So, if you were forced to:
A) What would it take to force you?
B) What would your starting price be?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=49013&item=5956062724&rd=1&ssPageName=WD2V

Richard

It could be as simple as a serious illness of someone in the family. I would sell everything myself if I ever came to that...

Aleksey.

The circumstances would have to be really bad for me to even consider it. However, If you want the most for your collection, I think the best thing to do would be to sell the items individually and not as one big group. At least sell the more valuable ones individually. You can group a lot of the cheap ones together. If I did sell as a group, I would have a reserve on it. Nothing like selling something that took years to gather and it sells for less than half its value to someone you don't know.

I can't see an scenario of me selling my collection other than direct threat to my life or someone dear to me. That said, if I had to sell it all, I would part it out for sure. For two reasons, one, you increase the pool of potential buyers (price-wise), two, items not selling can be relisted for lower starting prices.

I never got into collecting to make money. Its nice when I can sell a puzzle or two but that money gets used to buy others.

Gabe

I am currently in this situation. My biggest "hobby" has always been anime cel collecting (which could fall under the "odd hobbies" thread I suppose). At it's highest point I had spent almost $30,000 on production anime cels over a 5 year span (yes, I know). Because of financial reasons I have been forced to sell it all over the past year and I am still selling on a constant basis. Many of them I have not so much as broken even on, but it's an extra form of income so I can't complain. At one time I believed it to be an investment, but the market has taken a huge dive at the wrong time. It's amazing because I always believed I would have my cel collection until I was an old man and nothing could make me part with any of them, but when something as simple as needing money to pay the bills comes along, I believe it can force one into a position where there can be little choice.

I can't imagine being forced to sell the entire thing. Nor can I imagine being ABLE to sell the entire thing in one shot. The value of my collection is pretty close to $10,000 if sold individually, but probably under $1000 if sold as a single group. How many of us would really WANT to buy almost 1000 puzzles in one transaction even if you could scrape up the asking price?

It's also interesting to note that most of the items in my collection are next to worthless individually. As I suspect is the case with any large collection, most of its value is contained within a small percentage of the pieces. I'd estimate that at least 75% of the value of my collection is represented by about 10% of the puzzles in it. For every $100+ item, there are at least 9 3x3x3 sticker variations.

Sandy

Wow... 1000 things... I must have 15 or 20 different things.

Sandy,

I agree with you 100%. The reason why I don't see myself ever selling my collection is because the amount its worth is not so much that I couldn't lets say borrow or scrape up. I think most collections after a while take on a life of their own. I know I personally over-paid for items just to have a set completed. Occasionally I question certain pieces in my collection and wonder if I should "recycle" them and use the $$ for other items I want. I recently missed out on a super item (I was watching it but held out a bid and never got to bid and it went for a low amount) it was a Rubik's Game cube but in french Le Jeu it said on it. That would complete my American, British, French set. But alas, I blew it. So those hurt, a little. I have this collection in perspective, after all, there are much more important things in life.

gabe