Following is a list of the Top 10 Prices Realized from September through December 2006 on select eBay Auction and Sales items (Buy it Now items marked with *, all other sales via Auction format). I thought this might help in giving you an idea of current selling trends as well as a general idea of what some specific issues are selling for.
The following includes the magazine title, issue date, condition of the specific issue sold, date of sale, the price the item sold for, as well as any added information about the issue.
- Saturday Evening Post — Sep. 16 1916 — G-VG or 3.5/10 — Sold Sep. 15 2006 — $255.00 — Norman Rockwell’s 4th Post Cover
- STORY Magazine — Mar-Apr 1940 — G-VG or 3.5/10 — Sold Nov 1 2006 — $224.50 — J.D. Salinger’s first published story “The Young Folks
- The Ladies’ Home Journal — July 1901 — G or 3/10 — Sold Sep 19 2006 — $152.50 — “A Small House With Lots of Room in It” by Frank Lloyd Wright
- The Sporting News — Apr 23 1947 — VG-EX or 4.5/10 — Sold Oct 18 2006 — $105.85 — Jackie Robinson debuts/Babe Ruth on the Cover
- The American Magazine — Sep 1922 — G-VG or 3.5/10 — Sold Oct 3 2006 — $82.00 — “What I Think and Feel at 25” by F. Scott Fitzgerald with Fitzgerald portrait
- The New Yorker — Jun 6 1959 — EX or 5/10 — Sold Dec 4 2006 — $72.00 — “Seymour An Introduction” by J.D. Salinger
- Cosmopolitan — Jul 1948 — EX or 5/10 — Sold Nov 29 2006 — $68.88 — “The Double Corner” by Wallace Stegner
- STORY Magazine — Aug 1936 — G or 3/10 — Sold Nov 23 2006 — $68.00 * — “Home to Utah” by Wallace Stegner
- The Sporting News — May 7 1947 — EX+ or 6/10 — Sold Nov 12 2006 — $48.00 — Babe Ruth Day/Jackie Robinson article
- Saturday Evening Post — Jul 17 1943 — EX+ or 6/10 — Sold Dec 2 2006 — $45.00 * — “The Varioni Brothers” by J.D. Salinger
Beyond giving you an idea of value something that jumps right out at me from looking at this list is that buyers are willing to pay a premium for rare and consequential issues even if they are in less than perfect condition. It should also reinforce two basic lessons for selling on eBay, an unusual item need only two interested parties to realize a satisfying price, while any extra knowledge over an item you hold as seller can be exploited by placing an item for sale at a Fixed Price, a format which only requires one interested party.
Of course this latter method can be exploited by sellers who either don’t know any better or are hoping that their potential customers don’t know better. Surely you’ve come across that ridiculous online listing selling an item for $70 that you picked up for $5. While it’s possible that you did indeed get a deal, chances are if you look deeper into that seller’s inventory you’ll find several $5 items available for much more exorbitant prices. Probably the only thing more annoying is the eBay seller who offers you the $5 item for $5 and then wants to charge you $30 to ship a magazine.