1Undine_6
Hi. I'm looking for advice on how to sell Folios and more. My wonderful husband (Eclectic Indulgence I think he went by on LibraryThing) has died - GMB4. He had a bunch of books he was preparing to sell before he passed and I'm taking up the torch. Thank you for any advice you can give.
2wcarter
I am terrible sorry to hear about your loss, he was a significant contributor to this forum.
Selling books is not technically allowed, but if you were to post the list of books for sale and their prices on your profile page, those interested to could send you a PM and arrange purchase.
Otherwise, Ebay is probably the best option for selling Folio Society and fine press books.
My best wishes to you.
Selling books is not technically allowed, but if you were to post the list of books for sale and their prices on your profile page, those interested to could send you a PM and arrange purchase.
Otherwise, Ebay is probably the best option for selling Folio Society and fine press books.
My best wishes to you.
3adriano77
His post about his diagnosis is one I thought of quite often when visiting this site. Sad news and my sincere condolences to you and your family.
5folio_books
>1 Undine_6:
Very sorry to hear about your loss. He will be fondly remembered on this forum. My very best wishes.
Very sorry to hear about your loss. He will be fondly remembered on this forum. My very best wishes.
6overthemoon
oh I'm so sorry to hear that news, we will miss him. All my condolences, Undine.
As for selling fs books, there are groups on facebook, one called Fans of the Folio Society, the other Folio Society Buy/Sell/Trade where the books are going like hot cakes.
As for selling fs books, there are groups on facebook, one called Fans of the Folio Society, the other Folio Society Buy/Sell/Trade where the books are going like hot cakes.
7Willoyd
>1 Undine_6:
I'm also very sorry to hear about your loss. As others have said, Eclectic Indulgence was a regular and well regarded contributor here and will be missed. Thank you for letting people know - very much appreciated.
I'm currently thinning down my Folio collection, and the two means I've found best for me have both already been mentioned: firstly, wcarter's suggestion of posting a list on your profile. If, however, establishing what would be good price (both for you and for the buyer!) is too tricky - it does require some familiarity with the books and the market! - then I'd suggest the route I favour the most, Ebay. (This is a similar problem with the Facebook page, which didn't really work for me.)
My apologies if you're already familiar with selling on ebay, but some thoughts about selling Folio books there: I tend to put books up fairly cheaply (£5/10 per volume), allow 10 days for an auction, and let the market run its course. It does require some effort in terms of packing etc, but it has generally been trustworthy in terms of the price I've received - with some pleasant surprises! Books do need packing well, and I've found some investment in bookwraps, boxes, and bubblewrap well worthwhile (I also tend to stick to domestic sales as less of a bother and cost). Do watch the issue that heavier books tend to get expensive postage wise - anything under 2kg I use Royal Mail, anything over I use DPD as I have a nearby shop and it's more trustworthy than the cheaper Hermes.
If you have any other questions, generally or in detail, I'm sure people here would be more than willing to advise.
I'm also very sorry to hear about your loss. As others have said, Eclectic Indulgence was a regular and well regarded contributor here and will be missed. Thank you for letting people know - very much appreciated.
I'm currently thinning down my Folio collection, and the two means I've found best for me have both already been mentioned: firstly, wcarter's suggestion of posting a list on your profile. If, however, establishing what would be good price (both for you and for the buyer!) is too tricky - it does require some familiarity with the books and the market! - then I'd suggest the route I favour the most, Ebay. (This is a similar problem with the Facebook page, which didn't really work for me.)
My apologies if you're already familiar with selling on ebay, but some thoughts about selling Folio books there: I tend to put books up fairly cheaply (£5/10 per volume), allow 10 days for an auction, and let the market run its course. It does require some effort in terms of packing etc, but it has generally been trustworthy in terms of the price I've received - with some pleasant surprises! Books do need packing well, and I've found some investment in bookwraps, boxes, and bubblewrap well worthwhile (I also tend to stick to domestic sales as less of a bother and cost). Do watch the issue that heavier books tend to get expensive postage wise - anything under 2kg I use Royal Mail, anything over I use DPD as I have a nearby shop and it's more trustworthy than the cheaper Hermes.
