JiC: THE PRICE IS...RIGHT?

[MattBrady]

<img src="http://www.newsarama.com/Marvel/Xmen.jpg" width="175" height="262" align="right">by Michael Sangiacomo

So, what's it worth?

This is where we separate the comic lovers from the comic collectors.

I was attempting once again to sort my ridiculous comic collection, which is still in disarray from my last move. I won’t say when that was, but it was sometime in the latter part of the previous century. In one of the beat-up longboxes I came across my complete collection of The Avengers, at least the first 250 issues or so. Naturally, I started to read some of the early classics, which is why I never finish the job.

A sorting buddy noted that it’s a shame that I didn’t take better care of the comics because they would be worth a lot of money. This is true. I wish I had stored them better, kept them out of the heat, not loaned the first 50 issues to a grade school friend who thought drawing additional speedlines behind Quicksilver improved the covers. I wish I had put them in plastic bags, although I can’t be held responsible for that because the bags were not invented until almost a decade after I started buying them.

Those things I regret, but I don’t regret reading them. I don’t care if I read Avengers #1 down from near mint to fine, it was worth it. I got my $2,000 worth of pleasure from it. I do regret selling Jimmy Phillips my near mint 1-through-6 Hulk collection for $6 in 1966 and thinking I made a killing. (STUPID, STUPID, STUPID.)

But I digress, to quote another columnist.

This lengthy lead-in brings us to the most frequent question I am asked about a comic: what’s it worth?

Usually I reply that it is not the monetary value that matters, but the enjoyment. That never even slows 'em down.

"Sure, but what's my Superman #566 worth?" is the typical response.

For those soulless people, and for the heck of it, I decided to see how close the various price guides are to one another in determining value of a comic. It was not as uniform as I expected. I was surprised that the new telephone book sized Standard Catalog of Comic Books, often listed the value of certain key comics at almost half the price quoted in the Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide and significantly less than Wizard’s monthly guide.

The Standard guide is put out by the folks at the Comic Buyer's Guide and the editors at Comicbase, a smashing computer program for classifying and collecting comics. The CBG folks are relatively new to the guide market but old hands at writing about the comic industry.

Ebay prices are all over the place but generally higher than all the guides. Add to that, the CGC graded near mint comics that are encased in plastic for all eternity making them unreadable go for many times Overstreet guide price.

Here are my findings: If I were buying comics, I’d want to use the Standard catalogue. If I were selling, I’d like to use Overstreet.

It kind of reminds of the shady business that keeps two sets of books, a real set and a fake set for the IRS.

For comparison sake, I chose some of key comics at random. The first is Giant Sized X-Men #1 from 1975, the first issue featuring the team of "new" mutants replacing the original X-Men. To keep it simple, everything was assumed to be near-mint.

The conservative Standard catalog listed the value at $600. Overstreet said it is worth $1,100. Wizard’s January issue said it is worth $850.

The Incredible Hulk #181, featuring the first appearance of Wolverine, was listed at a mere $600 in Standard. Wizard said it would go $1,050 for that hot book while Overstreet ups the ante another $50 to $1,100. To top ‘em all, Ebay sold one for $1,325 that didn’t look near mint to me.

I can also recall a guy trying to sell very nice copies of this book and Hulk #180 - that had a cameo of Wolvie, at a comic convention is Chicago and being offered $50 for the pair by two dealers who said the books were “common as dirt.”

One of the most telling differences were the prices listed for Ultimate Spider-Man #1, the alternate white cover. According to the Standard catalogue, a near mint copy is worth $60. Tell you what, I’ll take 10 at that price! Wizard says it’s worth $130, while Overstreet says it’s worth $120. Interesting, I sold a copy on Ebay for $175 with ease.

Amazing Spider-Man #14, the first appearance of the Green Goblin, sells for $2,500, according to both Overstreet and Wizard, $1,800 in Standard. Keep in mind, all of these guide prices came out after the movie. Looking back in time a bit, Wizard says Batman #100 (1956) is worth $2,500. Standard says, “Nuh-Uh,” $1,850 tops. Overstreet says $2,750. According to Overstreet, it was $1,500 five years ago.

