SELLCOMICS.com - The Grim Reality Of It All         1999-2024

First of all, let me answer one question quickly and clearly...

No, I would not like to buy your comics.

Ok, now that we have that out of the way, let's get started.

What is SELLCOMICS.com?
Since 1999, www.SELLCOMICS.com is an INFORMATIONAL WEBSITE. The purpose is to educate people who own comics about their comics, about what their options are with respect to selling comics, and about the "grim reality" of collectors, dealers, and the comic market.


What is the "grim reality"?
The grim reality is... if you've never sold comics before, you're in for quite a shock. Price guides can tell you values, but they can't tell you who is buying. Sometimes, no one is buying.

Another "grim reality" involves comic book conditions and grading. Comics which "look great" and have "never been read" aren't "Mint". Most aren't even "Near Mint", but we'll get to that in a bit. When a comic is brand new and sitting on the shelf in the store, odds are it isn't even among the top conditions, as defined by the market. It's new, but it's not automatically in top condition.

If a comic book has ever been read, cover opened, pages turned, handled, traveled from the shop to your house, shown to your friends, put in a box, seen daylight, etc., then odds are that it's not in top condition, and as far as "Mint" goes, it was probably never perfect to begin with.


But, these comics look fantastic! These comics are still in the original bag!
Most comics, especially those from the past 40 years, still look fantastic. They have bright colors, the cover looks great, all the pages are there, the corners are nice and sharp just like they should be... but that still isn't "top condition" as defined by the market. "STILL IN THE ORIGINAL BAG" is a common description that doesn't mean anything. Most comics didn't have an original bag, but all comics fit in collector bags. Putting a comic in a collector bag with a backer board doesn't improve the comic.


So, what are the "top conditions"?
"Top conditions" for comic books are NEAR MINT, NEAR MINT/MINT, and MINT. By definition, comic books which show no visible flaws of any kind are most often NEAR MINT, abbreviated as "NM". On a numeric scale, Near Mint books are about 9.4 out of 10 points possible, though some consider books in the 9.2 to 9.8 range as "Near Mint". "Top condition" usually means 9.8 or higher. Books graded at 9.8 (or higher) are not as plentiful or common as it might seem. Even comics released last week are only judged as 9.8 after filtering out the copies which are lower grade. Many comics are 9.6 or lower right off the press.

Mint books (9.9 and "Gem Mint" perfect 10 out of 10) are so rare in the "real world" that you won't know for sure that you have one until someone else tells you that you have one. Even then, the next person who views it may find the flaws that both you and the first viewer missed. It's just not 9.9. Sorry. There's nothing wrong with books that aren't 9.9 or even "perfect 10". In fact, you should probably be wary of any comics that are described as 9.9 and 10. One false move or even a gust of wind might cause some new microscopic damage. Whoops.

It's best to consider 9.9 and 10 as "freaks of nature" and not to expect to find any in a comic collection that has been sitting around the house for a few years. Comics in your collection might still be as high as 9.8, but most are not. The "assembly line" construction of a comic book just isn't designed to create perfect books. Then the books are handled, boxed, shipped, handled again, put on a shelf, etc. If the comics don't start life as 9.8, they certainly don't get better with age. Even Near Mint 9.4 can be a hard level to attain for comics which have been around a while. It's nobody's fault... comics just aren't born perfect, and then they get more flaws as they get older. Sounds familiar.

However, people who look at their own comics without knowing where to find the flaws will often be fooled by comics that appear to be Near Mint, but for whatever reason just aren't. There's no shame in missing some tiny damage when you grade your comic books, it's a learning process. Some would say that comic grading is a science or an art form... sciences and art aren't mastered without practice. Still, comic collectors don't usually like to hear that their comic books aren't "near mint". That doesn't mean it isn't true. There are flaws. You'll find out when you try to sell.


Now you're just being picky... these comics are really top notch!
That's right, it is being picky. But comics are all copies of the same thing. If you have an issue of a book and someone else has that same issue, and both still look "top notch", then which is better? If the price is under a dollar, it probably doesn't matter, but if someone is paying their hard-earned cash, then "picky" is the only way that buyers can select one comic over the other. If everything else is the same, being "picky" on condition is what makes the difference. Flaws of any kind, no matter how small, can't be overlooked. If flaws exist, they count. (Just ask an expert on diamonds.)


