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Author Topic: Anyone bitten the bullet and cleared it all out??  (Read 10732 times)

Offline The Dozing Dragon

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    • The Little Soldier Company
Re: Anyone bitten the bullet and cleared it all out??
« Reply #45 on: September 09, 2022, 02:56:51 PM »
In truth if I could sell everything in one go I'd jump at the chance. Far too overwhelming these days.

Offline crafty

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  • Slapdash
Re: Anyone bitten the bullet and cleared it all out??
« Reply #46 on: September 09, 2022, 10:41:44 PM »

In the US there are a couple of companies that will do what I did for a slightly higher payout. Even by mail.

There is a mob here in Australia that has started doing this. I met one of the agents at a local convention, gave him a bunch of dusty old games, pinged off an email and washed my hands of those old games. A few weeks later they deposited a couple of hundred bucks into our family's holiday savings account. It was very easy and just the fact that it relieved the 'mental load' of thinking about all the stuff was well worth it.

As someone that has sold off a large collection of hex & counter war-games (I lost count once I had amassed over 200 war-games ....plus hundreds & hundreds of other euro & collectable games), this thread holds some personal interest. Back in the 2000s , I used to scour op-shops, garage sales and school fetes for collectable games that I would on-sell at a profit. For a few years it was a little hobby business that would fund my hobby spending in a self sustaining way.

Collecting & buying was addictive, and to be perfectly honest with myself, overtook the entire reason why I got into gaming. The money I made selling & trading might be 'self sustaining' but I could never get the time back.

My collection grew larger and larger but the fact was that I hardy ever played the bloody things. Collecting became the hobby. You see this kind of madness over on Board Game Geek. People just wildly consuming boardgames, playing them once (in the case of war-games...probably never...). The problem was the dread I faced when I looked at my huge collection. Sure it took up space, but more than anything I always felt this kind of guilt about never playing any of those games.

I became an eBay seller. I spent days of my life ebay-ing stuff, and although I got some decent prices for some of my rare games...the time and effort never quite pay off. It's the waiting around, the correspondence, the transfers, the boxing up, trips to the post office etc.etc. It's all very burdensome...for a bit of spare cash.

Now that I'm older it's time that is the most precious commodity!

I had good results with the bring & buy stand here at our major convention here in Australia - CanCon. Because I lived locally at the time, I just dropped dozens of boxed games off at the stall, and later in the convention, picked up the cash. Again...the mental load of it all was minimised.

The last big cull I had was a garage sale we had just before we left our house to move interstate about ten years ago. By that stage I was just done with collecting and just sold off every last boardgame in my collection for $5 a pop (to be fair..it was the dregs..). That cleared our the rest of the bunch.

Miniature gaming is slightly different I realise...there are really enjoyable ways to engage with the hobby, even without playing. Painting and crafting is a worthwhile pursuit I do get it, but if you've got shelf loads of unpainted minis that have been sitting there for years...it's probably gonna give you that same sense of grief & guilt I had.

At the end of the day, in my personal experience, is that if your collection is giving you grief, if you look at all your stuff and your heart sinks, a big cull is good for the soul. Every now and again I'm reminded that I used to own this or that..but small regrets and missed opportunities are a part of life I reckon.





This Slap-Dash Life
@Mcslapdash@mastodon.social

Offline eilif

  • Scatterbrained Genius
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    • Chicago Skirmish Wargames
Re: Anyone bitten the bullet and cleared it all out??
« Reply #47 on: September 10, 2022, 01:09:10 AM »

The money I made selling & trading might be 'self sustaining' but I could never get the time back...

...My collection grew larger and larger but the fact was that I hardy ever played the bloody things. Collecting became the hobby...

...the time and effort never quite pay off. It's the waiting around, the correspondence, the transfers, the boxing up, trips to the post office etc.etc. It's all very burdensome...for a bit of spare cash.

Now that I'm older it's time that is the most precious commodity!

Lots of wisdom in your post. Clipped a few bits that I really relate to.

Buying, selling and trading have always been enjoyable parts of my hobby but I've gone too far in that direction recently and have also been doing too much acquiring.

The trading and acquiring parts of the hobby are putting to much pressure on the TIME in which I'd like to be hobbying and engaging in other hobbies.

Offline tikitang

  • Mad Scientist
  • Posts: 604
  • A shadow out of time...
Re: Anyone bitten the bullet and cleared it all out??
« Reply #48 on: September 10, 2022, 09:33:16 PM »
My collection grew larger and larger but the fact was that I hardy ever played the bloody things. Collecting became the hobby. You see this kind of madness over on Board Game Geek. People just wildly consuming boardgames, playing them once (in the case of war-games...probably never...). The problem was the dread I faced when I looked at my huge collection. Sure it took up space, but more than anything I always felt this kind of guilt about never playing any of those games.