How about something less hot?

Picking a comic at random, we see Iron Man #43 (1971) is worth $10 according to Standard. Overstreet says it’s worth $26 while Wizard is almost in the middle with $15. Starman #1: $5 in Standard $7 in Overstreet and $7.50 in Wizard.

Spawn #1 is worth $9 in Standard and Wizard and $25 in Overstreet. And while the issue has gone for ridiculous prices CGC slabbed on Ebay, currently, you can find one on the auction site for around $20.

While we’re on the S’s, Standard says Savage Dragon #1 is only worth a nickel over the $1.95 cover price. That hurts. Wizard agrees. But have no fear, Erik Larsen, Overstreet says it’s worth $4.

So who’s right? Depends.

The verdict among the half-dozen comic shop owners I asked is that Overstreet is the Bible in the industry. The Standard catalog is more valuable as an archival reference book. Besides listing a conservative price for each book, it also shows the cover date, something badly missed in the other guides. It also lists the writer, artist and the number of issues printed. For those bonuses, I find it indispensable. There are seven pages in this telephone book-sized tome on The Amazing Spider-Man alone. Pretty impressive.

Wizard is great for checking out newer comics, and can make fans feel good about the sudden price increase seen in some of the books they just bought, given its monthly release, as long as they have keen vision to read the tiny print, of course.

All three guides rely on reports from retailers to set their values, and each adjusts the raw data with their own, proprietary research.

Michael Sangiacomo is a statewide news reporter for the Plain Dealer newspaper in Cleveland, Ohio. His syndicated "Journey Into Comics" weekly column on the state of the comic book business, can be found in newspapers and at the Newsarama website. His monthly comic book column appears the first Saturday of each month in the Plain Dealer Arts page and is syndicated through Newhouse Newspapers. He also writes a twice-monthly audiobooks review column covering crime thrillers and mysteries that can be seen at <a href="http://www.audiobookstoday.com" target="_blank">www.audiobookstoday.com</a>

[grendel x]

Let's not forget that from $ amount standpoint a comic is only worth what someone is willing to pay. It doesn't matter one bit if wizard says something is worth $10, $20 or $75 if you can only find a buyer willing to pay $5 for that book. I've know people to pay twice guide for comics just because they couldn't find that issue anywhere else, on the other hand we have a local comic shop that prices his comics that are valued up to $5 in wizard for $.50 a piece and he has 30 or 40 longboxes full of those books that just sit in his shop collecting dust.

[L'Zoril]

AAARRRRRGHHHH!!! I wanted 1st post... (sigh)

[Clem Snide]

Damn. Only read this to find out what Superman #566 is worth, and he never did tell us, did he?

[newarrior]

As much as I'm not really into comics for "the money", it was a little hard watching Giant Size X-Men #1 skyrocket in price shortly after I sold my very-damn-close-to-near-mint copy for a box of Magic cards and a few weeks of books in trade. *sigh*

[gOgIver]

It's best to sell on ebay.

[Alan Coil]

I must point out that Comics Buyer's Guide has been doing price guides for at least a decade.

I also must say that the price of comic books is set by Overstreet according to the *reported* sales by major dealers, not by the smaller stores. What's to stop some of the dealers from reporting a larger number than the actual sale?

It doesn't matter what you think your collection is worth, you won't be able to get that amount when you sell it. Individual books may bring a true value, but most of your collection will sell for pennies on the dollar. Spawn #1 worth $20? Not in my area. The local dealer bought several recent collections over the last two years and most of them had Spawn #1. They have been in his back issue bins ever since, priced at $10. Nobody wants them.

