how much $ have you made/lost on your comic collection?

[johnnycoolxx]

I recently got a good deal on an FF 48 and I was thinking that I hit the jackpot but as I was putting it away, I glanced at all the cheap modern stuff I have nearby. I was wondering how much money the ordinary collector here spends on his collection versus what he can actually get for it on ebay. Because even if you made a few hundred dollars on a sale, that would only be making up for new comics that you bought for full price that you cant sell (like Spawn in the 90s or even that new copy of Y the last man). For example, I buy about $20 worth of comics every week--titles like Daredevil, ASM, etc.-- and I know Im probably never going to be able to sell those. I get all happy when I buy a silver age ASM for 30% off but even if I sold it for full price, Id still wouldnt make a profit really. I'd just be making up for the money I lost on that new copy of Daredevil and the other stuff I bought from the comic shop.

So I was wondering, how much do you think youve spent on old and new comics over the years, and how much can you realistically sell them for?

[shrunkenhead]

Hmm...well, unless I've recently upgraded a book or am in desperate need of a quick cash fix (I sold a bunch of really nice stuff 5 months back to finance my honeymoon), I generally don't sell my highgrade CGC comics. That's not to say that I won't ever sell them, but I think it's a pretty good rule of thumb not to try to sell a highgrade book for at least 3 to 5 years after you initially purchase it. If it's a nice book, you probably paid too much, particuarly on ebay, where you only win a book because you're willing to pay more for it than anybody else. So naturally, if you tried to flip it right away, you're more likely than not to take a loss.

 

This rule of thumb of course excludes moderns, which are more likely to run hot and cold in the course of a few months. I don't play around with those at all.

 

Here's a suggestion with what to do with that 20 bucks a week you're spending: STOP WASTING it on moderns at the LCS! Think about it...that's 80 bucks a month...tuck that away for 3 months and you could buy yourself some fantastic bronze or some nice silver...maybe even some upper-midgrade GA. That would make a much more satisfying and meaningful addition to your collection than a truckload of spawns or whatever the hell else. If you can't live without that new DD, wait awhile for it and all the other moderns you've stopped buying to show up in a huge lot on ebay for pennies on the dollar. People are dumping these books all the time just to get the feedback rating.

 

Just my suggestion...

[rob_react]

Here's a suggestion with what to do with that 20 bucks a week you're spending: STOP WASTING it on moderns at the LCS! Think about it...that's 80 bucks a month...tuck that away for 3 months and you could buy yourself some fantastic bronze or some nice silver...maybe even some upper-midgrade GA. That would make a much more satisfying and meaningful addition to your collection than a truckload of spawns or whatever the hell else.

 

To you maybe. I love new comic day. I don't look at it as a "waste" at all.

[Jayman]

Here's a suggestion with what to do with that 20 bucks a week you're spending: STOP WASTING it on moderns at the LCS! Think about it...that's 80 bucks a month...tuck that away for 3 months and you could buy yourself some fantastic bronze or some nice silver...maybe even some upper-midgrade GA. That would make a much more satisfying and meaningful addition to your collection than a truckload of spawns or whatever the hell else.

 

To you maybe. I love new comic day. I don't look at it as a "waste" at all.

 

Absolutely agree! Some of us still love new comics. Even though I pretty much know what's coming out every week, I still get a thrill checking out the "wall"!

[shrunkenhead]

Well, hey, it's just my strategy, I admit it wouldn't work for everybody. It just seemed to me that johnny was perhaps having some mixed feelings about those weekly modern purchases, so I chimed in. I used to enjoy new comic day, too, but at some point I think it's a good idea to narrow your focus and specify your personal collecting goals, especially since I'm hardly a Rockefeller (not suggesting that anyone else here is). For me, that need to streamline meant dumping the moderns, or at least buying them megacheap on ebay a few months later.

 

For some, the focus of their collecting is solely on moderns, and there's nothing wrong with that. But if you're looking for books that will hold their value, moderns are not the way to go. And, for many collectors--and I count myself among them---looking at a large stack of moderns and musing over the money I'll never get back was emotionally deflating and bummed me out about my involvement in the hobby in general.

 

So I dumped my modern habit. So be it.

[rob_react]

$100-150 a month on new books and trades isn't really the sort of outlay that will knock me out the hobby.

[deathlok]

[Aman619]

...but it is sobering to realize how much we blow on new comics. I try to get as big a discount as I can every LCS I frequent. But I still feel a bit silly as I exit the store realizing that the $60 bucks I just spent is now worth about $4....! And maybe less considering the condition these brand new and already mangled comics are already in...

