Hi all, I've just joined...
I collected comics for a few years from about '88 to '91 - and I kept them all in plastic covers, so they're pretty much all in near mint/very good condition, only been read a few times.
After many years of them being stored in Mum's loft, it's finally time to sell.
ChatGPT has looked at my PDF with all the names and issue numbers - and it's given me some selling strategies, which is cool, and it's also graded them into Top Tier, Tier 1, Tier 2 and job-lot specifics.
As a first-time seller, I was wondering if anyone here could give me any othe tips - places to sell, or strageies etc?
I'm also open to selling them to anyone interested, if the price is right......
http://willshand.com/comics.pdf
Thanks!
590 books from late '80s to early '90s, all NM or VG
-
Into The Abyss
- Posts: 722
- Joined: 07 Jul 2020, 21:31
Re: 590 books from late '80s to early '90s, all NM or VG
Hi will1973, welcome to the forum.
As a collector of comics, well classic TV & film memorabilia really, myself know exactly what you face. Had to sell quite a large amount of comics about 10 year ago. Had quite a few issues from the 1959s & 1960s, various titles, conditions etc... I sold all on ebay. Really stressful at times listing them individually, then working out combined postage if a seller won multiple lots. Ebay was a different beast back then. When I sold my collection made ebay over £3000 in fees. So you can imagine what rarities I had and the effort made. Draining is an understatement.
It's good that you have your comics graded and that you've bagged and boarded them. Condition is king. I suppose it depends what sort of comics you have for sale also. A factor is age too. They are from 1988 -1991, so fairly modern being around 37 & 34 years old.
Question. Are the British, American , or a mixture of both I wonder? And do you have complete years with free gifts and variants. Be interesting to know? If American know certain issues even only 30+ years old can be worth a substantial amount.
And it's highly l likely you've spent more purchasing the collection than you will ever make reselling them. So don't be disappointed if you make a loss. I suppose the joy of collecting outweighed any idea that they'd be worth something in the future. Sometimes we do strike lucky , most times , we don't. Just have that in mind.
There are various avenues you can sell them. As I mentioned ebay is one, although like any middleman require their cut. The benefit is convenience , seller protection and you can list your whole collection or individual comics. But again postage is a factor unless you state pickup only. But that narrows the field a bit regarding buyers.
Because of the large amount could sell them in a specialised auction. But again they'd take their cut. Advertising on social media is another channel. You've done already here. Have put feelers out to test the water so to speak.
There are collector forums on Facebook and others websites you could join, then make it known you have comics for sale. But be aware that you'd have to arrange meetups , give over contact details and address , and that's a minefield in itself.
A would the would-be buyer try to renegotiate any price arranged even though a price already agreed. It does happen. What happens if they don't turn up. You got all your collections ready , waited hours for them , only to be let down. Sadly not all are genuine. A thing to consider.
Anyway. Hope you sell your collection for a fair price. Wishing you luck friend.
As a collector of comics, well classic TV & film memorabilia really, myself know exactly what you face. Had to sell quite a large amount of comics about 10 year ago. Had quite a few issues from the 1959s & 1960s, various titles, conditions etc... I sold all on ebay. Really stressful at times listing them individually, then working out combined postage if a seller won multiple lots. Ebay was a different beast back then. When I sold my collection made ebay over £3000 in fees. So you can imagine what rarities I had and the effort made. Draining is an understatement.
It's good that you have your comics graded and that you've bagged and boarded them. Condition is king. I suppose it depends what sort of comics you have for sale also. A factor is age too. They are from 1988 -1991, so fairly modern being around 37 & 34 years old.
Question. Are the British, American , or a mixture of both I wonder? And do you have complete years with free gifts and variants. Be interesting to know? If American know certain issues even only 30+ years old can be worth a substantial amount.
And it's highly l likely you've spent more purchasing the collection than you will ever make reselling them. So don't be disappointed if you make a loss. I suppose the joy of collecting outweighed any idea that they'd be worth something in the future. Sometimes we do strike lucky , most times , we don't. Just have that in mind.
There are various avenues you can sell them. As I mentioned ebay is one, although like any middleman require their cut. The benefit is convenience , seller protection and you can list your whole collection or individual comics. But again postage is a factor unless you state pickup only. But that narrows the field a bit regarding buyers.
Because of the large amount could sell them in a specialised auction. But again they'd take their cut. Advertising on social media is another channel. You've done already here. Have put feelers out to test the water so to speak.
There are collector forums on Facebook and others websites you could join, then make it known you have comics for sale. But be aware that you'd have to arrange meetups , give over contact details and address , and that's a minefield in itself.
A would the would-be buyer try to renegotiate any price arranged even though a price already agreed. It does happen. What happens if they don't turn up. You got all your collections ready , waited hours for them , only to be let down. Sadly not all are genuine. A thing to consider.
Anyway. Hope you sell your collection for a fair price. Wishing you luck friend.
Well, hello there! 
Re: 590 books from late '80s to early '90s, all NM or VG
Many thanks for the long and detailed reply, Into The Abyss.
Appreciate the time you've taken, and thanks for the suggestions!
All comics were bought in London, although I guess there could be some US versions that made it to the few comic shops I bought from.
I wonder how I'd be able to tell? An obvious one would be if they only show a $ price and not £ on the cover.
Are there any forums or selling websites you could point me to, rather than having to google and work out which might be the best for this?
Thanks again!
Appreciate the time you've taken, and thanks for the suggestions!
All comics were bought in London, although I guess there could be some US versions that made it to the few comic shops I bought from.
I wonder how I'd be able to tell? An obvious one would be if they only show a $ price and not £ on the cover.
Are there any forums or selling websites you could point me to, rather than having to google and work out which might be the best for this?
Thanks again!
-
Into The Abyss
- Posts: 722
- Joined: 07 Jul 2020, 21:31
Re: 590 books from late '80s to early '90s, all NM or VG
No problem will1973. Nice to know you amassed a nice collection.Will1973 wrote: 29 Aug 2025, 08:16 Many thanks for the long and detailed reply, Into The Abyss.
Appreciate the time you've taken, and thanks for the suggestions!
All comics were bought in London, although I guess there could be some US versions that made it to the few comic shops I bought from.
I wonder how I'd be able to tell? An obvious one would be if they only show a $ price and not £ on the cover.
Are there any forums or selling websites you could point me to, rather than having to google and work out which might be the best for this?
Thanks again!
To be honest I myself collect British comics mainly rather than American, although I did have a few silver age comics in the past but nothing expensive.
I can only advise you to check online sites both UK & US that might give you an idea of a base price for individual comics or collections that have first appearances of certain characters.
There are sites like WeBuyBooks you could look at. You can scan some of your American comics barcodes to give you an idea of pricewise if they meet their criteria. Worth a look.
WeBuyBooks: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source= ... iIE5y-UdX
Well, hello there!