Selling Old Beer Cans on eBay

Many old beer cans are valuable. Finding out which ones they are can be difficult. Obviously if you are reading this I don't have to tell you that the internet is a very powerful tool and it can be used to determine the value of any beer can. Up until about a year ago I would advise anyone with a clean flat top or cone top beer can to list it on eBay. More often than not the prices realized were higher than the accepted market value in the hobby. Much has changed in the last year.

Over the last year eBay collectible prices have dropped significantly. So much so that many collectors and dealers have begun selling their better items at other venues. So what is the reason for the current downfall of eBay?

Top 10 eBay minuses

1) The U.S. economy is in a recession.
2) eBay fees have continued to rise.
3) Postal rates have increased.
4) eBay scams are getting more frequent.
5) There are more sellers than buyers.
6) eBay offers very little support for its users.
7) There is less of an audience so auction prices are lower.
8) eBay favors retail products and big $$$ items.
9) The site has become very confusing.
10) eBay rules and regulations are very restricting.

Of course it is only fair that I highlight the factors that continue to draw collectors to eBay. After all, I still buy and sell on there every week.

Top 10 eBay pluses

1) The auctions reach a worldwide audience.
2) With Buy IT Now & Paypal you can buy & sell instantly.
3) You can find practically anything on eBay.
4) eBay offers more protection than other sites (like Craig's List).
5) Many buyers will overpay for items they can't live without.
6) The exchange rate has benefited European & Canadian buyers.
7) Buyers can still find the occasional "diamond in the rough".
8) Anyone can register to buy and sell.
9) A novice seller can receive a fair price without having expertise.
10)Additional items often can be sold privately.

So what do all of these pluses & minuses have to do with beer cans? Quality beer cans have recently decreased in value on eBay. Buyers have become smarter, more patient and perhaps short on cash. There are so many sellers from outside the hobby offering beer cans that most beer can collectors have their pick of multiple cans or only have to wait a short time until another similar beer can is offered. There have also been very large collections recently dismantled and offered for sale on eBay. Collectors have become wary and will not enter "stupid bids" for that beer can they just have to add to their collection. Many buyers also have been working together to keep prices down on unsuspecting sellers.

More often than not eBay prices have been erratic. The same beer can sells for half the price the first time and double the price the second time. There's no rhyme or reason to it. Perhaps it a seasonal thing. Maybe it's the U.S. economy, or maybe eBay has run it's course and prices will be more realistic from now on. Whatever the causes are, there's no denying that eBay prices are down significantly. Do you want to chance your one of a kind item (beer can) to an auction that won't realize the true market value? I don't want to take that chance and either do most beer can collectors.

" I found my old beer can collection from when I was a kid."

So many pull tab beer cans were collected during the "Beer Can Craze" of the late 1970's and early 1980's that there must be 1000's of these collections boxed up in attics and basements across the country. After all that's when I started collecting, in 1978. I picked up every can from the side of the road and searched the beer distributor faithfully buying up every new can that came out. Then I progressed to having friends and relatives bring home beer cans from their travels. It was a lot of fun, but one day life got too busy and my attention turned elsewhere. I packed up the cans and left them in my mother's attic. Luckily I kept collecting other breweriana, mostly beer labels, and never fully left the hobby. It didn't take long before I got back into beer cans and the rest is history.

Does the story sound familiar? It seems lots of collectors packed up their collections back in the 1980's and now they are being discovered once again. The problem usually is the cans are the same pull tabs that everyone was collecting.

Iron City Steelers, Olde Frothingslosh, Billy Beer, American Historical Breweries set, bicentennials, JR Ewing, Mash 4077th, Rock n Roll, World's Fair and Harley Davidson cans were among the most popular beer cans saved. Now there among the most abundant available and that makes them the least valuable. Don't get me wrong, without those "starter cans" most of us would never have gotten started in the hobby. They'll always have a special place in my heart and they are great for any beginner or to decorate you bar in the basement.

The e-mails I receive from people concerning these cans are usually the same, "where and how is the best place to sell my beer cans?". My answer is: "They should be sold locally and as an entire collection." Since the cans usually number in the 100's and take up multiple boxes, shipping them is not very economical. Most 1970's and 1980's pull tab beer cans have a value of less than a $1. Shipping them can cost as much as $0.25 each, plus it's a lot of work and you take the risk of them being damaged or lost. Try putting them for sale in your local newspaper or even at a garage sale or flea market. If you're set on using the internet try posting an ad on Craig's List and forget about eBay. The numerous similar cans that are always being listed and eBay fees make eBay a poor choice. Find someone local, have them come a pick them up and pass the cans onto someone who will really enjoy them. You might see that gleam in their eye that you had when you started collecting. Just make sure you look through your cans really good and don't give away any treasures. After all most of us came across a few rare cans and they will be worth more than all of the common cans put together. Those are the cans you'll want to sell on ebay or contact some one like me who will pay you what they are worth so you can take your spouse on a vacation.

e-mail me for more beer can information

Determining Beer Can Values

For my first article I will answer the question I am most often asked:

How much are my beer cans worth?

The 4 factors determining the value of any beer can are:

1) Demand 2) Supply 3) Condition 4) Timing

Demand -
When the demand for anything goes up, so does the price. Just look at the price of oil!
Many beer cans are desirable for different reasons: scarcity, graphics, brand name, can type or brewery.
The basic premise behind any auction is the demand by multiple buyers drives the price up. The cans on the left were part of a recent CYR auction in Maine. There were over 150 flat top cans. Collectors and dealers from all over the country attended. They drove the final price up to over $125,000 !!! Without those interested dealers & collectors the cans would have sold for a fraction of the price.

Supply -
There are only so many quality beer cans available to collectors. Some cans were produced and saved in large quantities, while others are very scarce. Rare cans are considered scarce because less than 10 quality examples are known. Since there are many advanced collectors competing for these cans the low supply will increase the value. Obviously cans like the Croft Cream Ale cans on the right have a lesser value because there are so many available. There was a very large find of these a few years ago.

Condition -
Old beer cans are no different than any other collectible. Beer can collectors are serious about condition of their cans. The slightest flaws detract significantly from the value of the same can in mint condition. When I say mint condition, I mean it! Not a single scratch, dent or blemish. Not even on the rims or lids. A can has to look brand new to be considered a Grade 1+ (mint).If your cans look like the cans on the left chances are they aren't very valuable.

Learn More About Old Beer Cans.

Timing -
Perhaps the most overlooked factor determining beer can values is the timing of the sale. Any beer can may have a wide range of values depending on when it is sold. If the market is flooded with quality cans when a lesser quality can is offered it will suffer in price. There's also new cans being found all the time. A beer can may have been previously rare until new examples are found in quantity. The can will then permanently decrease in value.

General economic conditions also affect the value of higher priced beer cans. When it becomes "a buyer's market" sellers will see a significant decrease in the value of high end cans. Currently we are experiencing a correction in the beer can market (similar to the real estate market) and many beer can values are decreasing due to the current economic climate.

Find out your beer can's value