best way to move a fair number of comics, at a reasonable price

[drotto]

It has come to that point when I have reached 20 long boxes and it may be time to thin things out a bit, and then use the proceeds to buy graded issues, keys etc. Most of the stuff is modern issues from the last 25 years, with a bit of other things. Most books are in the Batman and X-Men families.

 

I do not expect to get rich, I am willing to do some work to get rid of the issues. I know most LCS' would very much low ball me on most of these books (I am well aware most are $1 to $5 books). So what is the best way to do it?

[tmcneil82]

What kind of X-Books/Batman titles? If you have a few longboxes of things like X-Man or early Excalibur, you may find that they are more like $1 longboxes instead of books.

 

[drotto]

What kind of X-Books/Batman titles? If you have a few longboxes of things like X-Man or early Excalibur, you may find that they are more like $1 longboxes instead of books.

 

I realize that also, really a full range and a lot of stuff, I have lost track of everything down there. I know there is Excalibur, , picked them up for a song many years ago (paid like $90 for the entire series, including all annuals etc.). Pretty much if it was X or Batman for the last 25 years, I likely have it. But there is plenty of other stuff down there also.

[miraclemet]

OP: two approaches. One nets you the most money, but takes the longest time, the other nets you the least money, but you get it quickly.

 

But in between the bulk sale (fast, less money) and the piecing it out (long time, more money) there is the hybrid approach...

 

Cherry pick out any bigger dollar books, sell them to hobbyists for market value (here first, then ebay). Group the rest in runs (by title or subject) and try to get 50% of market value for them by selling them in lots (better to sell a 20 issue run for $20 than to try and sell each issue for $2 each... even if you sell 10 books (so same $20) you're dealing with up to 10 different shipments. Not worth your time.

 

I sold of 90% of my collection last year before moving abroad. Used the above approach. In the end I had about 2 long boxes of comics and trades that were left and I had a mystery box sale for the price of shipping. Super easy way to unload lots of content (and it was good stuff, reading-wise!) and to sow some good will on the boards.

 

 

[kav]

Mostly this stuff doesnt sell at 10 cents a book

My buddy bought 200 longboxes for $200

[gcstomp]

Kav I have seen you claim the 200 long boxes for $200 before. That is not a sale, that is not at all reflective of anything other than someone stepping in it. That is someone gifting a warehouse of books to someone else. You cannot buy 200 empty long boxes of air for $200.

 

I have zero issue selling long boxes of absolute drek, as in stripped of anything from top 10 titles, for $30 each, with zero labor. Very easy sell that I have done many times in quantity of 20 boxes at a time.

 

The op has long boxes of X-men and popular titles, no doubt there will be some keys, a NM 98, or an X-Men 266 will sell for strong money, the bulk material in nice clean runs will easily get bids for at least a buck a book. And then the dregiest of junk can be bulked out in a NY minute at $30 a long box.

[kav]

Well he offered the 200 longboxes to another LCS owner for $400- dude wasn't interested

It's the gift that doesn't keep giving

[drotto]

OP: two approaches. One nets you the most money, but takes the longest time, the other nets you the least money, but you get it quickly.

 

But in between the bulk sale (fast, less money) and the piecing it out (long time, more money) there is the hybrid approach...

 

Cherry pick out any bigger dollar books, sell them to hobbyists for market value (here first, then ebay). Group the rest in runs (by title or subject) and try to get 50% of market value for them by selling them in lots (better to sell a 20 issue run for $20 than to try and sell each issue for $2 each... even if you sell 10 books (so same $20) you're dealing with up to 10 different shipments. Not worth your time.

 

I sold of 90% of my collection last year before moving abroad. Used the above approach. In the end I had about 2 long boxes of comics and trades that were left and I had a mystery box sale for the price of shipping. Super easy way to unload lots of content (and it was good stuff, reading-wise!) and to sow some good will on the boards.

 

 

Kinda what I have started to do already. I have already cherry picked out about 30 issues and set those to CGC, because I know they are potential high dollar. And have started grabbing issues that I know should be in the 10 to 20 range. Then I plan on basically clumping things into runs and selling in that fashion. I fully realize there are books that may never move, or will eventually be kindling.

[drotto]

Kav I have seen you claim the 200 long boxes for $200 before. That is not a sale, that is not at all reflective of anything other than someone stepping in it. That is someone gifting a warehouse of books to someone else. You cannot buy 200 empty long boxes of air for $200.

 

I have zero issue selling long boxes of absolute drek, as in stripped of anything from top 10 titles, for $30 each, with zero labor. Very easy sell that I have done many times in quantity of 20 boxes at a time.

 

The op has long boxes of X-men and popular titles, no doubt there will be some keys, a NM 98, or an X-Men 266 will sell for strong money, the bulk material in nice clean runs will easily get bids for at least a buck a book. And then the dregiest of junk can be bulked out in a NY minute at $30 a long box.

