My road to success (Moving Update 2) 8 8

[revat]

Here's my short list, assuming you already have the experience in the hobby (which you seemingly do not) :

 

1. Customer Service.

2. Networking/Relationships.

3. Hard CONSISTENT Work.

 

My main mantra is customer service, but right behind that is the realization that I have to do something a little extra every day that furthers my business. Having an off day and don't want to deal with it after the regular work is done? Tough. Do *something* extra that furthers the business. List 10 BiN auctions. Bag and board 500 comics. Cut cardboard for shipping. Organize some toys for a night's auctions. Run a sale in the eBay store. SOMETHING.

 

After a while it'll become common practice and the benefits are huge in the long run.

 

 

#1 for me is to set your goals. How do you know what you're doing if you don't know where you're going? "Make as much as I can" is never the right answer.

 

Listen to these 2 folks Gabe - one is the king of hoarding future monster books and establishing relationships with writers, the other works his behind off and is out morning,noon and night searching for deals and collections.

 

They aren't lucky, they just work hard and smart.

 

It's seeing Chips results (100k) last year if memory serves, that inspires me to hit up sales, run ads, and network constantly.

It works!

 

See the "garage sales" thread for examples of my very modest scores.

 

But each one, despite being modest, turned a respectable profit that enables me to purchase book I want to keep.

 

So listen to them Gabe, for your own sake.

 

If you're going to the LCS anyways, take a bit of time to flip through the dollar bins for overlooked 'hot' comics. If you have the time, turning $1 into $3-$5 per can be pretty nice (if you're also having some fun). Of course, be SURE you can move those comics. Same can be said for garage sales, craigslist, etc in your area. Don't be afraid to turn quarters into loonies, it adds up, ESPECIALLY if you have nothing better to do. making $5-$10 per hour is way better than making 0 to -$4 per hour.

 

For example, you could have heard very easily here on the boards that Scooby Doo Team up 12 was likely going to sell for more than cover. Could easily have anticipated it, gone to your LCS, picked up 5 for $15 and sold them for $50 online in the same day. Takes maybe 2 hrs of your time, easy $35 profit. Not to mention if you don't have a heavy work schedule and REALLY love comics, you might have been at the LCS bright and early on that Wednesday anyways. So very little marginal time and effort to make $35. Even if it took 2hrs of your time its still $17/per hour, which is GREAT when you're unemployed. Might have made even more if you were a subscriber at the store or bought even more. I'm not saying you should keep buying out your local stock of hot comics to flip (you could even order ahead of time for greater discounts), but there are people who anticipate these things and make ok money at it with very little extra effort, to the point where they essentially get their comics (the ones they want to keep) for 'free'. This is a LOT easier with less investment and hassle than buying a low grade key for $200 and trying to flip it for $250.

 

Since you have the time, get to know all your local LCS, and know what they stock in terms of back issues, how often they generally replenish, get on some of their lists, and get a general idea of how many new copies they order relatively, and any limits they have on buying. Pick the brains of employees and owners about trends, business tactics (don't be too specific with your questions), ordering, discounts, anything. And for heaven's sake, don't buy ANYTHING unless you're absolutely sure you can sell for at least 3x return in less than a month.

 

And don't do ANY buying of any KIND until you get a job or are getting at LEAST a 20 to 1 return on your dollar.

[uchiha101]

Here's my short list, assuming you already have the experience in the hobby (which you seemingly do not) :

 

1. Customer Service.

2. Networking/Relationships.

3. Hard CONSISTENT Work.

 

My main mantra is customer service, but right behind that is the realization that I have to do something a little extra every day that furthers my business. Having an off day and don't want to deal with it after the regular work is done? Tough. Do *something* extra that furthers the business. List 10 BiN auctions. Bag and board 500 comics. Cut cardboard for shipping. Organize some toys for a night's auctions. Run a sale in the eBay store. SOMETHING.

 

After a while it'll become common practice and the benefits are huge in the long run.

 

 

#1 for me is to set your goals. How do you know what you're doing if you don't know where you're going? "Make as much as I can" is never the right answer.

 

Listen to these 2 folks Gabe - one is the king of hoarding future monster books and establishing relationships with writers, the other works his behind off and is out morning,noon and night searching for deals and collections.

 

They aren't lucky, they just work hard and smart.

 

It's seeing Chips results (100k) last year if memory serves, that inspires me to hit up sales, run ads, and network constantly.

It works!

 

See the "garage sales" thread for examples of my very modest scores.

 

But each one, despite being modest, turned a respectable profit that enables me to purchase book I want to keep.

