Where to start? 0

[tenebrini]

Hi, I'm new here but not new to comics. I collected mostly in the mid 80s and into the 90s and was young so I was really just reading, bag/board/stash. I've picked other things up randomly here and there over the years but more out of curiosity and reading than with any future value in mind. They're all in great shape and I just cataloged everything I have. I don't know that I'm trying to get back into comic book collecting, more so I'm wondering what is my best move with these 8 long boxes. For example, I have the entire Preacher series other than the 3 I'm missing. Same with The Maxx. I'm missing one. Is there value in having the series complete or should I not bother hunting them down?

Similarly, I have Spawn 1-60. Is there any value in completing the run to 100? I have lots of that sort of stuff. A box full of amazing spider man run with some gaps between good numbers. (i.e. 1, 50, 100, etc...) Like, I have Amazing SpiderMan 300 plus a good span around it. Is it worth it to sell that and ruin the run?

I don't want to dump a bunch of money trying to fill gaps if there's no value in it. Looking more for some strategy ideas for how to approach this collection I have. I like to read still, just visited the store yesterday but I'm looking to start at a #1 if I'm going start to doing that pull box action again. Or like Detective Comics, I'll jump in when a new storyline starts.

Any thoughts or suggestions? 

 

[revat]

Honestly it’s all subjective.  Selling individually tends to net more funds more slowly.  But for some people more is more.

let’s say if you sold (generic example) COMICMAN 1-80 as a set right now you could get $500 but if you sold each issue individually including listing and pricing and shipping you’d make $1500 over the next year? 

Is the actual $1000 extra worth 80x more of your time?  Maybe if you’re a heart surgeon maybe not, but if you’re a sandwich artist at subway then maybe.  

every situation is different.  I’d use eBay sold values as a base then do your own math and research and treat as a business decision based on your own collection and fianancial preferences.

 

if you’re not willing to get into a deep dive of comic sales research, I’d just sell the sets together complete and be done with it

for reading, try online comic apps.  If you don’t like them you can switch back to real books.

 

[SOTIcollector]

If you want to fill gaps so you can read the parts of stories that you are missing, then absolutely, do it.  However, if you’re looking at just monetary value, don’t bother filling any runs.  
 

it is a common misconception among the non collecting public that things are worth more when assembled as a complete set. In my experience, though, that is not the case at all. Collectors typically are not looking for a set of Spawn 1-60 or 1-100, unless they can buy it at discount compared to the cost of buying the individual issues.

Your Preacher run would not sell for significantly more just because it has those three missing issues.  
 

Think of it this way. Who is your potential buyer for a full run of Preacher? There are two possibilities: 1) a collector who wants to own the full series, or 2) a dealer who wants to sell off individual issues at a profit.
Let’s look at #1.  If somebody likes the series enough to want a full run, then that means they probably already own some, probably many, issues of the series.  So they will only buy a full run if it would cost them less than going out and buying individual issues to complete the partial run they already have.  
As for scenario #2, somebody who wants to sell them individually at a profit would need to buy them at a steep (40% or more) discount.

So, just buy what you like, fill the runs you want to read, and enjoy!

[shadroch]

Why do you want to complete runs or not break them up. Suppose you manage to put together a run of Spiderman from 1-400, who is going to buy it?  Would the buyer pass because you wefre missing a half dozen common  issues?  Complete runs are rapidly becoming a thing of the past, and rightly so. What collector in his right mind would try to assemble a run of Spiderman these days?

[MattTheDuck]

Think of it this way:  to sell books (if that's what you want to do), you want to create the largest potential pool of buyers for those books.  The number of collectors who might want to buy a large full run is probably pretty small and you're going to have to be pretty lucky to find those collectors at all.  It might be easiest through something like mycomicshop.com where you could list the whole thing at one price and reach a reasonably wide audience, but I would expect you'd be waiting awhile.

However, if you want to be a seller, get the best return but have to spend some time at it, listing the books individually is the way to go.  You can also do this through MCS or another site, or eBay, or here on this site.  Now, there may not be much interest in some of the books so there's no telling whether you can sell them all that way.  Some sellers on here package up runs of books to encourage sales of books that may not be as wanted.  In some cases, they'll build a run with a minor key in there.

Good luck!

[theCapraAegagrus]

If you're looking to sell, then I wouldn't bother filling in runs.