Flipping and or trading up slabs. 1 1

[Robert RVA]

Hello and happy holidays to all. Not really a "newbie" at this point. Initially started out buying lower grade slabs and have gradually replaced quite a few with higher grades. Any tips for the best way to sell or trade the earlier ones for the best prices or trade value? I really haven't approached any dealers (I of course assume they want to make money) and I'm not in any rush at all to get rid of them, just getting insight from the people here for future reference. I definitely try to aim for highest grade in my budget at this point to avoid reselling altogether. I have a great Ebay score over 1300 positives and no negatives but I kind of hate selling on Ebay just always something to give you a headache on there and I think Ebay has more protections for buyers than sellers. I wish there was a resource to trade where it was FMV for FMV. (or is there) Cheers.

 

 

[stormflora]

eBay is still going to one of best means of selling at FMV, since you can actually look up prices of current/ended sales to get a good estimate for what your slabs would sell at as well.

Any other dealer/business/pawn shop/etc. is going to undervalue your stuff since they need to make a profit too. Makes eBay's commission fees look desirable in comparison.

Otherwise, try joining some comic resale groups on Facebook and try for domestic resale directly between seller and buyer. Consignment at some places too.

Edited November 30, 2023 by stormflora

[shadroch]

eBay is not your best option.

Mycomicshop will accept almost any slabbed book on consignment.  They will give you an option of entering the book in one of their auctions or listing it as a buy-it now.   All their BIN books are listed on eBay, and their websites, and you'll pay less in fees than listing it yourself. I've used them for years, and any hiccups we had were settled quickly and satisfactorily.  While I don't believe they do trading book for book, you can sell your books for credit and buy what you want.

You might consult with Bob Storms or Greg Reece if you have premium books. 

Edited November 30, 2023 by shadroch

[seanfingh]

On 11/30/2023 at 1:43 PM, Robert RVA said:

Hello and happy holidays to all. Not really a "newbie" at this point. Initially started out buying lower grade slabs and have gradually replaced quite a few with higher grades. Any tips for the best way to sell or trade the earlier ones for the best prices or trade value? I really haven't approached any dealers (I of course assume they want to make money) and I'm not in any rush at all to get rid of them, just getting insight from the people here for future reference. I definitely try to aim for highest grade in my budget at this point to avoid reselling altogether. I have a great Ebay score over 1300 positives and no negatives but I kind of hate selling on Ebay just always something to give you a headache on there and I think Ebay has more protections for buyers than sellers. I wish there was a resource to trade where it was FMV for FMV. (or is there) Cheers.

 

 

This site is a great place to sell - no fees and a huge audience of active buyers.

They are savvy. They will often try to get you to reduce the price by whatever the fee structure would provide. But the hotter and better the books the more leverage you will have.

I had a fair amount of selling success on here, and met good people as an added bonus.

[KCOComics]

 

I've had a lot of success trading up over the years. 

I've tried to get in with entry level copies of big keys and then find partners willing to trade. Patients is a virtue!! 

Every situation is unique, but I'm happy to share war stories.  Some advice: 

1. I've had good luck finding books for sale on the boards, agreeing to time payments, and selling my lower grade book to fund the new purchase.  
2. I did a trade with Mycomicshop that I felt was very reasonable. It was a big SA key for a big GA key.  They made me a very fair offer and after you factor in auction fees and other factors,  I'm not sure I would have done any better selling the book on my own.  
3. I was able to trade a short box of descent SA / BA books and a lower grade DD1, for a JIM83 and a higher grade DD1. The store wanted SA inventory and as much as enjoyed acquiring the books, I haven't missed them. 
4. I've traded with dealers several times.  Yes,  they need to make money, but I've found most to be pretty reasonable. I've also been willing to walk away when it doesn't make sense.
5. Watch the WTB threads and post about what your looking for. 
6. Be reasonable in requests. No one wants 6 long boxes of modern drek for an AF15. 
7. Place a value on your time. Maybe I could have sold my short box of SA comics for more. There was some decent stuff in there. But it would have taken me weeks and months to price, sell and ship each book.  

 

Good luck! 

 

[LowGradeBronze]

Are any of your slabs the old labels, before pressing everything into a 9.8 became the 'thing'. You may gain a tiny advantage if you can show that your early slabbed books weren't pressed, hence may have potential in a CPR. Although that would also incur costs on the buyer/trader. Depends on which books you have. Just a thought, don't know if it has any mileage for you.

Edited November 30, 2023 by LowGradeBronze

[Robert RVA]

On 11/30/2023 at 4:29 PM, LowGradeBronze said:

Are any of your slabs the old labels, before pressing everything into a 9.8 became the 'thing'. You may gain a tiny advantage if you can show that your early slabbed books weren't pressed, hence may have potential in a CPR. Although that would also incur costs on the buyer/trader. Depends on which books you have. Just a thought, don't know if it has any mileage for you.

I just have a a half dozen I don't think most are older type CGC slab. Mine are I guess mid range in price highest maybe 1400 lowest two or three hundred in value. Silver age Marvel. 

[shadroch]

MCS charges 8% on anything over $300, and 10% under it.  They have minimum fees for books under $50.

[lostboys]

On 11/30/2023 at 6:21 PM, shadroch said:

MCS charges 8% on anything over $300, and 10% under it.  They have minimum fees for books under $50.

How does MCS get around the Ebay fees?  Or do they just eat the difference as a cost of doing business?

 

How do they make money?

Edited December 1, 2023 by lostboys

[shadroch]

Perhaps Conan could explain it. I don't know how, I just see if you sell a book they charge a flat 10% or less.  They also eat the Paypal fees.  Perhaps eBay charges its bigger customers a different set of fees.

[Electron]

They raise the price on ebay to account for the fees. The purchaser pays the ebay fees, if that's where they buy it. I doubt most do though...The consigner still gets 90% or 92% of the asking price.

[Yorick]

Wait for a new Marvel/Disney movie announcement and trade the appropriate book for actually rare books.

[stormflora]

On 12/1/2023 at 8:23 AM, lostboys said:

How does MCS get around the Ebay fees?  Or do they just eat the difference as a cost of doing business?

 

How do they make money?

On 12/1/2023 at 9:07 AM, shadroch said:

Perhaps Conan could explain it. I don't know how, I just see if you sell a book they charge a flat 10% or less.  They also eat the Paypal fees.  Perhaps eBay charges its bigger customers a different set of fees.

PayPal eats anywhere from 3-6% of the amount received. However, high volumes and big businesses can set up agreements with them to get lower fees.

Also, there's always ways for merchants to push some of the fees onto the buyer, without them realizing.

[William-James88]

My Comic Shop is my pick for the best return compared to the work you put in (which is next to no work). It also gives you a very good indication at current value and can easily be changed and even turned into an auction if you want quick cash at times.