• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Moderns that are heating up on ebay!
71 71

63,730 posts in this topic

There is plenty of risk sitting on books. I always say is it better to hold or sell? So for example, if you have a book you paid $5. In two months, you can turn it into a $30 sale. That is a $25 profit. In one year, if you held the book, you could have sold it for $75 and made a $70 profit. Could you turn that $25 profit and reinvest it that 10 months later yields you more than $70? If you believe you can, you sell the book at $30. If you don't think you can, you hold onto it and hope for the best.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Philflound said:

There is plenty of risk sitting on books. I always say is it better to hold or sell? So for example, if you have a book you paid $5. In two months, you can turn it into a $30 sale. That is a $25 profit. In one year, if you held the book, you could have sold it for $75 and made a $70 profit. Could you turn that $25 profit and reinvest it that 10 months later yields you more than $70? If you believe you can, you sell the book at $30. If you don't think you can, you hold onto it and hope for the best.

I've been sitting on some Happy #1 and full sets, bought them at cover when they came out and for less than cover in the last couple years because even before the TV show was a "go" I believed in the book. It helps if you read the stuff you're hoarding and too many don't. You may laugh, but if Bedlam or Todd ever make a comeback lookout, it's low risk and possible high reward for both series.

I don't mind holding onto multiple copies of books for the long haul when I think they may turn into something I can make money from down the road.

For example:

1st Bloodstone, original and Elsa, one of them will end up in a Marvel movie at some point, I'd bet the house on it.

1st Phyla-Vell. Female cosmic herione, Capt Marvel connection,  she will end up in a GOTG movie at some point, just wait

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, Lonzilla said:

..... I believe(d) in the book. It helps if you read the stuff.....

Theses two thoughts totally drive my decisions on whether to hold or sell.

Two personal examples:

Seven to Eternity - I thought it was ok but not great. Paid cover price for multiple copies of the first arc and sold for a healthy profit and I’m happy

Sixth Gun - love that story and I still have multiple copies of #1 (paid cover for all except a FCBD copy which I bought at the beginning of the hype). Do I wish I had let go of a copy or two near the peak of hype? Yes. Am I upset that I have a hoard of a book I love? Nope. If it does gain popularity again, well...

it always goes back to a variation of ‘buy what you love’. 

The tough part is letting go (emotionally) of the missteps. I sold all but one copy of a dozen Edge of Spiderverse 2 too early in the cycle (I thought it was a flash in the pan book and wasn’t enamored with the story). But I made a decent profit and the funds led me to buy something I really wanted. In these cases I always keep in mind what an investor friend told me when I lamented about not selling at the peak - you never lose money when you’re making money. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You can't lose winning is right. 

There's no one/safe way of speculating. It's always gonna be a hit or miss. 

But I always sell at First Wave Hype

Youll MAKE LESS on some but you'll gain on ALL. So for example, if you have 10 books you bought for spec, and all 10 were "hyped", and you sold the minute the word was out, you'd make a premium (never losing). 

However, if you held on all 10 - the chances are that only one or two (or sometimes NONE) will stick, but then you would LOSE on all the other 8 or 9 books when their hype fades

So the overall gain on ALL 10 at initial hype will almost always be higher than holding off on all and selling just one or two at an all time high. 

Sure it's awesome bragging about a 40-50$ book you bought at cover, but you lost and got stuck on tons of other books at the same time.

Some examples of great First Wave Hype books that worked well for me:

Outcast 1, WD 100 (1st & 3rd print), suicide squad 1 (Harley green cover), Night Mary 1, there are others I can't remember now..

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Aweandlorder said:

You can't lose winning is right. 

There's no one/safe way of speculating. It's always gonna be a hit or miss. 

But I always sell at First Wave Hype

Youll MAKE LESS on some but you'll gain on ALL. So for example, if you have 10 books you bought for spec, and all 10 were "hyped", and you sold the minute the word was out, you'd make a premium (never losing). 

However, if you held on all 10 - the chances are that only one or two (or sometimes NONE) will stick, but then you would LOSE on all the other 8 or 9 books when their hype fades

So the overall gain on ALL 10 at initial hype will almost always be higher than holding off on all and selling just one or two at an all time high. 

Sure it's awesome bragging about a 40-50$ book you bought at cover, but you lost and got stuck on tons of other books at the same time.

Some examples of great First Wave Hype books that worked well for me:

Outcast 1, WD 100 (1st & 3rd print), suicide squad 1 (Harley green cover), Night Mary 1, there are others I can't remember now..

 

 

I'm with you, given the opportunity, I prefer to sell on the way up rather than hold for who knows what.  Turn the inventory over, turn the money over, move along.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 12/5/2017 at 7:29 AM, Hekla said:

Theses two thoughts totally drive my decisions on whether to hold or sell.

