cigars&comix

wow - i was thinking 5.0 - not fair if you think about it - rest of book is really nice. but thanks for input..

Experts - how would you grade this book? looks like squirrel or rodent bites - otherwise book is perfectly fine and can pass for 7.5-8.0. How much does this affect the grade? What should I grade this at?

exactly because first you need to upload the image to your server or whatever you are using to host the images - then copy and paste link into TL. If im doing that already i might as well upload direct to ebay.

Thanks - yes i recently downloaded turbo lister again ( i removed it about a year ago). it still works. The "publisher" thing is from ebay , not turbo lister. i dont find it much easier to list with TL as i need to copy and paste 'html item description' for each listing and copy and paste 'image urls'. it takes about the same time to just list 1 by 1 on ebay single listing.

Hi eBay Sellers, Does eBay have a Bulk Upload listing feature for Comics? If not can someone recommend an inexpensive (or free) 3rd party software that will save me time. Thanks

thats a great call - keep us posted.

Im not sure how ebay nominates a Top Seller. I was recently made a Top Seller, but I only offer returns on some items (non-comic), but all my comics now are no return policy. And my shipping times are 4 day processing.

this has sold between $50-110 in recent ebay sales for 5.0 condition. so you did ok

Hi 1- Id like to know how the experts would grade this book? 2 - I took these images with my samsung 8+. What do you guys think of these images?i was debating to switch to a scanner but still deciding.

Ebay Comic Sellers : Do you offer returns: Yes or No? If yes, what would you estimate your return rate is? (and do returns vary depending on the type of listing)

I plan to read it when i have time @wikked. FYI Im pursuing this as a side part-time business until I either get sick of it or love it so much that i do it full time. may take a few years to decide. 50k gross isnt too shaby. nice work . And your right on with "Its determining what to scan vs selling in bulk. Grading while the book is out of the bag. Organizing the books and knowing where they are. That takes up the time and can't be outsourced for cheap."

Im glad I stirred up all these opinions, thats exactly what I was looking for. A strong side business is sounding much more appealing. I think my next post will be on just that...

Yes - I would be all engrossed in the business, including hiring someone to list for me, thats a given. I once had 10 employees under my belt so I know how to delegate.. Thanks for the concise and 'to the point' reply.

Woke up to some great replies thanks guys especially @the blob. I was always taught theres no such thing as a stupid question, so i started participating on this forum with stupid questions. I'll tell you about one deal that had I been established with some capital this wouldve been a home run. To keep it short - it was from a guy who inherited this collection of 11,000 books - all SA or BA, and he was clueless to the value of comics. The deceased was a true collector, with many slabbed books. When I spoke to him, he said he had offers of 6k, then 9k, then 11k, so he started thinking they may be worth something. He put together a list of the first 2000 books and it was amazing - $100-500 books everywhere and some 1k and up. I never looked at the collection as it was out of my league. I was trying to get him to sell me 100 books but he wasnt interested. Had I been in the business, I would have driven over with an offer of 30k-40k and assessed what he had. I kept in touch with him, a local comic shop told him to go to an auction house and thats what he did. This was after 2 weeks of me restarting my hobby just a few months ago. I came across a smaller deal after, also too big for me. This 2500 book deal was within my current budget so i went for it. These deals prompted to ask myself - hmmm, is there a constant flow of these deals on the market? can i make a business out of this? etc. For those who keep mentioning me quitting work...Im playing with the idea and not quitting my day job to sell comics, but to go to another day job. Thank you all so far.

deal!

nah lets be realistic 9.4 and i'll be ok. and who needs a stack. 3 or 4 copies is fine.. gee whiz that was such a funny reply, hold on im rolling on the floor now...

Thank @Tony S the B question was just to get a feel - wasnt expecting anybody to offer their tax returns for me to peruse. Just ball park numbers. But it was kind of a dumb question on my part. Anyway thanks for the advice. I am a top seller on ebay in jewelry, comics and other items and over 5100 feedbacks - so i have some experience in this. Everybody got caught up on the $4 a book thing. Guys i just bought this lot - i have no idea whats in there, maybe itll average out to a lot more. Its like 20 boxes all mixed bronze , silver and some modern. I agree that the effort for a $5 book and a $50 or 500 book is the same. my goal is the latter.

great smart reply - thanks. i guess my first challenge is to see how fast i can get back my investment on this newest batch...

Thank you @ Pontoon for putting all that effort to look into my profile. I didnt think I was that important I know Im not ready to be full-time - thats why im asking these questions. By the way - that last post of mine you quoted "counting unbagged comics" - that was my score on these 2500 books. mostly bronze. I just started going through them. First 12 books i pull out are Detective Comics 397-408 (yes including #400) all in FN/VF more or less. not bad for a newbie.

..as i said conservatively, maybe 20k no idea. i havent even looked through them all. there may be a hulk 181 in there for all i know. i just got it yesterday. and thats just one small deal that i bought. Also if you read my post - i am leaving my day job regardless, so i am at a cross roads of how to handle the comics potential - thats all. I had my own importing business for 17 years before this job so i have a handle on how running a business works..

Yes i need to get more familiar with the boards, part of my "time" problem. Conservatively, i think i can get 8-10k for the 2500 books with nice margins and not out-pricing myself.

From the start Im telling you this is a loaded question. Also, this post is geared towards seasoned sellers doing 100K a year or more in sales.. Ive started collecting again after many years, but more on the business side of things, buying and selling comics. I spend about 5-10 hours a weeks depending on the week, as i have a 9-6 regular job. Ive picked up a knack on getting great deals for books, and have actually passed up some great deals simply because i either didnt have space or the time to dedicate to it. As it is i have about 2500 raw books that i need to bag, board and list for sale. Could potentially take me months to get around to. Im actually thinking of leaving my 9-6 job for various reasons and before I transition into something new i was wondering (the question) A- How much potential there is to grow my comic business? Like can i sell 100k a year just on ebay? B- And if anyone has a clue as to what kind of volume are the small, medium, and large dealers are doing? Your input is much appreciated.

Thank you all so far for your replies! @kav your list doesnt show up

Im open. Even if Im not interested in a particular character, I'll purchase it for value/investment purposes..

Is there a list / website that i can get a list of key issues from the last 20-30 years in Marvel and DC? I know key issue is subjective but since I only recently got back into collecting I have some catching up to do to add to my collection. Or if anyone just wants to chime in with recommendations I'll start my own list... Thanks