Questions re: selling/packaging/shipping comics.

[ZodiacMindwarp1-migration]

Before I ask my questions, I want to let you know that I have been reading these boards for the last 3 days and the knowledge, camaraderie and passion for collecting that exists here is absolutely amazing. My favorite thread is the one on the general board re: "my father's vintage collection." Excellent detective work. I have also enjoyed seeing collectors' favorite covers. I am not a collector but I have over 1,500 comics that I plan on listing on ebay eventually so I have to ask these questions:

 

1. Being unfamiliar with the grading of comic books, what is important to list in terms of condition? All of the books are modern, worth little individually, were read once and then bagged with boards.

 

2. What is the best way to package comics for shipping? The auctions may be for 1 comic, 10, 25, 50, 100 or even up to 175.

 

3. What is the appropriate amount to charge for shipping for the above amounts and the best way to ship? The boxes really weigh a lot so I would expect that it's pretty expensive.

 

I thank you in advance for your responses. The rest of the post will be boring to most so feel free to skip it.

 

When I was young, I did collect comic books. The first Sunday of every month, my parents would drive me to a comic book/baseball card show in the basement of a hotel. There were about 40 tables and the same dealers would be there month after month. I would host yard sales all summer to make money and I usually had between $10 to $20 to spend on new releases, back issues and baseball cards and it didn't go very far. I ended up selling all of my comics to focus on baseball cards. I see that my Moonknights and Dazzlers are cheaper today than when I originally bought them and Kamandi, Last Boy on Earth can still be picked up cheaply. My old Fantastic Fours and X-Men comics would probably be worth a nice bit today though. Years passed before I read my next comic, Wolverine #50. I had loved the character from my X-Men days and the cover looked cool so I picked it up. Being what I think you guys refer to as a completist (and what my wife calls obsessive), I started filling in back issues. Then I started to discover other titles and I had shops putting them away for me. I would stop in about twice a year to pick up 100 or so books and spend the next few days getting caught up. It got to the point where I was buying the books, putting them aside and never getting a chance to read them. At that point, I stopped buying them. I considered myself a reader, not a collector, so when I lost interest in reading them it didn't make sense to acquire any more. I now have over 1,600 comics that are probably worth less than 25% of what I paid for them but I enjoyed reading some very good story lines. Anyway, that it how a "non-collector" has that many comics and any advice on how to sell them would be appreciated.

 

Whew. Well, maybe nobody will read this but it felt good to type it. Good luck to everybody with their collecting.

[BachelorOfComix]

Welcome dude! Nice to have you on board.

[Illiterati-migration]

I want to let you know that I have been reading these boards for the last 3 days and the knowledge, camaraderie and passion for collecting that exists here is absolutely amazing.

 

You sure you've been reading these boards??

 

And as far as answers to your questions, allow me to give you the "canned" responses and you can work your way from there:

 

1.) Forumites say: "Condition is EVERYTHING. Buy an Overstreet Grading Guide."

Khaos sez: "Condition is EVERYTHING, but Moderns are worth NOTHING. Do the math."

 

2.) Forumites say: "Boxes are good. Buy sturdy ones from Office Depot, and shipping is ex-pen-sive!"

Khaos sez: "Boxes are good. Loot the free ones from the post office. Huge shipping costs will only hurt your final sales on your auctions. Nobody wants to pay way more in shipping than they did on the item."

 

3.) Forumites say: "Ask Lighthouse."

Khaos sez: "Screw 'House! (Ask 'House.)"

[deathlok]

Welcome to the boards!

 

On E-bay, unless it's a key issue or an issue whose value is over $10, I would auction 10-20 comics at a time. Most people who are looking for this issues are the ones who want fillers for ones they are missing, or they just want the storyline. This amount of issues also keeps shipping costs down.

[garthgantu]

I'm not a fan of modern (post-1980) comics, so I won't comment on your other questions...but as for shipping, the less you're able to charage buyers (without spending your own $), the better. I recommend Media Mail or Bound Printed Matter as the best methods available for comics like yours... the Post Office has started cracking down a bit on Media Mail as a shipping method for comics (technically, it appears comics are verboten for MM), but Bound Printed Matter is about the same (low) rate. *Just be sure to write "Do Not Discard" on the package, because some things sent via BPM are junkmail and are tossed if they can't be delivered. Your items should all be deliverable, but just in case...