Best way to buy key back issues cheaper 2 2

[kaniartur]

I've tried to search through forum but couldn't get good answer.. 

Can you please share,. If it's not a secret, where do you hunt for a good deal to buy a key back issues

What I'm trying to learn is where apart of eBay I can find best deals?

1)comic shops are a big no no i think, they just want rip you off always 

2) even used book stores seem to overprice eventing 

3) comic shows? 

4) garage sales? 

Please share your secret knowledge

[FineCollector]

Embrace Jesus into your heart as your Lord and savior, get on your knees, and pray, young man!  Cherubs will deliver them while you sleep, and only charge you 50% of FMV.

[marvelmaniac]

I am somewhat confused by the question...  

Buy back issues Cheaper than What???  

Edited November 6, 2018 by marvelmaniac

[revat]

7 hours ago, kaniartur said:

I've tried to search through forum but couldn't get good answer.. 

Can you please share,. If it's not a secret, where do you hunt for a good deal to buy a key back issues

What I'm trying to learn is where apart of eBay I can find best deals?

1)comic shops are a big no no i think, they just want rip you off always 

2) even used book stores seem to overprice eventing 

3) comic shows? 

4) garage sales? 

Please share your secret knowledge

Think through the economics impact of your question.  Why would anyone give up any real secrets or insider information to an internet stranger for free? 

The answer in general is, put in the work.  The more research and work and experience and connections, the more likely you are to get good books at good prices.

Of course there is always 'luck' too.  But the more work you put in, the better your odds of being lucky.

 

Some more general but slightly more specific tips:

 

1.  Garage sales, flea markets, craigslist.

2.  Build a REAL relationship with your local comic book store, then let them know to send collections your way that they're not interested in.

3.  Get to comic book shows early on the preview night, buy in bulk, and pay with cash.

4.  Set ebay alerts for specific books.

5.  Build relationships with dealers.

6.  Have a TON of cash ready just in case.

7.  Keep an eye for things on sale on these very boards.  You won't find keys for 80% off, but I think its pretty common to see them for 10-20% off.

8.  Don't look for shortcuts

[kaniartur]

Thanks @revat, of course I don't expect to get a definitive answer and I'm not looking for an easy cash, just trying to understand what are the possible sources. 

[jaeldubyoo]

5 hours ago, FineCollector said:

Embrace Jesus into your heart as your Lord and savior, get on your knees, and pray, young man!  Cherubs will deliver them while you sleep, and only charge you 50% of FMV.

Or sell your soul to the Devil. 

Seriously, there are no big secrets. You just have to put in some sweat equity. And the more you look, the more you find. And don't forget to tell people you know that you're looking for comics. Nothing like having a bunch of other people looking for you.

[Keys_Collector]

Start checking out local shops by you, flea markets, antique shops, etc. and you'll start to notice a trend of where books may pop up from time to time.  Local shops will often have dollar bins too that could be hiding key issues that haven't been pulled yet.  Plenty of information out there on where to look if you do a bit of research through here or even Google.  If you aren't able to research where to look then i'm not sure you'll be willing to put in the time and effort to find key issues 'cheap'.

[shadroch]

The harder you work, the luckier you will get.

[lighthouse]

Relationships. Relationships. Relationships.

As a (relatively new, this time around) store owner, I am seeing 60-80 collections a month, and I am buying around 40 of those every month. Many of those collections come in because people have heard from other friends/stores that we will treat them fairly. But guess what, when "too many" collections come in too quickly, there's a pecking order of who we are likely to call when we want to share the wealth.

The flipper-customers who never buy anything unless they are getting a great deal (new book on the rack already selling for $16 online etc)? They don't get called.

The customers that shop regularly and rarely hound us about charging a fair market price for books that are in high demand? They're the ones who get a call saying "hey, we just had such-and-such come in and we got a really good deal on it, would you be interested at (insert substantially below market price here)?" The customers who leave us want-lists and actually buy said comics at a fair price when we find them and call them? They get called about special deals that never hit the wall. The customers who tell us they are looking for a nice Silver Surfer 1 in the $600 range, and actually HAVE the $600 on hand the day we call to let them know we have one? They get surprise phone calls about sweet deals.

And I have to say, if you are starting with this attitude: "comic shops are a big no no i think, they just want rip you off always "...

You're going to miss out on one of your best sources. Yes, it's an unfortunate reality that Comic Book Guy still works in many shops around the country. But there are hundreds of great comic shops run by people who will treat you fairly.

[the blob]

One key is be aware of trends. Make some bets. They don't always work out. If you expect to buy a $100 book for $50, good luck. Some shops rely on OPG a lot. This often produces back issue pricing that is too high, BUT, sometimes the reverse is true as OPG is only updated once a year. I bought copies of ASM 129 and Iron Man 55 before they exploded (but while warming) for around OPG (maybe a little less) and would up selling them for 2-3X as much pretty soon thereafter. I would never pay OPG for most VG+ type bronze books, but for these, it made sense. Conversely, I "unloaded" copies of Detective 880 on these boards for, I believe, $35 and later $75 each ($75 might be too high) on these boards, figuring a cool cover could only go so far...others correctly bet that it could go plenty further and those copies are now $200+++ copies. You have to take some risks.I won't even mention me selling NYX 3 at $10 and $50 (or Sage 1 at $30), thinking that we were at a peak on each, but when there was plenty left. Sometimes delaying gratification (a quick flip) pays off big time.

You are right, most shops are not going to blow it pricing a genuine key. BUT, there is always stuff on the rise and it isn't like they scour their back issues every day. I have gotten Web of Spider-Man 118 and 119 out of dollar boxes recently, for example. There are a lot of $10-$15 mistakes out there.

