Selling Options

[Michelangelo]

Hey Guys,

 

For many/most of you, selling here on the boards is your first preference.

 

However, if books don't sell, where do you take them? I've really only used the boards, local classifieds (kijiji and craigslist) and eBay.

 

I know posts have been made throughout various threads in the past about some preferences, but I'm looking for a handful of testimonials for each option.

 

1. Comic Link

2. Comic Connect

3. Heritage Auctions

4. Other....

 

Where do you sell your books and why?

(if you could include details like: seller fees, ease of transaction, how quickly items sell, what traffic each site gets, etc.)

 

Most appreciated.

[Buzzetta]

1 - eBay

2 - Boards

3 - Have yet to sell a book over CLink

4 - Never consigned a book with Heritage or Metropolis / Comic Connect

 

 

Lately eBay takes the win by a nose. I will offer things on the boards first but lately they sell on eBay it seems. So what I do is offer them on the boards first for about 48-72 hours and then move it over to eBay where it can sit in my store until it sells. Sometimes things sell over here immediately and other times the boards might not have the audience for the things I am selling.

 

Example...

 

I was surprised that the GI Joe comic newsletters sold so quickly over here. Those newsletters never made it to eBay. On the other hand I offered an All Star 58 9.4 here. It sat around. I sold it for more money even after fees over on eBay.

 

 

[anstettoman]

we buy comics (lonestar is easy to use) but at least in my case downgrades at least 80% of books I offer to them every time!

[shadroch]

Bob Storms- HighGradeComics for books over $1,000 or so.

MyComicShop for the rest. Generally I use their auctions as opposed to just listing them for sale.

[shadroch]

we buy comics (lonestar is easy to use) but at least in my case downgrades at least 80% of books I offer to them every time!

 

They do downgrade them, but at auction ,people realize a MCS 5.0 will quite often be a CGC 6.0 or better and bid accordingly. A MCS 4.0 will sell for more than a ebay 4.0. I've had MCS 2.0s become CGC 4.0s and 4.5s become 6.0s, with no pressing or cleaning. Just straight submissions.

[Chaseman210]

Like Buzzetta said, when I used to sell comics fairly frequently, I would list here first for a few days and then move to eBay. In a lot of cases, I sold books for a great deal higher on eBay after fees and shipping. I guess there's just a wider audience.

 

But when buying, I always try here first.

[marmat]

I consign to MCS, and when a book sells, I get the money within a week. I heard other auction houses pay you one month later, if not more

[namisgr]

If you need all of the cash proceeds within a month, then an auction is the way to go as your books are guaranteed to sell. If you have the time to try to get an acceptable price for each book, then a consignment works well. I've consigned high value slabbed comic runs to Highgradecomics.com several times over the years, and always been pleased with Blazing Bob's service and with the sale prices achieved, as Bob has a vast clientele to tap into.

 

I also sell to friends in the hobby - by saving on the consignment fee, both of us can be satisfied with the deal.

[LordRahl]

The type of material matters a lot in deciding where to sell. For super common hot books I'd say ebay. For stuff that is harder/more expensive, either put it up on Highgrade at a BIN and wait or consign to CL. I think Golden Age, if it's prime material you might want to go with Heritage but it has to be something that is good enough for them to waive the sellers fees. The boards are fine to try first, just understand that you will either have to price below FMV or only sell a small percentage unless you have truly hard to find books.

[Iceman399]

Sell them to a local boardie!

[Michelangelo]

thanks for the info.

 

I like that MCS's consignment fees are 8% on books $300 or more..

 

Do the prices that books sell for via auction are pretty close to FMV?

[shadroch]

 

MCS attracts a different clientele than Link, Heritage or Connect. Some books bring better prices, some don't.

Their sales are archived.

[Michelangelo]

MCS attracts a different clientele than Link, Heritage or Connect. Some books bring better prices, some don't.

Their sales are archived.

 

archived where? GPA?

[krighton]

Selling on the boards is definitely hit or miss...you pretty much have to gut your prices to the bare bones to sell regularly in the sellers forum....EBay's fees stink but you can usually sell pretty consistent.

[shadroch]

MCS attracts a different clientele than Link, Heritage or Connect. Some books bring better prices, some don't.

Their sales are archived.

 

archived where? GPA?

 

 

Have you bothered to look at their site?

Go to their home page, click Feb auction. When that page opens, you'll see something about search all auctions. Click it and you'll get every auction result for the last year. Play around a on the site, and you'll find others ways to get the information.

[blazingbob]

No offense but why should you have to play around to find auction results?

 

It should be cut and dry to get to.

 

It is amazing that I should have to be a detective to find out what sold in a auction.

 

 

[shadroch]

If they put their auction results on their home page, how would anyone find anything else? Do you list your past sales as the first thing anyone sees?

 

When you are bidding on an item in their auction, you can see what other copies of the book have sold for, and when they sold, and if it is slabbed, you can see the GPA. I'm not aware of any other auction house or dealer that gives more information than MCS. Certainly not ComicLink or ComicConnect. I don't deal with thieves so I have no Idea what pedigree does or doesn't do.

[fastballspecial]

Selling on the boards is definitely hit or miss...you pretty much have to gut your prices to the bare bones to sell regularly in the sellers forum....EBay's fees stink but you can usually sell pretty consistent.

 

That's really not true. You have to offer an abundance of books in mid to higher grade. I do well every time I sell on the boards, but I don't cater slab buyers. I sell raw and get good prices for most of my books. The trick is to be fair on your pricing and be accurate in your grading. Some buy them and press them while others re-sale or put in their collection. But buy having all those choices you get a good random buying pool. Treat them fairly and they will come back again.

 

Don't get me wrong you can get more money for some books on ebay because its a bigger clientele, but sometimes it just comes down to do you want to move your inventory or sit on it and hope.

 

 

 

 

[makeminemego]

Selling on the boards is definitely hit or miss...you pretty much have to gut your prices to the bare bones to sell regularly in the sellers forum....EBay's fees stink but you can usually sell pretty consistent.

 

I think the boards can work great, especially with eBay being such a nightmare anymore, if you're expectations are realistic. Knock on wood, but I've had nothing less than stellar experiences here, be it through buying/selling.

 

Having said that, I would think using High Grade Comics or mycomicshop for consignment would seem to be very nice alternatives.

[mycomicshop]

No offense but why should you have to play around to find auction results?

 

It should be cut and dry to get to.

 

It is amazing that I should have to be a detective to find out what sold in a auction.

 

 

If you're referring to us, you're reading too much into Bill's words "play around". Our past auction results are very easy to access. This page is linked to from every auction page:

 

http://www.mycomicshop.com/auctions/list

 

Transparent and accessible, unlike others that become hard to access as soon as they end.

 

(note, we archive items after a year. We still have all info for results older than a year, I just need to do some updating so results continue to be accessible after they hit a year and are archived)