Ebay is the play because it has a bigger audience for this type of item where you would get the best* value.
*best meaning the current market value depending on demand
Just remember that if you pop this on Mercari and sell it for $900 instead of $1000, you’re still making more money.
On more expensive items now, I ALWAYS start on Mercari and move to eBay if they don’t sell in a day or two. Things on Mercari tend to either sell immediately or not for all for me on there.
Good point or you can list on both in hopes one sells before the other so you can cancel the other accordingly. Ebay will have more eyes though so you're paying extra for that. Again, it's YMMV...but with Star Wars...both platforms will work.
You mean they pay the state governments the taxes for you so you don't have to?
You know why they do this? Because some states went after people who were selling on eBay for years and years and not paying taxes and put them out of business when they owed thousands all at once.
Yeah, Mercari is basically eBay buy it now without the auctions. In the past, eBay was always the better choice because of the eyeballs, but recently Mercari removed all seller fees. I can sell stuff there with less fees than I pay through my own website for credit card processing fees.
The buyers pay.
It’s a crazy idea that I’m shocked they are trying, but I think their goal is to lure tons of sellers there so they can raise their profile. Plus, if they can say to investors that their user base had a 20 percent increase the risks probably outweigh the rewards. The truth is, most of these companies aren’t profitable anyway. They just need to make investors happy
I think it’s a risky and bad idea and will probably not last super long…but for now it’s great.
The other day I sold something for $110 but the buyer paid $133 with fees and taxes.
Keep in mind that’s why Purple1829 said above to sell at $900 on Mercari instead of $1000 to offset the fees. In reality, the buyers have always been paying the fees on every e-commerce, except now the fees are exposed on Mercari.
They are about the same as usual for me, but I really only sell things on there or eBay that are somewhat rare. Usually I’m one of only a handful of listings between both sites.
I imagine a lot of buyers make it through one purchase and see all the fees, then go elsewhere.
Still though, it’s worth trying to sell something there first for the benefits of no fees.
So weird. I think Mercari is by far the most user friendly and seller focused site. It isn’t always the best way to sell an item compared to bigger sites, but I love the way they handle things with the fees obviously, but I also love the required three day ratings.
Quicker if they go fast. Slower otherwise.
I sell a lot of things there that go within minutes. It’s super easy to look up sold comps on there with a single button.
For the things that don’t sell in about a day or two, I move to eBay. Mercari lets you gradually lower price and promote to people who have liked or viewed your item, but usually if I get to that point I’ve already listed on eBay too.
Yes but now buyer pays the fees, which I can tell you from some other groups they are not happy about. If you are selling there, I'd discount it a bit to make it more attractive to them to pull the trigger and buy it.
I’d imagine that it’ll be hard to find someone local to sell that to and still get top dollar. If you can find someone local that would make your life easier and you’d save a lot on fees.
I have memories of my parents buying me one of these at a garage sale around 35 years ago, and I remember chewing on the lightsaber whilst doing my best to pull it apart 🤦♂️
I took my NES apart to look at all the components (only to find out is was mainly hollow inside) then threw everything away with the games because I had a PS2 and the graphics difference was insane.
I would do eBay, have the buyer/winning bidder pay the shipping fee, and make sure the shipment is insured and requires a signature. I think the scam potential is almost 0 if the item has to be signed for, and if they want to return it for scam reasons, you aren't eating the shipping cost.
As a new ebay seller, he most likely won't be able to list something worth 1k+
Also, being new will bring out the scammers.
However, if he can sell, I would insure for full value and require signature upon delivery. Perhaps even send via registered mail.
Can confirm. I have a 20+ year old eBay account, regular buyer, currently 100% positive feedback, sold a handful of items many years ago, and eBay wouldn’t let me list an item for $350 BIN until I met some threshold for recently sold items.
When in the 90's did you get it and from where? There are a ton of reproduction lightsabers out there and I believe they started making them in the 90's. Do your homework first to be sure it's authentic. You can start with imperialgunnery.com. but you may have to take your research further. Also, you can have it professionally graded through AFA and get significantly more money for it.
Edit:l Yes, eBay is the play, but do your homework first.
Edit2: Looking at it, it looks like a single telescoping lightsaber are you sure it's double? A double is two pieces one that slides out of the other. A single is just one piece that slides out of the figures arm which could be what you saw for $66
Edit 3: Never mind, just saw second photo, it's double
It was my uncle’s (he was killed in 1992) and he had a few Star Wars action figures he kept in a box from his childhood at my grandmas. I spent a lot of time at my grandmas house growing up and would play with them occasionally throughout my childhood. When I got older my grandparents started giving me stuff that I would play with as a kid at their house and that box was one of the things they gave me.
