Craigslist.com - The next step in Comic Collecting evolution
So, you’re waiting for the next Comic Convention in your area. And you’ve been outbid time and time again on eBay auctions. To make matters worse, your Local Comics Shop (LCS) is slow to restock back issues!
Meanwhile you’ve got a wantlist as long as your arm and your favorite hobby is stalled.
What do you do? Do what I do. Check Craigslist.
It’s as easy as:
Step 1. Go to http://www.craigslist.org
Step 2. Look at the right hand column > find your home state and the closest city or town
Step 3. On the left there will be a “search craiglist” box > select “for sale” in the drop down choices > type “comic” in the box
Step 4. Scan through the results for people selling collections > look for garage sales and people who say that they are trying to get rid of a large collection
That’s it! This method has been panning out over and over again. Recently, there were two sellers with silimar circumstances. There was a death of someone close and each person just happened to be collecting comics for the last twenty years. The sellers knew that the collections meant a lot to their brother/friend, but they didn’t know what to do with the 20/50 boxes of comics that was sitting in their house. So, they put word out on craigslist and it was first come, first served. We will not say what was found at these sales, you can use your imagination to fuel your own hopes should you try this method. But it can be said that the price paid was pennies-on-the-dollar for hundreds of Very High Grade (in some cases very hard to find) comics.
Surely, it need not be said, but just a reminder not to try to rip off little old ladies. If the seller has an NM Amazing Fantasy #15 and says, “I have no idea what this is worth” there is a course of action that may work. Tell him or her that the book(s) is worth a lot of money and that you can’t afford that price and make an offer. You are not under any obligation to quote the going price, because unless you are a retailer-type professional or sitting in front of the results of every sale in the last year, that answer will not be fair to either of you. Just invite the person to do their research and let you know if they accept your offer.
In both cases mentioned above, the sellers were computer savvy and had already researched the collections enough to know that they should just try to unload the whole thing rather than do more research.
This tried and true method has been great for adding to the collection and where did the inspiration come from? From Chuck Rozanski over at Mile High Comics. In his “Tales from the Database” column he spells out the basics:
Good Luck!!!
