How to sell flies - estate

[Wallyfish]

My neighbor just lost her husband. Since I fly fish, she asked me how to sell her husbands flies/equipment. He has many boxes of flies. She needs to sell his "stuff" in hopes she can stay in her home. I have never been asked this question before. Is Craig's list the best place to sell his fly fishing stuff? Any comments are welcomed. Thank you.

 

[ColdBore]

I'm not a Facebooker, but do know there are a few forums (or pages, or whatever they call them there) dedicated to buying and selling fly fishing stuff. You would have a much wider reach than Craigslist.

But try Craigslist as well, for guys like me without Facebook.

And of course the classifieds right here.

However, expect a tough sell, and not getting much money for them, especially if used at all. It seems that everybody and anybody who ties flies thinks they can do it as a side gig to subsidize their own tying. There are a ton of options, and cheap.

 

[ColdBore]

Quick edit..... I just reread your post, and saw that it's for more than just his flies.

The flies will be a hard sell, but rods, reels, etc should be much easier, depending on what they are and how you price them.

 

[ColdBore]

Another piece of advice, for the widow.

Forget about any emotional attachment to his stuff. It sounds cold, but no buyer will really care about how much he loved his fishing, and how many memories are tied to his gear. They are not going to pay a premium for her memories.

They will simply see it as a piece of equipment, to be measured against other similar pieces of equipment based on physical characteristics, condition and price.

 

[drakeking412]

The Facebook market is pretty good and reaches a ton of people. Could also use various forums like this one. I have a buddy that listed his dad's stuff on like three and sold it all in less than a month

 

[salmonoid]

Define "best" (what are you trying to accomplish? - maximum profit? least effort to sell? quick cleanout of a lot of stuff taking up a lot of space?).. And depending on what is being sold, you're likely to earn pennies on the dollar. Old rods and reels might earn a premium, but I don't think anyone is going to be staying in their home by selling boxes of flies (unless you can prove they were tied by a famous tier). You might want to temper your neighbor's expectations accordingly.

However, since you fly fish, you can also help your neighbor not be cheated. If something is of value, it shouldn't go into a box lot that gets unloaded for $20.

Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, Ebay, or website dedicated to fishing which have classified sections are all options.

 

[Bamboozle]

The first thing to do is make a list and evaluate what is there so her expectations aren't higher than necessary. You also might try posting that list on this thread so folks can give you better direction on where to peddle what.

In regards to flies, unless you are talking about collectable flies tied by famous tyers, salmon flies or stuff that is hard to tie, expect to sell them fast and maybe all at once at about a $1.00 each.

If they are in good fly boxes, sell them in the boxes for more and get rid of the boxes at the same time.

FWIW - In regards to other gear, most of the time the high end stuff is easier to sell, the middle to low end stuff, not so easy. If you are trying for the highest prices, expect that to take the longest amount of time.

As an example, I've seen particular rods and reels on eBay that have been listed month after month to years because they are asking for top dollar.

If the list includes high quality tackle, you might consider contacting used tackle dealers who won't give you top dollar, but will give you a decent price based on what they figure they can sell it for. They also may be inclined to not cherry pick but buy the whole lot.

Other than that, the other suggestions are good.

Good luck!

 

[tjsingle]

Ebay is a good option for stuff like rods and reels.

 

[ColdBore]

tjsingle wrote:

Ebay is a good option for stuff like rods and reels.

The commission is something like 11%, between eBay and the required PayPal. Too steep in my opinion. And, with all of the competition from cheap overseas sellers, it's hard to get a decent price unless you luck into two guys that get in a bidding war.

 

[shakey]

the first step is to see if anything is collectible .

 

[tjsingle]

ColdBore wrote:

tjsingle wrote:

Ebay is a good option for stuff like rods and reels.

The commission is something like 11%, between eBay and the required PayPal. Too steep in my opinion. And, with all of the competition from cheap overseas sellers, it's hard to get a decent price unless you luck into two guys that get in a bidding war.

That's a fair point, and definitely something to consider when selling items. A goal on price vs seller fees should be considered.

On the flip side I've seen people overpay for things on Ebay (Like you mentioned with a bidding war). I think its really item dependent, sometimes you may need to reach a broader audience of buyers in order to make a sale.

As for the OP, Facebook Marketplace, or even Facebook fly fishing specific groups local to the area may be a good place to start. If that doesn't attract buyers, Ebay is definitely a viable option

 

[tomgamber]

salmonoid wrote:
Define "best" (what are you trying to accomplish? - maximum profit? least effort to sell? quick cleanout of a lot of stuff taking up a lot of space?).. And depending on what is being sold, you're likely to earn pennies on the dollar. Old rods and reels might earn a premium, but I don't think anyone is going to be staying in their home by selling boxes of flies (unless you can prove they were tied by a famous tier). You might want to temper your neighbor's expectations accordingly.

However, since you fly fish, you can also help your neighbor not be cheated. If something is of value, it shouldn't go into a box lot that gets unloaded for $20.

Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, Ebay, or website dedicated to fishing which have classified sections are all options.

