Selling X-Files Magazine Back Issues on eBay

I wrote awhile ago that a friend of mine offered to let me sell some of her things on eBay. She moved and left four large boxes full of items that need to be sold. We have a deal for a 50/50 split on whatever I am able to make from the sales.

Many of Jen's things are pop culture, and a lot of them are X-Files collectibles, particularly back issues of magazines. I guess I didn't realize that there was a market for what I would consider fairly recent back issues of magazines - but there is. Today I sold two issues of Rolling Stone and both issues of Spin magazine that I have posted have bids on them. These magazines are from 1994-1998, approximately.

While there is a variety of magazines on different topics in the boxes, my goal is to get all the X-Files ones up first. The new movie opens July 25th, and I am hoping that the upcoming interest will spark people's imagination on eBay as well! The magazines (and action figures) are in great condition. I am determined to photograph and list as many of these items over the next week that I can. I am not sure how many there are total - but there are quite a few!

My goal has been to list 3 things a day, whether books on Half.com and Amazon, or items on eBay. Because my goal for the month is looking a little light, and the impending deadline of the X-Files movie, I am bumping that up to "as many as possible, with 3 being the minimum."

Here are a four things I like about selling back issues of magazines online:

1. They are easy to ship. I am sending all of these Priority mail, in which case the US Post Office provides free shipping materials. Magazines fit neatly into their packaging.

2. They are easy to store. As I photograph and post the magazines, I am putting them on a table I am using only for Jen's stuff. Magazines stack nicely and don't take up a lot of room. (Which is more than I can say for some of my mom's antiques!)

3. Cheaper fees. eBay fees are lower on books, magazines and music than on other types of items. I suppose it is because they want to compete with Amazon and other websites like that. The difference isn't significant, but every penny counts!

4. Typically you only need one photo for the listing. eBay will let you have one photo for free, but after that it is $.15 a photo. Now that isn't much, but again - every penny counts! When I sell mom's antiques, I like to have a fair number of photos so people can really see what they are getting. Unless there is something particular about the magazine (like damage) that I feel I need to display, one photo seems plenty.

Three Things I have learned about selling magazines on eBay:

1. Like books, condition matters. The Rolling Stone that was still in the plastic went for twice as much as the Spin magazine that wasn't. I also try to be very careful about being honest on the condition. I want bidders to know what they are getting.

2. List all the main articles in each magazine if you can. That way not only will the magazines I am posting appeal to the X-Files collector, they may also appeal to someone who wants a different article within the magazine.

3. The type of magazine matters. I don't think it is coincidence that the cool Rolling Stones and Spin magazines are getting bid on and the Newsweek with the X-Files cover isn't.

If you are thinking about selling back issues, here are some great articles by Auction Rebel that have helped me:

Selling Magazines on eBay
Selling Taunton Press Magazines on eBay



Photo by Phreak 2.0