There are various options available to you if you want to know where to sell your old postcards. It doesn’t matter if you have a single postcard, album or a collection of postcards there are plenty of alternatives to consider. Auction houses, dealers and collectors will be happy to buy single postcards providing it’s a scarce or valuable example. If this postcard is a printed view of a common seaside resort then nobody will take it off your hands unfortunately. They are just too common. But lets have a look at your choices so you can give your postcards a new home at the right price.
PTA Dealers: One of the best sources to sell your postcards is contacting a dedicated postcard dealer. Although the postcard fairs are not as frequent as they once was you can contact as many dealers as you want on the PTA (Postcard Traders Association) website. Not all dealers register with the PTA however and prefer to deal in postcards without trading underneath the PTA umbrella. Probably only 50% of dealers at postcards fairs are PTA members. It does however give you a database of dealers you can contact. Remember, dealers have to make a profit and will offer you 25%-30% of their value.
Postcard Fairs: If you have a local postcard fair and it’s convenient to take your postcards along then you can contact postcard dealers face-to-face. If your collection is too big then take a sample to view. You can get as many valuations as you wish and then you will certainly have a ballpark figure to consider. Some dealers will offer more than others if they have specific buyers for items in your collection. Every dealer knows their collectors and their wants and try and find suitable stock to feed the demand. If you have the right postcards at the right time for that dealer you will always get a higher valuation.
Postcard Auctions: Another option to sell your old postcards is with land based auctioneers. Warwick and Warwick and Toovey’s are two of the biggest. They would normally have around 5-6 sales a year where part of the catalogue is dedicated to postcards. You can get your postcard collection valued first before you commit. Auctions are where both postcard dealers and collectors buy. Collectors will always pay more because they don’t need to consider making a profit. Bear in mind the auctioneers selling fees of 17.5% plus VAT.
Online dealers: Another alternative is to contact the dedicated websites of postcard dealers like ours. We will be more than happy to give you a free valuation. All you need to do is take some photos on your mobile and send them to us via the free WhatsApp image sharing app. We should be able to value your postcards from this. This is a quick way to get a free postcard valuation and you can get started by visiting the Contact Us page on our website.
Online Auctions: If you are familiar with selling on eBay then you could sell your postcard collection on there. You really need to know how to value your postcards. After all you don’t want to give them away. You don’t want to overprice them either. If you do that they simply won’t sell. If you are not familiar with the value of old postcards I really would not recommend listing them on eBay. It’s better to use one of the other options to sell your old postcards where you are in control.
I hope this article has given you some useful information on where to sell your old postcards. You can get free valuations with no obligation to sell. You can visit postcard fairs and let a handful of dealers offer their best price. This will undoubtedly give you an idea of their worth in todays marketplace. Remember, you don’t have to sell them. Get a valuation and then you have a choice. Sell them or put them away until you think the market may be more beneficial to you. If you have any questions please feel free to contact us for impartial advice.
