My boss has a few boxes of Playbills that he wants me to sell on eBay. They're all from the 80's and 90's and generally in good condition. Should I group them into lots or sell them individually? Will anybody actually want a mint condition Starlight Express Playbill?
Use the search engine on eBay for the Playbills you have, first enter for current auctions and then click on the completed auctions. That way you get a general idea if that Playbill will sell and what the going price is. You can also see what the Lots are getting. Good luck.
Also, there are probably close to 100 Showbills from the Met Opera and Radio City (Christmas, Bette Midler, Liza, etc.) from the 90's. I can't find any on eBay...is there market for these?
Unless there is something special about the the Playbill ie autograph or Opening Night Playbill, I doubt there is much of a market for them.
You'd be surprised - for example a cursory glance through the completed items section of eBay tells me that all you have to do is slap a Lea Michele in your header and you can sell any of her unsigned, regular Spring Awakening, Les Mis or Ragtime Playbills for ~$20/each. (Enough to make me consider listing one of my Atlantic Theater Company SA Playbills.)
For the OP: is your boss selling these because he needs the money and thinks his collection is super valuable, or is he selling them to be rid of them? Because if it's the second might it be easier to just do something like donate the whole lot to one of the BC/EFA tables for sale at the Flea Market, and take the tax write-off, instead?
Also, there are probably close to 100 Showbills from the Met Opera and Radio City (Christmas, Bette Midler, Liza, etc.) from the 90's. I can't find any on eBay...is there market for these?
Hard to tell, there are collectors but it could be hit or miss on eBay. There is are Radio City concert programs listed for Bette. (1993 & 2004) When searching on eBay you may need to enter the artists name and venue to see what pops up. I did not see any for the completed listings which only go back 30 days.
I'm selling some playbills, in case anyone is interested. My ebay Store
Formally Stews_Bitch:::
Shows in the 2010 Season for me. 101 Dalmations tour - Jan 24th, Xanadu Tour - Mar 9th and 10th, Wicked - May 14th, Legally Blonde - June 12th:::::::Upcoming - South Pacific, Young Frankinstein (Two Cities) Rock of Ages (Two Cities) Shrek (3 Cities) Les Mis, DreamGirls, Spring Awakening, Color Purple, and 9 to 5!
I'm also gonna threadjack to show the Playbills I'm selling - some opening night, some of the monthly magazine, all between 2003 and 2007. Some end tomorrow, some in a month, so check them out!