Purging a collection question

[sd2416]

Ive been thinking about it for a few months now and leaning towards purging most of my books and just keeping the ones I really want to keep.

 

Ive got 48 long boxes and really want to cut that down. Id like to keep a few titles and just unload the rest. These mostly would be 80's, 90's, 2000's titles, runs, minis that I picked up for whatever reason and just have no interest in anymore.

 

I know some of you have done this a time or two and wanted to get input to see what would be the best way to go about this.

 

 

[oakman29]

[Bosco685]

Pick the titles you really appreciated from all of the collection, and keep that portion. Then you won't care whether prices go up or down.

[dupont2005]

The best way is really up to you. What I did was decide what completed sets I love, which incomplete sets I actually want to complete, and which comics I still love reading. Everything else went in the sell pile. I also decided no more super hero comics at all. All I really had left was a handful of Batman and Spiderman comics, and like six longboxes of X-Men and Wolverine related comics. All of it went. I did cheat a little and keep the MCP Weapon X comics. Besides that and Empowered, which is really just a spoof of super hero comics, I think I got rid of them all. I have three longboxes that I will go through again, and I think I can purge at least another longbox out of there.

[Doohickamabob]

I would group them by theme/title/category, then divide them into logical lots that would be appealing for readers/collectors. Then determine realistic prices for each lot (based on average grade, a low or fractional Overstreet value, etc.), and sell them here (in the appropriate Marketplace section) or as Buy-It-Nows on eBay.

 

[Dano]

I miss the days when Joecollector would come around and use this type of thread as the upcoming demise of comic books. Sigh.

 

Dan

[Comicopolis]

Work your way backwards and start selling the ones that mean the least to you.

[shadroch]

i'd fill six or seven long boxes with random books and offer them here as 100 book grab bags. Believe it or not, you'll have fun pulling together various books to send to fellow forumites. You won't make much if anything from it, but its good for your soul.

When they are all gone, repeat it until you are at a number you are okay with keeping.

[BillS25]

The hardest part of liquidating the fodder in a collection is going through, grading, scanning and listing books. Depending on how much you're looking to get this can be simplified by selling the books for $.25, $.50, $.75 and $1.00. The lower the price the more you are able to get away with not posting a scan. When you are grading and scanning everything you will burn out REALLY fast.

 

Even with going back to work I would still like to liquidate about 50% of my collection but going through that many books, scanning etc just make me put the lid back on the boxes and run away

[youfoundjake]

Donate the duplicates.

[gyro-1]

Donate the duplicates.

+1 there are little boys at the childrens hospital that would love them

[dupont2005]

Donate the duplicates.

RMA should donate his duplicates to me

[sd2416]

Work your way backwards and start selling the ones that mean the least to you.

 

Thats what Ive been spending the day doing. Which has turned into reading a ton of books I havent read since I first bought them.

 

As long as I keep my few core runs I should be ok.

[sd2416]

i'd fill six or seven long boxes with random books and offer them here as 100 book grab bags. Believe it or not, you'll have fun pulling together various books to send to fellow forumites. You won't make much if anything from it, but its good for your soul.

When they are all gone, repeat it until you are at a number you are okay with keeping.

 

that may be something to do once (hopefully) the titles start dwindling down.

[sd2416]

The hardest part of liquidating the fodder in a collection is going through, grading, scanning and listing books. Depending on how much you're looking to get this can be simplified by selling the books for $.25, $.50, $.75 and $1.00. The lower the price the more you are able to get away with not posting a scan. When you are grading and scanning everything you will burn out REALLY fast.

 

Even with going back to work I would still like to liquidate about 50% of my collection but going through that many books, scanning etc just make me put the lid back on the boxes and run away

 

Id like to use the $1.00 books to hopefully allow people to get a look at my grading and post pics of books requested or over a certain dollar to avoid burnout.

 

I hate the scanning part. After the puppy "marked" the scanner, I havent had the need or urge to replace it.

[Comicopolis]

Work your way backwards and start selling the ones that mean the least to you.

 

Thats what Ive been spending the day doing. Which has turned into reading a ton of books I havent read since I first bought them.

 

As long as I keep my few core runs I should be ok.

 

I know - it's easy to get distracted by finding something you haven't read in a long time and then forgetting about the scanning and grading as you read the books that are to be sold.

[thehumantorch]

You might consider going through mycomicshop's want list.

[Buzzetta]

Bundle and sell the cheap books in lots and be accurate with descriptions. No need to scan individual books when you have 48 boxes and when you are unloading $1 books. Your pickiest customers will walk away because there are no scans. Someone will pick them up because they simply want to read a good deal.