How do you look through 20k books? 1 1

[jas1vans]

I'm going to look at a large collection, or more likely, just a large assortment of books next week. My main goal is to get books to give to 8-10 year olds (50%), get some good covers and close runs (30%) and look for books that I can sell in time to help fund my ideal collection (20%). I am going to focus on pulling for the kids and closing some of the more realistic holes in the runs I have instead of looking for individual keys that probably aren't there. I'm under no impression that I'll be the first person to see these books. The likelihood of finding a hidden gem is pretty slim but with 20k books available there is no chance that I will leave empty handed or disappointed. There will be at least one full longbox of great cover art coming home.

What are some things that you look for when you're searching through large lots?

Edited July 2, 2018 by jas1vans

[Mystafo]

Verrwy, verwwy carefuwwy.  Jk, I'd make a preliminary pass through very quickly to pick out any obvious big to medium keys as well as very high grade popular titles.  Make a note of anything you're not sure about to research later, if possible.  I'd figure out some sort of per-book bulk amount for anything that doesn't fit into the previous category (if its an all or nothing deal).  Consider what would sell in a .50 cent to $1 box.  I'd also ask the seller if they had any prices in mind for the more important books and if they're way out of line, nip that line of thought in the bud by showing them some completed ebay listings of the same books in grade (no sense in going through everything if they won't listen to reason on the pricier books).  Best of luck!

[revat]

do some stretching, drink some red bull.

[BlowUpTheMoon]

One at a time. 

[Jeffro.]

Make sure you eat lots of cheetos ahead of time

[shadroch]

Stay hydrated.

[The Lions Den]

All good advice...how much time do you have?

[Not A Clone]

On 7/6/2018 at 8:26 PM, Jerkfro said:

Make sure you eat lots of cheetos ahead of time

Yep, mark out your territory with cheeto dust and a large Slurpy. That should keep potential buyers away from your books!

[jas1vans]

Thanks for the tips! I'm going to have a good breakfast. I'll take a bottle of water and a snack along as well.

I'm hoping to be out of there in less than four hours, but am fine spending more than that looking through boxes of good books. I've spoken to the seller via a few emails. I've asked if the books are organized or if it's just a free-for-all; he says that they're very well organized. It sounds like there's a good variety as well with a lot of books geared towards young kids and a lot of variety among the rest of the books. I've stated that I'm hoping to get a few long boxes and he said he'll do a volume discount on the books if I'm getting that many.

I'm going out there tomorrow. It's just under a two hour drive so I'm hoping to see some good books and bring some nice stuff home. I'll be sure to update with the results.

 

 

[jas1vans]

After a nice breakfast and a two hour drive I arrived at the consignment shop that held the collection I was scheduled to look at. The first thing I noticed was the disarray that had me doubting the claim of organization I received via email. I asked the seller if there were any books that had special pricing or wouldn't be part of a bulk deal. "There's a price on every one but I'll give you a discount if you buy volume," was the reply. There were little sticker prices with the name and issue on every bagged comic. I scanned through a few and mentioned that the prices were high and the grading seemed very optimistic. I did concede that I was not paid to grade comics so my grading was not going to be spot on.

I took a scan through, just looking for any pattern, rhyme, reason as to where the books were where they were. I went from table to table, looking through long and short boxes and tupperware tubs. It was a complete mess. The books were mostly in what I would deem mid to low grade. A lot of folded and wrinkled covers. Five books together in a bag. Even the stuff I was trying to find for kids was in poor condition. I don't want these kids thinking a crappy cover is OK.

I pulled some stuff for the kids...

[jas1vans]

Then I took a final lap to see what I could pick up for myself. Those five comics in a bag, upon second inspection, were The Punisher 1-5. I snagged a few other good ones too. Super-Villain Team Up #4 and New Teen Titans #1 are in the worst condition. The rest were in pretty good shape. One of them was a book I've seen mentioned in other posts but was unable to detect if any sarcasm was attached. I figured I'd pick it up anyways. In all I spent $61. I was a little disappointed I didn't leave with more but after what I had to look through I was pretty happy with what I got.

[spreads]

That's good you were only there for a day; had I seen this post earlier I would have mentioned it probably wouldn't be worth your time.  I helped a friend out that purchased a 28k collection of books and although they were pretty organized it took me a few days spread out over a few weekends to go through everything.  He probably paid around 10 cents/book in bulk, but with the very few keys and semi keys in there I would have passed.....a few years later he still has most of them.  I would have blew out longs at $50 a piece, they don't really sell at 50cents-$1 each.... 

[The Lions Den]

I can't tell you how many times I've heard this kind of story...I've even experienced it a few times myself!    Of course, it's always enjoyable to look through a collection of comics---you never know what you're going to find. Thanks for posting the result and happy reading!