Where to sell a comic book collection? (1 Viewer)

[Luis Cruz]

I am currently trying to get rid of my comic book collection. I am selling my collection to put that cash into my bedroom HT. I was wondering where one might start to sell a whole collection. I am a college student so, in order to get some extra cash, I thought selling my collection would give me some extra $$$. Hopefully anyways, if anyone has any suggestions or anything please reply...and thanks ahead for any replies. God Bless.

 

[JasenP]

I would suggest selling the comics individually or bundled by title on eBay. You might also check to see if there are any comic book conventions or sales that you might book a table at. If you have a sizable collection, this might prove to be the best option.

 

[Luis Cruz]

Any other suggestions? Anyone?

 

[Joe Szott]

eBay is definitely the way to go. Otherwise, trying to sell it to comic shops, they'll take all day to pick out the 2 they want and then offer you a pittance for it.

eBay reaches the maximum amount of people with minimum effort, I know a lot of folks who have been very successful selling collectables there.

If you don't know how to do eBay, find a friend or professional auction service to sell your goods for you. They'll take a %, but it's still the best money you will see.

PS - If you can PM me with a list of what you have, I might have a bud that would want to buy them or eBay them for you. He's a huge comic buff...

 

[MichaelClark]

Here's a true life story for you on selling comics -

When I was 20 I wanted to sell my collection to a local comic shop. They looked at my 15 yrs worth of collecting and said "Well, ya know, you can't polish a tird." I was shocked. Not only at the fact that my years of sacrificed allowance and lunch money were worthless, but at the rudeness of the shop owner.

I went to a friend who had experience in business. He said he had a solution that would cost me $250.00. "I need to make money, not spend it!" I told him. He merely sighed, and with a polite smile said to have some faith.

I gathered the money together and went back to my friend's house. We then drove back to the same comic shop. He asked the owner about the "bargain books" that sell for a dollar each. "How much for an entire box?" he asked. Well, after much haggling, the owner agreed to sell for $75.00 per box of approx. 300 books. Combining my money and my friend's, we bought 5 boxes (1500 comics) and bags and boards to preserve them.

After consulting a price guide for approximate re-sale value, we began selling those comics, as well as my own at the local flea market. As we sold, bought, and traded over the course of two years of Saturday and Sunday mornings, our profits, our collection, and our reputations grew. I made 100 times what I would have from simply selling off my collection. It turns out that you can polish a tird, it just has to dry in the sun first.

Eventually my collaboration with my friend ended and he moved across country. We sold what was at that point a vast collection and said good-bye. But in the process, I learned how to run my own business better than I ever could have learned at any business college. I now am 28 yrs old, and I own 3 successful businesses.

So what I'm trying to tell you is this, be certain before you sell your comics. They may be worth more than you realize.

However, if you do choose to sell them, I will be willing to take them off your hands at a rate of $75.00 per box of 300.

 

[Scott Leopold]

I also suggest the ebay option. Going to the local comic shop is not an option. I did manage to get my brother a decent price on the stuff he was selling a few years ago, but that's because I took him to a shop owned by a friend of mine, and I knew the guy was fair and looking to buy exactly what my brother was selling. Unfortunately, he no longer ran the place when I was looking to sell my collection. I have about 4,500 books, many of which I realize aren't going to bring in much money, but my huge stretch of X-Men's (including 108-300 something in NM), as well as some choice books like X-Men 1-4, Hulk 1 & 181, Avengers 1, and Amazing Fantasy 15 (coverless, but still Amazing Fantasy 15), should bring in some decent money on their own. The best offer I received from any of the local comic shops was $150, which is 1/3 the best offer I've received for Amazing Fantasy 15. I then contacted a guy who runs his own shop about an hour north of here, as well as maintaining a presence at all the local comic conventions. I had dealt with him before when I worked at one of the local comic shops, and everyone recommended him saying that he offered fair prices. He came to my house, and went through my collection. Afterwards, he basically said it was all crap, and that he could only offer me $500. When he told me that nobody would be interested in my older books, and that there hasn't been a market for any X-Men titles in years, I realized that he had no clue who I was and had figured me for a rube. I told him I couldn't accept that offer, and he said it's the best I could ever hope for. I told him he'd have to leave, because I simply wasn't going to take his offer of 11 cents per book. As I was kicking him out of my house, his offer rose to $1000, then $1500, and finally $2500 before I shut the door on him. I've since decided to hold onto them a while longer, but when I do part with them, it will mostly likely be on ebay.

 

[Jason_H]

In all of these stories, when you talk about trying to sell to a comic book store, I am powerless to envision anything other than the Comic Book Guy from the Simpsons rediculing you in a condescending voice while trying to rip you off. That character is as about as true to life as you can get!

 

[Vlad D]

I also agree with the ebay route. I used to collect comic books and still have about 5000+ books. I can tell you that comic book dealers/store owners is not the way to go. They will never offer you what a comic book is worth because they are going to turn around and sell it to a collector, and they need to make a profit. Your best bet is definitely ebay.