If these books are not "Near Mint", then what condition are they?
Many recent comics (1990 to current) are just below Near Mint, often called "Very Fine", or a combination such as VF/NM (Very Fine / Near Mint) or VF+ and NM-. The + and - are usually signs that the seller is either a grading expert or trying to squeeze a grading definition for every last penny. Comics at these grades still look fantastic, and it's hard to see the few flaws that are present. On a numeric scale, this would be about 8.5 to 9.2 out of 10. This is still an excellent grade. If it was school it would be a solid "B" to an "A-". Nothing wrong with that. However, since most recent comics are in that condition, it means that just about everyone who has the comic also has a similar condition, and prices are fairly stable. Usually prices are far below the "top condition" values. Many times, prices are discounted, even below the original cover price... simply because the comics are plentiful in that condition.

Below "Very Fine" are grades such as "Fine" (FN) and "Very Good" (VG). These conditions apply to comics which have been read a few times, but generally protected from being creased, ripped, or folded. They have all their pages, and they may even have that original "shine". Numerically, they are 4.0 (VG) to 6.0 (FN) on a 10 point scale, which is generally considered "mid-grade", and priced well-below the higher condition books. For recent books, these books are only collected as "reader copies", to be enjoyed many times for the stories and art, but not for investment purposes. For older books, this condition is seen quite often, since most older books were read a few times but generally protected from abuse. Depending on the issue, there can still be a nice market value in mid-grade older books. It's important to find out if the issue is in demand, or if it's just another issue in the set... no more or less special than what came just before and just after.

Comics which are visibly damaged might still be "Very Good" (VG), but may rank in the "Good" (GD) range, about 2.0 on the 10 point scale. It's still possible to read and enjoy a "Good" condition comic, but most collectors would probably like to upgrade to at least a mid-grade copy for their collection. Except for the most valuable of comics, "Good" condition books aren't highly sought after. "Fair" (FR) and "Poor" (PR) condition comics are usually falling apart. It's pretty hard to miss the damage on low grade comics, and obviously they have very little value because of it.

Sellers who don't know these terms aren't usually taken very seriously by buyers. While it might sound nice to call your comics "Very Good" condition, a collector will understand you to mean about a 4.0 on a 10 point scale. That could either be too high or too low, if you're not using the grading standards. Despite the popularity of their usage, there are no definitions for the described conditions of "Great", "Excellent", "Never Read", "Awesome", or "Unopened, Still In The Bag". Those labels could (and often do) mean just about anything.

There are books available for learning to grade comics. Just search the internet for "Comic Grading Guide" and you'll find online resources as well as details on how to buy references.

If you can fight back the temptation to overlook the flaws on most comic books, you will find that your comics are mostly in the "normal condition" for that issue, which means that most people who own that comic have it in a similar condition as well. If this is the case, it's hard to find anything special about your particular comics, and buyers aren't captivated by the same old books they see everywhere.


Don't try to tell me that, I've been collecting for umpty-seven years!
I believe you. I'm sure you have been collecting for umpty-seven years... but if you haven't been selling comics lately, then you need to keep reading.

Unless you're already familiar with other collectibles, like coins, sportscards, or even Beanie Babies, then you may not be familiar with the amount of scrutiny that takes place between serious buyers and sellers. Casual collectors don't usually stare at the edges and corners of a comic book looking for a dent or crease no thicker than a human hair, but that's what it takes to accurately grade comics. Books are tilted in front of a bright light, magnified, blacklighted, measured, and even sniffed. (Yep, sniffed. Older comics have paper that can "tell a story" by the way it smells. All I smell is musty paper, but the experts say it's a good grading skill. Go figure.) Serious buyers are serious about their books and serious about their money and they don't spend recklessly. What looks "Near Mint" to you may be "Fine" or "Good" to someone else... and when it comes to pricing, that can be a huge difference.


So, what are my comics worth?
They're worth whatever someone will pay for them.
It's an old argument, but no matter what you're selling, this is a true statement. The key portion of the sentence is not "worth", it's "whatever someone will pay". "Someone" needs to want what you've got, and then they need to agree with you about the condition, the price, the terms of the sale, etc. Finally, they need to actually follow through and pay you. No price guide has ever come with a guarantee of sales. In fact, most price guides come with a disclaimer that they are "only guides", "market conditions vary", and "prices represent what a collector might expect to pay". Notice that phrase, "what a collector might expect to pay", that's the "someone" who you will want to find.


I know some comic collectors, so I'll sell my comics to them.
The odds of any two comic collectors having the same tastes in comics are about as slim as the odds of being struck by lightning twice. It could happen, but I wouldn't hold my breath. Your comics in your collection got there because of the things you did to acquire them. If another comic collector already wanted some of the same books, odds are they already have some of the same books. If another comic collector didn't already want those books, why would they suddenly want yours? Even if they did want a few of them, why would they pay you more than someone else?


