So, the time has come when I need to start offloading my rather sizeable comics collection (and magazines, and any other "treasure" I have accumulated during my life of semi-hoarding).
I have (finally, my wife would say) come to the conclusion that, er, we just don't have the space for all this - my diminishing dream of having my own library type room in a house has gone with the different dream of my 3 kids coming along over the years.
Plus my oldest is going to uni next year and we want to be able to help him out as much as possible. We have other expenses coming up and looking at some of the *sold* prices on eBay it seems now is as good a time as any.
Also I am looking for a bit of space (and the money) to feed my other whim for an AtGames 4k Pinball machine when they are released later this year to go along with the retro arcade machines...
Of course I'm under no illusion; the bulk of the stuff I have is next to worthless, but some of it seems to command a pretty penny for what it is and although I'm not wanting to join in the silly pricing game TOO much, I certainly don't want to be just giving the good stuff away.
I assume much of the pricing for fairly innocuous "normal" things, outwith the first few progs with the free gifts, like TPB's are just because they are out of print now?
I have to say, much due to my semi-hoarding nature I just bought a lot of stuff on a whim and it just sat there on the bookshelf, or still in the packaging, never read or maybe lightly skimmed through once. I thought my kids would follow me and get into Tooth, but although they've read some stuff, it's all been digital on their tablets, and it's much easier to be a digital hoarder especially with the Humble Bundle deals etc. They also like Marvel stuff a lot more than I ever did, and again, it's pretty easy to subscribe to the Marvel app and get enough comics for a lifetime on the tablet.
Obviously the sold items list is where to look as there are some crazy buy it now prices - Strontium Dog for instance - it seems these can go for £30+ each even though some speculative sellers are currently listing at double that or more.
Same with the Case Files - some pretty high prices in those sold listings.
I've been buying and selling on eBay for over 20 years now and I am still swithering about what prices to put on my hoard, whether to sell individually or in bundles? Buy it now or try to attract some fever with an auction?
I do have some genuinely good stuff that to be honest I would probably keep til the bitter end - the aforementioned early progs with free gifts (I'm sure these are in VG+, maybe even FN condition going by the way I've seen "phil-comics" grade stuff), a few of the rarer hardbacks that seem to command a premium (the Ltd Ed Zenith collection, still in the cellophane, some IDW books, The ABC and Ro-Busters HB's, as well as the TPB Ace Trucking vol.1 in near mint - although a lot of what I'd consider the other run of the mill TPB's are first printing's and most of that stuff would have to be considered near mint as well).
And that's before I even think about the mass of other stuff, complete run of Action and Battle as well as 1980s Eagle with annuals and specials, and complete run's of some of the short lived 1980s comics, Speed, Wow!, School Fun, Spike, Champ, a fair chunk of Buster, Whoopee!, Whizzer and Chips etc etc, most with the early free gifts and mostly not worth all that much, except for the space they are taking up!
I'm not here soliciting for offers btw, most of this stuff is still carefully boxed up from when we moved home 6 years ago and I lost my box room storage from my previous place. A lot of it is now in my mother's spare room and understandably she is on my case a bit about it now. It's just so daunting the prospect of sorting it all out.
Sometimes I feel like I should offload it all to Phil's Comics, but I remember reading somewhere that his cut is about 40% to cover the fees and commission, although he does seem to attract a following that will pay a LOT over other sellers. I'd only be listing when I get some kind of deal, which for me seems to be the 70% off the fees every couple of weeks. That will limit me to 100 items a time at that offer so it would be slow and steady if I don't want eBay to siphon off a chunk of it.
One man's treasure etc...
Any thoughts?
I have (finally, my wife would say) come to the conclusion that, er, we just don't have the space for all this - my diminishing dream of having my own library type room in a house has gone with the different dream of my 3 kids coming along over the years.
Plus my oldest is going to uni next year and we want to be able to help him out as much as possible. We have other expenses coming up and looking at some of the *sold* prices on eBay it seems now is as good a time as any.
Also I am looking for a bit of space (and the money) to feed my other whim for an AtGames 4k Pinball machine when they are released later this year to go along with the retro arcade machines...
Of course I'm under no illusion; the bulk of the stuff I have is next to worthless, but some of it seems to command a pretty penny for what it is and although I'm not wanting to join in the silly pricing game TOO much, I certainly don't want to be just giving the good stuff away.
I assume much of the pricing for fairly innocuous "normal" things, outwith the first few progs with the free gifts, like TPB's are just because they are out of print now?
I have to say, much due to my semi-hoarding nature I just bought a lot of stuff on a whim and it just sat there on the bookshelf, or still in the packaging, never read or maybe lightly skimmed through once. I thought my kids would follow me and get into Tooth, but although they've read some stuff, it's all been digital on their tablets, and it's much easier to be a digital hoarder especially with the Humble Bundle deals etc. They also like Marvel stuff a lot more than I ever did, and again, it's pretty easy to subscribe to the Marvel app and get enough comics for a lifetime on the tablet.
Obviously the sold items list is where to look as there are some crazy buy it now prices - Strontium Dog for instance - it seems these can go for £30+ each even though some speculative sellers are currently listing at double that or more.
Same with the Case Files - some pretty high prices in those sold listings.
I've been buying and selling on eBay for over 20 years now and I am still swithering about what prices to put on my hoard, whether to sell individually or in bundles? Buy it now or try to attract some fever with an auction?
I do have some genuinely good stuff that to be honest I would probably keep til the bitter end - the aforementioned early progs with free gifts (I'm sure these are in VG+, maybe even FN condition going by the way I've seen "phil-comics" grade stuff), a few of the rarer hardbacks that seem to command a premium (the Ltd Ed Zenith collection, still in the cellophane, some IDW books, The ABC and Ro-Busters HB's, as well as the TPB Ace Trucking vol.1 in near mint - although a lot of what I'd consider the other run of the mill TPB's are first printing's and most of that stuff would have to be considered near mint as well).
And that's before I even think about the mass of other stuff, complete run of Action and Battle as well as 1980s Eagle with annuals and specials, and complete run's of some of the short lived 1980s comics, Speed, Wow!, School Fun, Spike, Champ, a fair chunk of Buster, Whoopee!, Whizzer and Chips etc etc, most with the early free gifts and mostly not worth all that much, except for the space they are taking up!
I'm not here soliciting for offers btw, most of this stuff is still carefully boxed up from when we moved home 6 years ago and I lost my box room storage from my previous place. A lot of it is now in my mother's spare room and understandably she is on my case a bit about it now. It's just so daunting the prospect of sorting it all out.
Sometimes I feel like I should offload it all to Phil's Comics, but I remember reading somewhere that his cut is about 40% to cover the fees and commission, although he does seem to attract a following that will pay a LOT over other sellers. I'd only be listing when I get some kind of deal, which for me seems to be the 70% off the fees every couple of weeks. That will limit me to 100 items a time at that offer so it would be slow and steady if I don't want eBay to siphon off a chunk of it.
One man's treasure etc...
Any thoughts?