Funding your collections

[Shootydog]

I'm interested to hear how some of you fund purcases to add to your collection. Do you buy low/sell high? Do you budget a certain amount each month and never go over? Are you into speculating? Are you rich?

 

Anything you can tell me will be helpful.

[arexcrooke]

I have gotten to the point where even though i spend a little bit each month, i have books that I can trade/sell to finance other purchases. Plus my collectiong is at a point now where i am focusing on a small number of books, which helps me keep my spending down.

[Wally's Comics]

 

"collecting is at a point now where i am focusing on a small number of books, which helps me keep my spending down."

 

 

ditto!

 

 

 

 

 

By the way - You aren't the I.R.S. are you?

 

 

[Inhuman Fiend]

Good question...I make a decent living but certainly not enough to spend the really big bucks necessary for the real gems. Since I got back into collecting about a year ago after a 22 year absence, I've spent about 5 or 6K buying exclusively off eBay. Because I don't have unlimited funds, the wife has been nagging about the money I spend on comics. So I began working to build up a sort of "buy-low, sell-high" box that has helped me fund the hobby over the past few months. However, the funds accrued from my sales have dried up and I need to flip a bunch more books to keep things going. Problem is, I have two boxes full of comics to sell but it seems that the Summer is a BAD time to sell on eBay since I've seen a ton of books sell for MUCH less than they usually do, including my last batch of auctions in early June which had the worst results I've had in my 6 months of selling on eBay. So I've got to cut WAY back on spending until things pick up on eBay so I can unload my "stock" and build the acquisition fund back up again!

[chromium]

When I stopped going to bars, clubs and restaurants and stopped drinking alcohol altogether I magically wound up with about $400 - $500 extra pocket money a month...which all goes to geek stuff now (comics, DVDs, PC stuff...)

[joe_collector]

I am from the "buy and hoard" camp that keeps the hobby going. If we all bought and sold constantly, most HG comics would be as common as rice in China.

[Wally's Comics]

When I stopped going to bars, clubs and restaurants and stopped drinking alcohol altogether I magically wound up with about $400 - $500 extra pocket money a month...which all goes to geek stuff now (comics, DVDs, PC stuff...)

 

 

How in the world do you turn down european ale???!

 

The best Beer ever!

 

 

Oh well, you gotta do what you gotta do.

 

 

 

[sfilosa]

Problem is, I have two boxes full of comics to sell but it seems that the Summer is a BAD time to sell on eBay since I've seen a ton of books sell for MUCH less than they usually do, including my last batch of auctions in early June which had the worst results I've had in my 6 months of selling on eBay. So I've got to cut WAY back on spending until things pick up on eBay so I can unload my "stock" and build the acquisition fund back up again!

 

Realize this is almost a self fulfilling prophecy. In other words if everyone waits to buy, because they don't have funds from "sales", then there would NEVER be a good time to sell.

 

Usually the summer is an OK time. I have seen a number of very high sale prices on hard to find high grade CGC books, but I honestly expect that we are in a stagnation (if not slow decline) for more common books. The tricky question is what is a common book, which to me could include Silver-Age CGC in 9.4 or below depending on the issue.

[sterlingcomics]

I'm interested to hear how some of you fund purcases to add to your collection. Do you buy low/sell high? Do you budget a certain amount each month and never go over? Are you into speculating? Are you rich?

 

Anything you can tell me will be helpful.

 

I fund my collections by:

 

1. selling books or duplicates

2 requiring super high grades of books, which never come up thus keeps my spending down.

 

Certain books I've done well, broke even, and lost. your rich comment is hilarious.

 

WELCOME TO THE BOARDS!

[JuliusSeizure]

I budget for comic purchases and devoutly hunt for bargains. You have to have the patience to pass on a transaction if you think you might do better by waiting. I have that patience about 9 times out of 10. (Or 85 times out of 100, maybe...) I've been focussing a lot lately, too, without which I would have spent at least $100 more than I did in Boston yesterday. I also go for mid-grade stuff, which helps.

 

Not being an insider, I personally find it too risky right now to try and time the comic market and make money by flipping. So I buy what I want to keep and do my best to stick to the budget. I figure, too, if I shop around for good deals, then if I ever *have* to sell, I might at least get my money back.

[Wally's Comics]

Oh yea...

 

Welcome to the Boards

 

and Enjoy!

 

 

[topofthetotem]

I purchase about $200-600 worth of books per month from ebay ,comiclink, metro to name a few.

That can be alot of books if you look for deals and focus your collection habits

my purchasing is funded by a 30000.00 canadian line of credit I keep just for collecting whatever I spend that month from my line of credit I pay asap my paycheck and the money I get from my outside business take care of it no problem

I would like to fund my purchases from comic book sales but I find it hard to let go of books even if I know I'll make money on them

[Mike Bray]

Myself , i scan for bargains to re-sell... one mans trash is anothers treasure and i`m just the middleman.If you have the knowledge and know how to be a part time dealer you can self fund your 'personal " collection .

[Foolkiller]

Some flipping, but mostly whatever the budget allows for.

[Larryw7]

I'm interested to hear how some of you fund purcases to add to your collection. Do you buy low/sell high? Do you budget a certain amount each month and never go over? Are you into speculating? Are you rich?

 

Anything you can tell me will be helpful.

 

 

I'm far from rich, but I save my pennies(sometimes literally) and pack a peanut butter sandwich for lunch every day so I have enough extra scratch for the comics I want. I also sell comics I don't want, DVD's, and other stuff to fund my comics purchases. It also comes in handy if a dealer accepts time payments. Then you can get some of the big books you want without spending a load in one shot.

[Fan4Fan]

pack a peanut butter sandwich for lunch every day so I have enough extra scratch for the comics I want

 

Lunch?

 

 

[bobpfef]

It also comes in handy if a dealer accepts time payments. Then you can get some of the big books you want without spending a load in one shot.

 

Time payments

[shrunkenhead]

Budget is the key. I generally allow $50 a month for moderns off the rack, and I have a fairly strict monthly budget for back issues, supplies, etc. Sometimes a big purchase will take me out of the back issue game for 3 or 4 months, but if it's a great book, then I'm cool with that.

 

In addition, I also throw $50 a month in an envelope for a "big" comic purchase. I've been doing that for a few years now, and have never dipped into it, and don't plan to for many years. Someday when I'm on the hunt for a Batman #1 or an All-Star #3 in ten or fifteen years, I figure I'll have a nice head start.

[sterlingcomics]

I think the strategy works similar for anything you want: PAY YOURSELF FIRST.

[joe_collector]

Myself , i scan for bargains to re-sell... one mans trash is anothers treasure and i`m just the middleman.If you have the knowledge and know how to be a part time dealer you can self fund your 'personal " collection .

 

And most of all, make sure you're an American.

 

If you're buying and selling from Canada/Europe, better make sure you're dealing in high dollar books, otherwise the shipping will kill you. I almost fainted at the new rates.