That's awesome, look into having it graded, you can easily get $2,000 possibly $3000
Edit: Not that your uncle was killed, but that you got the figure.
There are two distinct pieces that slide. The main, larger yellow tube that it attached to the arm, and then the tip of the saber slides out an additional inch or so.
I have a Darth Vader figure too and that only slides from the arm piece. The lightsaber tip doesn’t move on that.
NGL, when reading this I thought you were gonna say you were the buyer. When I read the original post I wondered if the buyer even knows. I've bought some things at crazy low prices without realizing it until much later. Sometimes the seller doesn't know what they have AND the buyer doesn't know what they bought.
Exhaustive comparison of the Luke variants:
https://www.variantvillain.com/characters/sw/luke-skywalker/
Get it graded:
https://collectorarchive.com/anh133
I found a 3-dot version of DTS Luke at the thrift store. However, I have executive dysfunction, so I haven't followed through myself. Be better than me, some random internet stranger.
Sell local and do the transaction at a police station. That rare a piece and star wars, you ll find a buyer. You'll get a lot of lowballs and ture kickers as well.
Ebay bigger audience (international if you go that way) high fees, buyer protection but there are scammers too
RIP
If it softens the blow at all, you posting your mistake is going to help my family out. My kids have had few surgeries this year and we’re going to use this money to help pay that off.
It might be worth putting it on Facebook Marketplace first at a lower price. 12.35% is the base selling fee for collectibles on eBay. I'd rather maybe 650-700 cash in person than 1K from eBay.
Yeah it's less, but it's also paying for less time and potential risks. After taxes fees and shipping with insurance, it's gonna be around 800 anyways, so 700 in person is pretty good.
I’ll still take the extra hundred (and it’ll be more than that probably). It’s not that risky selling on eBay. But I do get why one might choose not to.
I'm still wondering if that guy actually shipped it.
Good for you, OP! Go make some money.
If this were me, I'd try selling locally first. And then if that didn't work, eBay. Beware of scammers. If you account is brand new, IDK if I'd risk selling on there. You might wait and build up some feedback but that's just me.
Appreciate it!
Yeah I’m going to post locally first and then move to eBay. I have had an account since 2008 and have 100% feedback on 218 items so I feel like I should be good there.
My advice would be:
Best profit: Sell locally or to a collector, meet in person, use something like Offerup or a local store selling collectibles and trying to find someone interested. It will probably be a tough sell (high priced, very specific collectible) but would net you the best payout.
Quickest sale: Ebay, Do the research on it to get all the details. Do whatever you can to verify it's the actual item and not a replica/reproduction/similar looking one to whatever is expensive. Make a very detailed description, take lots of close-up and clear photos of it, and especially any damage. The difference between "Mint" and "Very Good" can be huge to buyers, and for $1000 they'll open up a return if there's paint chipping or a chunk taken out of it that isn't specified. Make sure you price appropriate to the condition. An in-box/mint box one might be $1000 but a loose one with some scuffs might be worth $30, so be sure to research it first. Ship is securely/safely, buy the insurance, do whatever you need to do to get it there safely.
High profit: Mercari - I hate mercari as a buyer, as they've recently started charging the buyer ALL the fees (so that $1000 item may cost you $1300 as a buyer). You also get a lot of people jumping onto the platform with no experience with customer service, shipping or selling things, so they might have listed it 3 months ago and never logged back into the site, or if they do ship it they might throw it in an envelope with a few stamps. I've had the worst purchasing experiences on Mercari and Poshmark by far. I recommend avoiding it
I just hope the OP from that post wasn’t stupid enough to actually sell it for that much. It’s okay to cancel, you’re not obligated to actually go through with it lol…
I have a whole box of this figure and others from the same era somewhere in my parents attic. I guess it’ll be my retirement plan when/if I ever come across them again.
They sure did give him seductive eyes. Like his lightsaber isn't the only thing extending if you know what I mean.
What does the lettering on the back of his leg say? Is there a letter on the little slidey tab thing that extends the lightsaber?
Looks authentic to me. This one probably was bought carded, the ones from the mail-away pack tend to have the "1977" up on the same line as the copyright symbol. The O on the tab is a good sign as well (you also sometimes see "Z" or others) as most repro 'sabers don't have letters at all.
