How to Save on Comic Book Buying!

Hey gang -

You definitely want to read this article if you are a fan of buying comic books, especially if you want great prices for them.

First, let’s go over a few places to save on books:

1. Facebook groups, like COMIC BOOK COLLECTING BUY SELL TRADE, as they are places where better than your typical online shop prices can be obtained. For example, when New Mutants #98 was first rising up to $300+ raw, it would be found (usually only for a short period of hours until someone bought!) regularly for $150-$200 in Facebook group listings.
2. Flea markets, as they don’t have the same detail of research as the typical LCS or online shop. Dollar bins at flea markets are known to have plenty of gems hidden away, with people regularly reporting (with photographic evidence) such high value books as Batman Adventures #12. Flea markets are well-suited to more recent books like that one, as they don’t have the appearance (or date) of a “vintage” book so a less-informed seller isn’t as likely to check online for price values. Many vintage book and comic book dealers at flea markets will use an older copy of Overstreet to price books, and this is where unusually hot books like BA #12 and Nyx #3 won’t be shown with high prices. Instead, some hot books will have almost no value at the time. Don’t know where flea markets are near you? Use Google to search for phrases like “flea markets” and the name of your town to get the best results.
3. eBay is a great place to find deals, even though you will have to search through many bad listings. Be patient, take advantage of automated searches (even using the emailed updates when matches are found), and you will have great success.
4. Midtown Comics (and other online retailers) offer specials from time to time. Midtown even has a newsletter that you can signup for and get codes each week. Sometimes the codes offer as much as 50% off the regular prices on specific books. Midtown’s blog also regularly includes discount offers.
5. Follow this blog! I list deals from my own store and for specific online retailers from time to time.
6. Watch Craigslist in your local area for listings. While there are some “pro” sellers there, it is just as likely you will find someone just trying to get money fast, making it possible for you to negotiate a great deal. Since dealerships might only pay pennies on the dollar for collections, you can pay 50% or less of the value by grade stated in Overstreet for books when people need the money in a hurry. Anyone who says they need the money but also wants top dollar doesn’t want the money that badly. Never pay more than 50% of the value in those cases, so you’d have the ability to sell at a profit and still sell for less than the stated guide vape.
7. Get a pull list or otherwise negotiate a deal with your LCS. Many shops discount regulars, and even smaller online sellers like me give 15% off cover for regular covers with almost no notice. With advance notice, you can save 25% (with me) and as much as 40% with several online shops. Remember to factor in shipping costs if you go outside of your local shop, as some of the online stores charge way too much for shipping. This is something I really notice because I know what it costs me to ship via Priority Mail in a well-packaged (and protected) box.

So, you can get great books and pay great prices if you want! There’s no reason to overpay for most books!

Until next time,

Excelsior!!!

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