 

So listen to them Gabe, for your own sake.

 

I checked it out and it was the mostly horror collection if I believe and I too will learn to work harder and smarter.

[uchiha101]

Here's my short list, assuming you already have the experience in the hobby (which you seemingly do not) :

 

1. Customer Service.

2. Networking/Relationships.

3. Hard CONSISTENT Work.

 

My main mantra is customer service, but right behind that is the realization that I have to do something a little extra every day that furthers my business. Having an off day and don't want to deal with it after the regular work is done? Tough. Do *something* extra that furthers the business. List 10 BiN auctions. Bag and board 500 comics. Cut cardboard for shipping. Organize some toys for a night's auctions. Run a sale in the eBay store. SOMETHING.

 

After a while it'll become common practice and the benefits are huge in the long run.

 

 

#1 for me is to set your goals. How do you know what you're doing if you don't know where you're going? "Make as much as I can" is never the right answer.

 

Listen to these 2 folks Gabe - one is the king of hoarding future monster books and establishing relationships with writers, the other works his behind off and is out morning,noon and night searching for deals and collections.

 

They aren't lucky, they just work hard and smart.

 

It's seeing Chips results (100k) last year if memory serves, that inspires me to hit up sales, run ads, and network constantly.

It works!

 

See the "garage sales" thread for examples of my very modest scores.

 

But each one, despite being modest, turned a respectable profit that enables me to purchase book I want to keep.

 

So listen to them Gabe, for your own sake.

 

If you're going to the LCS anyways, take a bit of time to flip through the dollar bins for overlooked 'hot' comics. If you have the time, turning $1 into $3-$5 per can be pretty nice (if you're also having some fun). Of course, be SURE you can move those comics. Same can be said for garage sales, craigslist, etc in your area. Don't be afraid to turn quarters into loonies, it adds up, ESPECIALLY if you have nothing better to do. making $5-$10 per hour is way better than making 0 to -$4 per hour.

 

For example, you could have heard very easily here on the boards that Scooby Doo Team up 12 was likely going to sell for more than cover. Could easily have anticipated it, gone to your LCS, picked up 5 for $15 and sold them for $50 online in the same day. Takes maybe 2 hrs of your time, easy $35 profit. Not to mention if you don't have a heavy work schedule and REALLY love comics, you might have been at the LCS bright and early on that Wednesday anyways. So very little marginal time and effort to make $35. Even if it took 2hrs of your time its still $17/per hour, which is GREAT when you're unemployed. Might have made even more if you were a subscriber at the store or bought even more. I'm not saying you should keep buying out your local stock of hot comics to flip (you could even order ahead of time for greater discounts), but there are people who anticipate these things and make ok money at it with very little extra effort, to the point where they essentially get their comics (the ones they want to keep) for 'free'. This is a LOT easier with less investment and hassle than buying a low grade key for $200 and trying to flip it for $250.

 

Since you have the time, get to know all your local LCS, and know what they stock in terms of back issues, how often they generally replenish, get on some of their lists, and get a general idea of how many new copies they order relatively, and any limits they have on buying. Pick the brains of employees and owners about trends, business tactics (don't be too specific with your questions), ordering, discounts, anything. And for heaven's sake, don't buy ANYTHING unless you're absolutely sure you can sell for at least 3x return in less than a month.

 

And don't do ANY buying of any KIND until you get a job or are getting at LEAST a 20 to 1 return on your dollar.

 

I came to that realization too about buying when I checked how much money I have left. I tried buying hot comics but failed to sell them so I'm going to learn a bit more about the proper timing before I try again.

[revat]

Here's my short list, assuming you already have the experience in the hobby (which you seemingly do not) :

 

1. Customer Service.

2. Networking/Relationships.

3. Hard CONSISTENT Work.

 

My main mantra is customer service, but right behind that is the realization that I have to do something a little extra every day that furthers my business. Having an off day and don't want to deal with it after the regular work is done? Tough. Do *something* extra that furthers the business. List 10 BiN auctions. Bag and board 500 comics. Cut cardboard for shipping. Organize some toys for a night's auctions. Run a sale in the eBay store. SOMETHING.

 

After a while it'll become common practice and the benefits are huge in the long run.

 

 

#1 for me is to set your goals. How do you know what you're doing if you don't know where you're going? "Make as much as I can" is never the right answer.

 

Listen to these 2 folks Gabe - one is the king of hoarding future monster books and establishing relationships with writers, the other works his behind off and is out morning,noon and night searching for deals and collections.

 

They aren't lucky, they just work hard and smart.

 

It's seeing Chips results (100k) last year if memory serves, that inspires me to hit up sales, run ads, and network constantly.

