Value of comics?

[Konmel]

What is the best way to gauge an accurate value of your comics? I know that any collectible is only worth as much as someone is willing to pay, but how do you determine the value of your comics? by an online source like MileHighComics? E-bay? Any other method?

And for those that have had experience, what is the best method to sell some comics to get the most of their "value?"

[Konmel]

So nobody puts any value in their comics, eh? I was told nobody cared about comics anymore -- maybe that person was right.

I'm just trying to get the most accurate value of some of my comics I recently pulled from storage. One comic is quoted as having a value of $75 or $100 depending on the source. I'm sure it isn't worth that much unless it was graded. But as a comic collector (if there are still any out there...), what would you put the value of such a comic? $37-50?? Less?

[jman08]

It depends on if the comic is something someone wants. You can check out Wizard to get an idea of the value, but you are right in saying it's all about what someone is willing to pay for it when you are trying to sell.

[VetLogan]

Overstreet Price Guide for older books. Wizard for the newer ones (its a monthly mag so it's updated more but doesn't cover as much as the Overstreet does).

[TheRodfather]

Overstreet and wizard are both good for stores... but for an independent seller, eBay is the best way to gauge. Just search whatever ever comic you are looking to sell(IE:Amazing Spiderman #1)... and see what other sellers are selling for, and you will also see what buyers are willing to pay.

A key to buying/selling on eBay, especially with comic/movie characters... sell when a movie or TV series is new... buy when everyone has forgotten about them. An example would be, spiderman items are good to sell now because the movie just came out. Baatman items are good to buy, then sell next year when the movie comes out.

[I Am The Game]

What years and titles are we talking about, Konmel?

Current: The window for "hot" books lasts about a month or two before the people with short attention spans find something else to get excited over, so timing is everything. The stuff no one paid attention to goes up in value because no one pre-orders enough to meet demand. Have you see a Hulk: The End for sale lately?

90's: purchased by the box or by the pound, especially early Image, Valiant (no matter what CGC says), Topps, Now, Malibu, and the obvious stuff available in quantity like Superman and Batman. Only Amazing Spideys and Jim Lee X-Men seem to hold their value in my area. Again, rarity drives value, with books like Faust, Books of Magic, or Witchblade.

80's: best sellers (as in, titles the stores will cherrypick first) are Transformers, GI Joe, Amazing Spider-Man, Batman, and most titles by Frank Miller. You've gotta find your buyer for JLA or Avengers spinoffs like Iron Man or Green Lantern. Man of Steel does well because it's cheap, available and because people know they can finish the run.

70's: mainstream superhero, high grade DC, and anything by Neal Adams. Horror reprints won't sell very well. If you sell a run, the buyer will only want the key, and liquidate the rest. Take Ms. Marvel for instance: 16-18 (1st Mystique) disappear, and the rest of the run stagnates in bins everywhere.

60's: premium for high grade, all the CGC monkeys will kill each other for it, so eBay that. Low-mid grades will sell best to smaller stores, since they need it all. Bigger places will only want the key issues they sell regularly.

Use Overstreet for anything more than two years old, that's the industry standard.

Wizard's a monthly, so their info would seem more accurate on new stuff, but they jerk prices around so that people don't think they're wasting their money. That's how they put Overstreet's monthly publication out of business, and they still do it now.

Your best bet is to hit a convention to see what's moving at what price. For instance, in the Northeast, I've not seen a copy of Detective 359 (1st Batgirl) in two years, so it'll sell far above guide here. Amazing Spider-Man 129 (1st Punisher) on the other hand is everywhere, yet a lot of people think it's going to be the next $1,000 book, so they're still sold even if they're horribly overpriced.

[Bluebeard]

I only use eBay to price anything. It's only worth as much as people are willing to pay, and eBay is full of people paying for stuff. I think pricing magazines are a really dumb idea. I've found that they overvalue everything.