Crazy eBay pricing? Or the new normal?

[user2000]

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?

[IndigoPrime]

Yes, OOP drives up prices, especially for the phone books. I've seen the third Rogue Trooper volume go for over 50 quid.

You could always also try listing here. I've had reasonable luck selling on this forum.

[user2000]

Thanks, I was thinking about listing here, or at least posting the link to eBay stuff when the time comes, so good to know there might be some takers.

Maybe it's just the type of person I am (and probably why I get plenty of work being self employed, but will never be rich), but I don't want to appear purely greedy, per se.  But valuing such items is pretty subjective.

Of course, something is only worth what someone is willing to pay for something at any given time, but it does make me balk a little bit when I see the price of the "phone books", but then again, I'm not gonna bite my nose off etc.  I'm in no rush to sell, so maybe if I price at the higher end of what has been selling it may take a little longer, however I know these books mostly look fantastic and unread.

Passed on the Rogue ones intially, but I have a full set of Stronts, Anderson, Nemesis, Ace Trucking, the first Robo Hunter and the first dozen Dredds as well as a few choice others I mentioned in the OP, so they would seem easy pickings for a shelf or two back.

Haven't seen that yellow cover compete Zenith hardback that was limited to 1000 copies in a very long time so I figure that could be the jewel in the crown.

[IndigoPrime]

Personally, I'd just look at sale prices and either used fixed-price auctions fairly close to those values, or set your start price accordingly. Things are worth what people are willing to pay. You can always – on eBay and elsewhere – invite offers, and make individual decisions based on what people suggest.

[Tjm86]

I'd have to agree with IP.  Worth being patient.  Also worth trying towards the top end to start with and seeing what people are willing to pay and then dropping the price down.  As you say, eBay fees are hard to swallow at times but at around 12% they are still better than the cut from a shop.

Phil's fees are pretty much standard when you think of what you'll get from most shops TBH, although these days it is hard to find any that will take much beyond the real high profile items.  Their margins are pretty slim at the best of time and I don't think the tanking of the pound in recent years has helped as it has forced a lot of folks away.

You're right on the Zenith, that's going to be a doozy.  Especially it is still in its wrap (did I read that right). Even with the later separate volumes it is likely to net you a decent price.  I had to let mine go a while back for similar reasons, much to my dismay.

The 80's British comics are likely to be difficult to shift.  The Eagle run of that era is still quite common although if you do have the free gifs on any of them, that would give you a decent chance. I would also except the last year or so here.  With the circulation figures at that point, they can net some reasonable prices.  Any specials you might have will also probably garner quite a bit of interest.  Not life changing money but still ...

There seems little appetite at present for the likes of Buster and so on.  Probably not helped by their ubiquity.  Some of the lesser known stuff might get some traction with Phil's if you can stomach his fees.

If you've a complete run of Battle you will probably get a fair amount of interest doing them in annual batches.  Even then individual issues can also get decent money.  If you do have any specials they would be worth listing individually.  If the earliest issues do have any of the free gifts as well ...

You probably would find some interest in these parts for some of the items you mentioned.  Even if you just list for now to get a sense.  There generally does seem to be an interest in GNs from a variety of publishers so you may get an offer or two to start you on your way.  If the ABC Warriors ones are the Met Files, I'd be interested in one or two.

[karlos]

I sold all my stuff to Silveracre.

I'm not affiliated or anything like that, but it was an easy process.

Might be worth thinking about.

Good luck!

[StinkStinkyPete]

Hi there,
I know you say you have used ebay for many years but I do hope these tips help maximise your sales and the price.
First, if it's 2000ad comics you are selling be canny.
If the comics are 2000ad from 1-10 sell them singly.  Include details such as with free gift in the description.
If it's between 11 and 100 sell them in 10's.  100 to 300 sell them in 20's.  After that per 50.
For other items, group them if cheap, sell them singly if expensive.
eg sell 2000ad annuals as a group, sell Judge Dredd Complete Cursed Earth Hardback as a single.
Get them all to run out in the evening - preferably a Sunday.  And not too late, last sale by 10pm at the latest.
List them all concurrently so they run out of time in a large block (eg 30 items all selling between 7 and 9.30pm)
Make sure you work out your postage costs beforehand, and check what you say when you describe the item is accurate - and send EVERYTHING recorded delivery - you don't want any comeback.  Have as many photos as possible to avoid any kind of dispute.
To generate interest, have courage and put them in an auction and start at £0.01.  Be brave - they will sell for more and once you get an early potential bidder placing a bid it will raise the profile of your items.
Make sure your title is good.  Don't say 'Nemesis Book 5', say '2000ad Nemesis Book 5 Titan Book Pat Mills' to increase likelihood when people key in an ebay item.
Hold your nerve - do not accept any early offers, unless they are truly ridiculous (£300 for Nemesis the Early Heresies for example)
I am sure with careful organisation and timing it so that ebay is giving 70% off selling fees you can sell them all in a few sessions and make a tidy sum.
Good luck

