WELL...WELL...WELL...
Ladies, I'm going to wade in with my 10p worth.....
I've been watching this unfold with great interest.
I'll point out now that personally I've not really got any interest in any of these machines. I don't really 'collect' as such any more, although I DO appreciate a quality vacuum cleaner. Buying one of these myself seems a bit pointless as for me all it would do is sit in a box collecting dust. Any 'old' machines I do buy tend to be less than £20 and are bought with the intention of selling them on. And I've already got far too many old cleaners (3) hidden about the house that I need to get rid of!
So, firstly some 'advice' for the seller -
I noticed you said you had a collector offering to go over the machines with you. Personally I see this as a bit pointless. What is junk to one man is another mans gold. List it all on ebay and let the masses decide if its anything special.
For example you have an Electrolux contour style machine on e-bay. To me this machine is of no interest, yet somebody who collects Electrolux such as Turbo500 would probably snap your arm off.
I think your best bet is to simply list it all on e-bay, as you have been doing.
Don't be lured into private sales. I'd happily give you £200 for the boxed DC01, but that's only because I know I could probably sell it straight on for a profit. An auction lets the item sell for its true value.
Trust me, your ebay account is going to be getting a HUGE amount of interest, and anything you do list WILL be spotted by collectors.
Also, try not to get sucked into all the hype on here. While you do have some special items to sell, some of the people on here still at school and will be relying on parents to purchase on their behalf. I know when I was a kid there was no way my mum would of given me the money most of these machines will end up selling for.
A few words for the collectors -
Firstly, these items are FOR SALE. The owner of them isn't going to simply sell them to you because 'you've always wanted one'. It isn't first come first served, and money talks. If you want them then you're going to have to bid. On ebay.
To be blunt, lots of people want these items and the people who are actually going to get these items are the people with the deepest pockets. And rightly so - that's how life goes. The seller isn't running some sort of charity.
I currently really want a 2014 candy white BMW 3 series coupe with dark red leather seats - however the BMW dealer isn't going to do me a special deal because I REALLY want one and I'd look after is SOOO much. And I don't think telling him reasons why I deserve one the most would work either.
I'd also stop hounding the seller asking to know what they have and asking them to reserve things for you - I imagine they'll soon get sick. I notice they've already said they've had a huge influx of messages.
Check their ebay account daily, bid on what you want, and if you get outbid then tough luck.
I apologise if I've sounded condescending at all - I just think some people are getting a bit over exited and everybody needs a reality check.