It works!

 

See the "garage sales" thread for examples of my very modest scores.

 

But each one, despite being modest, turned a respectable profit that enables me to purchase book I want to keep.

 

So listen to them Gabe, for your own sake.

 

If you're going to the LCS anyways, take a bit of time to flip through the dollar bins for overlooked 'hot' comics. If you have the time, turning $1 into $3-$5 per can be pretty nice (if you're also having some fun). Of course, be SURE you can move those comics. Same can be said for garage sales, craigslist, etc in your area. Don't be afraid to turn quarters into loonies, it adds up, ESPECIALLY if you have nothing better to do. making $5-$10 per hour is way better than making 0 to -$4 per hour.

 

For example, you could have heard very easily here on the boards that Scooby Doo Team up 12 was likely going to sell for more than cover. Could easily have anticipated it, gone to your LCS, picked up 5 for $15 and sold them for $50 online in the same day. Takes maybe 2 hrs of your time, easy $35 profit. Not to mention if you don't have a heavy work schedule and REALLY love comics, you might have been at the LCS bright and early on that Wednesday anyways. So very little marginal time and effort to make $35. Even if it took 2hrs of your time its still $17/per hour, which is GREAT when you're unemployed. Might have made even more if you were a subscriber at the store or bought even more. I'm not saying you should keep buying out your local stock of hot comics to flip (you could even order ahead of time for greater discounts), but there are people who anticipate these things and make ok money at it with very little extra effort, to the point where they essentially get their comics (the ones they want to keep) for 'free'. This is a LOT easier with less investment and hassle than buying a low grade key for $200 and trying to flip it for $250.

 

Since you have the time, get to know all your local LCS, and know what they stock in terms of back issues, how often they generally replenish, get on some of their lists, and get a general idea of how many new copies they order relatively, and any limits they have on buying. Pick the brains of employees and owners about trends, business tactics (don't be too specific with your questions), ordering, discounts, anything. And for heaven's sake, don't buy ANYTHING unless you're absolutely sure you can sell for at least 3x return in less than a month.

 

And don't do ANY buying of any KIND until you get a job or are getting at LEAST a 20 to 1 return on your dollar.

 

I came to that realization too about buying when I checked how much money I have left. I tried buying hot comics but failed to sell them so I'm going to learn a bit more about the proper timing before I try again.

 

to this end, you can do some 'fantasy' flipping. If you see some 'hot comics' at the store/garage sale that you feel compelled to buy, DON'T BUY THEM but write down the price, and track them against ebay/gpa for 1 week, 1 month, 3-6 months later, and see how you do. Its not a perfect system, but a good starter system.

[uchiha101]

Here's my short list, assuming you already have the experience in the hobby (which you seemingly do not) :

 

1. Customer Service.

2. Networking/Relationships.

3. Hard CONSISTENT Work.

 

My main mantra is customer service, but right behind that is the realization that I have to do something a little extra every day that furthers my business. Having an off day and don't want to deal with it after the regular work is done? Tough. Do *something* extra that furthers the business. List 10 BiN auctions. Bag and board 500 comics. Cut cardboard for shipping. Organize some toys for a night's auctions. Run a sale in the eBay store. SOMETHING.

 

After a while it'll become common practice and the benefits are huge in the long run.

 

 

#1 for me is to set your goals. How do you know what you're doing if you don't know where you're going? "Make as much as I can" is never the right answer.

 

Listen to these 2 folks Gabe - one is the king of hoarding future monster books and establishing relationships with writers, the other works his behind off and is out morning,noon and night searching for deals and collections.

 

They aren't lucky, they just work hard and smart.

 

It's seeing Chips results (100k) last year if memory serves, that inspires me to hit up sales, run ads, and network constantly.

It works!

 

See the "garage sales" thread for examples of my very modest scores.

 

But each one, despite being modest, turned a respectable profit that enables me to purchase book I want to keep.

 

So listen to them Gabe, for your own sake.

 

If you're going to the LCS anyways, take a bit of time to flip through the dollar bins for overlooked 'hot' comics. If you have the time, turning $1 into $3-$5 per can be pretty nice (if you're also having some fun). Of course, be SURE you can move those comics. Same can be said for garage sales, craigslist, etc in your area. Don't be afraid to turn quarters into loonies, it adds up, ESPECIALLY if you have nothing better to do. making $5-$10 per hour is way better than making 0 to -$4 per hour.