If you have any other questions, generally or in detail, I'm sure people here would be more than willing to advise.
8Cubby.R.S.
Very sorry to hear this, as a former devotee I thoroughly enjoyed his contributions. As this group has in the past, if you photograph the the shelves many can help spot the books that have greater value, so you are not getting robbed...
Again, I truly am sorry to hear this.
Again, I truly am sorry to hear this.
9NLNils
I extend my condolences to you. I don’t know how large a collection is left, but you could consider approaching booksellers to buy the lot. As I can well imagine you have bigger priorities for the foreseeable future.
10coynedj
Very sorry to hear of his passing. As others have noted, he was a longtime and valued contributor here, and he will be missed.
12Willoyd
>9 NLNils:
Much quicker and easier, true, and may well be the best route in the circumstances, but to be balanced against the very large financial differences.
Much quicker and easier, true, and may well be the best route in the circumstances, but to be balanced against the very large financial differences.
13elladan0891
Very sorry to hear about your loss. My condolences.
I think >8 Cubby.R.S.:'s idea is a very good one - take some pictures and upload them into the gallery in your profile. We could help identifying the most valuable books.
Even if you decide to proceed with a bulk sale to a bookseller (not something Eclectic would have wanted, I imagine, but could be the way to go given the circumstances), it would still make sense to identify the most valuable books first and sell them separately - there could be limited editions/rare and desirable gems worth hundreds of dollars each in the collection.
And yes, do keep in mind that if you decide not to bother with individual sales of books here and on ebay, booksellers would pay you only a small fraction of the books' value - you could be getting only a 10th of their market value if you sell the whole collection at once.
I think >8 Cubby.R.S.:'s idea is a very good one - take some pictures and upload them into the gallery in your profile. We could help identifying the most valuable books.
Even if you decide to proceed with a bulk sale to a bookseller (not something Eclectic would have wanted, I imagine, but could be the way to go given the circumstances), it would still make sense to identify the most valuable books first and sell them separately - there could be limited editions/rare and desirable gems worth hundreds of dollars each in the collection.
And yes, do keep in mind that if you decide not to bother with individual sales of books here and on ebay, booksellers would pay you only a small fraction of the books' value - you could be getting only a 10th of their market value if you sell the whole collection at once.
14Kainzow
>1 Undine_6:
My condolences. I remember way back in 2013 when I joined, he was a regular contributor.
I even remember how he convinced me to buy the Folio edition of Eugene Onegin, which I don't regret doing at all!
This came as a surprise. I wish you the best and hope you are able to cope.
My condolences. I remember way back in 2013 when I joined, he was a regular contributor.
I even remember how he convinced me to buy the Folio edition of Eugene Onegin, which I don't regret doing at all!
This came as a surprise. I wish you the best and hope you are able to cope.
15Jayked
My condolences too; it was good to have a feisty fellow Canadian on board.
Unfortunately location has a bearing on how to sell books. Vancouver Island is about 3.5 k kilometers (an extra 1 k by road) from the major population centres in Ontario, and Canada Post doesn't offer a flat rate within Canada -- depends on distance. The Eastern seaboard and Europe are a long haul. So if selling books individually, postage rates will be high for many, and solid packaging a must. Financially it's probably worth it as booksellers generally offer a fraction of value.
Unfortunately location has a bearing on how to sell books. Vancouver Island is about 3.5 k kilometers (an extra 1 k by road) from the major population centres in Ontario, and Canada Post doesn't offer a flat rate within Canada -- depends on distance. The Eastern seaboard and Europe are a long haul. So if selling books individually, postage rates will be high for many, and solid packaging a must. Financially it's probably worth it as booksellers generally offer a fraction of value.
16cronshaw
>1 Undine_6: I've sent you a personal message.