[Seric]

Actually the "worth" of something in basic economics is the "clearing price" not the high or low, but the price that is highest that permits all copies to be sold. Think if you have 10 people that want a comic there is only 5 copies of. And we rank there prices in a row from lowest to highest, that they would pay to buy it. The rank the sellers the same just by how much they would let it go. Now these are the highest the person would pay for it and the lowest the seller would let it go for, not the prices they really want. You take these two lines and cross them, that will tell you the price where it will be sold and the amount they will be sold for. For more on economics check the top two links in my profile.

[KingStalin]

[quote]Originally posted by gOgIver:
<strong>It's best to sell on ebay.</strong><hr></blockquote>

I just sold cruce jones first 4 issues of hulk for 45 dollars and origin 1-6 for 55. you think with all the trades people wouldn't pay as much.

[greatonefrommatewan]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Matt Brady:
Amazing Spider-Man #14, the first appearance of the Green Goblin, sells for $2,500, according to both Overstreet and Wizard, $1,800 in Standard. Keep in mind, all of these guide prices came out after the movie.

[greatonefrommatewan]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Matt Brady:
Amazing Spider-Man #14, the first appearance of the Green Goblin, sells for $2,500, according to both Overstreet and Wizard, $1,800 in Standard. Keep in mind, all of these guide prices came out after the movie.
Actually, the prices were set as of Dec. 19, 2001 for last year's Guide, and not after the movie was released. Guide prices are compiled all year long and have to be submitted before the year's end. It takes so long to have the books printed that an early deadline is used to get all the info in on time so that the books can get out usually by, I think, March.

[mike sangiacomo]

[quote]Originally posted by Alan Coil:
<strong>I must point out that Comics Buyer's Guide has been doing price guides for at least a decade.

I also must say that the price of comic books is set by Overstreet according to the *reported* sales by major dealers, not by the smaller stores. What's to stop some of the dealers from reporting a larger number than the actual sale?

It doesn't matter what you think your collection is worth, you won't be able to get that amount when you sell it. Individual books may bring a true value, but most of your collection will sell for pennies on the dollar. Spawn #1 worth $20? Not in my area. The local dealer bought several recent collections over the last two years and most of them had Spawn #1. They have been in his back issue bins ever since, priced at $10. Nobody wants them.</strong><hr></blockquote>

[mike sangiacomo]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Alan Coil:
[QB]I must point out that Comics Buyer's Guide has been doing price guides for at least a decade.

Let's try this again. Yes, I know the guide has been doing this for 10 years, but I believe the big honkin' phonebook sized sucker is new within the past couple years. That's what I wasrefrring to.

[blucadet3]

Wizard and all guides are behind on the hot books. I just sold 4 copies of Y the last man for 25 bucks each buy it now and I sold the first 5 or 6 issues of bruce jones hulk run for 75 bucks a few months ago. The key to a quick buck is striking when the price peaks. Just ask all those blokes with boxes full of harbinger 1's. I remember not buying origin 1 because I thought it looked like crap and it selling for 100 bucks a pop a month or two later. Its not near that now. I just like to read the books and usually recylce my collection only keeping the things I really liked and will return to again and again. If someone missed something and wants to support my comic buying for the next few weeks buy purchasing recent back issues at overly inflated prices more power to them! I've taken to buying lots of full runs on ebay. I recently bought swamp thing 20-163 for about a dollar and issue and just missed a lot of sandman 1-75 that sold for 74.99....damn!

[blucadet3]

Wizard and all guides are behind on the hot books. I just sold 4 copies of Y the last man for 25 bucks each buy it now and I sold the first 5 or 6 issues of bruce jones hulk run for 75 bucks a few months ago. The key to a quick buck is striking when the price peaks. Just ask all those blokes with boxes full of harbinger 1's. I remember not buying origin 1 because I thought it looked like crap and it selling for 100 bucks a pop a month or two later. Its not near that now. I just like to read the books and usually recylce my collection only keeping the things I really liked and will return to again and again. If someone missed something and wants to support my comic buying for the next few weeks buy purchasing recent back issues at overly inflated prices more power to them! I've taken to buying lots of full runs on ebay. I recently bought swamp thing 20-163 for about a dollar and issue and just missed a lot of sandman 1-75 that sold for 74.99....damn!