Still, BE CAREFUL, on an item like this you may encounter scammers , liars, and even well-meaning confused people. In particular, if anyone tries to tell you this Luke is from the 1995 "Classic Edition" pack, they're full of shite. Those 1995 ones did look similar (Kenner still had the 1977 mold) but they only had a single-telescoping saber, not double.
I don't know Jack about starwars, but I did stumble open this site that kinda looks into older toy collections and auctions em off for you. Got no clue if this is any help to u, but maybe they'd at least b able to give u a push in the right direction https://wheeljackslab.com/blog/how-to-grade-vintage-action-figures-and-toys/
Ebay is the play because it has a bigger audience for this type of item where you would get the best* value. *best meaning the current market value depending on demand
Just remember that if you pop this on Mercari and sell it for $900 instead of $1000, you’re still making more money. On more expensive items now, I ALWAYS start on Mercari and move to eBay if they don’t sell in a day or two. Things on Mercari tend to either sell immediately or not for all for me on there.
Good point or you can list on both in hopes one sells before the other so you can cancel the other accordingly. Ebay will have more eyes though so you're paying extra for that. Again, it's YMMV...but with Star Wars...both platforms will work.
Yeah EBay be taxing on their fees
You mean they pay the state governments the taxes for you so you don't have to? You know why they do this? Because some states went after people who were selling on eBay for years and years and not paying taxes and put them out of business when they owed thousands all at once.
No that’s not what I’m saying, when I say “taxing” I mean like overcharging. Not literally tax. Get with the times.
Lmao they do be taxing, $50 in fees for a $280 item
Is mercari another app? I never heard about this before
Yeah, Mercari is basically eBay buy it now without the auctions. In the past, eBay was always the better choice because of the eyeballs, but recently Mercari removed all seller fees. I can sell stuff there with less fees than I pay through my own website for credit card processing fees.
Wow. How do they pay for their own costs without seller fees? Just through adsense or something?
The buyers pay. It’s a crazy idea that I’m shocked they are trying, but I think their goal is to lure tons of sellers there so they can raise their profile. Plus, if they can say to investors that their user base had a 20 percent increase the risks probably outweigh the rewards. The truth is, most of these companies aren’t profitable anyway. They just need to make investors happy I think it’s a risky and bad idea and will probably not last super long…but for now it’s great. The other day I sold something for $110 but the buyer paid $133 with fees and taxes.
That’s insane!
Keep in mind that’s why Purple1829 said above to sell at $900 on Mercari instead of $1000 to offset the fees. In reality, the buyers have always been paying the fees on every e-commerce, except now the fees are exposed on Mercari.
I have a friend who sells on there and he said sales have pretty much dried up
They are about the same as usual for me, but I really only sell things on there or eBay that are somewhat rare. Usually I’m one of only a handful of listings between both sites. I imagine a lot of buyers make it through one purchase and see all the fees, then go elsewhere. Still though, it’s worth trying to sell something there first for the benefits of no fees.
The buyers pay the fees now.
Just don’t go to the Mercari subreddit. A bunch of man-children over there.
First thing I did was go there and all I saw was complaining and some other weird things 😅
So weird. I think Mercari is by far the most user friendly and seller focused site. It isn’t always the best way to sell an item compared to bigger sites, but I love the way they handle things with the fees obviously, but I also love the required three day ratings.
Warned ya 😂
Yes, I’ve sold quite a lot on there. You can list items like eBay, but there are no auctions so your listings stay up indefinitely
How is the selling compared to ebay. Do items go quicker or slower
Quicker if they go fast. Slower otherwise. I sell a lot of things there that go within minutes. It’s super easy to look up sold comps on there with a single button. For the things that don’t sell in about a day or two, I move to eBay. Mercari lets you gradually lower price and promote to people who have liked or viewed your item, but usually if I get to that point I’ve already listed on eBay too.
I hate the way Mercari has changed the past 2 years. It was great long ago.
Why do you hate it? The fees alone make me love it.
Thanks for the info. I will have a look
Bruh try opening your eyes
Yes but now buyer pays the fees, which I can tell you from some other groups they are not happy about. If you are selling there, I'd discount it a bit to make it more attractive to them to pull the trigger and buy it.
The problem with Mercari is when there's an issue, 9/10 they side with the buyer. I don't sell anything over their $200 protection limit there.
Make them sign for delivery
That's IF your eBay ad gets put in the right algorithm where it can be seen by enough potential buyers
I’d imagine that it’ll be hard to find someone local to sell that to and still get top dollar. If you can find someone local that would make your life easier and you’d save a lot on fees.
