How do you value a one off item?

Jay-Jay_4

A friend has asked my advice on this so I thought I'd run it by you.

She has a framed Australian rugby shirt which has been signed by the entire team from a big rugby thing that happened in 2000 (or 2001) which was apparently very well known. I want to say it was the Superbowl but I think that's American (ok I'm not a sporty person!!!!).

Anyway!!!! she wants shut of it but has NO idea of its value and doesn't know where to start. She said that there's nothing comparable on ebay or anywhere else on t'internet. Is there a market for sports memorabilia and will the fact that it's Australian affect it's value here in England?

Any ideas?



Edited to say that I've just looked on ebay and there are signed tops on there but they're all English. Also the one that she has is in a frame with a photo of the team, it's not just a top.

TDIfurby

2000? Was that the rugby World Cup in the Millenium Stadium, etc?

Start? no idea! But a 99p start on Ebay and it will find its rightful value as a one-off I say,

Jay-Jay_4

TDIfurby wrote:

2000? Was that the rugby World Cup in the Millenium Stadium, etc?

Start? no idea! But a 99p start on Ebay and it will find its rightful value as a one-off I say,

I just asked hubby and he reckons it must be the World Cup too. I suggested listing it at a quid but having just looked on e-bay there's an England top for £185 :eek:


I was wondering if there are specialist collectors/auction places where she'd generate more interest.

Chalky87

Hello there,

England won the cup in 2002....so I would expect this to be worth less, it has to be worth £100 all day long though.....start at 99p as said above and it will find the price its worth, or ask a specialist.

Hintza

Think I would go to ebay Australia and consider listing it there. Check P+P and keep that reasonable.

Tojo_Ralph

I agree 100% with the ..... "It will find its value" points noted and will add ..... it will only do this if all the other golden rules are applied.

i.e. Good quality and sized images, a well rated ID selling it, etc, etc.

You will also do well to research the item better, confirm the event, year, signatures, players, etc... so why not visit the Ebay Australia boards and pick their brains?

Tojo_Ralph

Whilst I agree that you should consider making the item available to Aus and NZ, I'm going to disagree with Hintza and suggest that with the cost of shipping, the high probability of damage in transit and the "coals to Newcastle" aspect of selling the shirt, that you'll get a better price from ex pats, collectors, Aussie theme bar owners, etc in the UK.

Tojo_Ralph

Jay-Jay...

In answer to is there a market... The answer is a definite YES.

Do any of the following look familiar?

http://www.lgm.com.au/productdetail.asp?catid=35&productID=690&typ=framed

http://www.lgm.com.au/image.asp?src=../../images/imagelibrary/Product_UandA_Current/Rugby_UA/063_bled_jer.jpg&mw=770&mh=475

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/SIGNED-AUSTRALIAN-WALLABIES-JERSEY_W0QQitemZ5242705008QQcategoryZ2839QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://search.ebay.com.au/search/search.dll?sofocus=bs&sbrftog=1&from=R10&satitle=wallabies+signed&sacat=-1%26catref%3DC6&bs=Search&sargn=-1%26saslc%3D2&sadis=200&fpos=Postcode&ga10244=10425&ftrt=1&ftrv=1&saprclo=&saprchi=&fsop=3%26fsoo%3D2&coaction=compare&copagenum=1&coentrypage=search&fgtp=

Jay-Jay_4

Thanks for all your advice.

Tojo_Ralph wrote:

In answer to is there a market... The answer is a definite YES.

Do any of the following look familiar?

Yes they do Hers is nicer though, it's in a huge frame and has a really big photo of the team. Should be worth a few quid.

I agree that the item will find its own price BUT... she's never used e-bay and I only have a small amount of feedback through buying.

It does seem that ebay is the only way to go and the risks are always there that as a new seller she won't generate much interest. It would be a shame for her to miss out on a hundred quid or so purely as she doesn't have feedback.

Maybe your suggestion about Aussie bar owners would be worth following up, she could approach them privately.

Edinburghlass_2

Not necessarily Aussie bar owners but bars frequented by Aussies? How about rugby clubs who often display shirts on their walls, go for the big clubs with the money

Tojo_Ralph

Jay-Jay wrote:

I agree that the item will find its own price BUT... she's never used e-bay and I only have a small amount of feedback through buying. It does seem that ebay is the only way to go and the risks are always there that as a new seller she won't generate much interest.

The thing is with an item like that is there are many issues, and a new seller/buyer may well not instill the level of confidence needed to attract the goods full market potential.

That said, speaking purely from a personal point of view, and how I would view the auction, I can say that with an item such as that, its appearance in the detailed images would allay any fears that it was not genuine.. Its appearance in the detailed images would tell me all I needed to know about quality.. Which leaves the two biggies.. Am I going to actually get the goods?..... and..... the biggest concern of all, can the seller get it to me in one piece?

To that end, even if someone only plans on selling the odd item here and there, I'd always recommend selling a couple of dozen low value items.. (CD's/DVD's etc).. and shipping them FAST and WELL PACKAGED.

Once the comments are on your account they are always there, and a couple of dozen "As described, well packaged, fast shipping, good communication" comments will ensure top dollar prices.

With low value items purchased by cheque by good ebayers, I always ship on receipt of cheque because I know the feedback will be blinding, and blinding feedback = top dollar sale prices. If I get a bouncer, it will still have been worth it.