 

For example, you could have heard very easily here on the boards that Scooby Doo Team up 12 was likely going to sell for more than cover. Could easily have anticipated it, gone to your LCS, picked up 5 for $15 and sold them for $50 online in the same day. Takes maybe 2 hrs of your time, easy $35 profit. Not to mention if you don't have a heavy work schedule and REALLY love comics, you might have been at the LCS bright and early on that Wednesday anyways. So very little marginal time and effort to make $35. Even if it took 2hrs of your time its still $17/per hour, which is GREAT when you're unemployed. Might have made even more if you were a subscriber at the store or bought even more. I'm not saying you should keep buying out your local stock of hot comics to flip (you could even order ahead of time for greater discounts), but there are people who anticipate these things and make ok money at it with very little extra effort, to the point where they essentially get their comics (the ones they want to keep) for 'free'. This is a LOT easier with less investment and hassle than buying a low grade key for $200 and trying to flip it for $250.

 

Since you have the time, get to know all your local LCS, and know what they stock in terms of back issues, how often they generally replenish, get on some of their lists, and get a general idea of how many new copies they order relatively, and any limits they have on buying. Pick the brains of employees and owners about trends, business tactics (don't be too specific with your questions), ordering, discounts, anything. And for heaven's sake, don't buy ANYTHING unless you're absolutely sure you can sell for at least 3x return in less than a month.

 

And don't do ANY buying of any KIND until you get a job or are getting at LEAST a 20 to 1 return on your dollar.

 

I came to that realization too about buying when I checked how much money I have left. I tried buying hot comics but failed to sell them so I'm going to learn a bit more about the proper timing before I try again.

 

to this end, you can do some 'fantasy' flipping. If you see some 'hot comics' at the store/garage sale that you feel compelled to buy, DON'T BUY THEM but write down the price, and track them against ebay/gpa for 1 week, 1 month, 3-6 months later, and see how you do. Its not a perfect system, but a good starter system.

 

cool that's like what I do with stocks because they're virtual I'll give it a try thanks.

[thehumantorch]

...we're willing to buy anything if there's a profit to be made.

This is another great tip. I know about a lot of different hobbies as I've collected a lot over the last 30 years, but when something pops up on CL that I don't know much about I'll research it to see if I can profit. Case in point, I bought a butch of baseball statues that I checked out before purchasing and made a great profit on. If you work at it hard enough you can do it.

 

We look at every collection we hear about. No matter how small or bad it sounds. And we've made an offer on every single one. Often there's nothing really worthwhile in the collection but if we get it cheap enough we'll do ok.

 

For example we recently bought 38 long boxes of MA from a local Magic the Gathering store. They'd reduced and discounted and had done everything they could to sell it off. It was severely picked over of anything of value and almost every run was incomplete. It was a high effort, low value mess and nobody wanted it so we got it cheap - the bags and boards we worth more than we paid for it. We made our money back on it at the next show selling some of the smaller sets and $1 books. We funnel some to a flee market vendor and a pawn shop. The rest is in my basement and it'll slowly sell as $1 books or I'll find the missing books to complete the runs.

Edited October 23, 2015 by thehumantorch

[uchiha101]

...we're willing to buy anything if there's a profit to be made.

This is another great tip. I know about a lot of different hobbies as I've collected a lot over the last 30 years, but when something pops up on CL that I don't know much about I'll research it to see if I can profit. Case in point, I bought a butch of baseball statues that I checked out before purchasing and made a great profit on. If you work at it hard enough you can do it.

 

We look at every collection we hear about. No matter how small or bad it sounds. And we've made an offer on every single one. Often there's nothing really worthwhile in the collection but if we get it cheap enough we'll do ok.

 

For example we recently bought 38 long boxes of MA from a local Magic the Gathering store. They'd reduced and discounted and had done everything they could to sell it off. It was severely picked over of anything of value and almost every run was incomplete. It was a high effort, low value mess and nobody wanted it so we got it cheap - the bags and boards we worth more than we paid for it. We made our money back on it at the next show selling some of the smaller sets and $1 books. We funnel some to a flee market vendor and a pawn shop. The rest is in my basement and it'll slowly sell as $1 books or I'll find the missing books to complete the runs.

 

cool I should give something like that a try.

[Gatchaman]

Updated Financials

 

I hope this is what KPR Comics meant

 

 

Total Comics Bought

$9802.52

 

 

Total Inventory

$5333.41

 

Total Sold

$4469.11

 

 

So, with that remaining stock you are $5,333.41 "in the hole"? How much profit do you hope to make off of your remaining inventory?

 

 

With the remaining inventory I believe I'll make 200-300 dollars on this.