The OP stated she is selling in hopes to be able to stay in her home. I'd say max profit not the correct term since she didn't buy them but sounds like she needs to get as much as possible.

Someone needs to help her identify the pieces and get good pics. The last thing a elderly widow needs to do is sell face to face with strangers. As long as she has good pics, someone could post these for her in any number of places.

I feel like there are board members in that area that would welcome a good deed to do while the weather still sucks.

Honestly, if I lived in the area, I would do it for her. She could trust me because I don't spend any money on gear anymore. But seriously. Sounds like she might need some help. I wish both of you much luck.

 

[salmonoid]

ColdBore wrote:

tjsingle wrote:

Ebay is a good option for stuff like rods and reels.

The commission is something like 11%, between eBay and the required PayPal. Too steep in my opinion. And, with all of the competition from cheap overseas sellers, it's hard to get a decent price unless you luck into two guys that get in a bidding war.

The whole point of an auction site is to get multiple bidders interested in the same thing and have them duke it out. But it only really works if the item being sold is somewhat unique or desirable. I'm not sure what you mean by competition from cheap, overseas sellers. If you have something that is unique or collectible, it's not being sold by cheap, overseas sellers. Cheap overseas sellers might be selling a knockoff but they aren't selling much of anything of value, so I'm not sure how they would be in competition with the OP selling real fly fishing gear and flies.

 

[PennKev]

salmonoid wrote:
The whole point of an auction site is to get multiple bidders interested in the same thing and have them duke it out. But it only really works if the item being sold is somewhat unique or desirable. I'm not sure what you mean by competition from cheap, overseas sellers. If you have something that is unique or collectible, it's not being sold by cheap, overseas sellers. Cheap overseas sellers might be selling a knockoff but they aren't selling much of anything of value, so I'm not sure how they would be in competition with the OP selling real fly fishing gear and flies.

Yes, exactly. Ebay only doesn't work if you are selling cheap over seas stuff. Even then a seller that ships from the US has an advantage.

Setting up auctions however, can be a time consuming proposition. Good photos and presentation go a long way, particularly for used items.

 

[ColdBore]

salmonoid wrote:


But it only really works if the item being sold is somewhat unique or desirable. I'm not sure what you mean by competition from cheap, overseas sellers. If you have something that is unique or collectible, it's not being sold by cheap, overseas sellers. Cheap overseas sellers might be selling a knockoff but they aren't selling much of anything of value, so I'm not sure how they would be in competition with the OP selling real fly fishing gear and flies.

My thought with what I said primarily applied to flies, since it seems like that was the main emphasis in the OP.

We haven't gotten any details, but I have a feeling that if the husband had "unique and collectable" items, we wouldn't be leading the conversation with boxes of flies. I hope I'm wrong, and that the widow is sitting on a pile of classic bamboo, Thomas & Thomas rods, and Abel reels.

Even good solid middle of the pack rods and reels can have a hard time realizing good prices on eBay, due to multiple listings of used gear (we can factor in domestic sellers with that group).

Another issue with eBay (or any auction) is that you either need to have a minimum in mind (in which case you could just list it on the various classifieds forums mentioned), or take your chances with a no-reserve auction, where the stuff may sell for well under fair price.

Anyway, kudos to the OP for trying to help in the widow's time of need. I truly hope that he finds the best method, and gets her every dollar possible for her husband's gear.

 

[ocfisher]

Lots of good advice, but IMO the biggest tip would be to have someone who either knows what the stuff is/what it is worth OR would be willing to do the homework to find out. Assuming the stuff was all purchased for use in the local area of the gentlemN, then maybe a local sale as a complete lot would be a good option. If selling online, Then.. lots of details and a few good pics for the listings. (I see lots of postings on CL or FB for “Flyfishing Pole” and a grainy pic and that’s it).
Items of value should sell separately, less valuable can be sold in groups.
Ebay takes a cut for sure, but has biggest audience, simplifies the process, and offers some safeguards. For high end stuff, not a bad option if going for online.. also eliminates face to face meetups, no shows, and negotiating on site..

 

[ColdBore]

ocfisher wrote:

If selling online, Then.. lots of details and a few good pics for the listings. (I see lots of postings on CL or FB for “Flyfishing Pole” and a grainy pic and that’s it).

I love when somebody is selling 9 foot "pole", and has a picture of the assembled rod leaning on a fence, taken from 15 feet away to get the entire rod in the picture. It looks like a skinny black line in the middle of a bunch of other lines!

 

[Wallyfish]

Thanks for all the comments. I am going to place a value of each fly at $.30 and value the box at $4 bucks. So if a box of flies has 40 flies in it , I am recommending that she sell that box at $16 ($12 for the flies and $4 for the box).

He was a quality tier so the flies look great. Do you think that is a fair way to price his flies?

He has 3 Winston and 2 Sage rods with Larson reels that we will handle separately. I think the big value is in his duck stamp prints. He was an ex Ducks Unlimited chapter president and collected state duck stamp prints. I stopped counting at 93 prints and he has a lot more.

I really didn't want to get too deep in this but my wife volunteered me. So for the flies, I want to keep it simple. So does that formulary sound fair?