[Seric]

I am for the free-market (Big time, see my links) but when a publisher (Marvel) follows this kind of stuff, it kills the industry. We need to be promoting reading, reading, reading.

[grendel x]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by blucadet3:
[ I just like to read the books and usually recylce my collection only keeping the things I really liked and will return to again and again. If someone missed something and wants to support my comic buying for the next few weeks buy purchasing recent back issues at overly inflated prices more power to them!

I've been going through my ever growing collection and doing about the same thing. What I've been doing is selling some of my stuff to some of the online comic shops and taking my payments in trade.. I got $40 in trade for my Birds of Prey #8 and used it to pick up the Incredible Hulk Hardcover... and some supplies to boot... not bad for a $2 investment...

[TylerS]

[quote]Originally posted by blucadet3:
<strong>Wizard and all guides are behind on the hot books. I just sold 4 copies of Y the last man for 25 bucks each buy it now and I sold the first 5 or 6 issues of bruce jones hulk run for 75 bucks a few months ago. The key to a quick buck is striking when the price peaks. </strong><hr></blockquote>

I know people who said the same thing as they sold X-Men #94 for around $30-40. Given the low print runs today, there is likely to be a comic here and there that hasn't come close to its peak. A few things become obviously overpriced (Death of Superman comes to mind), but selling stuff as it shoots up often means missing out on the serious long-term money. You can be right 9/10 times and still lose.

I don't want to think about how many comics are worth $500-$1000+ now that I've sold at a wonderful profit for a fraction of current value.

One interesting thing about comic prices these days is how they're influenced by hot writers. 20+ years ago, it was artists. Like GL #76 was a huge deal (still is). Later DD #158 and X-Men #108. I don't ever remember comics worth so much due to a writer's first issue like Hulk #34 or ASM #30. Interesting trend. It's nice to see so much focus these days on the writing.

[Raphe Cheli]

Ebay prices are all over the place but generally higher than all the guides.

I don't know what Ebay you're looking at, but prices on Ebay usually are 1/4-3/4 of Overstreet Guide price, and similarly lower than Wizard and the CBG/Standard Catalog. Maybe not for the "hot" item (Ultimate This, or Origin of That) or that oh-so-special CGC 9.8 or 9.9, but most comics sell for bargain prices.

I've been buying and selling on Ebay for about 3 years, and I can count on one hand the number of times I've sold/bought something over Overstreet "value." Today, for example, I won a Prize Comics #60 in VG ($28 in OPG) for $14. I lost and auction for Prize Comics #1 in G/VG, but that went for only $154 (it's around $300 in OPG). This is commonplace. If anything, Ebay has changed pricing throughout the hobby, because people are getting their books for much less than they had in years past.

[MindTricked]

As a rule, I generally go by Wizard, but I do have my Overstreet, and I'm generally happy when I see the prices of certain books I bought for relatively cheap... like that Ultimate Spider-Man # 1b for $5.00 (new), Incredible Hulk # 181 (bought accidentally for $530 off of eBay 2 1/2 years ago), and my favorite buy - Amazing Spider-Man # 100 for $26 (ah, eBay...). Of course, I'll never read the actual copies - that's what reprints are for. The thing is, value of comics, much like anything else, is subjective. For everyone out there with a copy of X-Force # 1 willing to give it away, there's someone out there that would willingly pay good money for. In my opinion (like assholes - everyone has one), the value of my collection is not only monetary, but in the joy that came from reading and collecting. If there's something out there I really want, I'll pay more that the value of whatever guide I check.

[gOgIver]

[quote]Originally posted by KingStalin:
<strong>

I just sold cruce jones first 4 issues of hulk for 45 dollars and origin 1-6 for 55. you think with all the trades people wouldn't pay as much.</strong><hr></blockquote>

Original issues are always better if your are a collector.

