comicbookshopper.com Blog

Well, its Christmas/Chanukuh/Kwanzaa-time again. And that means shopping for a lot of us. It is also time for many people to assess their financial situations before hitting the mall. While it is not always the case – one can find back issues at great prices at this time of year.

One cause is that the competition on eBay can be slim while people are thinking of the 1 million things that are going on around them during the holidays. Also, collectors may be trimming their collections to fatten their wallets prior to going shopping. Lastly, collectors are usually looking for back issues when comics are most on their minds – namely, convention season.

So, here are some pointers if you are going to try to take advantage of any sales online.

1) Shop off-peak. Just like going to the mall when the crowds haven’t formed, keep in mind that the most bidders are online between the hours of 5pm – 10pm. For nightowls, between 2am and 5am EST you will see some shockers from time to time. You’ll have to factor timezones into this, as well.

2) Make a list and check it twice. Go into the fray with your wishlist in mind. There may be such a deluge of good deals that you may spend your bankroll before the book that you really want comes up for bidding.

3) Snipe away. Try to be there for the closing moments of the auction. If you can get the last bid in, there’s a chance that you may be the winner. Consult the many guides to bid sniping that are available online. Here are two pages where you can start:
http://lifehacker.com/software/ebay/ebay-hacks-how-to-be-an-ebay-sniper-212282.php
http://www.tblightning.com/ebay/tcpb_help.html

4) Do your research beforehand. If you are cruising the late night deals and you come upon a Holy grail back issue, you may not have the time to look up the fair market value or scarcity of it. So I recommend getting that info by doing a “completed listings” search on eBay prior to going shopping.

5) Be socially conscious and shop at the same time. Check out eBay’s auctions that funnel money to charitable causes, that way you can donate and get great stuff at the same time.
http://pages.ebay.com/givingworks/index.html

6) Don’t forget about the non-auction sellers. Everyone is likely to be strapped for cash, not just eBay-savvy sellers. Check out comic message boards, craigslist and newspaper ads for more people trading their collections for Holiday merriment.

There you go! There is more that one way to bring a smile to your face this season. For the shoppers looking for premium back issues, be sure to check out the CGC 9.8 auction list that is at the bottom of the Home Page of ComicBookShopper.com

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There has been much discussion lately about the Spider-man 3 movie and its impact on back issue sales. The Spider-man franchise has been arguably the most successful in comics history. The newest installment, due may 4th 2007 will introduce three villains: Sandman, Venom and a new Goblin (Green or Hob). We’ll also see the classic Spidey girlfriend, Gwen Stacy.

So, the big question for collectors is,”what are the key issues that will be affected by movie-generated interest?”

Let’s see. We have the following First Appearances:

Sandman: Amazing Spider-man (vol. 1) #4
Venom: Amazing Spider-man (vol. 1) #300
Hobgoblin: Amazing Spider-man (vol. 1) #238
Green Goblin II: Amazing Spider-man (vol. 1) #136
Gwen Stacy: Amazing Spider-man (vol. 1) #31

Unfortuantely, all of these issues are trading for a premium already, but there is still hope. Good deals can probably be found at cons and flea markets where competition tends to be lower. And those who have these books, rejoice! This is the perfect sellers market. There is some debate about whether this is the right time vs. one or two months before the film’s release. Whatever you decide – good luck. And feel free to share your buying or selling experiences in the comments section of this blog.

P.S. There are also a handful of non-key issues that may be affected by the movie, but that’s for another day.