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Newbie To The Whole Collecting Game Looking For A Few Pointers
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21 posts in this topic

Hey guys

 

Been a massive fan of the medium for years and have recently decided to start look at collecting graded comics, but since this is a world I have never really entered the whole thing seems a lot to take in and understand. So would be really appreciative if anyone would be willing to give me a few pointers to get me started.

For example I am currently watching a copy of Thor#169

  • It seems to be going for a reasonable price and looks in decent condition but has yet not been graded
  • I checked the price of what a graded copy of Thor#169 went for at https://comicspriceguide.com/titles/thor/169/xkqvk
  • Not sure if that site is an accurate account of what comics go for or are people just asking for a lot but if it is I think I could make some money on this one
  • How much would it be for me to just have that one book graded? Was wondering if the cost of having the grading done would eliminate the bulk or all profit I could potentially gain from this comic.

Any information would be greatly appreciated

Regards

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4 hours ago, Jolldan said:

Hey guys

 

Been a massive fan of the medium for years and have recently decided to start look at collecting graded comics, but since this is a world I have never really entered the whole thing seems a lot to take in and understand. So would be really appreciative if anyone would be willing to give me a few pointers to get me started.

For example I am currently watching a copy of Thor#169

  • It seems to be going for a reasonable price and looks in decent condition but has yet not been graded
  • I checked the price of what a graded copy of Thor#169 went for at https://comicspriceguide.com/titles/thor/169/xkqvk
  • Not sure if that site is an accurate account of what comics go for or are people just asking for a lot but if it is I think I could make some money on this one
  • How much would it be for me to just have that one book graded? Was wondering if the cost of having the grading done would eliminate the bulk or all profit I could potentially gain from this comic.

Any information would be greatly appreciated

Regards

Disappointed you are only interested in making money. The cost of grading a comic is like the cost of a seat on an airplane. It depends on many factors. You should read the CGC website to obtain all the info you need on submitting a comic. Couple comments, because of shipping, it is usually not cost justified to submit only one book. The cost of shipping will probably exceed the cost of slabbing. You should also learn how to grade a comic before submitting. Do some homework, otherwise you will probably lose money as opposed to making money.

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52 minutes ago, Bomber-Bob said:

Disappointed you are only interested in making money. The cost of grading a comic is like the cost of a seat on an airplane. It depends on many factors. You should read the CGC website to obtain all the info you need on submitting a comic. Couple comments, because of shipping, it is usually not cost justified to submit only one book. The cost of shipping will probably exceed the cost of slabbing. You should also learn how to grade a comic before submitting. Do some homework, otherwise you will probably lose money as opposed to making money.

 I think you may have gotten the wrong idea man. 

Im not looking to just buy low and sell high I'm under no illusions that I'm going to become a millionaire flipping comic books lol.

Ive just never previously bought comics that's are expensive most I've ever dropped is probably about £20. Since this is all rather new to me I just want to make sure I don't make a beginners mistake and buy something for say £100 and then realise it wasn't even worth half of that. 

Thanks for the info on shipping though, didn't know that so will probably make a couple purchases before sending them off. 

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1 hour ago, Jolldan said:

 I think you may have gotten the wrong idea man. 

Im not looking to just buy low and sell high I'm under no illusions that I'm going to become a millionaire flipping comic books lol.

Ive just never previously bought comics that's are expensive most I've ever dropped is probably about £20. Since this is all rather new to me I just want to make sure I don't make a beginners mistake and buy something for say £100 and then realise it wasn't even worth half of that. 

Thanks for the info on shipping though, didn't know that so will probably make a couple purchases before sending them off. 

As a rookie, I think the best thing you can do is buy books already slabbed, don't buy raw and submit.  When you buy raw, you are trusting the grading of the seller. More often than not you will be disappointed in the CGC grade if you submit. Since it appears you live in the UK shipping costs will even be worse. BTW, I got the idea that you were flipping from your comment  'profit I could potentially gain' . 

 

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Also, just because something is slabbed doesn't make it automatically desirable.   Too many people send off insignificant or mid grade books that really have no business being encased in CGC plastic.   

Example- "Hey look your Fantastic Four #103 came back a 6.0....good for you".    Nobody cares, (unless you are a 6.0 completeist). 

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For realizable prices look at completed sales on eBay 

 

so so you can at least get in the ballpark

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On 02 March 2018 at 10:19 PM, Mercury Man said:

Also, just because something is slabbed doesn't make it automatically desirable.   Too many people send off insignificant or mid grade books that really have no business being encased in CGC plastic. 

Example- "Hey look your Fantastic Four #103 came back a 6.0....good for you".    Nobody cares, (unless you are a 6.0 completeist).

See this is a thing im a bit worries about as well.

The only comics I know that are worth big money are the obvious ones like the first Superman, Batman, Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Thor and Hulk.

I really love this one that's for sale on Ebay right now, I just love the Joker in that iconic Mask pose. But the seller is wanting $140 which I thought was a bit steep?

Image result for joker the mask variant

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11 minutes ago, Jolldan said:

See this is a thing im a bit worries about as well.

The only comics I know that are worth big money are the obvious ones like the first Superman, Batman, Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Thor and Hulk.

I really love this one that's for sale on Ebay right now, I just love the Joker in that iconic Mask pose. But the seller is wanting $140 which I thought was a bit steep?