[mike sangiacomo]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Raphe Cheli:
[QB]Ebay prices are all over the place but generally higher than all the guides.

I don't know what Ebay you're looking at, but prices on Ebay usually are 1/4-3/4 of Overstreet Guide price, and similarly lower than Wizard and the CBG/Standard.
SANGIACOMO HERE
You could be right.I haven't exactly studied Ebay, but, generally speaking, whenever I've looked at something it was higher. Potato Potahto.
M

[TylerS]

[quote]Originally posted by Raphe Cheli:
<strong>[b] If anything, Ebay has changed pricing throughout the hobby, because people are getting their books for much less than they had in years past.</strong><hr></blockquote>

And, ironically, selling them for much more. Gone are the days (for many) of getting 10%-20% from dealers. Because of eBay, collections are a decent store of value. A win-win for collectors. I've known many people who had to dump their collections in times of hardship and get very little money. Now, with a little effort, people can turn their collections into serious cash. For a lot of comic collectors, especially ones with little savings, eBay has greatly affected their financial situation.

A decent price guide would just track every eBay sales price. That's what I'd like to see and what I would pay for. If I had more time, I might put up a web site with the top few hundred comics and track their prices. I'd exclude sellers with low or poor feedback.

As for a comparison. Hi-grade materials are worth more than the price guides say for most popular items. If you order DD #168 at $60 (price guide), it just flat-out won't be in near mint. Period.

Low-priced items have a higher guide value to reflect labor costs. In that sense, they're all overvalued and will sell for less on eBay.

[the_poet]

I love threads like these. Some occassional articles about the business of buying and selling comics are a great change of pace to the usual industry news.

As for me, I've managed to find a peak a couple of times. I sold Ultimate Spidey #5, the death of Uncle Ben, for $30.00 back in May, and it wasn't even a NM copy. I got more for that than the NM Ultimate Spidey #2 ($20.50) or the VG copy of Ultimate Spidey #1 ($25.00) I sold a couple of weeks later. These prices all ended up being way, way below Guide. Especially Wizard. Their Ultimate prices are sky-high.

Incidentally, Marvel HeroClix was very hot from the moment it was released. I regularly got $20-30 for uniques and LE figures for quite some time.

-Stev

[StoneGold]

[quote]Originally posted by Matt Brady:
by Michael Sangiacomo

A sorting buddy noted [/URL][/i][/qb]<hr></blockquote>


Sorting buddy?????

[OM]

...Gee, Michael, you should have thrown in a low-end example, such as Brother Power, The Geek or Sonic Disruptors just for grins :-)

[Franklin Harris]

[quote]Originally posted by Raphe Cheli:
<strong>[b]If anything, Ebay has changed pricing throughout the hobby, because people are getting their books for much less than they had in years past.</strong><hr></blockquote>

I've been buying comics on eBay since 1998, and I have seen the exact opposite happen. It depends which books you're looking for.

[Daniel Harvey]

[quote]Originally posted by StoneGold:
<strong>


Sorting buddy?????</strong><hr></blockquote>

It's kinda like a porn buddy. When you die your sorting buddy comes over and gets rid of all the comics you never wanted other people know you had. Like all those Liefelds and Zimmermans. :)

[Alan Coil]

mike sangiacomo writes:

"Let's try this again. Yes, I know the guide has been doing this for 10 years, but I believe the big honkin' phonebook sized sucker is new within the past couple years. That's what I wasrefrring to."

That big sucker just came out this year in the summer I believe. I saw a copy at one of the LCS but decided to spend my 30 bucks on other stuff. I seldom buy the Overstreet guide and never buy Wizard. I read'em and store'em and seldom resell'em.

[mike sangiacomo]

[quote]Originally posted by StoneGold:
<strong>


Sorting buddy?????</strong><hr></blockquote>

Ah, you're just jealous.
M

[wishlish]

Mike, I'm looking at 47 boxes of comics, at least a quarter of which are unsorted, unbagged, unboarded, and uncataloged. I could use one of those sorting buddies. :)

As for prices, I think there's two pricing situations in the market. There are books for collectors, the key issues, slabbed books, and the like. For those issues, the guides are great, as is a refined Completed Items search on eBay. And for these buyers and sellers...I have no clue what works, because I'm not that collector. I know people who do collect like that, and I'm glad for them.

