Have You Ever Considered Becoming a Part-Time Dealer?

[capt_comics]

I did my first "dealer" show this past week at heroes in NC...

on the $1-$5 stuff, sold about $2500... on the "big $" stuff, did 10x that with 1/100th of the effort...

so, in SDCC this year, you will only see the "big $" stuff at our booth, and I will save the $1 stuff for Megacon next year

 

Well at least we know of someone else in the room that did as much as Earl

 

 

[capt_comics]

Doing shows on a regular basis is a lot of work and time..............but it can be very profitable.......and I wouldn't miss doing it for anything.

 

 

 

my

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Comicopolis]

I was a semi regular seller at the London shows for a couple of years and have dabbled with some dealing on the internet with reasonable success. I'll soon be starting up an online store with Comicopolis to be a proper part time dealer.

 

One thing I'll say is you need to either enjoy doin it (that's me) or be making some decent money because it is hard work and good stock at a cheap price isn't easy to find. I've been selling off a lot of stuff that I've had in my collection for years that I want to upgrade and all the stuff I accumulated in the early days of ebay.

 

[seank]

I've considered doing part-time comic dealing several times. But 30 seconds later my sanity returned and I discarded the idea. I'm happy being a collector and fan.

[rjpb]

I simply don't see the allure of doing shows as a small player. Small shows are slow and big shows are expensive and entail a ton of work. So why insist on doing shows. Raise about $2000 in cash and have another $3-5000 available if needed. Find a collection, buy it for half it's value. Sell it here or on ebay or keep what you want out of it.

 

Wash rinse repeat.

 

There will be $1 books all the way to $1000 books.

 

Are there lots of variables, risks and extra costs associated? Yes.

Is it difficult to find collections and a pain to sell them and all that goes into it? Yes.

 

But its worth it to find a mini collection like this one. I find it quite a rush I have to admit.

 

 

Nice find - and the Showcase #4 doesn't look as toasted as most of the books - excellent!

[paperheart]

where's the crack option?

[DrWatson]

where's the crack option?

I believe Bob Storms has it.

[NewWorldOrder]

I would certainly enjoy working for one of the back issue dealers at SDCC. I would work for comics .

 

You are right about watching your books. We've seen too many threads about comics that have disappeared at comic cons.

 

I'd work for a dealer if I could get to SDCC as well.

 

[NewWorldOrder]

where's the crack option?

I believe Bob Storms has it.

 

(thumbs u

[VintageComics]

where's the crack option?

I believe Bob Storms has it.

 

(thumbs u

 

I have a picture of it in the Vietnamese restaurant.

 

[JWKyle]

No way in hell I would set up at shows or even open up a shop just so my books could get destroyed by some tool. I'm a collector period.

[BaltimoreLauren]

I do it with my dad (somewhat). We sell comics and coins, and surprisingly we do pretty decently with it. I have fun with it too, and since it's just him and I, I don't have to rely on other people to (not do) work!

[CKB]

Nope. Can't say that I have.

Me Either! Huh.

[CKB]

I did my first "dealer" show this past week at heroes in NC...

on the $1-$5 stuff, sold about $2500... on the "big $" stuff, did 10x that with 1/100th of the effort...

so, in SDCC this year, you will only see the "big $" stuff at our booth, and I will save the $1 stuff for Megacon next year

 

I believe the estimable Mr. Storms figured out this way of doing business quite some time ago. Now if I could only get him to sell me the $1-$5 stuff he doesn't want to carry around since I'm too stupid to see that you are both right.

 

[1koko]

Question for the dealers reading the thread - has the dealing changed your view of the books.

 

Have your collecting patterns changed?

 

e.g.If you mainly sell Bronze Age comics have you started collecting Silver and stopped collecting Bronze?

 

 

[User 01001010]

i did one local show (the last one before the promoter stopped pushing them) and i was surprised, i had only drek and still came out ahead a few hundred after the table fee and i wanted to do it again but like i said, he stopped with the shows.

 

j

[the blob]

i'm contemplating some tri-state area (and maybe parts of PA) small shows if the table prices are low enough. i don't think making money at the Big Apple or bigger type show where you're paying $400-$800 a table is doable without a wall of big books or 10 long boxes of VF or better SA and NM- or better (preferably early and key or semi-key) BA to sell.

 

with that said, even the $50-$75 table type show is difficult without a buddy along for the ride to deter shoplifters during bathroom breaks. my father is dead, so he's not around to help me with this sort of thing, my kid brother moved out of town, my best bud is married with 2 kids and a full schedule and i don't imagine dragging my wife and almost 4 year old to do a show for 8 hours.

[Mac Man]

Well, part of this came up from a conversation I had with a dealer at the last show I attended. He's seen me at a large number of the shows where he's set up, and jokingly wondered when he'd see me setting up next to him. He then pointed out a couple of auction houses that often have lots of comics show up and it's where he'll pick up lots for his $1 bin---and once in a moon something decent will be there. I'd imagine the successful dollar bin boxes are those you can pick up filled with the regular mainstream titles like X-Men, ASM, Batman, Tec, and any other title with a charater who's been in the movies the past few years!

[SilverRich]

where's the crack option?

I believe Bob Storms has it.

 

(thumbs u

 

I have a picture of it in the Vietnamese restaurant.

 

 

 

I think I may have been in that restaurant one night...for about 15 minutes.

 

 

 

[BeachBum]

I was in San Diego a few weekends back for my girlfriend's sister's college graduation and stopped in on Jamie at Southern California Comics. What was supposed to be a browsing expedition ending up with Jamie and I talking over 2 hours about the biz. He tried to convince me to get a table at one of the cons and get a feel for dealing books at shows but A) I'm way too busy with my regular business, and B) I have only so much patience for knuckleheads.

 

I guess I'm content subbing books for people around here via PM. This way I can always control who I'm dealing with... less stress.