Selling Thousands of Comics....Best Way? 1 1

[MedicAR]

All right, it's time to sell.  I'm finally being allowed (that's a story unto itself) to sell the majority of my collection and am more anxious to unload it rapidly than to maximize profit.  I plan to keep the better stuff, keys, semi-keys, and high grade books.  I also plan to keep my CGC books and few sentimental runs.  For those keeping score at home, that leaves raw books, mostly filler of varying condition, and in bulk.  The majority are bagged and boarded albeit with cheaper materials, as when I started, cost was a major factor and I've never managed to rebag them all.  We're looking at 80-90 long boxes.

Now for the kicker, I'm thinking of contacting Chuck.  My rationale is simple.  He deals in bulk and is generally in attendance of Planet Comic Con, allowing me the opportunity to talk in person and even bring "samples" if necessary or I could load the collection up and take it with me.  I plan to make contact prior to the show so he will have an idea of needs as far as taking the books back to Denver if he should be so inclined.  

Aside from the lack of profit margin, does anyone see a problem with this plan?  If so, what better options are available?  

[MedicAR]

I forgot to add, I have a moderate statue collection that I plan to liquidate as well but figured that I would do better selling them off individually, likely on these boards, unless there is a fairly quick way to move them as well.  

Edited February 18, 2017 by MedicAR

[kav]

We cannot answer until you tell us what kind of books you're talking about.

[W16227]

Hey - might also want to list your general location -  your best bet might be to a local boardie. ( or a couple that might buy and split up after the fact) - 

 

chuck will ill probably buy and haul away- but locals do now worry about transporting several states over - 

 

[MedicAR]

All kinds.  Primarily superhero, but war, crime, and horror peppered in as well.  Most from the 80s and 90s but all eras are included.  

I'm in Northwest Arkansas, I can't imagine that there is anyone close that might be interested that I don't already know but I suppose it is possible.  

[FineCollector]

29 minutes ago, MedicAR said:

All kinds.  Primarily superhero, but war, crime, and horror peppered in as well.  Most from the 80s and 90s but all eras are included.  

I'm in Northwest Arkansas, I can't imagine that there is anyone close that might be interested that I don't already know but I suppose it is possible.  

When you say "all eras included," you sound like the guys on craigslist who say they have GA/SA books, and end up having 70's Archies and Gold Key.  Drop the salesmanship, and help us help you.

[MagnusX]

1st. you need to have a complete inventory of what is for sale.

[kav]

My buddy bought 120 longboxes of 80s 90s stuff for $250 and boy did he regret that purchase.  

[MedicAR]

2 hours ago, FineCollector said:

When you say "all eras included," you sound like the guys on craigslist who say they have GA/SA books, and end up having 70's Archies and Gold Key.  Drop the salesmanship, and help us help you.

There is no salesmanship here, in fact the goal wasn't to sell here at all, although craigslist suddenly seems like a decent idea.

6 hours ago, MedicAR said:

raw books, mostly filler of varying condition, and in bulk

 

3 hours ago, MedicAR said:

Primarily superhero, but war, crime, and horror peppered in as well.  Most from the 80s and 90s but all eras are included.

The vast majority are 80s and 90s superhero books.  I also bought occasional golden and silver age books so of the 85-ish long boxes maybe one will be these books. At one time or another, I have picked up pretty much any kind you can imagine.  I would estimate less than 40 issues of humor of any kind and no romance that I can recall.  

2 hours ago, MagnusX said:

1st. you need to have a complete inventory of what is for sale.

Yeah.  That's not going to happen.  If I was going to spend that kind of time, I'd piece it out on eBay over the next two decades.  There are lots of Batman and related titles (Detective, World's Finest, Brave and Bold, BatO).  X-Men from the Silver Age to the late 80s maybe up to 93 or so.  Action and Superman, Most of the Punisher books up until the end of the original run, but across all of the titles.  

 

2 hours ago, kav said:

My buddy bought 120 longboxes of 80s 90s stuff for $250 and boy did he regret that purchase.  

