“Hi. I just sold my Mad collection and I'm having major regrets now. I feel sick to my stomach, in fact. I had this collection for about 30 years. The magazines were from the mid-70's to the end of the 80's. The books were probably from the late 60's onward. In an attempt to declutter my apartment, I walked it all over to a local bookstore to sell it. The guy there went through my Mad paperback books, taking most of them. Maybe 40 or 50 books. Then he went through my Mad Magazines. At least 100 of those. He gave some of the magazines back to me. For the pile of books and magazines he wanted, he said he'd give me 100 bucks. I said, "For everything?", thinking I'd get more. I'd heard I'd get 5-10 dollars per magazine. He said he could give me about a dollar per Mad paper back, and 60 cents each for the magazines. Because he could sell the magazines for just 2 bucks or something. I figured he was being honest and I should just take the money.”
“Only after I got home did it occur to me to check online what Mad Magazines are worth. And it seems that they're all worth at least a few dollars each, some as high as 20 dollars. So perhaps my 100 magazines could have gotten me a thousand dollars.”
“There doesn't seem to be much that I can do about it now. But I'm wondering what you think. Are Mads valuable or not? Is it worth it to just drop off a collection to the bookstore? Should I go back and rebuy as many as I can and hold on to them? Should I be kicking myself, or should I just be happy I got a few bucks and move on?”
Sincerely,
Josh
Josh’s situation is one very common to many. You might have a comic book stash or other kind of collection just gathering dust in the attic, basement, or closet. You may need to move, need extra space, or just want some extra cash. Either way, you may be tempted to dump that collection quick for a few bucks. Before you do that, make sure you won’t regret selling those comic books by asking these simple questions:
1. Are they sentimental to you?
2. Did you do your research?
3. Do you trust the dealer?
4. Do you want to make as much as can?
If you ask these questions, then you can be sure you wont regret selling your comic collection.
1. Are They Sentimental To You?
This question is vital as a sentimental item will be worth much more than an item that is not. Those comics that were passed down from your grandfather may have more “worth” to them than even the most expensive comic. The reason is that they hold memories. Memories of those times you had with others. This can vastly increase the personal value to you, and may mean that you will want to hold onto those comic books.If they are not that sentimental to you, then it may be a wise decision to get rid of those comics or collection items that are just taking up space.
2. Did You Do Your Research?
This was probably the biggest mistake Josh made. He did his research after he sold them. Knowing what your comics are worth is a great asset when you are bargaining with a dealer. This can make the difference between getting the amount you deserve, and getting raked over the coals.One thing to keep in mind though is that most dealer, be they a comic shop or bookstore, cannot offer you the going rate of a comic book as they must make a profit. But knowing what they are worth should keep you safer than going in blind.
If you want to make as much as you can, you will probably need to do it yourself on a site like Ebay, or if you have a prime collection, you might want to consider a secondary seller like Heritage collections. Here is some further information on finding the value of your comics.
3. Do You Trust The Dealer
This is a tricky question. I’ve known dealer that have gouged buyers with high prices just because the comic was “hot”, instantly marking up comics that had just come out. I’ve also know dealers that have not given a fair price for comics when someone came in and didn’t know what they had. Probably the best way to make sure if a dealer is trustworthy is to develop a relationship with them. This will certainly help you when asking for help to figure out what to do with those comics.If you don’t have the time, or aren’t an active collector, see if a friend is one, and ask whom they would trust, or even better, have them help you figure out the value or at least introduce you to their dealer. Trusting the dealer and having a strong relationship with them should help you in getting a fair price for your collection.
4. Do You Want To Make As Much As You Can?
If the answer to this question is yes, then you will probably need to do the work yourself. Research the prices, both using price guides and real market prices through Ebay, set up an account with a site such as Ebay or another auction site, and get selling. If time is of the essence, do larger lots of comics, or just make sure you know what they are “worth” so that a dealer can’t use that against you. Here is some more information on doing it yourself.
If you ask yourselves these questions, then you can be safe in the knowledge that you probably made the right choice in selling that collection or lost gem you found in the attic. I say probably because you just might still regret it a little. Time will surely fade the feeling, but at least you’ll know that you did everything you could to be sure that you got a fair price. Special thanks to Josh for letting me post his great question and email, which sparked this article.
