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Selling Comics part time, and full time?
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64 posts in this topic

1 hour ago, BlowUpTheMoon said:

I love how simply paging Buzz is now shorthand for "this thread is about to pop off, stay tuned!" It's like the coming of Galactus or something.

Edited by F For Fake
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Looks like OP has possibly checked out, but I treat it like sports betting.

 

Start small with things you know and like and have experience with. 

Like you know and have interest in your favorite NBA division or College football conference.  Start there, assuming you can detach yourself from your favorite team.  Likewise you can start with the area of comics you already know, whether its modern variants or 70's DC 1st appearances, or movie/tv speculation.

If you do well, you can show yourself and/or your significant other that this is somewhat profitable and something you genuinely enjoy. If you're not successful with things you know and like, you won't be successful branching out or betting higher amounts.

 

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47 minutes ago, FSF said:

I personally don't have any desire to sell comics but every time I read these types of threads, for comics or coins or whatever, it seems like the answer is that it's a grind and a lot of work, for what most people in society would not consider that much money.  I'm sure there are exceptions for those who do it very well or are luckier than most. 

 

 

It is absolutely a grind and only something you should do if you enjoy it.  My Primary job is really good I have definitely had the shower conversations inside my head that I should spend this time working on improving my standing in that primary career instead of hunting comics.  My final decision was that I enjoy it.  I enjoy the hunt, the flip and the collecting.  I would never spend the time doing this to just make money because like you said the knowledge and time needed for the return just isn't there.

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I just collect WTB lol but I am guessing being knowledgeable about prices and comics will help you be successful. Time, research, work and of course money will be the keys to being successful. 

Best of Luck and if you want to sell super mega keys for cheap hit me up (HMU) - I learnt that word on the forums here lol 

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Anyone know what happened with that gentleman who started a shop in Long Island and was providing regular updates as to how things were going?  Quite an entertaining thread for me and provided a small vicarious thrill.  Hope he's killing it!

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10 minutes ago, awakeintheashes said:

Read this.

 

Good advice in there.  Ed has been very successful over the years.  

While the OP is there reading Ed's "How To" he should also read Gabe's "How NOT to".   

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3 hours ago, JWKyle said:

I hate to say this but if this is something that's already becoming an issue between you and your fiance do you really want to invest more time and money into something that's going to take more of your time and money away from your relationship. 

This

GLWTW

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If anyone wants to get some hobbies that have positive long term financial impacts (also good for your brain and health!), learn Chinese (mandarin) and golf.

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4 hours ago, slg343 said:

Advice in 3 steps

 

Step 1:  Before you make another purchase for profit you need to know comic books.  If you can't look at a collection in person and make a quick judgement on your max price and reasonable expectation on both profit and time to move the books then you are not ready to jump in yet.  You can still give it a go but you will be paying tuition in the form of lost profit.  

Step 2:  Stay away from hot modern books because if they are already hot then by the time you get them and resell them they will be cold.  Some book however are easy to speculate and at worst break even, book like Thor 337.

Step 3: Most of the people making a livable profit are doing one of or both of these.  Finding collections cheap and flipping them by using their knowledge of what they are worth.  Buying bigger books at a discount and already have a large buyer base to sell that book to.  Finding collections is your best bet but honestly with a full time job and lack of knowledge the pros are going to beat you to it.

My own personal beer money and comic upgrade method is buying collection very CHEAP.  I then remove the big books, press and slab ($300 plus value).  I take the $5-$100 books and just run facebook auctions to move them quickly ( I make less money but books move fast).  I take all the drek and either donate it or sell it in large bundles cheap.  I basically just do this to buy overpriced Silver age marvel keys and would never do it to make a living because it is a grind.

 

Lots of good advice here.....I'll add that it doesn't need to be an all-or-nothing proposition.

Start by investing a small amount in books you intend to flip.  Keep track of when you bought it, the price you bought at, the price you sold at and how long it took to sell.  Take your initial capital plus profits and repeat.  Over time you're going to get an idea of whether you have a knack for making good investment judgements, and perhaps more important, how much profit you are capable of realizing per hour/week/month -- whatever.  Those numbers will ultimately be what convinces you (and your significant other) whether this is a good line of work for you.

Along the way, visit some local cons, make friends with the guys selling and ask how they do it.  Betting very few do 100% of their business from their homes, and most spend time travelling between a few states, hitting local conventions.  There's a lifestyle component to this whole thing, too.

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Start small and grow with it. My first collection was bought some 7 years ago.. I spent $25 on it and sold it for $100.. then I bought a $100 collection and flipped for $300. Eventually I found that tripling my investment money is THE LEAST amount I would expect to gain from a purchase. Sometimes it would be much much higher, but rarely would it be lower. After establishing credible sales continuously, I implemented another rule: never spend more than a 1/3 from the profits of the previous month sales. So if I earned $4500 in sales in February, I would set a budget of UP TO $1500 for March. And of course I would carry over any amounts to following months if applicable. 

I managed to acquire hundreds of collections in just a few years. My selling objectives are selling current trend books and keeping established keys for retirement. You can afford to do just that when you have a collection this size assuming it's diversified and you spent ample time organizing it. 

Everything else just falls into place logically, it took me a couple of years until I decided to grade my books, as well as gain knowledge into what to grade and what not to grade. But the most important thing for me is to always budget it appropriately first. 

Good luck

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1.  Why do you want to do this?  Is it for the fame and glory?  Is it because most comic dealers make in the mid six figures profit per year?  Really, why do you want to do this?  If you can't answer the question stop.

2.  Have you sat down and written a business plan?  If not, do it (lots of online sources for format, info, etc.  A business plan makes you think through carefully what your real plan is.  If done correctly, you will map out expenses, profits, losses, etc.  You should seriously think about doing this before spending a penny. 

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I remember the older days of the boards when people would ask for directions and the usual responses would be...

1 - Step one - you cut a hole in a box. 

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23 hours ago, F For Fake said:

I love how simply paging Buzz is now shorthand for "this thread is about to pop off, stay tuned!" It's like the coming of Galactus or something.

:roflmao:(worship)

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On 7/8/2019 at 9:12 AM, F For Fake said:

I love how simply paging Buzz is now shorthand for "this thread is about to pop off, stay tuned!" It's like the coming of Galactus or something.

Basically we're like roving silver surfers looking for planets for @Buzzetta to consume-

He's a very picky eater tho

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A lot of this is about discipline. If you have a full time job it is sometimes hard to find the energy to list 100 books a week or whatever. But there are guys on here who are machines when it comes to that. I am not. If you aren't constantly listing and selling what you acquire (and hopefully making a profit) you are going to have a grumpy partner if you don't have a ton of disposable income.

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