But I'm a "reader first" collector. Give me complete runs of VF books, non-slabbed books, books that I'm going to read a few times. These situations are impossible for the price guides. And a lot of these type of situations produce really strange pricing situations.

Case in point: I've been looking for a full run of the Thunderbolts. I bid on a lot like this last week on eBay, only to be really outbid- it closed at about $150. Another lot came up this week, and I ended up winning the auction for $71. The lots were nearly identical in content (only one issue, #4, was missing in the second lot, and I doubt it's worth $80 on its own). The sellers both had great records. The difference in the price lay more in the bidder lists (which were substantially different) than in the inherent value of the comics. And neither lot came close to the individual book value of the titles per any of the guides- or even cover price.

This isn't even close to the first situation like this I've seen this year. I bought 100 beautiful copies of 80's Avengers for about $20. I bought full runs of Spiderwoman (the 80's title), Dazzler, Captain America (both vol. 1 and vol. 3), and more, all for about 50 cents a book or less (the Caps were about 20 cents a book, even the Waid issues!). And the books are in great shape. These aren't beat-up books by any means, but VF+ copies that I'll be proud to read and own (well, maybe not Dazzler, although some great talent worked on those books).

If I was running a price guide, how do I deal with this? Answer- focus on the high-quality single copy issues, and that's what they do. But by doing this, they pull out these books AND the buyers for those books out of the back issue market, leaving bargain hunters like me to get what I want at great prices.

I've seen retailers in South Jersey adjust. There are two or three retailers who only deal in high-quality key books, and there are two or three dealers who deal in "buck or less" bulk runs. There's even a show run every 6 months where retailers come and price every book at a buck or less. At the last such show, I bought full runs of Atlantis Chronicles and Perez's Wonder Woman.

Anyway, that's my two cents. What's yours?

[mike sangiacomo]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by wishlish:
[QB]Mike, I'm looking at 47 boxes of comics, at least a quarter of which are unsorted, unbagged, unboarded, and uncataloged. I could use one of those sorting buddies. :)
YOU HAVE MY SYMPATHY.
I figure this is a good time for people who actually care about reading comics (it seems like there are fewer of us every day.) I bought a huge run of Ostrander's Spectre; Suicide Squad and Airboy even though I already had the whole collection because they were so cheap, like a quarter each. Let everyone else fight like dogs over high price books.
M

[MurrayC]

Aaaaannnnnnnddddd..... don't forget to check out (begin shameless plug :) <a href="http://www.COMICSPRICEGUIDE.com" target="_blank">www.COMICSPRICEGUIDE.com</a> Currently the ONLY online priceguide for comics (r.i.p. Wizardworld.com) which free to use at ALL times (but with a paid membership, there are some really cool features). You might find our values are probably all over the board too. In addition to talking to dealers, we also talk to our visitors/members ("Hey, I just paid $X.xx for such-n-such a comic") as well as check out eBay, and snoop at the prices of online stores. Feel free to check us out (...end shameless plug)

[wishlish]

[quote]Originally posted by mike sangiacomo:
<strong>
YOU HAVE MY SYMPATHY.
I figure this is a good time for people who actually care about reading comics (it seems like there are fewer of us every day.) I bought a huge run of Ostrander's Spectre; Suicide Squad and Airboy even though I already had the whole collection because they were so cheap, like a quarter each. Let everyone else fight like dogs over high price books.
M</strong><hr></blockquote>
Thanks for the sympathy, Mike. One of these days, I'm going to teach my fiancee how to sort comics.

I had forgotten about my purchase of Suicide Squad and complete runs of Grimjack, Nexus, and Badger (at least the first runs). I can't wait to finally get time to read all this stuff.

