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So I've moved to an area that doesn't have a strong table top gamer base. I also realize that I pretty much can't stand the direction that 40K has gone and I really don't see them moving back in a direction that I'm willing to support. As such, I currently have 6 armies that are all just sitting untouched collecting dust. So I'm thinking of selling off 4 of them, but what is the best way to do that.

Ive got about 3000 points of Orks, 2000 points of Emperors children, 2000 Points of Tau, and 1200 points of Necrons. (I'm keeping the SW and DE in case my 10 yr old ever wants to play a game)

Now I haven't bought a GW model in probably 3 years, so I don't have the newest and greatest units but all of them would make a great starter army with some of the more basic troop and elite options. However, they are all painted and based so I dont know how well selling them as units would work. But I wonder if selling an entire army is even possible? But would someone pay 300 - 500 for a whole painted army (still about $400 off current retail prices).

So what experience do any of you had will moving a large amount of models?

Selling whole armies is a matter of luck and patience. There might be someone out there willing to buy the whole collection, but there are a lot more people who might be interested in part of it but don't want to pay extra for all of the other stuff that's included. So you have to decide if you'd rather break up the armies and take the quick cash for the individual units that sell easily or keep it all together and wait until you finally find a buyer. Just be realistic about how much money you're going to get, and remember that you're essentially selling damaged goods and hoping someone thinks the salvage value is high enough to give you a few dollars. Your approximately 50% of retail price should be considered an optimistic starting point, don't be surprised if the final sale price is much lower.

If you want to move minis quickly, piecing them out will be faster. Personally I prefer sites like Dakka and Bartertown because it's a little more close-knit.

Parting out is definitely the easiest way. You can sell large lots, but you may lose a large chunk of the sale. Piecing it out you usually get a better price on it.

I would say list it either here on the Dakka Swap Shop or eBay, as eBay has a huge market.

Parting it out will go faster if you don't care what happens to the pieces, if you really want to move, trade for things instead of money (Since a lot of us [read:me] don't have the 200-400 dollar cash investments

I mean looking at your Chaos stuff I'd like
the Heldrake
bikers and 12 daemonettes.

No way could I offer you a fair cash amount. But I have stuff I could trade for some of that.

Just send them all to me, I will feed them and pet them and hold them tight.

I have to agree with the consensus here.

I've sold more than a few 40k armies over the last few years, and you have to weigh the pros and cons of selling as one and parting out.

Selling as a single army is simple. You post it, here, bartertown, and eBay. You set a realistic, yet upper end price at first, and see what offers you get. eBay helps, as you can set a reserve that you lower every week. Once it sells, you can package it up and ship it as one. The downside is the tiime that elapses between when you list it and when it actually sells, which can often be many weeks if you're overly ambitious about its value.

Selling in parts will maximize the gross revenue. People want units, not armies, as unless the army is built with a hot build, the buyer is unlikely to simply play the army a built. However, you have to calculate in the cost of shipping smaller lots, the increase in paypal fees, and the sheer amount of time you'll spend listing and shipping everything.

Many of the complete armies that do sell on eBay or otherwise are actually bought by resellers, that are going to break it up and sell it unit by unit. Odds are, that person's time is worth less than your own.

Thats the thing that you always need to keep in mind when selling your collection: could you be doing something more profitable with your time. I broke up my 2nd edition Eldar lot about two years ago, and when I really added it all up, while I netted about $700, I probably spend 20+ hours conducting the sale. I'd have been better off selling the whole thing for $400 net, and working a few weekends of overtime.

If this sounds vaguely depressing, I understand. I watched my 6000 point Space Marine army, lovingly collected, built, and painted, sell for about $650, and end up broken up in units two weeks later on eBay. Still, I'd rather have the cash than the army.

Above guys have hit it pretty solidly; another thing to remember is eBay will take its 10% cut on top of the regular Paypal fees (less if you happen to have a store or Top Seller, but I digress). However, you will reach a much larger audience and if you don't mind shipping internationally (and the buyer doesn't mind paying) you could always end up selling to someone in Australia or Greece for example.

I'm not a huge fan of selling armies, I find that my bare grey plastic army that I spent 1k on can only fetch me 400 bucks. I'm losing out on so much money that i rather keep it. How ever I always try and trade it off for things I want.

Check and see if there are any local gaming conventions with a flea market or Bring & Buy, book a table there and put it all in with a reasonable price (say, 50% of current retail).