 

That is a lot of money to tie up to make just a few hundred dollars. I also buy and sell comics, but I look for the small books and make a lot on what I purchase them for. Over this last summer I have bought and sold the following -

 

Bought for @ 3/$1.00 and sold for -

 

Batman #428 $15

Batman The Long Halloween #3 1st Print $15

Amazing Spiderman #300 NM $230

Batman #426-429 Parts One Thru Four $50

X-Factor #5 and 6 $70

New Mutants Annual 2 VF/NM $30

 

 

 

Bought for $1.00 and sold for -

 

Batman:The Killing Joke $50

Batman #426 $20

ABSOLUTE VERTIGO Winter 1995 1st appearance of Preacher $13

Batman #427 $10

Batman #404 - 407 ($1 each) $40

Batman: Year 100 1-4 ($1 for all) $15

X-Factor #6 (VG) $25

Alias #1 NM/M $40

Marvel Graphic Novel #4 1st Printing $25

Runaways #1 $20

 

 

 

Others bought earlier, but sold recently -

 

The Phantom: The Complete Newspaper Dailies vol 1-5 Paid $40 and sold for $120

The Phantom: The Complete Sundays Volume 1 & 2 Hardcover bought for $16 and sold for $80

 

There are a lot more sales I have done, but this is just an example

 

 

This isn't for bragging purposes. I just wanted to show that it is possible to purchase cheaper books and make the same profit without locking down a lot of money on one or two books.

 

I travel all over my area looking for sales and have found some great books and great deals without putting a lot of money into it.

 

I had earlier promised it to my son, but a couple weeks ago I picked up Nyx #3 and 4, both NM/M in a 3 for a $1 bin. Imagine the profit margin on those.

 

I have around 22 long boxes of $1 books that I have no more than 25 cents invested in and they are all bagged and boarded. I have around another two that more expensive and they are always selling and I have only around 25 cents average invested in them.

 

I chose not to chase after prospects because they can fail faster than an established grail.

 

With what I have done I have created a following of customers and good standing relationships from sellers from Olympia to north of Seattle.

 

I am passing my business to my two youngest teens and teaching them to follow this formula. They see that it works. see how I deal with customers, and my relationships with other business owners.

 

uchiha, I hope you find your niche and everything works out for you.

 

 

 

 

 

[Gatchaman]

I was reading the market reports from the past Overstreet. This isn't something you can seriously jump in and be successful at in a short period of time. Even with a giant stack you need to be well educated like the above poster mentioned. Too many folks eat, sleep and breathe this and have been doing so for decades.

 

I've become risk adverse in my old age. Some of the stuff I've read in this journal compounded with the personal hurdles makes my cringe.

 

 

 

 

Yes I make lots of mistakes but I'm learning from them and maybe if I think of this as a game it'll do better something along the lines of risk.

 

To get ahead you should treat it like a job, not a game. It takes hard work and experience to succeed. Put ads on kijiji, go look at collections, buy collections, grade and price the books, bag and board, list them on ebay or here or wherever.

 

My partner and I have bought dozens of collections this year. Some small and some big. Most aren't exactly key laden but we're willing to buy anything if there's a profit to be made.

 

Same goes for finding a job. Go and ask employers why they didn't hire you. Take their feedback objectively - don't get mad and don't embrace denial - and use their feedback to turn things around.

 

Don't just sit there,, do something. Make up a big sign that screams "I WANT A JOB' and walk down the busiest street in town. Employers want employees with skills and experience but they're always looking for motivated people who want a job and want to work hard.

 

I agree with this and do the same thing. Comics aren't the only things I sell. Magic and Yugioh cards are very lucrative. Back in 2004, before I got back into comics, I was selling $1,500 a month in Yugioh and Pokemon cards. Now I sell a lot of different things. Before the summer I bought an ash tray collection for $130 and sold them for over $600. I bought a over 100 White Dwarf magazines for 50 cents each and sold them for mostly $3.50 each. Every little bit helps when you doing this for extra household money.

[Gatchaman]

Here's my short list, assuming you already have the experience in the hobby (which you seemingly do not) :

 

1. Customer Service.

2. Networking/Relationships.

3. Hard CONSISTENT Work.

 

My main mantra is customer service, but right behind that is the realization that I have to do something a little extra every day that furthers my business. Having an off day and don't want to deal with it after the regular work is done? Tough. Do *something* extra that furthers the business. List 10 BiN auctions. Bag and board 500 comics. Cut cardboard for shipping. Organize some toys for a night's auctions. Run a sale in the eBay store. SOMETHING.

 

After a while it'll become common practice and the benefits are huge in the long run.