As for hitting the motherload, flea markets, yard sales, etc. seem to be where it is at. I am not saying you can't do well at shows, you can find $10-$50 mistakes in $1-$5 boxes, but probably not an obvious "key."

And as Lighthouse said, "relationships"... I just so happened to be in a local shop a few years ago when the owner bought a stack of books. I ooohd and  ahhhd over the low grade X-Men (around a 1.5 - 1.8) 1 in there. I have a good relationship with him and he said "I know I can put that on the wall for $400 and sell it in 2 days, $500 in 2 weeks, but I'll let you have it for $300" That's a nice way to get a fairly priced key. I brought it home, showed my wife what a great deal I got, and she insisted I sell it right away, how could I sock $300 into a comic when we have so many repairs need for the house, etc.!! Well, selling it right then for $500 (here) was probably a $1500+ mistake!

 

 

 

Edited November 6, 2018 by the blob

[kaniartur]

Thanks all for advice

[AnkurJ]

You wont get a good deal on a key book. If you're lucky, you will pay a little under market value. I think that's as good as it gets.

[paul747]

18 hours ago, the blob said:

 

You are right, most shops are not going to blow it pricing a genuine key. BUT, there is always stuff on the rise and it isn't like they scour their back issues every day. I have gotten Web of Spider-Man 118 and 119 out of dollar boxes recently, for example. There are a lot of $10-$15 mistakes out there.

As for hitting the motherload, flea markets, yard sales, etc. seem to be where it is at. I am not saying you can't do well at shows, you can find $10-$50 mistakes in $1-$5 boxes, but probably not an obvious "key." 

 

 

 

 

So your basic method is to pray on guys that missed hot books ! 

Edited November 7, 2018 by paul747

[the blob]

17 minutes ago, paul747 said:

So your basic method is to pray on guys that missed hot books ! 

That's the fun of the hunt! Don't worry, I buy plenty of $1 and $2 books that are worth about that much when I buy them and stay there for years. For example, I have a sick obsession with MCP Kieth Wolverine covers. I may have close to 10 copies of each of the cool ones. Thus far, not great flipping potential other than maybe a couple of the issues.

 

Edited November 7, 2018 by the blob

[the blob]

24 minutes ago, AnkurJ said:

You wont get a good deal on a key book. If you're lucky, you will pay a little under market value. I think that's as good as it gets.

Cash is king.  If you are dropping $500-$1000 let's say on some books that may be priced at market, chances are you can work a deal and get the prices knocked down. If a $100 book costs you $75 because you did a group deal, you have a margin to work with. Alas, ebay and paypal fees eat a lot of that up, less so if you sell here or some other fee-less venue. But you need to know that's a book you can actually sell for $100, not just one you see other people trying to sell for $100.

[lighthouse]

39 minutes ago, the blob said:

Cash is king.  If you are dropping $500-$1000 let's say on some books that may be priced at market, chances are you can work a deal and get the prices knocked down. If a $100 book costs you $75 because you did a group deal, you have a margin to work with. Alas, ebay and paypal fees eat a lot of that up, less so if you sell here or some other fee-less venue. But you need to know that's a book you can actually sell for $100, not just one you see other people trying to sell for $100.

And there are plenty of times when a dealer will take a quick small profit over a potential larger slower one.

If I drop $250 on a collection that includes a nice but not great Spidey 300, that would normally go on my wall at $400 but I happen to have 8 copies currently in stock... it's not uncommon for me to do the math and decide I would rather have my $250 back today rather wait until I've sold 9 copies to see my return. A sale at $275 that I have to do no work for, no packing no emails no auctions no consignment no waiting, just an instant sale? There are plenty of times I will take that and treat the rest of the books as free acquisitions.

Now if I only have one other copy in stock? It's going on the wall at a fair price of $400, and I probably won't take less than $360 for it because I don't need to in order to make a sale. But if I have several, someone is very likely to get a bargain. And the people who will be offered that bargain are the ones I have relationships with.

(And fwiw, I currently have 7 copies of ASM 300 in stock... so that's very much a real-life example if I buy another one today).

[greggy]

55 minutes ago, lighthouse said:

And there are plenty of times when a dealer will take a quick small profit over a potential larger slower one.

If I drop $250 on a collection that includes a nice but not great Spidey 300, that would normally go on my wall at $400 but I happen to have 8 copies currently in stock... it's not uncommon for me to do the math and decide I would rather have my $250 back today rather wait until I've sold 9 copies to see my return. A sale at $275 that I have to do no work for, no packing no emails no auctions no consignment no waiting, just an instant sale? There are plenty of times I will take that and treat the rest of the books as free acquisitions.

Now if I only have one other copy in stock? It's going on the wall at a fair price of $400, and I probably won't take less than $360 for it because I don't need to in order to make a sale. But if I have several, someone is very likely to get a bargain. And the people who will be offered that bargain are the ones I have relationships with.

(And fwiw, I currently have 7 copies of ASM 300 in stock... so that's very much a real-life example if I buy another one today).

I want them all....cheap

[lighthouse]

3 minutes ago, greggy said:

I want them all....cheap

You know where I am. Come visit and I'll show you the sweet sweet DCs we picked up a few months ago.

[namisgr]

Explore buying from comic book dealers.  The best have extensive back issue inventories, grade strictly, spot and note restoration when present, and provide outstanding customer service.

 

Edited November 12, 2018 by namisgr

[Not A Clone]

If your Comic Shop is truly trying to gouge you, I'd look for another shop. If that isn't an option there is a WTB thread on these boards where you can post what you want to buy & how much you are looking to spend. There are also threads for selling that you can browse through & find some great deals. Lots & lots of keys are sold on here every day. Hope that helps.