Imagine This (Part 2)

[Alawson453]

What do I do with all these comics?

 

Ok, so now that you have all hopefully read Part 1, let's move along. Now I have this store which was "The Oldest Used Bookstore In Las Vegas" at the time. But all I really wanted was the comics

 

Now I had never really been in awe of much of anything in my life, but let me tell you guys I really didn't know what to do next.

 

It worked out that after about 6 months I actually made enough money to totally pay myself back for the purchase price of the business.

 

During that year I had to ask myself, what do I do with all of these comics. Keep in mind the year is 1991 and comic values are maybe about 10% of present day prices. So I was going to be lucky go get $150 for a near mint copy of Silver Surfer #1.

 

My first order of business was to blowout all of my lower grade comics. So I started selling to some of the mail order dealers who were extremely excited to purchase large quantities of mid-grade 60's & 70's Marvel & DC. I would just pack a box up each month and ship them out to a couple of the ones I had built up a rapport with and they would send me a check lightning fast.

 

This helped free up some space and get rid of books that I really didn't need to hold onto.

 

Next, I decided to start selling at Los Angeles Science Fiction & Comic Book Convention. I packed up about 3000 nice books but not the best. I would start with my lowest graded books which were still nicer than a lot of the dealers in the room had access to.

 

My first show was a huge success! I made a ton of money before the show was even half over and I also made one of my most important contacts ever in meeting Mr. Terry O'Neill owner of Terry's Comics. Terry made me an offer for everything I had left which was very generous. Keep in mind that I would be able to replace 80-90% of the books I sold that day with better copies and sell at the next show the following month

 

This went on for the next 20 years believe it or not. And I still love doing that show when I have the chance, just to run into some of the guys that I have come to know and deal with over the years.

 

On top of all of the comics there were also a ton of magazines that covered all genre's. There were runs of Creepy, Eerie, Famous Monsters of Filmland, Savage Sword, Savage Tales and Many more including a ton of the Eerie Publications Mags. All of the mags were in beautiful condition with multiples on many issues(80% of which I still have). I always thought the pricing on Mags were way to low so I held on to most of them.

 

I was able to sell the FM #1 Fine condition to Steve Dolnick for what was a pretty good price back in 1991

 

Ok, so as the years passed and prices started to increase. I started to make more money selling fewer comics. I didn't jump in right away as I should have with having books slabbed (big mistake). By this time though I had already sold most of the key books from the store purchase. Hey, they helped pay the bills and that was more important at the time.

 

Think I will stop here for tonight and try and wrap this up tomorrow. I'm throwing in a few pics of a couple books I had handy and will try and load more later. Enjoy!

 

See more journals by Dre

[Alawson453]

As I said I'm partial to black covers! Sorry for the upside down pic I'll try and load more later. I actually tried to replace this one with another with no success So I guess your stuck with Secret Six #6 (think I still have a couple of these left).

[Tnerb]

I am loving this story. My father was going to open either a comic book shop in the eighties of a fancy gift shop. Guess which one he picked. It's funny though because the shop that he did open was around the corner from Fat Jack's ComicCrypt which was also the distributor for a time in the area and everytime we walk by that store my father is reminded, as he called it, the $150,000 mistake.

[Alawson453]

Tnerb it's funny, my dad didn't like that I was so wrapped up in comics as a kid and would not even give me money to buy them if we at the store. I'm talking 20 cents a comic at the time He finally came around years later after he saw that I was making a little profit on most of the books I bought and sold.

[Alawson453]

Tomorrow's post will also have an amazing flashback from one of my trips to The Book Rack.

[surfer99]

Man, it would be so cool to have those best of the best comics today and send them off to CGC, or maybe you already have. Guess I'll have to wait to find out.

 

 

[SW3D]

You definitely have a few of us salivating like a hungry dog!

 

Do you think owning a comic book store this day and age is profitable?

 

Tnerb, Surfer99... and anyone else reading... maybe we should pool our resources together and open a comic book store?

 

Can u imagine the inventory we would have and the fun selling to our customers at the store and at shows?

 

And imagine if like Pacific Comics... start our very own publishing house?

 

Wouldn't that be something?

 

SW3D

[meshuggah]

Your story is truly awesome. I'm not really sure what I would do had I crossed an opportunity like this. You could go all Big Daddy from Kick on it. Selling comics to fund your life as a super hero. Not that I would have much to contribute but SW3D's idea is pretty awesome.

[Alawson453]

To be totally honest this was actually my 2nd venture as a store owner I opened a little comic book store in 1986 called Estate Comics. I used my own collection that I had put together since I was a kid with all of the usual TTA 27, Amazing 15, X-men 1 up and regretted it because I sold off some really great books and never really made the fortune I had hoped to It's so much more fun just selling at shows.

 

However I really would love to have the cash to have a store as a big man cave like the show Comic Book Guys. I don't think it matters if those guys make a dime, I just envy but remember the fun that you can have always talking comics to customers and guys who just refuse to go home and will always hang out with you and talk comics.

 

There was always a conversation that started off with "who do you think would win in a battle between". You just gotta love guys that geek out in a comic book store. "Nuff Said"

[SW3D]

I'm glad you liked my ideas.

 

I would give 1000 percent... my blood, sweat, and tears to any company I may have a piece of the action... especially a comic book store and publishing house.

 

Can u imagine the brilliant ideas for sales marketing we could come up with?

I mean we are all fan boys... and we speak the passioned language other fan boys speak.

 

God... if we pooled our resources, talents, and energy... no one would stop us!

 

And I would have no qualms working my butt off to achieve lofty goals... especially when it comes to publishing our very own comic book. Damn that would be a dream come true!

 

SW3D

[meshuggah]

Im with you sw3d. Biggest problems are the spread out locations of everyone. Being in the military makes it hard for me. But this would be a job I'd love and wouldn't even feel like work most days.