[Jer-el]

Man, I've been giving some serious thought to selling some of my comics. However the hardest part is deciding which ones to sell off. I took some doubles that I have to my comic shop hoping to get some decent cash (keep in mind the doubles are of some 'Reign of the Supermen' issues) but due to the fact that these were mass produced in their day, I would have only gotten pocket change for them. Scratch that idea, now I'm thinking eBay. So a question goes out to all the eBay buffs out there. If I were to try and sell some 90's comics (including Spider-Man), how much would I actually get for them off of eBay?

[MurrayC]

[quote]Originally posted by Jer-el:
<strong> If I were to try and sell some 90's comics (including Spider-Man), how much would I actually get for them off of eBay?</strong><hr></blockquote>

Probably no more than what you originally paid for them. If you are looking to just get rid of them, the best way (that worked for me) was to put the collections in separate lots (i.e. a Superman lot, a Spider-man lot, etc.) and provide a "Buy it Now" option. You are bound to attract a collector who is just getting into either Superman or Spider-man that is looking for a complete set for a great deal and wants save time by using the Buy it Now feature. I find that lots of 10 per title work well.

If you have a paid membership with <a href="http://www.COMICSPRICEGUIDE.com" target="_blank">www.COMICSPRICEGUIDE.com</a> you can sell or auction your books through the site with zero (that's right, I said ZERO) listing or commission fees!

[wishlish]

[quote]Originally posted by Jer-el:
<strong>If I were to try and sell some 90's comics (including Spider-Man), how much would I actually get for them off of eBay?</strong><hr></blockquote>

Keep in mind you're selling comics that have been offered to collectors MANY times. It's not hard to pick up most 90's Spider-man or Superman.

To earn that "collector premium", do your homework. Describe the books in detail, and take photos. Offer shipping discounts on winners of multiple lots (this is a great discount, since it really doesn't cost you anything if you do it right!). If you can get the books graded, that will really help potential buyers (I'm assuming you've kept the books in good shape).

In the end, you still might not make a dollar more than what the dealer offered you, and maybe even less. There's no guarantee a book will sell for the price you want.

You can certainly protect yourself with a reserve price or initial price that reflects your view of the value of the books, but that might discourage bidding. Sometimes setting the initial bid to a $ attracts more bidders looking for a bargain, and it can lead to rational (and irrational) bidding that can get you the money you feel the books or worth. Or not.

I've sold some lots on eBay and made great money; I've sold some lots on eBay and taken losses. It's the risk of eBay. But it's as good a system to collectors as we've ever had, so good luck, and may you get the money you're looking for!

[TylerS]

[quote]Originally posted by wishlish:
<strong>



To earn that "collector premium", do your homework. Describe the books in detail, and take photos. Offer shipping discounts on winners of multiple lots (this is a great discount, since it really doesn't cost you anything if you do it right!). If you can get the books graded, that will really help potential buyers (I'm assuming you've kept the books in good shape).

In the end, you still might not make a dollar more than what the dealer offered you, and maybe even less. There's no guarantee a book will sell for the price you want.

</strong><hr></blockquote>
Of course, you could spend that time looking for aluminum cans and maybe come out ahead. Serously, time is valuable. If you're going to be taking a bunch of scans and grading each and every comic for a cheapo lot, then you're valuing your labour at about the same amount as the aluminum can guy or maybe a factory worker in China.

I would take one scan, give a general condition (vf-nm), and put a minimum bid that you would be cofortable with. You'll be a higher price when selling consecutive issues (i.e. FF 376-385). 80 cents to $1 a comic is about the most you would expect for 80s-90s books that aren't key titles/issues.

[Sosbedog]

test

[Sosbedog]

I think what is needed here is a Beckett-style publication that gives a price range instead of just a single price. The Beckett publications (which cover the sports cards hobby) have ben doing this for years.

