My brother-in-law passed away last year and while visiting my sister this month we found his old 2ed woodgrain D&D set (we had been part of a D&D group in the mid 70s).  I am looking into the possibility of selling it for her.  The box is structurally sound with a tear on the side.  There are also some stains on the cover.  The box contains the three books and the reference sheets.  Men & Magic has highlighting on about 6 pages and some notes in pencil.  Monsters & Treasure and Underworld & Winderness Adventures both have some notes in pencil.  Greyhawk, Blackmore, Gods Demi-gods and Heros and Swords and Spells are also included.



























Any thoughts on what this will go for and if I should sell it privately or on ebay.  I have been thinking of selling some other items on ebay but have yet to take the plunge.

First, my regrets on your brother-in-laws passing.

Second welcome to this web site and this forum.

Next: I Agree with all that redbus said.

I have an item listed on RPGMarketplace now.
If it sells I would of course be pleased, but I am in no hurry for it to sell.
That said if you are in no hurry and hope to get top price, that may be the place you would be best served to try first.

Even with the damaged box and books and markings in the books, that Box Set is so rare and highly coveted that it would have NO problems selling anywhere you list it.
Neither will the supplements, though of course they are far more common.

If you are in a bigger hurry, then either E-Bay, or Yahoo.
But as said, they will take some of the money from the sale.
But for the amount you will likely get, that may not be a worry for your sister.

As indicated in the Acaeum's lists, your Wood Grain Box Set should sell for around $1,000 perhaps more (Depending on where its listed and if/how it is advertised beforehand.

Especially with some advanced advertising here and at other sites where we geek collectors congregate.

If I were you, and wanted resolution within say 2 weeks....
I would find as many of those sites as I could, then advertise at all of them (Classified message board here) wherever they allow such things.
Asking for offers first (for a specified time period) and then if none of the offers seem awesome enough, then list it on E-Bay. (I have heard that yahoo takes a much bigger chunk...).

If time is not a concern, I would join RPGMarkertplace and list it there for 30 day time periods, and advertise it here (Classified Board) and at other sites as stated above.
And at RPGMarketplace there are several listing options available.
Open auctions, Buy it nows, or offers accepted in price ranges, or a mixture of one or more options.
Best thing is it costs you NOTHING.......... except time and you can limit that too.
And you can use credit cards, Paypal, or other methods of payment.

Whale Tagger wrote:You want to establish the boxed set's printing first, Lab; First, Second or Third. The same with the four supplements you listed. A True 1st Greyhawk is worth a LOT more than later printings.

His first remark stated the wood grain box is a second edition.
Which is how I arrived at the amount I stated above.
My guess is that a complete 2ND Edition Wood Grain OD&D Box Set in that condition will sell for $850-1150....

But yes, if any of the supplements are first prints, then they are worth much more than later prints.
Especially if they are in minty condition.

Thanks everyone for their replies.  The books are 2nd printings not 2nd editions.   I guess it may be time to jump into the world of e-bay though I will check out other options as well.

Selling to a stranger on an account basis (Payments) is of course a risk, but anyone here will vouch for Serleran.
I know you do not know us, so that may not help any, but many of us have dealt with him on several occasions with no fear.

If I did not have a 2nd EDITION/2nd PRINT (Whatever you want to call it) Wood Grain Set; I might make that sort of offer too, since I likely could not come up with that much cash right away either.

Good luck with your choice, whatever you decide to do.
BUT: You might seriously consider what Serleran offered, or at least hear him out.

I have sold a number of items or bulk orders on the installment plan.  Generally, I see it as more of a risk for the buyer than the seller in this case.
The seller will usually hold the item until it is completely paid for or at least mostly paid for.

In some cases this could take months and payments are often done through Paypal.  So by the the time, the buyer gets the item, most of the payments are past the 45 day Paypal claim deadline and the buyer has no coverage.  The seller safely has most of the money long before the item is shipped.

I think those pictures are really going to help it sell. They cover everything! Good luck with that

I have two concerns that may help.  First, if you haven't "jumped into the world of eBay yet," then I'm guessing that means you've never sold anything on eBay before?  If that's true, you may want to find a friend who has sold stuff on eBay before to sell it for you.  A seller's reputation, or lack thereof, usually impacts a price.  If you are a first time seller on eBay, in other words, there are some people who probably won't bid at all.

Second, the concern by several people about not being able to pay that much all at once got me thinking.  Why not announce a date a couple of months in the future so people can save up to make a large purchase later?  Besides, the summer months, in my experience, are not the best months to sell stuff anyway.

You do what you want, I'm just trying to help. Good luck!  

benjoshua wrote:I have two concerns that may help.  First, if you haven't "jumped into the world of eBay yet," then I'm guessing that means you've never sold anything on eBay before?  If that's true, you may want to find a friend who has sold stuff on eBay before to sell it for you.  A seller's reputation, or lack thereof, usually impacts a price.  If you are a first time seller on eBay, in other words, there are some people who probably won't bid at all.

Second, the concern by several people about not being able to pay that much all at once got me thinking.  Why not announce a date a couple of months in the future so people can save up to make a large purchase later?  Besides, the summer months, in my experience, are not the best months to sell stuff anyway.

You do what you want, I'm just trying to help. Good luck!  

As for the seller reputation and lots of feedbacks, you could either ask a friend (As Ben stated) Or perhaps hire someone who has a store on E-Bay to sell it for you.
Someone with experience in selling this type of item.
There are MANY of those persons here.
I do not know what conditions it would take, perhaps for a small percentage of the sales price as the cost to do so?

Almost every seller here has a GREAT reputation (a FEW other sellers are members here and have just the opposite tough).
Anyone here would buy from any of the reputable Acaeum members who are E-Bay sellers and would do so in a second.

I wont name the great ones, since if I do I woud certainly leave some of the great ones out.

Some sellers might also have term payment plans already set up for high priced items too, plus they would likely know the buyer well enough to be able to better get the deal done swiftly and to everyones great satisfaction.

If you feel terms are something you would consider then perhaps a middleman (Or middle woman) may be a good choice to consider too.
Even if you will not be using terms, a long time seller who has been selling on E-Bay for years would certainly be a great help for your specific situation.

One more thing.
In addition to E-Bay fees there will also be fees to Paypal too and they will be higher than the E-Bay fees.
Paypal, or whomever handles the electronic money transfers.

Just a couple more coppers.....