When you play any kind of collectible game, inevitably you will end up with items you don’t use. Whether you bought a few booster packs and ended up with extras, or whether you had to get a few things you weren’t crazy about to balance out a trade, you’ll end up with a box or two of cards or figures you aren’t using and don’t plan to use.

Getting your collection built up like this is the easy part. Slimming that collection back down? Not so easy. If you’re like me and have boxes upon boxes of gaming stuff stashed away (or out in the middle of the floor where you can trip over it, lol), you’re probably wondering how in the world to get rid of some of it. Here are my little tips and bits of advice.

Step 1: Sort It ALL

Yes, yes, I know, this is the stinkiest part about pruning your collections down, but you really have to sort your collection to find out what you’ve got. Who knows, there could be a hidden gem in there waiting to be discovered! You don’t want to give your whole collection away only to find out that there was a money card or money figure that you could have sold for yourself.

Some tips for sorting your collection:

1. Keep a record of everything you find in your collection–this is key for Step 2. Whether you choose to write it all down on a legal pad, or keep a complicated Microsoft Excel file (*cough* me *cough*), this will make your sorting much more worthwhile.
2. Put like things together. Examples: For M:TG cards, you could group them by color, card type, or rarity; for HeroClix figures, you could group them by point cost or powers/abilities.
3. Immediately pull out the stuff you want to keep and set it aside as you find it. Trust me, don’t wait on doing this, because you’ll forget!
4. If you’re not sure whether you need to keep an item, put it aside in a separate box from your definite “keeps.” If in a month you haven’t needed to open the box to get at it, you don’t need it.
5. Use watertight boxes to store everything; you don’t want your stuff damaged before you can sell it or use it.

Step 2: Price It

Once you know what you’ve got, it’s time to look up all your items and see if they’re worth selling online. Most items you’ve collected might not be worth a whole lot, but you never know!

My gaming group tends to trust prices that are found on EBay, Amazon, and CardShark more than any other sites. Check for completed listings to see what your items are REALLY going for, rather than the price people are asking for.

Step 3: Package It (Carefully), Whether It’s Worth Money or Not

If you’re lucky and come across several items that you want to sell, be sure to package them carefully so that they stay in as pristine condition as possible. This will not only get you top dollar for your item, but will also make your buyers very happy!

However, if you don’t come across any money cards or figures, that doesn’t mean that you should just throw ’em all in a box without caring. You can still use them as trade fodder, or you could make a generous donation to another player at your local gaming shop who’s just getting started and needs items to play with. Make sure they’re in good condition, and someone else will have a chance to enjoy them!