 

 

#1 for me is to set your goals. How do you know what you're doing if you don't know where you're going? "Make as much as I can" is never the right answer.

 

Listen to these 2 folks Gabe - one is the king of hoarding future monster books and establishing relationships with writers, the other works his behind off and is out morning,noon and night searching for deals and collections.

 

They aren't lucky, they just work hard and smart.

 

It's seeing Chips results (100k) last year if memory serves, that inspires me to hit up sales, run ads, and network constantly.

It works!

 

See the "garage sales" thread for examples of my very modest scores.

 

But each one, despite being modest, turned a respectable profit that enables me to purchase book I want to keep.

 

So listen to them Gabe, for your own sake.

 

I agree with this. You wouldn't believe the inventory I have built up in just around a year for very little money. You can see here the different things that I have sold - http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=wa-collectibles&ftab=FeedbackAsSeller

 

I read ads every day and even post my own "buying" ads. Works out very well.

[uchiha101]

Updated Financials

 

I hope this is what KPR Comics meant

 

 

Total Comics Bought

$9802.52

 

 

Total Inventory

$5333.41

 

Total Sold

$4469.11

 

 

So, with that remaining stock you are $5,333.41 "in the hole"? How much profit do you hope to make off of your remaining inventory?

 

 

With the remaining inventory I believe I'll make 200-300 dollars on this.

 

That is a lot of money to tie up to make just a few hundred dollars. I also buy and sell comics, but I look for the small books and make a lot on what I purchase them for. Over this last summer I have bought and sold the following -

 

Bought for @ 3/$1.00 and sold for -

 

Batman #428 $15

Batman The Long Halloween #3 1st Print $15

Amazing Spiderman #300 NM $230

Batman #426-429 Parts One Thru Four $50

X-Factor #5 and 6 $70

New Mutants Annual 2 VF/NM $30

 

 

 

Bought for $1.00 and sold for -

 

Batman:The Killing Joke $50

Batman #426 $20

ABSOLUTE VERTIGO Winter 1995 1st appearance of Preacher $13

Batman #427 $10

Batman #404 - 407 ($1 each) $40

Batman: Year 100 1-4 ($1 for all) $15

X-Factor #6 (VG) $25

Alias #1 NM/M $40

Marvel Graphic Novel #4 1st Printing $25

Runaways #1 $20

 

 

 

Others bought earlier, but sold recently -

 

The Phantom: The Complete Newspaper Dailies vol 1-5 Paid $40 and sold for $120

The Phantom: The Complete Sundays Volume 1 & 2 Hardcover bought for $16 and sold for $80

 

There are a lot more sales I have done, but this is just an example

 

 

This isn't for bragging purposes. I just wanted to show that it is possible to purchase cheaper books and make the same profit without locking down a lot of money on one or two books.

 

I travel all over my area looking for sales and have found some great books and great deals without putting a lot of money into it.

 

I had earlier promised it to my son, but a couple weeks ago I picked up Nyx #3 and 4, both NM/M in a 3 for a $1 bin. Imagine the profit margin on those.

 

I have around 22 long boxes of $1 books that I have no more than 25 cents invested in and they are all bagged and boarded. I have around another two that more expensive and they are always selling and I have only around 25 cents average invested in them.

 

I chose not to chase after prospects because they can fail faster than an established grail.

 

With what I have done I have created a following of customers and good standing relationships from sellers from Olympia to north of Seattle.

 

I am passing my business to my two youngest teens and teaching them to follow this formula. They see that it works. see how I deal with customers, and my relationships with other business owners.

 

uchiha, I hope you find your niche and everything works out for you.

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks and your right it's a lot of money to tie up for a few hundred dollars but I'm being really conservative with how much I make. I've done that a couple times and I like doing it and I'll get better at buying cheaper comics and making a profit from them and I also have a pm I'll send you.

[uchiha101]

Here's my short list, assuming you already have the experience in the hobby (which you seemingly do not) :

 

1. Customer Service.

2. Networking/Relationships.

3. Hard CONSISTENT Work.

 

My main mantra is customer service, but right behind that is the realization that I have to do something a little extra every day that furthers my business. Having an off day and don't want to deal with it after the regular work is done? Tough. Do *something* extra that furthers the business. List 10 BiN auctions. Bag and board 500 comics. Cut cardboard for shipping. Organize some toys for a night's auctions. Run a sale in the eBay store. SOMETHING.

 

After a while it'll become common practice and the benefits are huge in the long run.

 

 

#1 for me is to set your goals. How do you know what you're doing if you don't know where you're going? "Make as much as I can" is never the right answer.

