Ebay - ads and/or old magazines...

C.Ann

<font color=green>We'll remember when...<br><font
Joined
May 13, 2001
I really had no intentions of being involved with eBay this summer, but I passed by a yard sale up here in the mountains today and it was just screaming my name and trying to flag me down.. :teeth: So in the interest of safety (didn't want the other drivers to be distracted by this silly sign :teeth: ) I whipped the car around and stopped..

I was poking around - actually looking for some items I need here at the lake - and I spotted this box full of magazines.. Thinking there might be something I wanted to read I decided to check them out...

Well - all of the magazines were from 1926 to 1949 - and aside from a couple, in great condition!! Completely intact with some of the neatest old ads I have ever seen..

The lady only wanted fifty cents for the whole box, so I scooped them up..

Now the question is - after I'm done enjoying them and showing my DD and her DH what things were like way back then (coincidentally, I was born in 1949!) - should I try to sell them intact - or sell the ads individually?

Anyone here have experience with ads and old magazines?

Thanks! :flower:
 
C.Ann said:
Well - all of the magazines were from 1926 to 1949 - and aside from a couple, in great condition!! Completely intact with some of the neatest old ads I have ever seen..

Now the question is - after I'm done enjoying them and showing my DD and her DH what things were like way back then (coincidentally, I was born in 1949!) - should I try to sell them intact - or sell the ads individually?

Anyone here have experience with ads and old magazines?
Hey C.Ann. I did just this a year or two ago. Someone gave my mom a stack of old magazines because they had some Disney stuff in them. The mags I got weren't in great shape so selling them intact wasn't really a consideration. But regardless, the response to selling the ads individually was tremendous. I can't imagine I would have done better selling the issues whole. I did VERY nicely on those ads. So my advice would be to carefully cut them out of the magazine, get a stack of stiff cardboard for shipping them safely and get nice photos. Good luck.
 
Wow! The things you learn here. I would've never in a million years thought people would buy ads from old magazines!!! My parents have TONS of old magazines. One of these days (after I've completely decluttered my house, in say a decade or two --- hopefully sooner) I'll go over there and see about it! By then, who knows what price they'd fetch?!

Thanks for the information! :)
 
disneysteve said:
Hey C.Ann. I did just this a year or two ago. Someone gave my mom a stack of old magazines because they had some Disney stuff in them. The mags I got weren't in great shape so selling them intact wasn't really a consideration. But regardless, the response to selling the ads individually was tremendous. I can't imagine I would have done better selling the issues whole. I did VERY nicely on those ads. So my advice would be to carefully cut them out of the magazine, get a stack of stiff cardboard for shipping them safely and get nice photos. Good luck.
-------------------

Did any particular type of ad sell better than others? There are tons of car ads (in the 1927 and 1928 mags) that are amazing.. Then lots of ads for food items that are still around today but were packaged much differently back then.. Ads for televisions (with the old circular screens) and so on.. They're really VERY interesting to look through! :flower:
 


C.Ann said:
-------------------

Did any particular type of ad sell better than others? There are tons of car ads (in the 1927 and 1928 mags) that are amazing.. Then lots of ads for food items that are still around today but were packaged much differently back then.. Ads for televisions (with the old circular screens) and so on.. They're really VERY interesting to look through! :flower:
The best sellers tend to be things that qualify as crossover collectibles, things that appeal to people in different collecting areas. For example, some people simply collect old paper items, but a nice old car ad will appeal to the paper collectors AND the antique car enthusiasts.

So anything that advertises an item that you know folks collect today will probably be the better sellers, but don't neglect the others. They may not bring as much but they'll probably still sell (and some will probably surprise you and do really well). Some will sell just because of interesting art or nostalgia value.

Have fun and good luck. Let us know how it goes.
 
C. Ann--forget E-bay--I'd buy some off of you :)
But don't want to break posting guidelines--so if you want to sell me a couple--you can PM me :). (I would prefer an in tact magazine though from the different decades).

My mom used to have a stash of vintage Life magazines bought from the flea market. Nothing really special about the covers..but she spent maybe $3 and upwards a piece for them. No idea where they ended up though.
 
Were any of the car ads for Ford Model A vehicles? There is a community of collectors of these vehicles and they had a limited production run due to the stock market crash in 1929. Many of the collectors are quite frugal and restore the vehicles themselves; others pay quite a bit to have them restored perfectly. Definitely a cross-over possibility!
 


What fun! I love old magazines and have done very well selling them in the past.

You probably already know this, but....before you cut up any magazines, do a search on the ads on Ebay. I used to do very well with old ads, but lots of Ebay sellers got into the market and Ebay was flooded with old ads. With some magazines (for instance, old fashion magazines) you might do better selling the magazine as a whole.

OR, you may find that the market is flooded with car ads but people might buy them because (for instance) the setting of the ad is unusual. I collect paper items related to a certain resort town and have seen car ads set in this particular town sell nicely.

Also, I have seen very tiny, obscure, black-and-white ads sell for good prices because they refer to items of particular collector interest (for instance, certain kinds of pottery).

Also, cover art can sell a magazine--I've seen some great prices on magazines with cover art by famous artists of the 20s and 30s.

Have a blast and I hope you make lots of $$$!
 
I'll have to do some research on eBay this coming week.. After carefully looking over all of these magazines, I'm sure that the ads will bring in much more money than selling the magazines intact..

The only bad part is that with a few of the really great ads there is also a great ad on the other side! Guess I'll just have to try to determine which ad would fetch a better price..

Oh - and some of the articles in these magazines? Sooooooo interesting!

Thank goodness that yard sale sign screamed my name and flagged me down.. LOL :teeth:

***Edited to ask: How about timing? From past experience it seems there are less buyers during the warmer months - resulting in lower final selling prices.. Should I hold off till fall maybe?
 
I know you and Disneysteve have done lots of Ebay selling so your experiences may be different but--I sell books and ephemera and have found summer to be dismal on Ebay. I do best September through March or April.
 
Wow! I never thought of selling the ads out of vintage magazines! I have a few vintage magazines from the 40s that might have some great ads in them. This might be a silly question, but do you tear the add out of the magazine and then trim it with scissors? :blush: Thanks!
 
toystoryduo said:
This might be a silly question, but do you tear the add out of the magazine and then trim it with scissors?
I wouldn't tear them out as you run the risk of ripping them. Cut them out with scissors or x-acto type knife to get them out safely. Then just trim a straight edge.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top