I became an eBay seller. I spent days of my life ebay-ing stuff, and although I got some decent prices for some of my rare games...the time and effort never quite pay off. It's the waiting around, the correspondence, the transfers, the boxing up, trips to the post office etc.etc. It's all very burdensome...for a bit of spare cash.

Now that I'm older it's time that is the most precious commodity!

Goodness, those are scarily relatable thoughts! Been there, done all that. Buying and selling stuff did become a hobby in its own right for me, for a while, which I think is terribly sad, when instead it could (and should) be about playing with the goods and enjoying the experience with others.

My new ambitions now are to:

1. Buy fewer games/miniatures, only the ones I am really passionate about

2. Actually do something with them

3. Resist the urge to put everything on eBay
https://a-descent-into-the-maelstrom.blogspot.com/


"The things you own end up owning you. It's only after you lose everything that you're free to do anything."

- Chuck Palahniuk

Offline ced1106

  • Mad Scientist
  • Posts: 880
Re: Anyone bitten the bullet and cleared it all out??
« Reply #49 on: September 10, 2022, 10:34:25 PM »
What I found interesting is that, if it's a boardgame without miniatures, it usually stays in the closet. If it's miniatures, it stays in the closet -- except years later, when I finally use the mini's for a miniatures skirmish game.  lol

With the unreleased Lasting Tales solo miniatures ruleset, I've painted Reaper Bones that were 9 years old, 2013 Privateer Press metals which were sitting in my room for at least three years unpainted, used some OOP Epix resin buildings, found a use for my not-Lego Wizards and Farm House dice towers, and extensively used Mantic Terrain Crates, Stonemaier resin tokens, and my original Terra Tiles modular game tiles. (Pre-order on the Ravenkeep website for the next printing!)

Solo's a good way to paint and craft at a leisurely pace, while the gaming aspect gives a focus of what to paint. Still no idea what to do with these other boardgames. :P
Crimson Scales with Wildspire Miniatures thread on Reaper!
https://forum.reapermini.com/index.php?/topic/103935-wildspire-miniatures-thread/

Offline eilif

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Re: Anyone bitten the bullet and cleared it all out??
« Reply #50 on: September 11, 2022, 03:22:24 AM »
3. Resist the urge to put everything on eBay
Unfortunately this has proved to not be an ideal method for alot of my stuff that either isn't moving, or isn't worth the effort to post/pack/mail for the low price they get and after ebay has taken their fees.

Offline tikitang

  • Mad Scientist
  • Posts: 604
  • A shadow out of time...
Re: Anyone bitten the bullet and cleared it all out??
« Reply #51 on: September 11, 2022, 06:27:44 AM »
Unfortunately this has proved to not be an ideal method for alot of my stuff that either isn't moving, or isn't worth the effort to post/pack/mail for the low price they get and after ebay has taken their fees.

Yes, exactly. I had some really lucky moments with eBay back in the mid to late 2010s; I was able to shift older Games Workshop stuff (rulebooks and board games, mostly) for hundreds of pounds at a time.

I think I got addicted to the thrill of seeing my stuff gain such high bids, and sadly I derived more excitement out of that than actually playing with the models or games.

But, I have had very little luck with eBay over the last couple of years -- can't seem to make anything significant over the postage cost --  so it isn't really worth the effort anymore.
« Last Edit: September 12, 2022, 04:54:19 AM by tikitang »

Offline eilif

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    • Chicago Skirmish Wargames
Re: Anyone bitten the bullet and cleared it all out??
« Reply #52 on: September 12, 2022, 03:29:00 PM »
Yes, exactly. I had some really lucky moments with eBay back in the mid to late 2010s; I was able to shift older Games Workshop stuff (rulebooks and board games, mostly) for hundreds of pounds at a time.

I think I got addicted to the thrill of seeing my stuff gain such high bids, and sadly I derived more excitement out of that than actually playing with the models or games.

But, I have had very little luck with eBay over the last couple of years -- can't seem to make anything significant over the postage cost --  so it isn't really worth the effort anymore.
The general resale market (ebay, forums etc) seems to be up and down and I seem to have less and less ability to predict what will and won't sell.  In addition to the aforementioned gaming stuff, I've been selling of excess donated items for my local train club.  I often cannot predict at all what will and won't sell, and making a big effort to sell something that doesn't is even more annoying when you're not getting a portion of the proceeds.

One key to successful selling does seem to be rather obvious: having a wide variety of items for sale at a given time. However, the nature of selling off a collection works against this in that you have a fixed inventory and often it is in particular areas and if those aren't currently selling well things will not move.