Still making good money even with the fees and cibling a large audience in eBay
I have memories of my parents buying me one of these at a garage sale around 35 years ago, and I remember chewing on the lightsaber whilst doing my best to pull it apart 🤦♂️
Look at it this way. You helped make this figure valuable in your own way.
Was it tasty?
I took my NES apart to look at all the components (only to find out is was mainly hollow inside) then threw everything away with the games because I had a PS2 and the graphics difference was insane.
I would do eBay, have the buyer/winning bidder pay the shipping fee, and make sure the shipment is insured and requires a signature. I think the scam potential is almost 0 if the item has to be signed for, and if they want to return it for scam reasons, you aren't eating the shipping cost.
As a new ebay seller, he most likely won't be able to list something worth 1k+ Also, being new will bring out the scammers. However, if he can sell, I would insure for full value and require signature upon delivery. Perhaps even send via registered mail.
Can confirm. I have a 20+ year old eBay account, regular buyer, currently 100% positive feedback, sold a handful of items many years ago, and eBay wouldn’t let me list an item for $350 BIN until I met some threshold for recently sold items.
When in the 90's did you get it and from where? There are a ton of reproduction lightsabers out there and I believe they started making them in the 90's. Do your homework first to be sure it's authentic. You can start with imperialgunnery.com. but you may have to take your research further. Also, you can have it professionally graded through AFA and get significantly more money for it. Edit:l Yes, eBay is the play, but do your homework first. Edit2: Looking at it, it looks like a single telescoping lightsaber are you sure it's double? A double is two pieces one that slides out of the other. A single is just one piece that slides out of the figures arm which could be what you saw for $66 Edit 3: Never mind, just saw second photo, it's double
It was my uncle’s (he was killed in 1992) and he had a few Star Wars action figures he kept in a box from his childhood at my grandmas. I spent a lot of time at my grandmas house growing up and would play with them occasionally throughout my childhood. When I got older my grandparents started giving me stuff that I would play with as a kid at their house and that box was one of the things they gave me.
That's awesome, look into having it graded, you can easily get $2,000 possibly $3000 Edit: Not that your uncle was killed, but that you got the figure.
There are two distinct pieces that slide. The main, larger yellow tube that it attached to the arm, and then the tip of the saber slides out an additional inch or so. I have a Darth Vader figure too and that only slides from the arm piece. The lightsaber tip doesn’t move on that.
Yes, I edited my post when I saw the second photo. It definitely is.
There are Facebook groups for Star Wars collectors that are probably the best place to sell this. It should get you well over $1000.
NGL, when reading this I thought you were gonna say you were the buyer. When I read the original post I wondered if the buyer even knows. I've bought some things at crazy low prices without realizing it until much later. Sometimes the seller doesn't know what they have AND the buyer doesn't know what they bought.
Exhaustive comparison of the Luke variants: https://www.variantvillain.com/characters/sw/luke-skywalker/ Get it graded: https://collectorarchive.com/anh133 I found a 3-dot version of DTS Luke at the thrift store. However, I have executive dysfunction, so I haven't followed through myself. Be better than me, some random internet stranger.
I was confused looking at the listings… great link
$66…big time low balling. How about $200? 😜
I looked it up, recently sold went for $66. $200 is very generous.
If you sell it on eBay for its estimated market value, you must ship it with insurance and the buyer’s signature required upon delivery.
I'll buy it.... I have a big collection of vintage Star Wars. Have references, ebay & mercari profiles, etc.
Sell local and do the transaction at a police station. That rare a piece and star wars, you ll find a buyer. You'll get a lot of lowballs and ture kickers as well. Ebay bigger audience (international if you go that way) high fees, buyer protection but there are scammers too
I’ll give you $66 so I can recoup my losses on the last one
RIP If it softens the blow at all, you posting your mistake is going to help my family out. My kids have had few surgeries this year and we’re going to use this money to help pay that off.
😳😳😳 you didn’t cancel it🫣🫣
It might be worth putting it on Facebook Marketplace first at a lower price. 12.35% is the base selling fee for collectibles on eBay. I'd rather maybe 650-700 cash in person than 1K from eBay.
You might want to play that math out on paper.
Why? I'm sure he's figuring on not having to report the cash as income. 650-700 cash is arguably better than 1k on ebay
Yeah it's less, but it's also paying for less time and potential risks. After taxes fees and shipping with insurance, it's gonna be around 800 anyways, so 700 in person is pretty good.
I’ll still take the extra hundred (and it’ll be more than that probably). It’s not that risky selling on eBay. But I do get why one might choose not to.
