Options for selling a collection13044
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 Collector
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Yoosh5492 private msg quote post Address this user | |
| A friend has asked me to sell his collection for him. I agreed and now I see this is a bigger challenge than I realized. There are too many books to list on ebay. Is it better to send to MCS auctions, sell in small lots on ebay, or as a whole? Also, how do you price something like this? Titles include Amazing Spider-man 272-297, 301-344, Adventures of Superman 432-465, Batman 404-423, Detective 575-590, and a lot more. Here are some random pics as well. As always I really appreciate all the feedback here.       |
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 Forum Crier
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OGJackster private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Great question, I have over 10k books to start thinking about. (Following this thread)  |
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 The Fifth Golden Girl
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sborock private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @Yoosh5492 MCS consigment or auction would be the way to go with this kind of group. That is, unless you get decent offers here. |
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 COLLECTOR
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dielinfinite private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @Yoosh5492 You can either sell it fast or you can get the best price. You can’t really do both. Comic book shops and I think even MCS often buy whole collections outright but they do so at a fraction of the price you would get for selling them all individually. Selling individual issues or even lots can take ages to sell, if they ever do. The route you take depends on how much time and energy you want to invest in this project. The very first step should be to take stock of what you have and pull the valuable keys. Those you should be able to sell quickly on their own. The rest either split them up into lots and hope they sell on ebay or see if a comic shop can take them, just don’t expect to get top dollar (heck, $1 per issue might be a great deal) |
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 Have I told you about the time I dropped off 3,000 comics at SDCC?
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Scifinator private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @Yoosh5492 - I have been very please with MCS. Before doing so, as the Chief Almighty Kahuna @sborock referenced though, there may be some people here that might want some first. Sorry, I am more in consolidation mode but for a very few specific pieces. | ||
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 The apple sauce and pudding were the best part...
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Bronte private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Personally I would pull and slab the keys. Thats the only way to get what the books are worth. Selling raw always struck me as being a pain in the butt. Having them slabbed m, there is no argument on grades and easier to sell. Good luck on whatever route you choose as your adventure..... |
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KYDU private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I’d be interested in any Spider-Mans especially as a group. Feel free to DM me. Best of luck with everything regardless. | ||
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 Collector
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00slim private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I’d sell them in lots/runs on e-bay. Did you negotiate a percentage for your trouble? The time it’ll take to assess grades & list in lots is considerable. I’d suggest medium flat rate boxes for sets of 20 or more. |
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 Collector
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Odinson2000 private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I had about 2000 mostly mid-grade bronze and silver. I pulled the best 50 books, gave a bunch away, then sold the rest to an lcs. I didn’t even negotiate because I knew them a bit, their initial offer was about 30% of the value and I understood that they had to run a business and were taking everything I had in a painless 1-hour transaction. The problem was, in spending a week checking values and pulling keys, I found myself getting hooked all over again. No regrets at all, but if I had it to do over, seeing where things have gone this year and my now re-ignited interest, I would have pulled the 200 best books first. |
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 Beaten by boat oars
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Studley_Dudley private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Personally, I echo other sentiments. For any keys that would press and grade NM- or better. Possibly also with the newsstands since newsie collectors can be passionate about buying high grade barcodes. For more common issues, I would string together lots based on storylines and run them as auctions. | ||
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 Not trying to be an ass since February 12, 2020.
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HulkSmash private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @Yoosh5492 feel free to let me know what your friend wants for all ASM and Punisher issues. | ||
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 If the viagra is working you should be well over a 9.8.
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xkonk private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Studley_Dudley I agree, and would remind that while MCS is a good option and you can auction lots there, they are kind of harsh on grades for raws. eBay is more work but you might be able to pull out more value if the books are in good condition. |
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Beaten by boat oars
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Studley_Dudley private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by xkonk Agree. I would only send slabs to MCS. The raws and lots I would put on eBay. |
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 Masculinity takes a holiday.
