 20 nice high end bikes, and posted/sold a few here on CABE, couple sold on ebay, some went to a museum, some to friends. We got them all sold in less than 30 days- NONE were parted.

I do agree that Memory Lane/Ann Arbor this April is a good place to try, always better to have someone inspect in person, hand you cash and wheel it away. Good luck. 

Darcie


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## how (Jan 7, 2016)

Just a funny story about a guy trying to sell off his collection. He calls me outta the blue knew I bought a few bikes now and the. Turns out he has the most incredible collection of road, track and fixed gear bikes I have ever seen. Every bike was like better than show room new, French, English, Italian. I had seen him at a swap meet and he had this amazing Colagno and I asked him how much and he couldnt give an answer lol.

So when he called , he told me about some of the bikes then I went online and saw  pictures of them al. Tells me he is moving overseas where is daughter and grandkids are, and has no choice but to sell them. If he tries to take them shipping and import taxes will just make it unfeasible. So I talked to him a bunch of times everytime I say so how much you want for bianchi track bike, no answer, how much you want for the Paramount, goes on to some other subject lol. So I stopped calling him, he could not sell them, he called me said he had no choice but he really couldnt sell them. I dont know what he is going to do lol


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## Kickstand3 (Jan 7, 2016)

I'm a used car broker have been for over 30 yrs and there's all kinds of books and market 
analysis out there . Every one looks at thing different . At the end of the day only check books matter.
Good luck my friend


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## THE STIG (Jan 7, 2016)

......... a price and a picture


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## momo608 (Jan 7, 2016)

"Best way to sell your entire collection"

To get the most money, the way you put it together. If you want to dump anything fast you are not going to get top dollar. Common sense.


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## frankster41 (Jan 7, 2016)

Is that Ladies 26"Firestone Speed Chief you have for sale part of the collection you are trying to liquidate?


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## spook1s (Jan 7, 2016)

Yes. It's ONE of them.


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## spook1s (Jan 7, 2016)

This picture is 7 years old...  Some new ones have come, some have gone... The collection has grown.

Not all bikes in the picture are still around.  The Blue and White Schwinn straight bar Hornet is gone, Several of the girl's bikes are gone...  But keep in mind, the collection HAS grown.


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## the tinker (Jan 7, 2016)

Take photos this week of each bike and offer them here on the Cabe for what "you" would pay for them,and see what sells. If there is little or no interest in the girls bikes come late February part out every girls bike here on the Cabe.  Take the headbadges off and toss the frames and anything that isn't perfect out cause you can truck that stuff to swap meets forever and no one will buy it .
I am sure I will catch flack for saying this but I really don't care . You are asking for an opinion and the fact is girls bikes just don't sell unless they are really something nice or special.Go to any swap and you just about have to give them away...and I see lots of girls bikes in your photo. Let those who complain buy them if they are so upset.

 Come late March, once again take photos of your new "parts" pile and any boys bike you have left and see what sells. Also announce that you are borrowing your buddies truck and will bring it all in one massive pile to Memory lane's spring swap on Thursday. Don't worry about how much $ you will waste on a hotel cause the truck is it.  Come Saturday morning at Memory lane before everyone leaves for the big one  don't just sit behind your table wondering what you are going to do with what's left. Announce loudly to everyone who walks by that "It's all junk and it's all cheap" have a Blow-out sale, and Go home M. T.  
Don't even think of going up to Ann Arbor on Sunday otherwise ten years from now you will have to do this all over again


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## Dale Alan (Jan 8, 2016)

Looks like the sale has started.Good luck.


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## bobcycles (Jan 8, 2016)

cyclingday said:


> I've always thought that Copake is a good way to liquidate an entire collection.
> They have the most experience with classic and antique bicycles of any auction house.
> I think that they do an excellent job of cataloging and exposing items for sale, and their auctions are a lot of fun for both buyers and sellers.
> My only personal experience with them is as a buyer, but it has been very positive.
> I would be remiss, if I didn't ad that I'm sure a lot of us right here at the Cabe would love to see what your thinking about selling.






