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So I just got back from shipping off my collection

Started by shortstack comics,

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shortstack comics

shortstack comics

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So I just got back from the 24 hour fedex/kinko's from shipping out my comic collection. I sold about 3800 books of my 4000 books. I was hoping that it would be freeing, but really, it was just super depressing. :(

 

Now, due to circumstances unforseen, I'm going to focus my collecting and reading on three books. I was planning on going to sdcc next year, but now I'm kind of filled with the thought of "what would be the point?"

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shortstack comics

shortstack comics

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I did it to raise funds to pay off cancer treatments for one of our pups, so it was at least for a good reason. It's just weird/odd/difficult to send off something I've spent more than half my life collecting, taking care off, and moving around. My collection survived multiple of my mothers divorces, me being in college, and even my marraige. It was really hard packing it up because there were strong memories tied to a large number of the books.

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DarkKnightReturns

DarkKnightReturns

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That sucks. Just remember, you can always rebuy stuff in the future if you want it again. I thinks its part of the fun of collecting. I've sold lots of stuff to raise cash or because I didn't think I wanted it anymore than regretted it.

 

Also your puppy would be thanking you if he could talk for doing such a good deed. Hopefully he recovers 100% I'd save my puppy too if I had one over some paper collectables

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Boozad

Boozad

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I can sort of understand how you feel Jason. I just sold one book as I upgraded, and that's gonna make me feel sick when I take it to the PO tomorrow, I love it. So 3800 books going in one swoop must be uber-depressing :(

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Not*Sure*

Not*Sure*

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I have sold my collection before..RMA can attest (I think) to some of my awesome books. I walked away from a lot of books to cut ties with a psycho ex. A LOT of books many more than 4000.

 

Just have some fun building a new collection and the feeling will come back. Go to cons to meet folks too. It helps to have other reasons to go to cons than just books on a list. Plus it's nice to not be bending over in long boxes the entire con. Look up and socialize every now and then!

 

On the very bright side you were doing it for a good cause. Bravo for being unselfish about it. You can feel good about that.

 

There are always books out there just waiting to be found..

 

 

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ComicSupply

ComicSupply

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I am sure that people will troll me and call me names but here are a few stories.

 

In the last few years of buying collections I have been part of a lot of collections like this.

 

I had one customer who sold a collection that was her brother's. He had died in a motorcycle accident and it was the last of his stuff that she was getting rid of.

 

It was about 15 boxes of modern drek. Nothing stellar, I think the best book in the whole thing was maybe a Wolverine #1. I offered her $1000 plus I agreed to pay the $300 shipping charges.

 

This was a SHOCKING insult to her and after a few phone calls we both agreed that the price was more than fair. She pretty much broke down on the phone and was saying that she thought her brother would never forgive her for selling them. I guess they had to pay some bills or what not so I offered to give her the $1000, and hold onto the books for 6 months. At which time if she wanted to, she could have them all back for the $1300. Month's passed and I never got a phone call from her but I remember the conversations we had in the beginning were very heated and angry, which shifted to sadness and crying, and finally acceptance.

 

It was almost as if the path of our conversations took on what we know to be the stages of accepting the death of someone. Strange indeed.

 

I had another customer who sent me 45 long boxes of books that he had collected for some 30 years. The collection was a mess. Each box was alphabetically sorted but this was spread out over the 45 boxes. So, each box would have say, ASM #120-130, then the next box would have ASM #131-140. It didn't make much sense but I don't try to get in their heads.

 

He had to sell to pay for his newly arrived daughter. He didn't want to let them go, and I think that was hard for him but he said he "knew it was time".

 

The strangest collection and by far the best deal I have found yet was from someone who really could have cared less.

 

I bought a collection from an marine that served in Vietnam. He called me up one day and said he had an old box of comics that he wanted $100 for. He told me he had some good old ones but he just didn't care anymore about them. He commented that he took them everywhere with him in the service and he was just sick of carrying them around.