Image result for joker the mask variant

As stated previously by some very good looking person, you can usually (not always) look at completed sales on ebay to get an idea of approximate value for a comic, graded or not, to just get you in the ballpark of what similar items have sold for. 

 

Or there is a service called GPA (google it) which collects sales data for sold CGC comics from various online sources.  You can use that as well.

Edited by revat
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4 hours ago, Jolldan said:

See this is a thing im a bit worries about as well.

The only comics I know that are worth big money are the obvious ones like the first Superman, Batman, Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Thor and Hulk.

I really love this one that's for sale on Ebay right now, I just love the Joker in that iconic Mask pose. But the seller is wanting $140 which I thought was a bit steep?

Image result for joker the mask variant

$140 seems way too steep for that book. I'm betting you could get a 9.8  for $35-40, maybe even lower if it comes up at auction. That issue has lost steam over the last few years, just hold out as there are plenty of 9.8's around.

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6 hours ago, Jolldan said:

See this is a thing im a bit worries about as well.

The only comics I know that are worth big money are the obvious ones like the first Superman, Batman, Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Thor and Hulk.

I really love this one that's for sale on Ebay right now, I just love the Joker in that iconic Mask pose. But the seller is wanting $140 which I thought was a bit steep?

You will get the hang of it.  As stated, there are tools at your disposal, to kind of navigate the minefield.  Like anything else, it makes sense to comparison shop, use online sites, talk to your LCS people, talk here. 

Isn't this the same book, at Buy It Now in the same grade for $90? 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/BATMAN-40-2015-CGC-9-8-DEATH-OF-BATMAN-JOKER-VARIANT-COVER-THE-MASK-HOMAGE/272978882831?hash=item3f8ecf310f:g:krAAAOSwY~1aLtgb

 

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1 hour ago, Bomber-Bob said:

I think the moral of this whole thread is, don't buy comics on E-Bay, either raw or slabbed. The raws are overgraded and the slabbed are overpriced. 

I think the moral is to do proper research on the value of a book before buying.  You're really taking a chance buying raw books on eBay so I would steer clear of that unless you're only interested in a beater/reader copy, or don't intend to have the book graded and sold at a later date.  But I'd like to think that i've found some decent deals on eBay.  The truth is, I've found slabs advertised on these forums for the same or more what I've found on eBay.  Or alternatively, buy on ComicLink or some other reputable online dealer but just make sure you shop around and research historical prices.  Also, everyone quotes GPA prices, but never take into account that GPA includes eBay's 10% fees.  Ideally you would think people would sell for 5% below GPA on the boards so both the buyer and seller walk away happy feeling like they got a good deal by not selling/buying on eBay.

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On 3/2/2018 at 2:19 PM, Mercury Man said:

Also, just because something is slabbed doesn't make it automatically desirable.   Too many people send off insignificant or mid grade books that really have no business being encased in CGC plastic.   

Example- "Hey look your Fantastic Four #103 came back a 6.0....good for you".    Nobody cares, (unless you are a 6.0 completeist). 

True, but if people didn't submit those books (especially moderns) I wonder if CGC would remain viable as a company.

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43 minutes ago, SilverSniper said:

True, but if people didn't submit those books (especially moderns) I wonder if CGC would remain viable as a company.

Comics are already a hobby for most, which means a pretty significant amount of decisions are not made on purely math or financial decisions. 

 

Im sure Cgc understands that and counts on it to a certain degree.  Also, there’s the registry

Edited by revat
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3 hours ago, SilverSniper said:

True, but if people didn't submit those books (especially moderns) I wonder if CGC would remain viable as a company.

I'm sure it would be viable, just depends on how big they wanted to be (and how busy they wanted to get).  Also the Signature thing they do is a big piece.   I just hate seeing common books, non key Moderns or mediocre, non key Silver/Bronze Age books slabbed, just because some collector got a bug in their pants. 

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12 minutes ago, Mercury Man said:

I'm sure it would be viable, just depends on how big they wanted to be (and how busy they wanted to get).  Also the Signature thing they do is a big piece.   I just hate seeing common books, non key Moderns or mediocre, non key Silver/Bronze Age books slabbed, just because some collector got a bug in their pants. 

Yes, and.....Go BOLTS!

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It doesn't bother me to see non-keys or lower graded books slabbed. Maybe the book has sentimental value to a person, or maybe they wanted to see how the CGC process works before they send a higher value book, or a host of other reasons. Thats one of the cool aspects of this hobby is there are so many types of collectors and niches of comics to enjoy!

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On ‎3‎/‎12‎/‎2018 at 4:57 PM, Bomber-Bob said:

I think the moral of this whole thread is, don't buy comics on E-Bay, either raw or slabbed. The raws are overgraded and the slabbed are overpriced. 

That's misleading. Many of us sell on ebay with 100% feedback ratings for many years. You have to do your homework yes, but you can find a well graded
book on ebay the problem is you will have to pay for it. Buying on the cheap is when you are gambling.

 

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46 minutes ago, fastballspecial said:

That's misleading. Many of us sell on ebay with 100% feedback ratings for many years. You have to do your homework yes, but you can find a well graded
book on ebay the problem is you will have to pay for it. Buying on the cheap is when you are gambling.

 

No argument, I agree with you. However, I don't think the OP did much homework and was looking to get an E-Bay raw book graded and flip it for profit. His chances of failure are pretty high. Personally, I don't like E-Bay as a venue to buy. I'd rather buy here from my fellow Boardies !

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