There are very few hobbies that satisfy quite as much as collecting. Golf and football or crafts and music all have their appeal, but the collector gets the satisfaction of being able to see the fruit of their labours, watching their collection grow and grow, with each part of the collection gaining sentimental value as it becomes associated with a special time in your life. Yet at the same time, no matter how big your collection grows, there will always be something you yearn after. Your comic collection is crying out for the copy of Action Comics #1, Your stamp collection always needs that one rare misprint.
However, for some people, the act of collection becomes more than simply a question of collecting for the sake of it. Once you’ve built up a deep enough knowledge of a subject and a wide enough network of contacts, you may start to realize that many of the items you’re collecting are worth quite a bit of money, and if you know how to find a bargain, this can lead to you turning a healthy profit.
Keep it Fun
The first thing to remember about attempting to turn your collecting hobby into an investment is that it still has to remain a hobby first. After all, you don’t want to ruin your enjoyment of collecting antique dolls’ house furniture by getting obsessed with how much you can sell your prize Edwardian dining suite for.
Stray off the Straight and Narrow
There are plenty of bargains to be found by trawling sites like eBay. Setting up a couple of regular searches can bring you all kinds of posts from people who don’t realize what they have. Likewise, trawling through sites like Gumtree can bring you some pleasant surprises (although always remember, Buyer Beware). But the internet isn’t the only place where people sell things, and by venturing outwards to car boot sales and white elephant stalls you can find all kinds of things that other buyers might miss. Plus, it’s really fun to look at!
Find the Right Buyer
Once you’ve found your bargains, the next goal is to see if you can turn a profit on them. Cultivate a network of passionate collectors through blogs and social media, and alert them to any of your latest finds. Remember presentation is everything, so make sure you get some high-quality photographs of your items with flattering lighting. Likewise, make sure you include plenty of information to verify the authenticity and value of the collectibles you’re trying to sell. Lots of items, including dolls’ houses, movie memorabilia, and works of art, come with certificates of authenticity, so make sure all the paperwork is in order before you put your money on the table. Your buyer certainly will.
After that, the only real question is, can you bear to part with it?
After all, what’s the point in collecting such beautiful things only to have to give them away afterward? You’ll only spend the money on more collectibles.
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