 

He told me that he was either going to take them to the trash, or send them to me. I asked if he had taken them around to some shops and he said they all turned him down. I was a bit worried about that the books would be rags but I said yes anyways.

 

I emailed him some UPS labels and he dropped them off. A few days later they showed up and I couldn't believe that a store would not give him $100 for them. He had a Hulk #2-6,102, Cap 100, Daredevil 1, Thor 126, and so on and so forth. Each and every book was at least a 6.0 and easily it was worth $6-8k.

 

I called him and told him that I couldn't take them at that price and I had to pay him more. I also told him that in all honesty I really couldn't afford them because I was just starting up and I had maybe $1k to be buying comics at the time. I was very honest and told him that what he had was worth way more, and that a fair price from a buyer was more like $4000.

 

We talked for about 3 hours and he asked me questions about how old I was, and how long I had been in business. He told me stories about guy's he knew in the war and how important comics were to a lot of guys back then. I told him that I was just starting out and it was actually my 5th or 6th month in business.

 

I remember him telling me that he was happy that I said "just send them" and that I agreed to pay the price he wanted. He was surprised at how easy it was when all the shops in town told him that they weren't interested in buying them. He told me that 4 or 5 of the stores he called did not even want to see the books.

 

He said he was more than happy to give me a gentle nudge towards making money and that he knew full and well they were worth more but he was happy to see them go to someone who could put them to use. He wished me the best and that was it.

 

A day later I wrote out a check for $500 and mailed it to him. I didn't have a lot of money at the time and I really felt that even though he had agreed on the $100, and even though he told me that he knew they were worth more, I still felt bad.

 

A few week's later I got a letter from him with a check for $400. He had a little note inside that said, "A deal's a deal, remember that"

 

I kept a few books for myself as a reminder that somewhere down the road I need to pay that forward and help someone who is just starting out. His books were the first 200-400 that I listed on the site and I will remember that man very well.

 

Sometime's maybe, just maybe, we have to get rid of things we love for some other purpose.

 

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Not*Sure*

Not*Sure*

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Now back to our real conversation Short Stack sorry you had to let some go..did the pup do OK at least? Is there a silver lining. Sorry for my outburst..I didn't really want to derail YOUR thread..it was not intentional it just happened

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JLA_ALL_THE_WAY

JLA_ALL_THE_WAY

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Now back to our real conversation Short Stack sorry you had to let some go..did the pup do OK at least? Is there a silver lining. Sorry for my outburst..I didn't really want to derail YOUR thread..it was not intentional it just happened

 

Me too.

 

I've had to severely downsize my collection in order to maintain one set, so I feel ya.

 

Rick

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Silver

Silver

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I don't think he derailed the thread, it was an interesting story from the buyers perspective.

 

As to selling your collection, I know how horrible you must feel. I have collected comics since I was 11 (I am now 47). Before joining the military after high school, I sold most of my collection except a few things that weren't valuable anyways.

 

After I got out four years later I decided to start "collecting again" (I had been buying new stuff only) and refocused my collecting interests.

 

While I regret selling some very nice stuff, I have gotten a lot of pleasure from persuing the stuff I collect today.

 

Maybe you will start collecting again :foryou:

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thirdgreenham

thirdgreenham

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It's RMA who almost derailed this thread. :makepoint:

 

Shortstack, sorry to hear that you had to sell them, especially seeing that you didn't want to and that it was so tough for you. :foryou:

 

Russ, I enjoyed your stories and I thought they were very appropriate.

 

Andy

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goldust40

goldust40

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I am becoming very good friends with the notify button.

 

Bet you owe it money too.

 

Hate to point this out, but calling you out for bad business practices and unresolved deals is known as fair comment...so you just go on and nuzzle up to that notify button.

 

Honestly, people have been banned for less here, and here you are throwing your weight around, playing the victim card. That's a hell of a brass neck you have there. You should only be posting that sort of disingenuous bollocks once you've made good on all the transactions that are still outstanding, and not before.

 

Where's that button??

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