 

Listen to these 2 folks Gabe - one is the king of hoarding future monster books and establishing relationships with writers, the other works his behind off and is out morning,noon and night searching for deals and collections.

 

They aren't lucky, they just work hard and smart.

 

It's seeing Chips results (100k) last year if memory serves, that inspires me to hit up sales, run ads, and network constantly.

It works!

 

See the "garage sales" thread for examples of my very modest scores.

 

But each one, despite being modest, turned a respectable profit that enables me to purchase book I want to keep.

 

So listen to them Gabe, for your own sake.

 

I agree with this. You wouldn't believe the inventory I have built up in just around a year for very little money. You can see here the different things that I have sold - http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=wa-collectibles&ftab=FeedbackAsSeller

 

I read ads every day and even post my own "buying" ads. Works out very well.

 

When I post ads I do get a few hits here and there but I've made some good deals with them.

[oakman29]

Updated Financials

 

I hope this is what KPR Comics meant

 

 

Total Comics Bought

$9802.52

 

 

Total Inventory

$5333.41

 

Total Sold

$4469.11

 

 

So, with that remaining stock you are $5,333.41 "in the hole"? How much profit do you hope to make off of your remaining inventory?

 

 

With the remaining inventory I believe I'll make 200-300 dollars on this.

 

That is a lot of money to tie up to make just a few hundred dollars. I also buy and sell comics, but I look for the small books and make a lot on what I purchase them for. Over this last summer I have bought and sold the following -

 

Bought for @ 3/$1.00 and sold for -

 

Batman #428 $15

Batman The Long Halloween #3 1st Print $15

Amazing Spiderman #300 NM $230

Batman #426-429 Parts One Thru Four $50

X-Factor #5 and 6 $70

New Mutants Annual 2 VF/NM $30

 

 

 

Bought for $1.00 and sold for -

 

Batman:The Killing Joke $50

Batman #426 $20

ABSOLUTE VERTIGO Winter 1995 1st appearance of Preacher $13

Batman #427 $10

Batman #404 - 407 ($1 each) $40

Batman: Year 100 1-4 ($1 for all) $15

X-Factor #6 (VG) $25

Alias #1 NM/M $40

Marvel Graphic Novel #4 1st Printing $25

Runaways #1 $20

 

 

 

Others bought earlier, but sold recently -

 

The Phantom: The Complete Newspaper Dailies vol 1-5 Paid $40 and sold for $120

The Phantom: The Complete Sundays Volume 1 & 2 Hardcover bought for $16 and sold for $80

 

There are a lot more sales I have done, but this is just an example

 

 

This isn't for bragging purposes. I just wanted to show that it is possible to purchase cheaper books and make the same profit without locking down a lot of money on one or two books.

 

I travel all over my area looking for sales and have found some great books and great deals without putting a lot of money into it.

 

I had earlier promised it to my son, but a couple weeks ago I picked up Nyx #3 and 4, both NM/M in a 3 for a $1 bin. Imagine the profit margin on those.

 

I have around 22 long boxes of $1 books that I have no more than 25 cents invested in and they are all bagged and boarded. I have around another two that more expensive and they are always selling and I have only around 25 cents average invested in them.

 

I chose not to chase after prospects because they can fail faster than an established grail.

 

With what I have done I have created a following of customers and good standing relationships from sellers from Olympia to north of Seattle.

 

I am passing my business to my two youngest teens and teaching them to follow this formula. They see that it works. see how I deal with customers, and my relationships with other business owners.

 

uchiha, I hope you find your niche and everything works out for you.

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks and your right it's a lot of money to tie up for a few hundred dollars but I'm being really conservative with how much I make. I've done that a couple times and I like doing it and I'll get better at buying cheaper comics and making a profit from them and I also have a pm I'll send you.

 

 

I know I like to be conservative with how much money I make,don't want to make too much!

[uchiha101]

Updated Financials

 

I hope this is what KPR Comics meant

 

 

Total Comics Bought

$9802.52

 

 

Total Inventory

$5333.41

 

Total Sold

$4469.11

 

 

So, with that remaining stock you are $5,333.41 "in the hole"? How much profit do you hope to make off of your remaining inventory?

 

 

With the remaining inventory I believe I'll make 200-300 dollars on this.