Ok.......not sure how to say this without sounding like I'm knocking Copake, which I'm not.  I've attended several Copake auctions and fleas and always had a great time.  The problem with the auctions from what I've seen is there really isn't enough time to adequately describe much of what hits the block or enough info is simply not given on the item.  I've seen so many killer bikes Missdescribed or poorly described or explained that it has to have a negative outcome on the bidding enthusiasm.  I know Fallon has limited expertise / or is 'not a bike guy' in the bicycle hobby and does have to rely on the information provided by the owners, his talents are immense as an auctioneer but not so much as a bike collector.  If you DO sell at Copake, make sure the pluses and of course minuses are accurately described and emphasized.  I will also say this......on several occassions, that "lack luster" description etc has enabled me to win something through bidding for a 'song'.   Yay for me, but bummer for the owner of the item or bicycle who could have faired much better with a more thorough and accurate description.


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## tripple3 (Jan 9, 2016)

*Collection Sold*

Bikes come and bikes go.... I have sold "Most" of my bikes. I love every bike I see. Certain ones in my collection, I Had to Have it! Over time I lose some of that love; it fades.
Here is a pic from 3+ years ago. I have 2 low value cruisers left from that pile; everything else is Sold!
The girl bike up front I sold on CL; got it back in trade from the same people, and sold frame and badge here on the CABE... I still have and ride that Black-out wheel set.




I have 6 pre war cruisers now; nothing for Sale...Open to offers on any of them.



spook1s said:


> This picture is 7 years old...  Some new ones have come, some have gone... The collection has grown.
> 
> Not all bikes in the picture are still around.  The Blue and White Schwinn straight bar Hornet is gone, Several of the girl's bikes are gone...  But keep in mind, the collection HAS grown.


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## jimbo53 (Jan 9, 2016)

As part of the vintage bike collecting community, remember that the buy AND the sell are all part of the experience. I know eBay is a pain, having bought and sold bikes there, but if you take the time to choose your best bikes and photograph them and describe them clearly and put a reasonable reserve on them, it doesn't have to be a bad experience. Enlist some high school kids to break them down and show them how to pack properly. Your LBS will be happy to provide boxes, Listing on the CABE, same thing. Craigslist, the least likely to get top dollar and too many lowballers not to mention limited local reach. Did you enjoy the buying experience of each of your treasures? Give someone else that good buying eeperience-sort of a pay it forward thing. Look at it like a short term business and savor the experience instead of dreading it. Treat it like a game and turn yourself into a marketing genius. You WILL make the most money selling yourself, but you have to plan strategically and keep a good attitude about it. Just my $.02.


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## the tinker (Jan 9, 2016)

"Now that we are married Spooks I think you should get rid of all those rusty old bikes."




"Look Spooks  you don't get rid nothing , you keep all of them."

" I don"t know Jimmy , maybe she's right,I'll talk to Pauli about it."



"Look kid , you go home ,show her who's boss,in fact, go buy some more. "



"You're selling  the bikes Spooks!!"


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## spook1s (Jan 9, 2016)

HAHAHhahahahaha!!!!  You amuse me!  You're funny like a clown!


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## the tinker (Jan 9, 2016)

spook1s said:


> HAHAHhahahahaha!!!!  You amuse me!  You're funny like a clown!







"what Spooks, I amuse you....like a clown....you saying I'am a clown?"

 

"No I aint say'n anything like that. You're just funny that's all....just talking about our bikes here......"


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## Evans200 (Jan 9, 2016)

the tinker said:


> View attachment 264079
> 
> "what Spooks, I amuse you....like a clown....you saying I'am a clown?"View attachment 264080
> 
> "No I aint say'n anything like that. You're just funny that's all....just talking about our bikes here......"




"Oh, so it's my bikes that amuse you?"  "Now go home and get your chrome polish"


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## catfish (Jan 9, 2016)

Good photos. Good descriptions. Good prices.


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