I Need Advice - Comic Book Selling Newbie 1 1

[GoSpideyGo]

I Need Advice - Comic Book Selling Newbie

Hi, guys!! Total comic book newbie here!! Be gentle. 

Okay, so a friend of mine moved recently and couldn't take his HUGE comic book collection with him (4 comic book boxes full - he took 9 boxes with him) to Florida from CA. He asked me if I could expedite a bulk sale for him. He shockingly just wants to get rid of these and get whatever I get for them. I know NOTHING about comic books. I mean, I love my Marvel/DC movies, but that's where it begins and ends with me. At first I was going to do just that, but another friend of mine (who knows more about comic books than me) said DON'T DO IT!! We've discussed ideas on what to do next, but would love to get some 2nd and 3rd opinions on the subject. I know about grading your comics. And this friend has about 100 comic books maybe worth grading to get most of out selling them. Personally, I see it as a lot of work on my end with little return (20 percent of sales) I'm ready to just sell as bulk and give someone some fantastic issues. These comics are all in pristine condition. (maybe a couple of the older ones have wear edges). Among these books are signed copies, etc. For instance I have a signed #1 Spawn by McFarlane. I didn't count them yet, but I'd say I have about 500 comic books total. All ranging from The Amazing Spider-man, Spawn, Batman, X-Men, Logan, Wolverine, Superman, Daredevil, Red Sonja, Fantastic Four, X-Force, etc. About 10 of those are signed.  I just don't know how to start. I told him I was going to catalog them and see what we got. He was fine with that, but really, I know he doesn't want to grade them. He says he doesn't have the extra money to do that.  Personally, I wanted to see if I could grade 10 of them. Because I think he has a few winners in his collection. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!! I've enclosed photos of some of the comics. Again, I'm not asking you to tell me their worth, I just need advice on where to start my process of selling these. Thanks again!!

[kav]

The only thing i can say is these books are not in pristine condition.

[SteppinRazor]

First, thank to the advent of grading, your signed comics aren't worth as much as they would be had they been witnessed and submitted.  That's not to say they're worthless, but they are worth less (than slabbed ones).

Second, the first step is to get an idea of what you have.  Titles and issue runs.

Third, you have to research those runs to find the key comic books.  This can be difficult as there are some with variant covers that are worth a lot , but the regular covers aren't, yet distinguishing these may be confusing in your research.

Fourth, you have to develop an eye for assessing their condition.  The books that were printed in the 80s+ pretty much have to be near perfect to be worth submitting for grading (with a small handful of exceptions).  It is more than likely that as a novice, one tends to assume better condition than they really are.  There are a multitude of nearly imperceptible imperfections that can derail a Modern (late 80s/90+) to the point where it's not worth grading.  If you have older comics, Bronze, Silver, or Golden Age, they can still be profitable in less than perfect condition.

Fifth, it costs a lot of money to grade comics.  You should check the sold listings for graded comics (slabbed) and non-graded comics (raw).  Often, by the time you count the costs of grading, the raw price is close enough to make it not worth the effort.

[piper]

Why don't you post a list? I'm sure you'll get a few pms.

[manetteska]

1 hour ago, piper said:

Why don't you post a list? I'm sure you'll get a few pms.

And location.

[revat]

honestly, for the very 'least' amount of work on your part, I'd take ten representative pictures (or however many craiglist allows), definitely make sure the old ones can be seen clearly, and post a an ad on craigslist.  Let people come by over a few weeks, let people leave an offer, and just let everyone know you'll take the highest offer at the end of the month or whatever. 

This is the 'least' work (to me), I think, but it depends how comfortable you are with craigslist and letting craigslist people come to your house (although 500 might fit in 2 long boxes in your car and you can meet in a nearby parking lot, though that's more work). 

ok in retrospect actually I don't know if its less work, but it is a method.

[marvelmaniac]

 

To sell them individually on CL or eBay will require a lot of work, selling on eBay requires shipping.

If you are looking for a quick sale or a sale that requires very little effort on your part...

I have not been to a local comic shop in years but the numerous shops in my area used to sell books on consignment.

That is another avenue you may want to explore, you can probably find your local shops online/facebook etc and message them online, does not get any easier than that.

You will still need to make a list or just pop them in the car and drive them over.

They may also buy the entire lot for, pennies on the dollar, but if a quick sale is what you are looking for...

[revat]

On ‎6‎/‎1‎/‎2017 at 9:10 AM, revat said:

honestly, for the very 'least' amount of work on your part, I'd take ten representative pictures (or however many craiglist allows), definitely make sure the old ones can be seen clearly, and post a an ad on craigslist.  Let people come by over a few weeks, let people leave an offer, and just let everyone know you'll take the highest offer at the end of the month or whatever. 

This is the 'least' work (to me), I think, but it depends how comfortable you are with craigslist and letting craigslist people come to your house (although 500 might fit in 2 long boxes in your car and you can meet in a nearby parking lot, though that's more work). 

ok in retrospect actually I don't know if its less work, but it is a method.

 

2 hours ago, marvelmaniac said:

 

To sell them individually on CL or eBay will require a lot of work, selling on eBay requires shipping.

If you are looking for a quick sale or a sale that requires very little effort on your part...

I have not been to a local comic shop in years but the numerous shops in my area used to sell books on consignment.

That is another avenue you may want to explore, you can probably find your local shops online/facebook etc and message them online, does not get any easier than that.

You will still need to make a list or just pop them in the car and drive them over.

