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Flipping Books vs. Just Collecting

Started by SuperbeastCraig,

44 posts in this topic

THB

THB

Posted
Posted

I collect and read. Sometimes the books get hot and I will let some go. If I hear and see a trend beginning I will go seek out some books locally to sell to fund other purchases. I also observe what some other well respected board members are doing and take it from there. TBH there is a lot of speculating going on but the print runs at least can't destroy the comic market this time around. That's my 2 cents.

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Dr. Balls

Dr. Balls

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Posted
I'm kind of torn on this subject lately. I like the idea of buy a small stack of what could be a popular title to flip them for profit. I'm always toying with the idea of just buying a copy of what I like for myself and leaving it at that. Is there anyone that prefers one way of collecting over the other?

 

I attempt to do that, but only with three or four titles. I don't go too crazy. But, I rarely read indy stuff, so I buy those purely to speculate - the books I want to read, I only buy one of and I keep it, not worried about dumping it unless it sucks.

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the blob

the blob

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It's tough to make a lot of profit on the latest hot title. What do you do? Buy 20 + copies of everything that you think will turn a profit and then cross your fingers? It probably can be done if you're discerning but I'm way to lazy for that and I prefer to just buy and read what I like.

But good luck with it (thumbs u

 

It's more a matter of finding what is hot and finding the store that still has the book on the rack, otherwise you are going to get repeatedly burned I could have picked up 50 copies of TOT 1 two fridays after it came out, for example, from a shop that clearly doesn't have a lot of speculators shopping there (they don't sell back issues). Just bought 1 (dumb!) because on my phone it looked like it looked like it was only hitting $4-$6 on ebay. I think it exploded like a week later or something and they were gone the next friday when i came back. Could have paid for my kid's summer camp...grrr...uhg!

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the blob

the blob

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I collect 99% of what i buy.

 

I don't mind flippers per se, i just find it frustrating when these people buy up every copy of a hot book to profit at the expense of collectors who would just like one copy for their collection.

 

Case in point, i would love a NM Hulk 271 now with all the Guardians hype to read and own but thanks to the flippers the book is priced ridiculously for a common copper Hulk 2 whole years before the movie even comes out.

Wait untill after the Guardians of the Galaxy movie,as the price will go down.

Anybody remember Tales of Suspense #97 prices before the Iron Man #2 movie?

The prices have dropped on them. The same thing will happen to Hulk 271. imho

 

I probably have a short box of Hulk coppers and I'm pretty sure I don't own that one...because I never would have bought it because the cover looks so stupid.

 

I wonder if that was a disaster on the newstand and a lot of them got returned (or in the shop setting, many got tossed in the 25 cent box to be trashed) making it a bit harder to find than 270 and 272?

 

Oh well, stupid me.

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Dr. Balls

Dr. Balls

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It's more a matter of finding what is hot and finding the store that still has the book on the rack. I could have picked up 50 copies of TOT 1 two fridays after it came out, for example, from a shop that clearly doesn't have a lot of speculators shopping there (they don't sell back issues). Just bought 1 (dumb!) because it looked like it was only hitting $4-$5 on ebay. I think it exploded like a week later or something and they were gone the next friday when i came back. Could have paid for my kid's summer camp...grrr...uhg!

 

Using this very example, I picked up three sets of ToT for a few months (1-5) at cover price (because everyone was talking about them online, but no one at my LCS surfs the internet) - and I sold each set for around $90 each three months later.

 

Sure, it would have been great to buy 20 copies of each - but if you subscribe to that mentality, you've probably got stacks of Fatale or Alpha Girl chewing up any profit you would have made on ToT.

 

I'd much rather buy a few to see what happens and be pleasantly surprised with some good profit that can be made. If it doesn't, I'm out a couple of bucks - no harm, no foul.

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John Grumbledook

John Grumbledook

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I like to buy silver age books, have them for a year, press them (maybe cgc for higher grades) then sell them for 10% more than what i put in, then use that to buy a higher grade of the same book..

that way you keep moving up the ladder from 4.0 to 5.0 to 6.0 to hopefully 8.0 eventually.

except for the issues i bought as a kid, those i keep.

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Hamlet

Hamlet

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I generally buy stuff out of dollar boxes because I believe that I could flip it for a few dollars.

 

However, I am generally too lazy to actually sell those books, so I just keep accumulating them.

 

 

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oakman29

oakman29

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I keep em all, even undercopies after upgrading. I've only ever bought one book to flip, and it's one of about five books I've ever sold, period.

I'm the same way,just can't let anything go.I love them all. (thumbs u

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lizards2

lizards2

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I keep em all, even undercopies after upgrading. I've only ever bought one book to flip, and it's one of about five books I've ever sold, period.

I'm the same way,just can't let anything go.I love them all. (thumbs u

Try actively collecting for 40 years - something has to give. :(
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rodan57

rodan57

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I like to buy silver age books, have them for a year, press them (maybe cgc for higher grades) then sell them for 10% more than what i put in, then use that to buy a higher grade of the same book..

that way you keep moving up the ladder from 4.0 to 5.0 to 6.0 to hopefully 8.0 eventually.

except for the issues i bought as a kid, those i keep.

 

I now see the problem with my strategy of buying at all-time GPA highs. :makepoint:

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oakman29

oakman29

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I keep em all, even undercopies after upgrading. I've only ever bought one book to flip, and it's one of about five books I've ever sold, period.

I'm the same way,just can't let anything go.I love them all. (thumbs u

Try actively collecting for 40 years - something has to give. :(
I've been collecting about that time. :preach:
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Mephisto

Mephisto

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Ideally I would do that, but I can't seem to part with the comics I have. I missed the boat on selling high for my 9.8 ASM 300 and Ultimate spiderman 1 white variant when they both were over a grand a piece. Kind of regret it now but happy to still have them.

 

ASM 300 could bounce back around the time the Venom solo movie is due out.

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