I have collected and bought and sold these models for some 30 odd years now, run a website for them, moderate on international boards and some even consider me a 'bit of an expert'  in some facets so I feel highly honoured to be considered thus by my peers.

.Some sellers are great whilst others not so. As a seller please remember we buy these models as collectors to display in our cabinets so shipping packing is all important. There seems to be a trend in the UK mainly of shipping items in 'JIFFY BAGS'

These are ok for pliable items such as clothing etc but I am afraid models do not travel to well overseas in them. On a plane cargo is packed as tight as they can get it into preset metal cubes which fit into the hold of a plane. If other cartons/packages are on top of the Jiffy bag - tough luck - it will be lucky to arrive in one piece. To avoid arguments please pack models in secure cardboard boxes as it will save a lot of hassles with the buyer at the other end. I suppose it is called commonsense really. I really felt for a recent seller who mailed me a car in a glass bottle - she took great care to pack well and removed the cork from the bottle and stuffed tissue down the neck so that the car would not roll about and smash the glass and then in turn packed the bottle really well and all in a very strong box. Unfortunately she forgot that the car also moved up and down  so it smashed on the way here. I could see she had taken a lot of trouble but made a slip up anybody could do so all ended up amicable as we split the cost 50/50 - good outcome acheived by chatting with mails and no tirades, just plain commonsense on the part of both parties - she is someone I would most definately trade with again. Please ask about shipping requirements as I am personally, always prepared to pay a bit more for secure packaging even at extra cost to make sure what I buy arrives as I bought it.

Some of the points on selling which are also similar to buying diecast have been  bought up very nicely in a guide by 4thone2006 which is well worth reading. I have coellected Matchbox cars for more years than I care to remember and am one of those devout 'Yesteryear' collectors referred to by the previous guide, but also collect anything in the ranges that take my fancy.

When selling there are several points to remember to acheive a good price

1. RARE: I see this description bandied about on every other listing. Listed at 99c how can it be rare, please do your homework first and don't put this word there because YOU think it is - I will not even open an ad with this heading. What sells me are the GALLERY pictures. I have been doing this so long that I can now scan through them pretty quickly and save any that might interest me to MY EBAY and then go through them one by one. I find it pretty easy to find what I am looking for this way as I know my hobby and what stands out. The next seller is good pictures - It might be rare but I'm not going to bid on a model where I can't tell the difference where one bit ends and the other starts. Big slogans and big highlights do nothing for me

2..MINT: Is it really mint - meaning no chips scratches or missing decals? Mint means exactly as it came from the factory possibly 40 to 50 years ago. Most collectors grade their models with 10 the absolute best right down to 1 although most collectors will not go past 7/8. Very few models even factory direct are grade 10 as these were mass produced items for kids to play with but is generally accepted as top quality.

3.BOXES: Boxes should be clean and crisp without creases or end flaps missing to be described as mint. Any of the previous or sellotape sticky residue will decrease the value of a box. Exceptions to this are a price put on the box originally when sold in either ink or pencil. When described as 'MINT & BOXED' we are looking at a top of the range item. A model without a box or 'LOOSE' will lose 50% of it's value in most cases unless we are talking about an extremely rare variant / version.

4. PHOTOS: Most collectors are variant collectors so good close up photos are required. Preferably the base, side on and top view are ample. Please make them sharp - most cameras nowadays have a Macro setting (the little flower symbol on the camera) so please use it. I see loads of fuzzy ones that you can just about make out what the model actually is - just a blur of colour and you expect people to bid on this.

5. LISTING: Many are put under 'VINTAGE' when in fact they are made well after 1970. Nothing pains me more than wading through endless listings that are not applicable to the catergory - again homework is the key. It may say 1968 on the base but this version was the 4th one and was issued in 1980.

I suppose what I am really saying is be honest in your opinion of the item. Nothing will turn buyers off quicker than garbage descriptions and by being honest most will add you to their watchlists. Not all can afford the heady prices of 'Mint & Boxed' so it pays to check with previous sales for a rough idea of condition. You will probably find your sales increasing and probably a rise in your prices instead of sitting there unsold at the auction end.

To check out a model use a site like 'matchboxmeories.com' or 'dfwbeckett.net' where most of the ranges have been listed and pictures shown but no prices. Good books to use as a reference are 'Ramseys Guide to British Diecast 10th edition, any of Charlie Mack's guides and The Yesteryear Book. You can find most of these for sale on these pages or a good store like Amazon as some are currently out of print. Please realise that price guides are only that and most are dated the moment they hit the bookshelves - I get totally cheesed off when the ad says 'this is worth so and so in the whatever book - maybe it does but shame you got the variant wrong and it is not the rare one and collectors will only bid up to what they are prepared to pay - (ebay is a great market value tool so use the search for completed similar items) - what they do though is give you a good idea of the rarity factor between models and what makes a model worth $5 look almost the same as one costing $500!

Good luck with your selling.