Two personal examples:

Seven to Eternity - I thought it was ok but not great. Paid cover price for multiple copies of the first arc and sold for a healthy profit and I’m happy

Sixth Gun - love that story and I still have multiple copies of #1 (paid cover for all except a FCBD copy which I bought at the beginning of the hype). Do I wish I had let go of a copy or two near the peak of hype? Yes. Am I upset that I have a hoard of a book I love? Nope. If it does gain popularity again, well...

it always goes back to a variation of ‘buy what you love’. 

The tough part is letting go (emotionally) of the missteps. I sold all but one copy of a dozen Edge of Spiderverse 2 too early in the cycle (I thought it was a flash in the pan book and wasn’t enamored with the story). But I made a decent profit and the funds led me to buy something I really wanted. In these cases I always keep in mind what an investor friend told me when I lamented about not selling at the peak - you never lose money when you’re making money. 

 

Man I loved Sixth Gun.  Wish that pilot would have taken off.  Maybe another time.

Edited by sd2416
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Aweandlorder said:

You can't lose winning is right. 

There's no one/safe way of speculating. It's always gonna be a hit or miss. 

But I always sell at First Wave Hype

Youll MAKE LESS on some but you'll gain on ALL. So for example, if you have 10 books you bought for spec, and all 10 were "hyped", and you sold the minute the word was out, you'd make a premium (never losing). 

However, if you held on all 10 - the chances are that only one or two (or sometimes NONE) will stick, but then you would LOSE on all the other 8 or 9 books when their hype fades

So the overall gain on ALL 10 at initial hype will almost always be higher than holding off on all and selling just one or two at an all time high. 

Sure it's awesome bragging about a 40-50$ book you bought at cover, but you lost and got stuck on tons of other books at the same time.

Some examples of great First Wave Hype books that worked well for me:

Outcast 1, WD 100 (1st & 3rd print), suicide squad 1 (Harley green cover), Night Mary 1, there are others I can't remember now..

 

 

Yea - you have to respect the have and hold guys if they can make money on it.  A vast majority of hot new books crash and burn so why take that risk when you can get instant cash with very little work.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, D-Optimist said:

I'm somewhat angry/disappointed I missed out on Teen Titans #12 (2017)...

I contemplated buying it when it came out for less than 5 seconds...

I just have a really hard time believing that a character named Batman Who Laughs can have any kind of serious long term potential.  I also feel the same about Spider-Gwen.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

38 minutes ago, cd4ever said:

I just have a really hard time believing that a character named Batman Who Laughs can have any kind of serious long term potential.  I also feel the same about Spider-Gwen.  

Yea, I agree... whats to say that the Teen Titans #12 will come back down to cover price though?

I'll keep an eye out regardless...

my Spider-Gwen hype has subsided... she's still cool tho...

 

Edited by D-Optimist
Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 hours ago, Lonzilla said:

I've been sitting on some Happy #1 and full sets, bought them at cover when they came out and for less than cover in the last couple years because even before the TV show was a "go" I believed in the book. It helps if you read the stuff you're hoarding and too many don't. You may laugh, but if Bedlam or Todd ever make a comeback lookout, it's low risk and possible high reward for both series.

I don't mind holding onto multiple copies of books for the long haul when I think they may turn into something I can make money from down the road.

For example:

1st Bloodstone, original and Elsa, one of them will end up in a Marvel movie at some point, I'd bet the house on it.

1st Phyla-Vell. Female cosmic herione, Capt Marvel connection,  she will end up in a GOTG movie at some point, just wait

So true , but honestly many don't anymore. Stocking ahead is the way to go as long as its low risk high reward strategy. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Aweandlorder said:

that character is a complete judge death rip off 

Artistically yea sure, but Snyder has written an original Joker character into New 52 with Endgame which is the basis of Batman Who Laughs. The name itself is just to differentiate the evil Batman from the others from the Dark Multiverse since it's basically an entire Justice League + of Batmen hybrids. I think the idea will carry this character further than any critique of his style artistically since stories always drive comics at a base level. Plus you got other versions of the style in Lord of the Rings 16LAS07_Mouth-Of-Sauron.jpg

 

And if you want to go further back, Judge Death was introduced the same year as the animated LOTR movie which also had the Mouth of Sauron who looked like this 

Rotk-2-3242-mouth-sauron.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, cd4ever said:

I just have a really hard time believing that a character named Batman Who Laughs can have any kind of serious long term potential.  I also feel the same about Spider-Gwen.  

And here I thought it was this guy:

p68117_d_v8_aa.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, divad said:

That's all??? lol I'm all in short boxes now (my aching back) but I bet I've got 60 short boxes of "potential":insane:

Christ, yes, long boxes are a young man's game. Short boxes all the way!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 12/5/2017 at 2:42 AM, Lonzilla said:

1st Bloodstone, original and Elsa, one of them will end up in a Marvel movie at some point, I'd bet the house on it.

These make so much sense to me too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
71 71