[Milsurplus] How to sell rare stuff

[David Stinson]

"J. Forster" wrote:
> 
> I'd be interested in what listers think. Clearly each method has plusses and
> minuses, but which will cause the fewest hard feelings?

I've been down this road many times over many years.
First, offer the items privately to your closest trading partners-
those with whom you've done many satisfactory deals.
Then put them on Ebay.
There are Ebay haters out there and you're bound 
to hear from some, but their true, unstated reasons 
for hating Ebay are universally emotional and irrational. Ignore them.

No matter how hard you try to "be fair" when selling a rare piece,
no matter what hoops you jump through or trouble you go to,
the people who don't get it are going to be a little resentful.
They can't help it; it's human nature.  
If they lose out 2-3 times in a row, they get downright upset.
When you list the item on Ebay, it removes your direct decision 
from the equation; it's "the highest bidder wins," 
so their resentment gets focused on the high bidder, not on you.
If an old friend ends up high bidder, 
you can always cut him some slack.

Conversly, if your item isn't as valuable in the market 
as you think it should be, your friends 
are spared the embarassment of refusing your price 
and perhaps creating some resentment in you.
This is one of the great advantages of Ebay:
it "de-personalizes" the decision of who gets what.

Good luck with it,
David S.