They may also buy the entire lot for, pennies on the dollar, but if a quick sale is what you are looking for...

sorry yes, I should have been clearer.  to sell on craigslist, take offers ONLY on the WHOLE lot.  At the end of a few weeks, whoever gives you the best offer, sell to them.  If they're mobile, you can go to the 2-3 closes comic book shops too and shop them around. 

Or if their is anyone on the boards here (or a few people) from out of state that YOU TRUST (someone objectively objective), take some pics for that person, or make a list, ask them what the right price is to sell for that will sell quickly but not be stupid, and then sell at that price LOCALLY.

[GoSpideyGo]

On 5/31/2017 at 6:42 PM, kav said:

The only thing i can say is these books are not in pristine condition.

And I said a few of the older ones are not. 

[GoSpideyGo]

On 6/1/2017 at 8:45 AM, manetteska said:

And location.

I will make a list. Ugh. So much work. Ha. But I guess that will help with the sale. Thanks for the advice!

[kav]

personally selling stuff like this the best luck I've had is selling them in lots on ebay.  You dont get the max amount as selling individually but you get way more than comic shop will give you.  Like 10 spiderman books per lot. show front cover pics describe as detailed as possible.  Main pic show all books spread out.  Do not assign grades-that would be a recipe for disaster for someone doesn't know much about comics.

[GoSpideyGo]

On 5/31/2017 at 6:51 PM, SteppinRazor said:

First, thank to the advent of grading, your signed comics aren't worth as much as they would be had they been witnessed and submitted.  That's not to say they're worthless, but they are worth less (than slabbed ones).

All of the signed copies were witnessed first hand. Not sure what submitted/slabbed means.  Thank you.

[kav]

1 minute ago, Philip Alan said:

All of the signed copies were witnessed first hand. Not sure what submitted/slabbed means.  Thank you.

What he means by witnessed is witnessed then sent for slabbing in a CGC case by a CGC representative.  So there's a chain of custody showing the book was actually signed by creator.

[revat]

16 minutes ago, Philip Alan said:

I will make a list. Ugh. So much work. Ha. But I guess that will help with the sale. Thanks for the advice!

list might be ok. Or just lay them out for a few big group pictures that you think are representative.  Do you want to maximize the dollar value? or minimize your time investment?  If you want to get into details, then yes a list is better.  But grading still matters, and if you're not an expert or comic lover, you probably have very little idea how much grading can affect a price. 

Least effort on your part in terms of handling the comics = take 10 representative pictures (at least 10 comics per pic), put an ad on craigslist or other local sites (including these forums).  Have people come look and make bids on the whole lot.  At the end of 2-3 weeks, let the highest bigger have the comics.

that, or drive them to 3 local comic book stores and let people make offers.

Its up to you, investing time leads to a better chance at more money (but no guarantees). 

You could maximize your money by learning to grade and price each comic individually, and sell and package them and mail them individually.

 

Certainly the list is ok, I'd go with pictures.

[GoSpideyGo]

18 minutes ago, kav said:

What he means by witnessed is witnessed then sent for slabbing in a CGC case by a CGC representative.  So there's a chain of custody showing the book was actually signed by creator.

Gotcha. So it matters not if they were witnessed as they signed and not graded right away? That devalues the book?

[GoSpideyGo]

Just to give you an idea, here's just the Amazing Spider-man collection (with a few Sensationals)

 

Sorry about them being out of order! And sorry about getting the titles of these books wrong! 

The Amazing spider Man

-the man in the crime master's mask #26 July

-bring back my goblin to me #27 Aug
-molten man #28 Sept
-make way for Captain America #323
-assassin revealed: Sabretooth #324
-final chapter red skull cover #325
-return of Venom #315
-spidey faces the rose #253
-back off wall crawler the battle van is mine #254
-introducing the new spiderman #252
-special wedding issue with both Peter Parker & Spiderman on two different covers #21
-and then came Electro #82 Mar
-spider-man Killer #90 Nov
-panic in the prison #99 Aug
-the spider or the man #100 sept
-green goblin's last stand #122 July
-what a tangled web we weave #61 June
-the brand of the brainwasher #59 april
-escape impossible #65
-carnage part one and two #361 #362
-carnage conclusion #363
-my super powers have failed me #160 sept
-hammer head is coming thru #159 Aug
-ghost of hammerhead #158 July
-doc oct has returned from the dead #157 June

-a death in the family #400 both white embossed and gray copies
-and cyclone is his name #143 April
-mysterio is back #141 feb
-madness means the mindworm #138 nov
-the name of the dame is medusa #62 july
-the man wolf strikes again #125 oct
-Todd McFarlane signed 25th Anniversay #300 May

 

The Sensational Spider-man
-Wanted: Dead or Alive - preferable dead #25 #89 #255

[GoSpideyGo]

31 minutes ago, kav said:

personally selling stuff like this the best luck I've had is selling them in lots on ebay.  You dont get the max amount as selling individually but you get way more than comic shop will give you.  Like 10 spiderman books per lot. show front cover pics describe as detailed as possible.  Main pic show all books spread out.  Do not assign grades-that would be a recipe for disaster for someone doesn't know much about comics.

I like this idea the best!

[kav]

4 minutes ago, Philip Alan said:

Gotcha. So it matters not if they were witnessed as they signed and not graded right away? That devalues the book?

Yep.  It's considered 'name written on cover' and is worth less.  However sometimes you can sell em on ebay for more if a buyer doesn't understand this or doesn't care.

[GoSpideyGo]

Just now, kav said:

Yep.  It's considered 'name written on cover' and is worth less.  However sometimes you can sell em on ebay for more if a buyer doesn't understand this or doesn't care.

Gotcha. Thanks.

[kav]

122 is probably the most valuable depending on condition and 26 27 28 are like $40 books.