Offline Elbows

  • Galactic Brain
  • Posts: 9452
Re: Anyone bitten the bullet and cleared it all out??
« Reply #53 on: September 13, 2022, 02:37:03 AM »
Seeing this thread pop up again and again has been motivating me to sell more of my 40K stuff.  I'm "close" to having most of it sold and it's been a real breath of fresh air (and a nice amount of cash in the pocket for other hobby maneuvers).
2024 Painted Miniatures: 166
('23: 159, '22: 214, '21: 148, '20: 207, '19: 123, '18: 98, '17: 226, '16: 233, '15: 32, '14: 116)

https://myminiaturemischief.blogspot.com
Find us at TurnStyle Games on Facebook!

Offline Aerendar Valandil

  • Librarian
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    • Amsterdam6Shooters Wargames Club
Re: Anyone bitten the bullet and cleared it all out??
« Reply #54 on: September 13, 2022, 09:25:48 AM »
I occasionally sell something or give something away, but no, I can't think of selling everything. I like painting, but it comes hard and slow, and my painted mini's are kind of 'my precioussss', especially my warhammer stuff.

I did get rid of my earliest mini's, they were so old and badly painted. And have had some wargaming and hobbying lows, actually quite a lot and quite a long time. I think I am in my wargaming heyday now.

M.

Offline Easy E

  • Mastermind
  • Posts: 1930
  • Just some guy who does stuff
    • Blood and Spectacles
Re: Anyone bitten the bullet and cleared it all out??
« Reply #55 on: September 13, 2022, 06:40:23 PM »
I actually went back and repainted some very old Ral Partha minis, some of the first in my collection for a D&D campaign we are playing. 

Very satisfying giving those old (possibly dangerous) minis new life. 
Support Blood and Spectacles Publishing:
https://www.patreon.com/Bloodandspectaclespublishing

Offline zemjw

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Re: Anyone bitten the bullet and cleared it all out??
« Reply #56 on: September 14, 2022, 01:27:07 PM »
I've sold very little over the years, but I have begun to accept that there are figures and games in the loft that I'm never going to use or play, so perhaps it's time to find new homes for them.

Most of the stuff should sell, but no doubt some things will end up in recycling.

There are a lot of miniatures from the 80s and 90s, so, as with Easy A, there is a high lead content to contend with. I'm just hoping that lead rot hasn't set in o_o

Offline syrinx0

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Re: Anyone bitten the bullet and cleared it all out??
« Reply #57 on: November 26, 2022, 06:28:01 AM »
I was going to start a new thread and noticed this already existed so please excuse the thread revival.

Covid eventually put an end to our normal gaming group and it's diverse group of active games. This year I finally cleared all my stuff out of the gaming club to bring it home. No more free space in my basement! I decided to update my painting log (purchased and painted yearly totals for the last few years) but with a full inventory of the unpainted lead pile by project. Shocking I know but it turns out I have twice as much as I had recorded. Given my lack of gaming and health related issues limiting painting, I decided it was time for a clear out.

Once I finished the count per project I make the decision on keeping or selling the project. All my incomplete army projects (painted as well as NIB items) have been sold or are on ebay. I still have over 1000 unpainted miniatures that made this cut but now they are in nicely labeled RUB containers. This takes a bit of work but freeing up a hundreds of dollars a month from stuff gathering dust on the shelf makes me feel better. Hell, maybe the new owners will get some paint on them too! I am retired so the overhead of ebay selling isn't getting to me yet.

Contemplating selling all or a portion of my painted IG, Dacian and Zulu armies.  Planning on taking new photo's of all of them first in 2023 though so I have time to change my mind if I start gaming again.
2024: B: 0; P: 148; 2023: B:77; P:37;

Offline has.been

  • Galactic Brain
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Re: Anyone bitten the bullet and cleared it all out??
« Reply #58 on: November 26, 2022, 06:59:41 AM »
Good luck with all of that Syrinx.
I still remember my mother coming home from night duty, she was a nurse,
with a couple of carrier bags full of Airfix planes. A work friend's son was having
a clear out & my brothers & I benefited. What joy! A bit of glue & paint & we
thought they were wonderful. Whenever I part with things I hope someone has
the same joy.
Another thing I have done, usually with the REALLY BAD stuff, is to hide some.
When some old beam sockets needed filling, in went some toy soldiers.
When we planted a new tree, a tub of figures went into the bottom of the gole.
I like to think of someone, maybe in a hundred years trying to figure out who & why.
A comedian said, 'When you're about to move, & you quickly put up new wallpaper,
first get a tin of red paint & write, 'I WILL KILL AGAIN !!!' . Sometime in the future
someone will discover it'
 lol lol lol

Offline Helen

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Re: Anyone bitten the bullet and cleared it all out??
« Reply #59 on: November 26, 2022, 05:30:47 PM »
Have not painted any miniatures this year. I have deposited into the bin a lot of miniatures and resin vehicles...not worth the hassle to sell on evil bay. I'll look next year to finishing off painting the remainder of my Zulu War project as Its close to completion.

What I've started to do is collect toy soldiers in 1/30th scale and I place these on display.
Best wishes,
Helen
Love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is done well (V van Gogh)

 

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