[*paull*]

$100-150 per month? I don't even spend that in a whole year on new books.

[Jayman]

Well, hey, it's just my strategy, I admit it wouldn't work for everybody. It just seemed to me that johnny was perhaps having some mixed feelings about those weekly modern purchases, so I chimed in. I used to enjoy new comic day, too, but at some point I think it's a good idea to narrow your focus and specify your personal collecting goals, especially since I'm hardly a Rockefeller (not suggesting that anyone else here is). For me, that need to streamline meant dumping the moderns, or at least buying them megacheap on ebay a few months later.

 

For some, the focus of their collecting is solely on moderns, and there's nothing wrong with that. But if you're looking for books that will hold their value, moderns are not the way to go. And, for many collectors--and I count myself among them---looking at a large stack of moderns and musing over the money I'll never get back was emotionally deflating and bummed me out about my involvement in the hobby in general.

 

So I dumped my modern habit. So be it.

 

shrunken,

Totaly understandable! Number one rule is definitly collect within your means. I still read and enjoy current monthly titles so for me it isn't a waste.

[rob_react]

...but it is sobering to realize how much we blow on new comics. I try to get as big a discount as I can every LCS I frequent. But I still feel a bit silly as I exit the store realizing that the $60 bucks I just spent is now worth about $4....!

 

I really don't think about it. I spend way too much time as it is thinking about $$ and comics, if I walked into the LCS every week and started to mix entertainment and value I'd be doomed. The way I figure it, I don't factor in resale value when I buy Magazines, DVDs or video games, why do something different with new books?

[rjpb]

My LCS gives a 30% discount but doesn't carry all the alternative/specialty stuff - although they will order it for me, but I usually pay full retail for that stuff at another store. Still, I probably spend around $80 a month on new books and comic related magazines & hardbacks - maybe a grand a year, and I don't consider it a waste even though most of what I buy will never be worth what I paid for it. After all, I don't expect to get a financial return on my satelite TV, DVD rental, movie ticket, magazine subscription, and non-comicbook reading expenditures, so anything I make from selling newer comics I no longer want is gravy.

 

Vintage comics are another story, and I've bought much more than I have sold in the last 20 years, but I take comfort in the knowldege that when I have sold, I've usually made a profit, and only rarely have lost money. I wish I could say the same for the stock market.

[rob_react]

shrunken,

Totaly understandable! Number one rule is definitly collect within your means. I still read and enjoy current monthly titles so for me it isn't a waste.

 

That's what it's really all about- buying what you like (and doing so within your means.) If people get enjoyment out of new books every week, then it's not a waste. It might not be the best "investment" but if everything in life came down to investment potential I'd be screwed (based solely on the amount of money I spend on food and wine )

[jbud73]

I recently got a good deal on an FF 48 and I was thinking that I hit the jackpot but as I was putting it away, I glanced at all the cheap modern stuff I have nearby. I was wondering how much money the ordinary collector here spends on his collection versus what he can actually get for it on ebay. Because even if you made a few hundred dollars on a sale, that would only be making up for new comics that you bought for full price that you cant sell (like Spawn in the 90s or even that new copy of Y the last man). For example, I buy about $20 worth of comics every week--titles like Daredevil, ASM, etc.-- and I know Im probably never going to be able to sell those. I get all happy when I buy a silver age ASM for 30% off but even if I sold it for full price, Id still wouldnt make a profit really. I'd just be making up for the money I lost on that new copy of Daredevil and the other stuff I bought from the comic shop.

So I was wondering, how much do you think youve spent on old and new comics over the years, and how much can you realistically sell them for?

 

So johnny wants to get down to the crux of the matter does he

 

Well are you a collector, or are you a dealer? It isn't even that simple. Are you a fan of the medium or a speculator who knows that Batman 232 will sell for X $$ in X grade - but have never heard of Denny O'Neill? - Maybe you know the answer to both questions.

 

Can you remember the first line to "Anatomy Lesson" with or are you losing sleep over when to dump your SOTST 37 - to close to the movie too far removed. Does the anticipation on walking onto your LCS every week give you a junkie rush - does the trepidation of picking with books to spec. give you junkie sweats? What price can you tag on knowing the entire history of Daredevil from 1-380, undestanding the nuance changes of the story and art - how would you ever know this if you decided to stop buying new comics with issue 157 because it was like flushing money down the toilet? So take a good look and your question will answer itself -why do you associate yourself with the medium.........