 

That is a lot of money to tie up to make just a few hundred dollars. I also buy and sell comics, but I look for the small books and make a lot on what I purchase them for. Over this last summer I have bought and sold the following -

 

Bought for @ 3/$1.00 and sold for -

 

Batman #428 $15

Batman The Long Halloween #3 1st Print $15

Amazing Spiderman #300 NM $230

Batman #426-429 Parts One Thru Four $50

X-Factor #5 and 6 $70

New Mutants Annual 2 VF/NM $30

 

 

 

Bought for $1.00 and sold for -

 

Batman:The Killing Joke $50

Batman #426 $20

ABSOLUTE VERTIGO Winter 1995 1st appearance of Preacher $13

Batman #427 $10

Batman #404 - 407 ($1 each) $40

Batman: Year 100 1-4 ($1 for all) $15

X-Factor #6 (VG) $25

Alias #1 NM/M $40

Marvel Graphic Novel #4 1st Printing $25

Runaways #1 $20

 

 

 

Others bought earlier, but sold recently -

 

The Phantom: The Complete Newspaper Dailies vol 1-5 Paid $40 and sold for $120

The Phantom: The Complete Sundays Volume 1 & 2 Hardcover bought for $16 and sold for $80

 

There are a lot more sales I have done, but this is just an example

 

 

This isn't for bragging purposes. I just wanted to show that it is possible to purchase cheaper books and make the same profit without locking down a lot of money on one or two books.

 

I travel all over my area looking for sales and have found some great books and great deals without putting a lot of money into it.

 

I had earlier promised it to my son, but a couple weeks ago I picked up Nyx #3 and 4, both NM/M in a 3 for a $1 bin. Imagine the profit margin on those.

 

I have around 22 long boxes of $1 books that I have no more than 25 cents invested in and they are all bagged and boarded. I have around another two that more expensive and they are always selling and I have only around 25 cents average invested in them.

 

I chose not to chase after prospects because they can fail faster than an established grail.

 

With what I have done I have created a following of customers and good standing relationships from sellers from Olympia to north of Seattle.

 

I am passing my business to my two youngest teens and teaching them to follow this formula. They see that it works. see how I deal with customers, and my relationships with other business owners.

 

uchiha, I hope you find your niche and everything works out for you.

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks and your right it's a lot of money to tie up for a few hundred dollars but I'm being really conservative with how much I make. I've done that a couple times and I like doing it and I'll get better at buying cheaper comics and making a profit from them and I also have a pm I'll send you.

 

 

I know I like to be conservative with how much money I make,don't want to make too much!

 

I was told not to raise my expectations too high so that's what I did.

[uchiha101]

Today's Thoughts

 

Yes I might be able to sell the bat 148 I have on consignment

 

and I might be able to sell my NYX #3 today.

 

 

Plans

 

I'm going to sell my top 6 comics that are worth the most chunk of money.

 

BA 12

Archie #320

ASM 300 CGC 9.2 Triple signed

Avengers lot

Action comics 15

JLA #1 NG

 

Since I still don't have the top 3 comics yet my goal is to sell

 

NYX #3

IM 305

TT 44

IM 282

 

I'm considering after I sell those top 6 comics that I want to trade my comics for key issues comics or gold and silver coins.

[Wall-Crawler]

You are considering getting into coins now???

[Red84]

Today's Thoughts

 

Yes I might be able to sell the bat 148 I have on consignment

 

and I might be able to sell my NYX #3 today.

 

 

Plans

 

I'm going to sell my top 6 comics that are worth the most chunk of money.

 

BA 12

Archie #320

ASM 300 CGC 9.2 Triple signed

Avengers lot

Action comics 15

JLA #1 NG

 

Since I still don't have the top 3 comics yet my goal is to sell

 

NYX #3

IM 305

TT 44

IM 282

 

I'm considering after I sell those top 6 comics that I want to trade my comics for key issues comics or gold and silver coins.

 

Stop trading! You are just complicating things for no reason. Sell your books and recoup your money.

[uchiha101]

You are considering getting into coins now???

 

before I got into comic books I was into coins.

[uchiha101]

Today's Thoughts

 

Yes I might be able to sell the bat 148 I have on consignment

 

and I might be able to sell my NYX #3 today.

 

 

Plans

 

I'm going to sell my top 6 comics that are worth the most chunk of money.

 

BA 12

Archie #320

ASM 300 CGC 9.2 Triple signed

Avengers lot

Action comics 15

JLA #1 NG

 

Since I still don't have the top 3 comics yet my goal is to sell

 

NYX #3

IM 305

TT 44

IM 282

 

I'm considering after I sell those top 6 comics that I want to trade my comics for key issues comics or gold and silver coins.

 

Stop trading! You are just complicating things for no reason. Sell your books and recoup your money.

 

That's what I'm doing as of right now the trading for coins was my dad's idea the key issue comics was my idea.

[uchiha101]

comics sold today

 

TT44