[rogue69]

Have you looked at Facebook as there are sites like ComicSCene Auctions & Battle Fans where you can sell comics to real fans or look to see if there is a swap-meet in your area where you can sell or swap comics

[user2000]

All very sage advice guys, much appreciated, especially the eBay tips which I had in my mind anyway but it's good to have clarified, especially the bulkness of certain age progs.

I do indeed still have Zenith in the wrap but I've noticed that the cellophane is torn a little on the bottom edge, so while it is intact on the rest of the book and the book has never been opened, it's not completely sealing it.

I suppose it's time to open the storage boxes and see where I'm at.

I'll report back here when I'm ready to list some stuff.

[IndigoPrime]

The only advice so far I'd urge caution with is starting auctions at a penny unless you are prepared to sell for that. I got a complete run of Machine Man once for a cent plus postage...

I always go from the other end, with start prices that are the public minimum I'm willing to sell at, and add offer floors as well. That way, I'm not wasting my time nor having an auction cost me money (at which point I'd sooner give everything to charity).

[Colin YNWA]

From what I see as a buyer it can be worth starting auctions at 99p once you have established yourself as a good seller and have a few folks following you.

I follow a number of sellers - who do sell a lot - and they start everything at 99p but as they have lots of folks following them as they have good comics they almost always go for above average values. I'm thinking its cos folk like myself always think its worth checking them out, bid early to get the chance at a bargarin, knowing you'll likely not. This pushes up the action and by the end (good end times is the absolute key) there is almost always a bun fight and the price flys up.

That said the reason I still bid is on occasion you do get lucky and land an absolute bargain as for whatever reason no one else bids, or not enough at least. So you have to be prepared to take a hit now and then.

I think the way to do this is sell some of your better stuff with reasonable starting prices, below the normal asking rate and get a good reputation. You might get a couple of hits on this and not get top price but it might well be worth it in the long run as you have eyes on your auctions.

As ever if you start the auction below what you'd like its always going to be a risk, but might, might be worth it.

[IndigoPrime]

As a seller, I've had bun fights on rarer stuff. I've also had lowball sales that I'd have been better off just giving away, once taking into account the time and effort of listing/packaging/going to the sorting office/etc. And sometimes things can get missed, for whatever reason. I'm looking to list something at the moment. The average sale price is £190. I'd be happy with a little less than that. But one auction recently sold below £120. It started at 99p...

As ever, it depends on the individual. I'm low-risk. I'd rather cycle high-value items than risk very low sales. I do make exceptions for stuff I don't care much about.

One other thing: be very careful of eBay limitations regarding shipping. Comics, for example, I think now have a set maximum of £7.50, which means you will not get costs back on heavy lots when sending by courier. That has to be factored into your sale price, or you'll be looking at a loss. (I nearly had this with DVDs once. I listed a load of South Park ones and people kept hurling offers at me and calling my responses a "rip off". Had I accepted them, I'd have made a loss. That's a good example of "should have just gone straight to charity"...)

[Dash Decent]

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!

List them here in yearly bundles, e.g. Buster 1980, Buster 1981 etc.

[user2000]

Good points one and all.

I've came across a couple of boxes full of 80s/90s/00s magazines so I'm going through them first. I've been testing the waters with a few £9.99 listings with free postage and a few with best offers.

Sold a few but of course it all depends on what folks are looking for but I'll probably just start bulk listing these in bundles if I don't see any rare gems.

£2.70 is the cheapest to send a single mag or a comic these days so obviously this needs to be factored in if offering free postage - that's large letter tracked for piece of mind, although I suppose I could save myself a miserable 30p if I chance it with a normal second class delivery.

eBay take their percentage off the postage as well (IIRC due to loads of 1p listings and £40 postage costs) so you are getting less than the actual postage costs, plus there will come a day when I run out of A3 Amazon cardboard envelopes!

I'm too much of a crapper to start at 99p - always the chance you might just get 99p!

[IndigoPrime]

Yep. It's a risk – and one I'm not willing to take myself.

eBay takes 12.8% of the final fee plus 30p. So the break-even sales price for anything sent at £2.70 – not taking into account tape/printing labels/time/etc – is £3.45. If you sold something at 99p and posted it for the cheapest option of £2.40, you'd lose £1.84.