 

Wait Ill go first - I have 15K examples of the modern urban legends displayed in pamphlet art and story. When I was 12 I could walk to the spinner racks in an LCS and name the cover artist on 90% of the new issues there - not counting the mature independents I wasnt allowed to purchase. I can hold my own with pretty much anyone in a discussion about the comics medium. I make very little profit from that knowledge, but save myself an immense amount of money every year. I will soon have a full run of Uncanny X-Men in very respectable grade sitting next to my fun run of Groo the Wanderer and both equally.

 

You can compare yourself to other collectors ad naseum but you will always come up with more satisfying answers if you think about why you collect and pursue those thoughts. Someone roll another................

[sandman-migration]

The way I figure it, I don't factor in resale value when I buy Magazines, DVDs or video games, why do something different with new books?

 

i agree totally!! one could try to look at comics at least as 2 categories: investment or entertainment. when i dump my Moderns, they usually start at $1 just to cover the time to meet my buyers.

[Kermit the frog]

You can compare yourself to other collectors ad naseum but you will always come up with more satisfying answers if you think about why you collect and pursue those thoughts.

 

That's what it's really all about- buying what you like (and doing so within your means.) If people get enjoyment out of new books every week, then it's not a waste. It might not be the best "investment" but if everything in life came down to investment potential I'd be screwed (based solely on the amount of money I spend on food and wine )

 

These are imho the comments that better resume why i love reading/collecting comics...unfornutelly not much people around these boards show spontaneouslly this kind of attitude/philosophy.

 

If people only think on money, making money, getting money...why not move to "serious/high investisements"?!

 

With the comics community being so small and the big chunck of the hard core fans being mostly moved nowadays for the big $$$, it ain't no surprise the return of variants/speculations and other gimmicks...and in the end people criticize these marketing manouvers, when the purpose/meaning of a lot of fans are simply reduced to the "marketing/capitalism behaviour".

 

Comics were meant to be read/shared/discussed and whenever possible respected...if your impulse while entering on a LCS is different from this, just stop wasting money and chose another "hobby".

 

regards

[fantastic_four]

These are imho the comments that better resume why i love reading/collecting comics...unfornutelly not much people around these boards show spontaneouslly this kind of attitude/philosophy.

 

If people only think on money, making money, getting money...why not move to "serious/high investisements"?!

 

You seem to be obsessing more on OTHER people's fixation on money than I've ever seen anybody around here directly obsess about making money themselves. Who here is thinking "money, making money, getting money" like you say? Just because we think and post about it doesn't mean that's all we care about. With the exception of dealers, I'd say the majority of us here who are into flipping comics are motivated to do it to help grow our collections. Unless you're already rich, buying to flip and grow other parts of your collection isn't narrow-mindedly greedy, it's smart, and I'm not sure that even the biggest of the BSDs have enough money to buy EVERY 9.6 or 9.8 book they'd ever want, so there's always a motivation to learn to flip better so you CAN afford your dream books.

 

The reason most people don't move to "serious/high investments" like stocks or real estate is quite precisely because they're not all THAT fixated on money. It takes a lot of specialized knowledge or skill to devote yourself to those endeavors and make money unless you've already got a significant amount to invest in them, and I can certainly say I'd rather just earn a few extra bucks by using the knowledge I've gained as a buyer and collector of comics by flipping than spend it trying to learn how to fix up houses or evaluate startup companies. That's a quite natural way to leverage the buying skill you gain in trying to get the best deals you possibly can as a collector.

 

Having said all that about the Silver/Bronze comics I buy, I'm just like Rob when it comes to newsstand comics--I buy them knowing that the money is disposable, and I think of it as an entertainment expense just like he does.

[sterlingcomics]

I've made millions on my comic collection...and YOU CAN TOO! I'm writing a book detailing my wild ride to the top. Will anyone join me in the Hamptons?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jayman]

I've made millions on my comic collection...and YOU CAN TOO! I'm writing a book detailing my wild ride to the top. Will anyone join me in the Hamptons?

 

 

I just ordered your book and video. I too, want to join the million dollar comics club. I heard it's easy...and fun! Now what's your Hamptons address?

[Mr. Zipper]

So I was wondering, how much do you think youve spent on old and new comics over the years, and how much can you realistically sell them for?

 

When I buy back issues, I do so with a mindset that I want to get a good deal and pay a price that hopefully I can recoup with a small profit some day. Secondary market prices are based on supply and demand, so it would be unwise to give NO consideration to potential future value.

 

When I buy new comics -- about $50 a month to Westfield -- at coverprice (less a discount), I give no consideration to future resale value. That money is spent here and now on "entertainment", and any future value is a bonus. Given my track record, I tend to stop reading new titles the issue BEFORE the HOT issue comes out, so I've resigned myself to the fact I'll never have hot moderns I can flip for a few bucks.