36 Years of Etude Magazine

[btcomp]

I have 36 years of Etude Magazine. First issue is from Nov 1921 and the last issue is Jan. 1956. My uncle played the piano and loved this magazine. Talked about it in his letters when he was in WWII and had his mom save the issues he would continue to get. Other than the early 1920s magazines he has, the condition of most of the magazines is fairly good. Two years ago I gathered them from my dad's attic and spent an evening sorting them into decade piles. I have 371 (372 I am going to keep one duplicate magazine) magazines. There are missing issues which I labeled on each decade stack. I would like to just sell the whole set total. I see that some issues have gone for 25 dollars and others for less than 50 cents apiece on Ebay. Any advice on selling these. I want to reclaim some space, but then I see most sell the issues in lots of 1 to about a years worth. I do have several years where I do have the complete year.

[mart]

I am assuming that you didn`t use the "sort by" and go to "ending soonest" to see if any are actually selling at any price !!  I did !! Nothing is selling at any price that I saw !! Only checked what was ending today and tomorrow though !!
Magazines,, except for a rare few,, are hardly ever sold on ebay !!  Many are listed but they just don`t sell !!  Sorry !!  You would have better luck at a flea market getting a dollar or two each !!

[rockandrollrods]

I'm just finishing up on selling about five hundred magazines on eBay, and I've sold several hundred more in the past. I've recently sold issues that went for $43 for a single one, and others have been lots of twenty that sold for $9.99. And that is the same year range. I've done best with old car and motorcycle magazines, and I prefer to sell pre-1965 car and pre-1975 motorcycle issues.

I could see you selling a large chunk of them for $5 an issue. But that's going to take a lot of time and it's going to get expensive. Because I would guess that 25% would sell for that price, and the remaining would sell at two for that price, and so on and so forth until you've got lots of fifty issues for $20 with free shipping.

A nice hint for you though. Vintage magazines can be shipped with USPS media mail. I just sent a fourteen pound package of issues to another state, and it only cost be $7.98 to mail it. Individual issues (and some double sets if they weigh less than thirteen ounces total) do well with USPS First Class Mail.

Good luck though. It's a lot of work.

[mart]

Cars and motorcycles are a whole different ballgame from music magazines !!  American Pickers has helped sales on vintage motorcycles and cars !!  What I saw on these was zilch !!  But guess you never know till you try !!  Good Luck !!

[btcomp]

I forgot to hit the notify button. Thanks all. I think I will just try on Craigslist for now. Shipping would be tremendous. One box I can't even lift, and the other two are heavy. I'm thinking that 371 magazines weighs close to a hundred pounds! 

[mart]

Small lots are not bad on shipping since you can use media mail like R&RR said, that box would be prohibitive !!  Craigslist would be the best bet since they could pick it up !!  You might want to gear your craigslist ad to those that do flea markets and online sales since they would be the most likely to want that many !! Give them a price that they can then make money on !!

[btcomp]

Thanks Mart, I put up 150 dollars but I may come down. That probably won't sell at that price, but it's a start!

[rockandrollrods]

Craigslist is the easiest way to go for sure. I do have experience with other magazines besides vehicles, but the same advice applies. It takes a lot of time, a good deal of money (twenty-five cents every listing), and in the end, you always end up with some extras. Those five hundred issues that I'm just finishing up in the next couple of weeks? I started in September.

[konniem56]

I have sold many older life magazines on ebay  was sending them media mail but you cannot send these magazines that way even if they are old because of advertising in them  I had a postal inspector look at one and  he said they can not be sent media mail which make shipping a lot more for you.
Good luck on selling them you just have to find someone who wants them

[btcomp]

Thanks, I put 195 on the Detroit Craigslist, but a notice for dealers to make offer. As I said if I was into music, and I have played a bit, like I'm into computers I would take my time and go through them. They are a history treasure. I am keeping one magazine that somehow my uncle had two of Feb. 1942. Which incidentally may have been the first war time issue made, not sure.

[mart]

I have never had a PO refuse media mail rates because of ads !!   And I tell them that they are magazines !!  I think that is a technicality that most don`t even look at when I am paying the fee !!  Especially now with their income dropping !!

[konniem56]

All I know Is what several post office masters have told me and I got a certified letter stating this policy .  If you get caught it can either effect you or the person you are sending it to. I am scanning the notice so you can see.

[btcomp]

I used to have a disciplinarian mail office. I glued old stamps on, never had a problem. Returned with the official stamp, you can't tape, or staple stamps. But mine were glued. I took them to the closer post office, not ours and she took them, and gave me the scoop and story on the disciplinarian office.

On my magazines I wouldn't mind selling entire years but I think I would do better to sell to a dealer or a music nerd. I am hoping a music teacher or musician will buy, never know. I had a couple in the family but I gave up getting them to take them.

[mart]

I have read all the rules,, I tell the people at the PO what they are !!  In a few cases I have asked about how to send them and they are the ones that decided !!  Maybe your PO doesn`t know they are going broke yet !!

[rockandrollrods]

I asked about this same thing several years ago, and the understanding that I had was that magazines count because they're not current periodicals. I haven't had a problem either.