Chris Jacobson (Eclectic Indulgence) and I met up while he was over from Canada on an extended tour round Europe, which in Chris' case was an extended tour of just about every bookshop between the Atlantic and the Urals. He had a phenomenal, contagious love of antiquarian and fine books, with a particular fondness for engravings by Gustav Doré. Through this forum I arranged to meet up with him when he passed through London, and we took on a tour of Charing Cross Road, leading gently up to Chris' priority pilgrimage site, since he registered an easy 10 on the FAD scale, the Folio Members Room in Eagle St. (It was still the Golden Age at the time, the imagination had entertained the Omnichannel Era and the disappearance of the Members Room no more than it had a mutant coronavirus in Wuhan). He was in heaven and I remember how desperately he said he wanted to move to London.
He visited London a second time, a couple of years later, just as Folio was beginning to mutate, and came to visit the unfeasibly compact arrangement of bookcases and lesser furniture that I called my flat, for afternoon tea and a perusal of my Folio library. I was at peak Foliomania at the time with a dangerous number of LEs teetering from great heights. Chris marvelled at my sickness and made me feel much better. It was a wonderful afternoon, full of bibliophilic musings over Victoria jam sponge which I remember fondly. We noted how one always feels less abnormal when mixing with other outpatients. His enthusiasm for books and reading was infectious, and I admired a particular project he had begun many years earlier to read all the major classic works in roughly chronological order from Homer to the 20th century, and which he had pretty much achieved (and which I hadn't and still haven't). Which makes me realise it's not the total time you have available on earth, it's what you do with it. Chris Jacobson undoubtedly read more, and thoroughly sucked the marrow of all that reading, than the vast majority of people with the privilege of twice the lifespan.
Cheers, Chris. If you're looking down at any point and see me faffing, wasting my time on eBay etc. instead of actually living, i.e. reading, just give me a prod will you? Ta my friend.
Chris Jacobson (Eclectic Indulgence) and I met up while he was over from Canada on an extended tour round Europe, which in Chris' case was an extended tour of just about every bookshop between the Atlantic and the Urals. He had a phenomenal, contagious love of antiquarian and fine books, with a particular fondness for engravings by Gustav Doré. Through this forum I arranged to meet up with him when he passed through London, and we took on a tour of Charing Cross Road, leading gently up to Chris' priority pilgrimage site, since he registered an easy 10 on the FAD scale, the Folio Members Room in Eagle St. (It was still the Golden Age at the time, the imagination had entertained the Omnichannel Era and the disappearance of the Members Room no more than it had a mutant coronavirus in Wuhan). He was in heaven and I remember how desperately he said he wanted to move to London.
He visited London a second time, a couple of years later, just as Folio was beginning to mutate, and came to visit the unfeasibly compact arrangement of bookcases and lesser furniture that I called my flat, for afternoon tea and a perusal of my Folio library. I was at peak Foliomania at the time with a dangerous number of LEs teetering from great heights. Chris marvelled at my sickness and made me feel much better. It was a wonderful afternoon, full of bibliophilic musings over Victoria jam sponge which I remember fondly. We noted how one always feels less abnormal when mixing with other outpatients. His enthusiasm for books and reading was infectious, and I admired a particular project he had begun many years earlier to read all the major classic works in roughly chronological order from Homer to the 20th century, and which he had pretty much achieved (and which I hadn't and still haven't). Which makes me realise it's not the total time you have available on earth, it's what you do with it. Chris Jacobson undoubtedly read more, and thoroughly sucked the marrow of all that reading, than the vast majority of people with the privilege of twice the lifespan.
Cheers, Chris. If you're looking down at any point and see me faffing, wasting my time on eBay etc. instead of actually living, i.e. reading, just give me a prod will you? Ta my friend.
17LolaWalser
>1 Undine_6:
My condolences. After he posted about his shattering diagnosis, it was always so hope-inspiring to see him keep visiting... I'm so sorry.
>16 cronshaw:
Thanks for sharing that.
My condolences. After he posted about his shattering diagnosis, it was always so hope-inspiring to see him keep visiting... I'm so sorry.
>16 cronshaw:
Thanks for sharing that.
18drasvola
>1 Undine_6:
Very sad news. My condolences. I remember fondly Eclectic Indulgence's contributions to the forum.
