Post by laddpadd on May 26, 2020 19:16:15 GMT -8
Hello all!My Uncle passed away and left a massive comic book collection. I'm assisting my Aunt in selling off the collection as she neither knows nor cares anything about them. Personally, I've spent a lot of time selling off LEGO's and have some experience selling, but the comic marketplace is a completely new (and very different) challenge.I have some questions on a number of topics and really could use some help and advice; I've spent a lot of time studying some of the basic terminology and background of the comic marketplace, but I still have gaps in my understanding.
What I have:
A few thousand silver/gold age comics. I believe most are probably around the 0.5 - 5.0 scale, although there are a few issues that look absolutely beautiful (I have a Hero for Hire 1 that seems perfect to my untrained eye, but I'm sure an expert would probably mark it down far lower to ~ 6.0ish). Beyond that, I have tens of thousands of boxes with modern comics that I'm aware are almost all very incredibly cheap and not worth selling individually.I've also inventoried quite a bit of what I have. I'm listing the Book titles and the issue numbers, along with what equivalent copies sold for on eBay in the last 3 months. Moreover, I give an approximate estimation of how nice the comic looks to my (VERY) untrained eye. Notable examples are a really good Hero for Hire #1, Strange Tales #110, 169, Tales of Suspense #57, Fantastic Four #6, 8, 9, Incredible Hulk #3, 5, 6, etc.
Questions:
1. What is the best platform to sell from? I've sold on eBay before, but eBay's fees are quite large. On Reddit, there is a LEGO marketplace community where people sell direct to buyers and avoid all eBay fees; is there any website that does something similar? Is there any store platform that allows individual sellers to list their items for cheaper fees than eBay? Finding any marketplace that's cheaper to sell on than eBay would be phenomenal, especially one tailored to comic books fans.
2. What is the value of pressing comics? Can pressing increase the grade on my comics, and is it worth the price? On which comics is it worth? My silver age books are in the 0.5-4.0 scale generally, and have far greater flaws than a few wrinkles. If pressing is worth it, when is it worth it? Should I press comics that sell for ~$50, or only press comics that sell for $300+?
3. The same question for CGC grading. As far as I can see, grading the books I have is going to cost ~$30 per book +shipping to and back. Will grading them be worth the very painful fees for lower graded books? Should some books be graded if they're key issues, or should I just upload pictures to eBay/whatever marketplace and let the customers decide? What is the cut off? Obviously a random $10 2.5 comic isn't worth the grading, but is a $50 book worth grading?
4. Thoughts shipping? So much value in comics seems to be keeping them in good condition, and I'm petrified of shipping the comics out and having them damaged in transition; however, I will be shipping tens of thousands of comics out soon and the shipping fees are certain to be astronomical. How do I reduce these prices? Are ULine Stayflats a safe way to ship a single comic or are they too flimsy? Are Gemini Comic Flash Mailers the best way to ship out small loads of comics? Are they the safest way to ship?
5. Any other advice? I can use almost any thoughts you have!
Thank you all so much! This whole world is so new to me, and I could truly use help.
What I have:
A few thousand silver/gold age comics. I believe most are probably around the 0.5 - 5.0 scale, although there are a few issues that look absolutely beautiful (I have a Hero for Hire 1 that seems perfect to my untrained eye, but I'm sure an expert would probably mark it down far lower to ~ 6.0ish). Beyond that, I have tens of thousands of boxes with modern comics that I'm aware are almost all very incredibly cheap and not worth selling individually.I've also inventoried quite a bit of what I have. I'm listing the Book titles and the issue numbers, along with what equivalent copies sold for on eBay in the last 3 months. Moreover, I give an approximate estimation of how nice the comic looks to my (VERY) untrained eye. Notable examples are a really good Hero for Hire #1, Strange Tales #110, 169, Tales of Suspense #57, Fantastic Four #6, 8, 9, Incredible Hulk #3, 5, 6, etc.
Questions:
1. What is the best platform to sell from? I've sold on eBay before, but eBay's fees are quite large. On Reddit, there is a LEGO marketplace community where people sell direct to buyers and avoid all eBay fees; is there any website that does something similar? Is there any store platform that allows individual sellers to list their items for cheaper fees than eBay? Finding any marketplace that's cheaper to sell on than eBay would be phenomenal, especially one tailored to comic books fans.
2. What is the value of pressing comics? Can pressing increase the grade on my comics, and is it worth the price? On which comics is it worth? My silver age books are in the 0.5-4.0 scale generally, and have far greater flaws than a few wrinkles. If pressing is worth it, when is it worth it? Should I press comics that sell for ~$50, or only press comics that sell for $300+?
3. The same question for CGC grading. As far as I can see, grading the books I have is going to cost ~$30 per book +shipping to and back. Will grading them be worth the very painful fees for lower graded books? Should some books be graded if they're key issues, or should I just upload pictures to eBay/whatever marketplace and let the customers decide? What is the cut off? Obviously a random $10 2.5 comic isn't worth the grading, but is a $50 book worth grading?
4. Thoughts shipping? So much value in comics seems to be keeping them in good condition, and I'm petrified of shipping the comics out and having them damaged in transition; however, I will be shipping tens of thousands of comics out soon and the shipping fees are certain to be astronomical. How do I reduce these prices? Are ULine Stayflats a safe way to ship a single comic or are they too flimsy? Are Gemini Comic Flash Mailers the best way to ship out small loads of comics? Are they the safest way to ship?
5. Any other advice? I can use almost any thoughts you have!
Thank you all so much! This whole world is so new to me, and I could truly use help.
