Guest Author - Kim O´Shea
Sports memorabilia sells well in Online Auctions. Sites like eBay have a huge sports fan following. Serious collectors check in regularly and sports fans often scan through to see what’s on offer. So how do you make money from all this attention?
First you need to know what is selling and for how much. Use eBay completed listings for all the information you will need to get you up and running.
If you are interested in a particular sport, great. If not, then now is the time to start learning. The sports that often come first to mind are football, baseball, hockey, wrestling and golf but there are hundreds of others which also have a huge fan base.
Programmes, jerseys, posters, autographs, keyrings and caps are just some of the many items people are looking for. Search your attic, college football and baseball items are very popular.
When listing your items include as many details as you can. Provenance can add value to your items so let people know what they are getting. Even small details like the old college jersey being worn when your team won the league with details of your college and the year can make a huge difference.
If the item is no longer available from the club or store be sure to mention this or if the item was produced especially for an event this should increase interest.
Research your items thoroughly before you list. Make sure the listing contains as many keywords as possible and think carefully about the title. The title should reflect the item and not include any spam. Titles like “football jersey not baseball” will not endear you to your potential bidders. You may receive more hits but if a lot of these are people searching for baseball items then you are wasting your time.
Keep it simple and straightforward. “Football jersey, 1976 college winning team” or some such, will attract people looking for this type of item and will increase your chances of getting a really good price for the item.
Cycling, racing, formula 1, boxing the list goes on. Each sport has its own hot items. Research your chosen sport. A few weeks before a big final is the best time to sell your programme from an earlier year. When a sports star retires that is a good time to dust off those old posters, keyrings and any other items directly associated with this star.
Sports are huge so make the most of this and start earning!