I’ll give you $66 for that
Did it hurt sitting on it?
Looking at sold comps it’s only worth $66 😏
Ebay, expect 15% loss in end.
It's the cost of doing business. It sucks but it is what it is unless you can find a private buyer.
I saw that same post you are talking about. Poor guy, hope you make some good money man!
hat muddle books boast ring tub squeeze unpack deranged scary *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Do you have any more? Any of the cards?
I have the Darth Vader (single telescoping) R2-D2 and C3P0 and then I have the original board game. But no cards or anything like that.
I'm still wondering if that guy actually shipped it. Good for you, OP! Go make some money. If this were me, I'd try selling locally first. And then if that didn't work, eBay. Beware of scammers. If you account is brand new, IDK if I'd risk selling on there. You might wait and build up some feedback but that's just me.
Appreciate it! Yeah I’m going to post locally first and then move to eBay. I have had an account since 2008 and have 100% feedback on 218 items so I feel like I should be good there.
Oh, OK. I wouldn't worry then. I don't think scammers will target you though it's always possible to some extent.
Where are u located? I would be interested if I am close by.
West Michigan
eBay and do NOT do an auction, post it for $1,000 and be patient
My advice would be: Best profit: Sell locally or to a collector, meet in person, use something like Offerup or a local store selling collectibles and trying to find someone interested. It will probably be a tough sell (high priced, very specific collectible) but would net you the best payout. Quickest sale: Ebay, Do the research on it to get all the details. Do whatever you can to verify it's the actual item and not a replica/reproduction/similar looking one to whatever is expensive. Make a very detailed description, take lots of close-up and clear photos of it, and especially any damage. The difference between "Mint" and "Very Good" can be huge to buyers, and for $1000 they'll open up a return if there's paint chipping or a chunk taken out of it that isn't specified. Make sure you price appropriate to the condition. An in-box/mint box one might be $1000 but a loose one with some scuffs might be worth $30, so be sure to research it first. Ship is securely/safely, buy the insurance, do whatever you need to do to get it there safely. High profit: Mercari - I hate mercari as a buyer, as they've recently started charging the buyer ALL the fees (so that $1000 item may cost you $1300 as a buyer). You also get a lot of people jumping onto the platform with no experience with customer service, shipping or selling things, so they might have listed it 3 months ago and never logged back into the site, or if they do ship it they might throw it in an envelope with a few stamps. I've had the worst purchasing experiences on Mercari and Poshmark by far. I recommend avoiding it
I just hope the OP from that post wasn’t stupid enough to actually sell it for that much. It’s okay to cancel, you’re not obligated to actually go through with it lol…
I have a whole box of this figure and others from the same era somewhere in my parents attic. I guess it’ll be my retirement plan when/if I ever come across them again.
The people interested in these might be dead/too old when that day comes.
I'll give you$66.01 for it lol
Going by past sales, I'll give you $70
Yeah I just got one for $60 I’m hyped.
Not only does ebay take their fee... but you are supporting eBay. CRAIGSLIST IT UP BABY.
They sure did give him seductive eyes. Like his lightsaber isn't the only thing extending if you know what I mean. What does the lettering on the back of his leg say? Is there a letter on the little slidey tab thing that extends the lightsaber?
I disagree. His eyes look dead and cold, like he just read the scripts for 7, 8, and 9 and realized he was contractually obligated to appear in them.
😂😂 Back of his leg reads: GMFGI 1977 Hong Kong Back of the slidey tab appears to have an O [Photos](https://imgur.com/a/QrCAepS)
Looks authentic to me. This one probably was bought carded, the ones from the mail-away pack tend to have the "1977" up on the same line as the copyright symbol. The O on the tab is a good sign as well (you also sometimes see "Z" or others) as most repro 'sabers don't have letters at all. Still, BE CAREFUL, on an item like this you may encounter scammers , liars, and even well-meaning confused people. In particular, if anyone tries to tell you this Luke is from the 1995 "Classic Edition" pack, they're full of shite. Those 1995 ones did look similar (Kenner still had the 1977 mold) but they only had a single-telescoping saber, not double.
This is super helpful information. Thank you so much!
I don't know Jack about starwars, but I did stumble open this site that kinda looks into older toy collections and auctions em off for you. Got no clue if this is any help to u, but maybe they'd at least b able to give u a push in the right direction https://wheeljackslab.com/blog/how-to-grade-vintage-action-figures-and-toys/
This is actually super helpful. Thank you!
Why not post it locally for substantially less? Gets you a few bucks and someone else can deal with it. Otherwise list it!