This is more helpful than anything else here.  Knowing this, I'm thinking I can drop three or four boxes a week into the dumpster at work and be done in a year.  Before anyone suggests it, the local libraries aren't interested and my LCS says they can't use any of them, even as giveaways as they have plenty for that as it is.  My goal was to get rid of the damn things and hopefully make a dent in some bills at the same time.  At two bucks a box, it is less headache to haul them off than to try to sell them at all.  

[kav]

I know its tough to hear and it sucks but he couldnt even sell the books in a 25 cent box at his store.  He finally unloaded them to another guy for $150 and that guy had them in his garage last I heard.  Th longboxes are more valuable than the books maybe you could get $2 each for them or something.

Edited February 19, 2017 by kav

[wombat]

Can you donate any of them? Children's hospital or something like that. While it doesn't help you out too much, it might make someone happy. 

[kav]

schools and hospitals might be interested but from what I've heard in other threads they are not.  Plus i cant see them taking more that 4-5 boxes and this would be a lot of calling and driving around to get rid of them all.  Plus some of the 80s and 90s books have unsuitable for children stuff so you might have to spend time weeding through them.  Dumpster is probably the best way.

[FineCollector]

3 hours ago, kav said:

My buddy bought 120 longboxes of 80s 90s stuff for $250 and boy did he regret that purchase.  

We heard that story.  He had you sorting the books, right?  Your mistake was trying to sort everything at once.  $250 should've been a slam dunk.

[kav]

No I was not involved I just saw all the boxes in his storage.  He did have another LCS owner go thru them and he was uninterested.

[1950's war comics]

Agree with Kav,... It takes so much work to sell comics from that era and they have so little value that without the availability of a dumpster, one might actually have to pay good money to someone else to physically take 85 long boxes seeing how they are going to have to rent a U-haul and store the drek

[kav]

I got a lot of flak in the other thread over this-but really-books that will not move at all in 25 cent boxes-there's just no place to slam dunk them.  Nobody wants these books-even for free.

[thehumantorch]

1 hour ago, FineCollector said:

We heard that story.  He had you sorting the books, right?  Your mistake was trying to sort everything at once.  $250 should've been a slam dunk.

Agreed, if you can't make money at $2 a long you're  a fool.

 

[kav]

1 minute ago, thehumantorch said:

Agreed, if you can't make money at $2 a long you're  a fool.

 

Nobody wants them-even for free.

[thehumantorch]

3 minutes ago, kav said:

 

 

3 minutes ago, kav said:

Nobody wants them-even for free.

If it's pure trash maybe.  I can't recall the details of your friend's but, didn't he pay people to sort it or something?

Edited February 19, 2017 by thehumantorch

[thehumantorch]

9 hours ago, MedicAR said:

All right, it's time to sell.  I'm finally being allowed (that's a story unto itself) to sell the majority of my collection and am more anxious to unload it rapidly than to maximize profit.  I plan to keep the better stuff, keys, semi-keys, and high grade books.  I also plan to keep my CGC books and few sentimental runs.  For those keeping score at home, that leaves raw books, mostly filler of varying condition, and in bulk.  The majority are bagged and boarded albeit with cheaper materials, as when I started, cost was a major factor and I've never managed to rebag them all.  We're looking at 80-90 long boxes.

Now for the kicker, I'm thinking of contacting Chuck.  My rationale is simple.  He deals in bulk and is generally in attendance of Planet Comic Con, allowing me the opportunity to talk in person and even bring "samples" if necessary or I could load the collection up and take it with me.  I plan to make contact prior to the show so he will have an idea of needs as far as taking the books back to Denver if he should be so inclined.  

Aside from the lack of profit margin, does anyone see a problem with this plan?  If so, what better options are available?  

If there's a decent percentage of superhero books you should be able to get about $30 a long.  I'd imagine there's a lot of easy to sell $1 books and some keys or minor keys.