Very sad news. My condolences. I remember fondly Eclectic Indulgence's contributions to the forum.
19Undine_6
>2 wcarter: Thank you wcarter
20Undine_6
>3 adriano77: Thank you adriano77
22Undine_6
>5 folio_books: Thank you folio_books
23Undine_6
>6 overthemoon: Thank you overthemoon - I'll look at those FB places
24Undine_6
>7 Willoyd: Thank you Willoyd. Those are excellent tips regarding packing books. I know almost nothing about Folios and pricing - I like that idea of letting Ebay auction run it's course if you think the pricing is fair - cheers.
25Undine_6
>8 Cubby.R.S.: Thank you Cubby.R.S. - I will post a photo when I'm totally baffled, cheers
26Undine_6
>9 NLNils: Thank you NLNils
27Undine_6
>10 coynedj: Thank you coynedj
28Undine_6
>11 SF-72: Thank you SF-72
29Undine_6
>13 elladan0891: Thank you elladan0891 - you are so right, Eclectic would hate to see any of the collection go to a bookseller... he loved these books and would want to see them go to people that love them
30Undine_6
>14 Kainzow: Thank you Kainzow - I'm so glad you don't regreat Eugene Onegin! :) He died July 16th - It's not easy, but I'm starting to cope much better now
31Undine_6
>16 cronshaw: cronshaw - thank you! I have heard stories of you
32Undine_6
>17 LolaWalser: Thank you LolaWalser - he enjoyed this forum so much... I think it's the only time he really got to speak to people that spoke his language - that book language you all speak :)
33Undine_6
>18 drasvola: Thank you drasvola
34katielouise
I'm sorry for your loss. I am not the most regular poster on this forum but I always saw his posts whenever I have swung by.
I recommend not posting on the facebook group until you are ready to deal with basically a shark attack. They go hard at people who are selling off collections after a loss, in an embarrassing and tactless way. It may be more stress than you want to handle right at this moment.
The advice given has been good - selling in a lot to a bookseller is the fastest way but will net you the least reward, and selling individually is the slowest way but has the potential for the highest price. I personally would do what other people here have mentioned and post photos so that those here can point out any particularly valuable ones you can sell for more, list those on ebay, perhaps divide the others up into lots based on author or theme or something and list them, and then any that don't sell after a couple of rounds of ebay listings, sell to a bookseller, which is a nice way to split the difference between the two methods so that you won't be selling books for the next five years.
I recommend not posting on the facebook group until you are ready to deal with basically a shark attack. They go hard at people who are selling off collections after a loss, in an embarrassing and tactless way. It may be more stress than you want to handle right at this moment.
The advice given has been good - selling in a lot to a bookseller is the fastest way but will net you the least reward, and selling individually is the slowest way but has the potential for the highest price. I personally would do what other people here have mentioned and post photos so that those here can point out any particularly valuable ones you can sell for more, list those on ebay, perhaps divide the others up into lots based on author or theme or something and list them, and then any that don't sell after a couple of rounds of ebay listings, sell to a bookseller, which is a nice way to split the difference between the two methods so that you won't be selling books for the next five years.
35U_238
So sorry to hear about this. In so many threads I saw he made valuable contributions but they were always deleted. I always wondered about that.
I’ve also sent you a private message with suggestions.
I’ve also sent you a private message with suggestions.
36treereader
>1 Undine_6:
This is indeed a sad occasion and I’m very sorry for your loss. I appreciate your reaching out to the group, which surely wasn’t easy. We don’t always find out if/when/how/why a member of the group leaves us, however, you’ve set a fine example for each of us to consider following. Thank you.
This is indeed a sad occasion and I’m very sorry for your loss. I appreciate your reaching out to the group, which surely wasn’t easy. We don’t always find out if/when/how/why a member of the group leaves us, however, you’ve set a fine example for each of us to consider following. Thank you.
37LesMiserables
>1 Undine_6: Very sorry to read of the passing of your husband Chris. Please accept our sincere condolences in your loss.