[F For Fake]

I remember when I worked at a local comic shop, people were always trying to sell us Spawn #1's. We paid 10 cents a piece for them. That's right: 10 cents. Then we sold them for $10 a piece. They flew out of the store! People would come in and say "Wow, that's $7 less than Wizard says it's worth!" and could hardly make it to the checkout quickly enough.
On the flipside, I spent several years trying to piece together complete runs of the Grendel and Legion of Superheroes series. Most of these books guide at about $2 or $3 a piece, if THAT much. I think Overstreet has much of the LOSH at cover.
Still, I searched every comic shop in several states trying to put these collections together, and these books were IMPOSSIBLE to find. When I finally tracked some of them down, I didn't hesitate to pay $5 or $7 a piece for them, because I realized how truly scarce they were.
So, again, the only true indicator of value is what you'd be willing to pay for it. The white cover alternate to Ultimate Spidey (or any other kind of BS 'variant') isn't worth 2 cents to me.

[TylerS]

[quote]Originally posted by F For Fake:
<strong>I remember when I worked at a local comic shop, people were always trying to sell us Spawn #1's. We paid 10 cents a piece for them. That's right: 10 cents. Then we sold them for $10 a piece. They flew out of the store! People would come in and say "Wow, that's $7 less than Wizard says it's worth!" and could hardly make it to the checkout quickly enough.
</strong><hr></blockquote>

Great story. If anything, this goes to show how important eBay is. I feel bad for the people that sold for a dime. Now people can get a fair price for their property.

[blucadet3]

Since wizard has only a limited number of books in the price guide this site has been updating an excellent price guide for valiant books based on ebay sales and online store prices.

<a href="http://www.valiantcomics.com/valiant/guide.asp" target="_blank">http://www.valiantcomics.com/valiant/guide.asp</a>

pretty cool if you ask me!

[Jer-el]

Thanks for the tips everyone, I'll make a mental note of everything if and when I decide to sell off some issues. A dollar an issue is the price I'd start with anyway. I bought most of these comics when they were at least $1.25 (man I miss those days) so I figure 80 cents to a dollar is a pretty good deal. Of course there could be that percentage of collectors that might think I'm crazy and should lower the price...whatever. As for the quality, they are in bags and boards, so they are at least in fine shape. But like Wishlist advised, I'm gonna do my homework first. Last thing I want to do is screw over a fellow collector. From what I've heard about eBay (from people selling action figures), another risk is buying something that's claimed to be in mint condition only to be missing parts. Thanks again everyone.

[MurrayC]

[quote]Originally posted by Jer-el:
[QB]From what I've heard about eBay (from people selling action figures), another risk is buying something that's claimed to be in mint condition only to be missing parts.[QB]<hr></blockquote>

Here are some rules I follow when I am bidding on ebay:

1.Make sure the auction has a scan of the item(s).
2.Email the seller and get him to confirm if the item up for bid is complete.
3.Check his feedback (especially the negatives). If you see a common theme among the negative feedback messages (e.g. "seller lied about item being in Mint") best to avoid the seller.
4.Here's my favourite: Check what other items he is selling. If the seller is selling comics and action figures along with velvet paintings of clowns and salt-n-pepper shakers, avoid the seller at all costs. These guys are simply picking up junk at flea markets and yard sales hoping to make a few bucks on ebay. In other words, they don't know what they are doing when it comes to comics.

[Lesaruss]

How does one determine the worth of a comic book? If I were to collect for profit, how could I predict the next Amazing Fantasy 15

[mike sangiacomo]

[quote]Originally posted by Lesaruss:
<strong>How does one determine the worth of a comic book? If I were to collect for profit, how could I predict the next Amazing Fantasy 15</strong><hr></blockquote>

Oh that's easy, just go to <a href="http://www.keepdreaming.com" target="_blank">www.keepdreaming.com</a>
for a list of comics that will be worth hundreds, thousands or tens of thousands of dollars down the line. It even has a convenient chart that shows how long you will have to hold a copy of, say, "The Truth" No. 1 before it will break the $1,000 mark.
M<