This fall I was browsing craigslist and I figured I'd take a look at a few of the surrounding states. I checked out ads in North and South Dakota as well as Iowa and Wisconsin. I found a couple that were promising. I made a few phone calls which ultimately eliminated all but 1 option. I emailed the only option I had left, a garage sale in Iowa. The garage sale was posted for a weekend in September, so I knew my chances of hearing back were slim. The listing mentioned Viking bobbleheads. Knowing there are plenty of retail Viking bobbleheads, I wanted to make sure I was truly interested in the bobbleheads this guy had. He sent pictures and much to my surprise, the group he had was the exact type I was looking (and hoping) for. He had 11 bobbleheads, I didn't have 4 of them, but as you know by now, I don't pass up the option to bundle. Knowing they typically go for $25 each, I was happy to see what he wanted for them. We agreed on a price of $150 with an additional $20 for shipping. This is where things get tricky. I feel like I get a very good read on people and felt super comfortable in dealing with this guy. But the problem is...I needed to send him money without the guarantee (or support) that he'd mail the bobbleheads to me. I went with my gut and Im glad I did. I sent the money via paypal and within 7 days I had the bobbleheads on my door step! They were all in great shape. I put the 4 I needed in my collection and took pictures of the other 7 that I'd be selling.
I knew a couple of my regular buyers might be interested. The first guy wasn't, but the second guy I talked to was all over the opportunity. He wanted 4 of the bobbleheads and we agreed on a price of $90. After that sale my average price paid went from a bit over $15/bobblehead to a little over $11/bobblehead. I figure I'll be able to sell the other 3 bobbleheads in time for roughly $50-60, which means I'll have got the 4 bobbleheads I needed for my collection for an average of $7.50/bobblehead. And so far, I haven't seen any of those go for less than $20 a piece!
Im very happy I looked into ads on the Iowa craigslist site!!
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