Share Your Bystander "I Have Old Comics For Sale" Stories

[TheLiamSturgess]

Earlier this year I was in Golden Age Collectibles downtown and I overheard a couple trying to describe an old comic they had for sale - they described it as very shiny. The guy working the desk explained that that was a common thing with books from the 90's, and that they could check the Overstreet Price Guide to see what the comic was worth. They said they would go buy one. I couldn't help but think they were about to go waste $35 on a guide they would use once and discover their comic was worth $2.

[Comicdey]

I actually went to Greg White's in Kissimmee a few years back when I was traveling on vacation. An older lady came in with two brown paper grocery bags of comics to sell. He looked through them quickly without taking them out of the bags and offered her a few hundred bucks. She left then he proceeded to take out the comics. Showcase 1 up, B&B 1 up, GL 1 up, JLA 1 up etc. It was the motherlode of 1954-1964 DC runs in varying condition. The Showcase 4 has the flash cut out of the cover, so I asked him how much, and he nonchalantly looked it over and priced it over $1,000. ::

 

I didn't ask about any other books, and went on my way.

 

Funny little business he runs in a trailer on him momma's property. Guess he has a decent sized warehouse full of stuff somewhere. Decent group of old books, but his reputation precides him.

[InvstmntComcSuply]

Some interesting stories here...some interesting things that don't seem to change is the fact that folks with books REALLY don't understand some of the basic nature of condition impacts grade, knowing what is truly in demand...and generally expecting the LCS to give them a fair shake (which simply cannot happen because they must turn a profit and pay for the lights etc).

 

That is completely false.

 

Just because they must turn a profit and pay bills does not prevent any retail establishment from offering fair prices for collectibles. Also just because they do not offer the same price that they end up selling them at, does not mean that they are not giving the seller a "fair shake".

 

Just because there are many unscrupulous folks in business does not mean that all of them are unscrupulous.

[thehumantorch]

Some interesting stories here...some interesting things that don't seem to change is the fact that folks with books REALLY don't understand some of the basic nature of condition impacts grade, knowing what is truly in demand...and generally expecting the LCS to give them a fair shake (which simply cannot happen because they must turn a profit and pay for the lights etc).

 

That is completely false.

 

Just because they must turn a profit and pay bills does not prevent any retail establishment from offering fair prices for collectibles. Also just because they do not offer the same price that they end up selling them at, does not mean that they are not giving the seller a "fair shake".

 

Just because there are many unscrupulous folks in business does not mean that all of them are unscrupulous.

 

Gotta agree. A retail store must make a profit and can't come close to retail.

Anyone taking their books to a retail store will compensate the store for their

experience, expenses and effort to sell the collection. On the other side, paying

far, far less than market value is ripping the seller off.

[Mike's Rack]

I was in my LCS a couple weeks ago and two shady looking young men, late teens/early 20's came in with a bag of their "dad's" comics and wanted a price. In the bag was a high grade runs of Batman issues in the 20's and several other high grade GA keys. I left but later learned that the batch was stolen. I know LCS did not buy it but I don't know what happened to the books. I'm still waiting to hear the "rest of the story."

[sterlingcomics]

Some interesting stories here...some interesting things that don't seem to change is the fact that folks with books REALLY don't understand some of the basic nature of condition impacts grade, knowing what is truly in demand...and generally expecting the LCS to give them a fair shake (which simply cannot happen because they must turn a profit and pay for the lights etc).

 

That is completely false.

 

Just because they must turn a profit and pay bills does not prevent any retail establishment from offering fair prices for collectibles. Also just because they do not offer the same price that they end up selling them at, does not mean that they are not giving the seller a "fair shake".

 

Just because there are many unscrupulous folks in business does not mean that all of them are unscrupulous.

 

Your mileage may vary. Odds are, a person selling a book here or on a consignment site at auction would likely receive a better price than what a shop would pay as the "middle man" is more or less eliminated. Simple economics really. It wasn't meant to insinuate that a LCS would "rip" someone off.