 

Yeap, I have my X-Men 266 out to be graded as we speak. Along with: Batman: Harley Quinn nn, Harley Quinn (2000) number one, New Mutants Annual 2, X-Factor 6, Batman New 52 1st print, etc. Like I said about 30 books. Some of which I may not sell. I also know I have many Bat books that have good value. I figure between slabbing, and decent value raws there should be at least 4k to 5k of stuff there. It is the long runs of $1 stuff that I know will be hardest to move and is likely in the ballpark of 15k books. Although I will most likely keep stuff from the last five years at least for now. That is the stuff I really have to figure out how to move and get something out of it.

 

Then like I said with hopeful a nice nest egg of $7k to $8kto go buy graded keys and raws.

[kav]

Gcstomp-if you are willing to pay $30 a long box I will put you in touch-PM me.

[Bird]

Gcstomp-if you are willing to pay $30 a long box I will put you in touch-PM me.

 

He said he sells at that price, not buys.

 

 

[kav]

Gcstomp-if you are willing to pay $30 a long box I will put you in touch-PM me.

 

He said he sells at that price, not buys.

 

Fine $20 a longbox. He can make a killing. He said they would sell no problem let's see if anyone PMs me.

[tmcneil82]

Hey drotto - I just reread my first post and it reads way more negatively than I intended. BUT, it sounds like you are on the right track.

 

For some of those issues that might not be as easy to move, I'm actually trying to finish off some x-men related runs. I won't really be able to survive anymore buying until after X-Mas, but feel free to PM me if you have any that aren't moving. (X-Force, late run Excalibur, Wolverine)

[Junkdrawer]

How much for just 200 long boxes with lids? New of course. without the comics

[kav]

How much for just 200 long boxes with lids? New of course. without the comics

Yep. That makes my point. Comics in VF from like the last 30 years with a few exceptions wont even sell for a penny.

[mjc71]

I'm willing to pay $30 a long box but a buck a long box is a steal

[ChiSoxFan]

Well he offered the 200 longboxes to another LCS owner for $400- dude wasn't interested

 

In all fairness, using an example of a random LCS as a larger market trend isn't indicative of anything other than that particular LCS's buying habits.

 

When I owned my shop, I was willing to pay money for collections that came in, including moderns (at least what were moderns at the time, the mid/late 1990's). I also would buy Silver Age. At the time, there were a half dozen other shops (at least) in the metro area. A couple wouldn't buy anything at all, some would only buy if they were getting books for literally nothing, and a couple (like myself) would actually shell out money for books we thought we could resell. None of us were the same in how we handled stock, and none of us represented anything about the comic marketplace as a whole other that our tiny fraction of it. Would I have bought a 200 longbox collection for $400 back then? Depending what was in it, yes or no.

 

Now, there are still a handful of shops in my metro area, and I think it's safe to say that none of them even buy Silver or Bronze (one shop would have before, but that owner has sold and moved on to doing conventions and shows only -- the new owner isn't into older books, from what I've gathered). Using our market as an example that "Silver and Bronze are relatively worthless" then would be misleading.

 

All that said, to the OP, a lot of it depends on what's in the box(es). Miraclemet gave some good advice on a good way to go about it. An inquiry to MCS wouldn't hurt either if you're looking to move something in bulk.

[Gatchaman]

I'm always looking for long boxes of comics for $20-30.

[gcstomp]

Why would anyone pm Kal? I said it is easiest thing in world to sell drek long boxes at $30 per, as in stripped of every top 10 titles, and I did just sell 10 long boxes yesterday to a cl buyer.

 

That has nothing to do with op boxes, which have good titles. But random long boxes stripped of everything are not worth shipping, it is about you as a seller posting some pics and a description in cl and having strangers meet you locally and requires a little more effort than ordering a pizza, but not much more.

 

I never pursue stripped long boxes of drek, I end up with them as every collection buyer does, and then with leftover material it is a bit of an iq or work ethic challenge to rid yourself of the remains. You could illegally dump them, or you could bash your head against wall and try to ebay them if you want pain, or if you are not a shut in with fear of meeting strangers you could sell them locally yourself via cl. The MCS online buy list would yield absolutely a nice return if you wanted to put some hours of work in and go piece by piece but again that is more effort than for me they are worth. Room in world for all different approaches.

[jaybuck43]

You said you were willing to do some work on this. Ok here's my suggestion. 1) go through your inventory, pull anything even remotely hot (which it sounds like you did). 2) Arrange your inventory in runs. 3) Purchase 20 short boxes. 4) place runs info the 20 short. (That should be 4000 of your 10,000 books) find weekly/monthly shows near you and register to be a dealer there. If not, find a local flee market and do same. 5) set up your boxes with a sign "all books 1 dollar, 10 books for 5 dollars". Eventually you will have sold that lot for between 2-4,000. 6) refill and repeat. Once everything is gone, you should have grossed between 5-10,000 (minus set up fees, gas money and your time lugging etc). Best of luck!