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EbayMafia private msg quote post Address this user | |
| My singular experience with this was that the person I was selling for had much higher expectations than what I was actually able to accomplish for him. Since they don't seem to be keys, they are probably going to need to be bundled together and sold at significant discount to FMV on Ebay. Before you do this, consider what is the minimum bundle price that would make it worth your while to securely pack and ship books to a buyer. And to make it worth your while to stress over the buyers satisfaction. For me it would be in the $70 range. It's kind of fun to see those $18 sales come through, but after you've packed up a few of them it gets a little tiring. That $18 sale might net about $14 after packing materials and fees. | ||
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Collector
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Yoosh5492 private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Thank you everybody for the great feedback!!! Im in LA if anyone wants to take a look. Im in the process of photographing the books and getting an accurate list of whats here. @KYDU @HulkSmash I'll reach out once I have this. |
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 Collector
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Jabberwookie private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @Yoosh5492 I’d be interested in those Batman books you have up. |
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 Collector
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vacaboca private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I don't want to hijack, but do want to piggyback - this general question has been in my head a lot over the past couple of years, with all of these thoughts and answers already in the mix. I've just started selling a huge chunk of my collection, over 10k books need to go, and I've basically been starting to identify small demands online and selling bit by bit. I'm using a database to track and work through everything, and have found it helpful to have a link I can point people to... folks that find things of interest can then help me prioritize. I use CLZ to export and maintain the site - I know it's possible to do it without export (I think @dielinfinite is making good use of that approach), but for now I'm doing it pretty discretely and relatively low-tech: http://vacaboca.com/comicsforsale |
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 Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock
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Tedsaid private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I echo what others have said ... I LOVE selling slabs at MCS, but sending raw books to them, they will down-grade everything, to minimize returns. That's just their business model, I guess. They are known for being tight, which helps get higher prices sometimes. But usually not enough to account for the too-low grade. I would love to buy that ASM #301, and the Batman $423. I've been looking for good copies for both of those, especially the #301. Also interested in: ASM #287, #293, #294, and #306; Batman #407; and Detective Comics #583, and #585 (love that cover). Also on my radar (from that era) would be ... hmm ... high-grade copies of Watchmen, Crisis on Infinite Earths, GI Joe #1, Batman #357 and #358, Daredevil #227 - #233, Sandman #1, Swamp Thing #37, Justice League #1 (it's not worth much, but I just love that series so much) and the "test logo" of Justice League #3. Good luck!  |
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 I swore no more comics, then this happened.
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PaulPop private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by EbaySeller I would like to throw this question out there to the heavy sellers. I'm also selling my collection, but as with any collection there is a certain amount of bulk. So how do you ship 5, 10 or even 15 pounds of books cheap enough to make the sale worthwhile? Someone buying a $50 bundle suddenly isn't getting a such a good deal if shipping is another $30 on top of that. And media mail doesn't count. It has become a black hole taking up to a month for delivery. Craigslist has too limited of an audience. Suggestions? Experience? |
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Collector
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00slim private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by PaulPop For raw books, Medium & Large flat rate boxes can be a good way to go for shipping bulk. |
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Collector
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vacaboca private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I recently used UPS ground for shipping 30 and 80 books respectively, both were like $20-25 shipped... smaller groupings I prefer cardboard mailers in legal priority envelopes for $8.05. | ||
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I swore no more comics, then this happened.
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PaulPop private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by vacaboca Thanks. Good answer. Now I just wish UPS had a better way to get a quote. Seems you need to actually ship to get the final price. But it's still a great starting point. |
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Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock
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Tedsaid private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by PaulPop I know, right? They are annoyingly opaque. I guess you can offer super-well-protected media mail as an option. If they are concerned about price - and anyone buying a 'grab bag' is, as you said, attracted to the price in bulk - then they should at least have the option to wait a month, in order to only pay $5 or $10. |
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 past performance is no guarantee of future actions.
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KatKomics private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Tedsaid Hey! there was also a Firestorm cover with the test logo!! I have 2 of each - they worth anything?? |
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past performance is no guarantee of future actions.
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KatKomics private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Do you have to pay income tax on MCS sales? | ||
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Masculinity takes a holiday.
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EbayMafia private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by KatKomics Nothing gets reported for most people. I was once warned by Ebay that they had a reporting requirement if my annual sales ever went above $20K. Also keep in mind if you ever did have to report income tax on comic sales, it's not based just on the selling price the way sales tax is. It's based on your net profit, so you would subtract purchase price plus all expenses including slabbing, selling, going to conventions, etc. And any books that you sold at a net loss that year could be used to offset the profit. |
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Masculinity takes a holiday.
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EbayMafia private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by KatKomics Not sure about Firestorm, but the Justice League test cover can run $120-$200 in 9.6. |
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Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock
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Tedsaid private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by EbaySeller Yes! The Firestorm is not worth as much as the Justice League but it's much harder to find. (Justice League had much higher circulation numbers at that time than Firestorm.) So, if you find the right buyer, you can probably get above guide for it in high grade. I had no idea the JL was that expensive now. That was a $50 for a LONG time. Like, from two weeks after it started to surface, until well into the 2000's. I think mine is like a 9.2 or 9.4. I've had it forever, but I'd love to get a 9.8 some day for my PC. It isn't high on my list, but it's definitely on the list!  |
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