TOPIC: Forum vs. eBay (Token Auctions?)

Hi, all. In going through my tokens this weekend I realized that I have somewhere between 40-50 good tokens (i.e. URs, transmuted, etc.) that won’t ever see use. Some have been replaced due to changing builds, others as I’ve needed to finish item sets within those slots.

My son has been trying to convince me to buy a new high-end gaming PC so that we can game online together, and I thought I’d auction off those unneeded tokens to help to fund that effort. In thinking about it, though, I wasn’t sure if I should auction them off here, on the forums, or if I should go the eBay route.

I can see the benefit of doing it on the forums, as you don’t have to pay the eBay fees, and you can also use PayPal friends and family for payment. However--I can see how eBay may have a broader audience, and possibly higher prices as a result.

Any feedback from frequent sellers on either/both sites? Any feedback is appreciated!

I've done both - I think for high end items the forums do slightly better - as you mentioned due to fees you'd need to sell them for at least 10% more in eBay just to cover the fees.

On the downside, many people struggle to run fair, transparent auctions - and recently someone discovered they could engage in denial of service attacks on the forums to freeze out last minute bidders - so there's that.


All in all, I guess my main advice would be:

a. Do it ASAP, or wait a long time. Historically demand is high right around Gen Con, but definitely drops off quick. This may be different now that there is GHC each year.

b. Be realistic with regard to prices - especially for out of date UR weapons and armor. There are a lot of those that go for $10-$40 - you might do better with some of those by trying to sell them at fixed prices in the $30-50 range rather than an auction.

c. If you have anything that might get nailed by the reprint hammer, or the power creep or similar token hammer, be aware that prices on a few tokens are likely to go from $150+ to $50-90 overnight in a month or so.

I sell a lot of tokens on the forums through my token store, but I've run all of my auctions on eBay. Although, I do enjoy bidding on auctions on the forums.

I haven't run an auction via the forums, but I do imagine it takes a fair bit of time and upkeep.

Having sold A LOT of magic cards via Ebay, I appreciate that everything is automatic. Shipping labels are easily created, bidding is handled, and I can pretty much just set it and forget it.

Shameless plug: TD Tavern consignment programs lets you quickly list them and if they are priced right it is way less effort than eBay or forums, and fewer fees than eBay.