Well, I hear the internet is good for selling comics.
If you want to buy a comic, chances are you can find it on the internet.
If you want to sell a comic, chances are you can sell it on the internet.
In both cases, the price is likely to be the most important factor.

Selling on the internet also means having to ship the comic to the buyer. If you've got a comic that I would like to buy for $5, and if it costs $4 to ship it to me, then I will offer you $1 for the comic and $4 for shipping. Even though you might sell a $5 comic for $5 online, if you lose $4 in shipping, you haven't done very well.

Some comic book sellers online try to turn their shipping costs back into profits by overcharging for the shipping costs, or by refusing to combine the shipping costs when a customer wants to buy two or more comics. These sellers aren't fooling anyone. Even if they trick a buyer once, they won't have repeat customers with these tactics. The internet may keep you at a distance from your buyers, but it doesn't mean you can't still be the equivalent of a neighborhood crook by cheating your customers.

The internet has provided a wide variety of options for the comic buyer. Between auction sites, dealer sites, collector sites, and messageboards, there are a lot of options for someone who is wishing to purchase a comic of their choice. As a result of these options, when you are selling comic books, you may be competing with others who have the same comics for sale, who may be selling their comics for less, and who may even be happy to get only a few cents per book, regardless of the price guide. If this is the case, you may be waiting a long time to get "full price" for your comics from some unsuspecting buyer who doesn't realize that others have the same comics for less. You can certainly ask for $20 or $200 for a comic book, but if the book is also available on sites like eBay for $2, there's not much reason for anyone to buy yours.


But I saw the exact same comic that I have sell for big money on eBay!
Really? Was it in the exact same condition? How do you know? The pictures on eBay and other internet sites don't show a comic book with enough detail to accurately grade the condition. At best, you can get a "general idea" of a comic book's condition from a photo or scan. Who was the seller? The seller of the comic may be very experienced. The seller may have a store that customers can view the comic in person. The seller may have lots of positive feedback from happy buyers in the past. The seller may have a history of accurate grading and providing confidence to buyers.

Now, what do you have to offer as a seller? Little or no experience selling comics? Do you know how to accurately grade? Are your photos and scans top notch? Can you guarantee your potential buyers that they will be happy? Unless you're reading the wrong website, my guess is that none of these positives are automatically applicable to you in your quest to sell your comics. Buyers aren't just paying for comics, they're paying for confidence.


Fine... I'll just sell my comics at the local comic shop.
Good luck with that. I'm serious. I hope you have better luck than most. Comic shops normally don't run as a charity. They need to make money, too. If you couldn't find a buyer who would pay top dollar for your comics, you probably won't get top dollar at the local comic shop either. They have bills, rent, employees, space considerations... all those concerns will keep their offer for your comics low in order to keep their profits up. If it's not profitable for them, that's usually the end of the conversation. They have to go through all the trouble of selling the comics one by one. They already know what their customers like to buy, and if you don't have it, they don't want it. If you do have it, they'll take the price guide, the condition, the quantity, the bills, rent, employees, and all those other things into consideration and they'll make you an offer you can refuse. Yes, you can refuse. It may be a low offer. It may not be fair. But on the other hand, it may be the best offer you'll ever get. Good luck with that.


Why are you telling me that my comics might be worth pennies?
I don't know what comics you have, so I'm not being specific here. What I am telling you is that many, many comics are only worth pennies. Comics which were printed by the hundreds of thousands (or more!)... comics which most people who collected comics also bought at the time... comics which are readily available in stores and online today... comics which regularly sell for less than the cost it would take to ship them. These comic books may have cost $4.00 when they were new, and they may be worth less than $0.04 today... all because of supply and demand.


Supply and demand? Is that all this is about?
Pretty much. If you've got the supply, but there's no demand, then you can't force someone to buy your comics at any price. It's not just comics... it's anything. Collectibles, cars, carrots, cardboard, corporations, cattle, computers, crabcakes... it is all about supply and demand (and not just with things that start with 'c'). Unless you have a buyer who demands your product, the price guides don't mean a thing. It's even printed right there in the price guide... "prices represent what a collector might expect to pay". If there's no collector who's buying, then no one gets paid.


But I was told that some of my books are "rare"...
"Rare" compared to what? The seven billion people on the planet? If you have the book in your hand, it can't be that rare. Sorry if that sounds harsh, but it's going to be true for almost every person who reads these words. Sellers who describe their books as "rare" are simply not taken seriously. Serious collectors have been known to argue about which comic books from the 1930s are truly rare, compared to which comic books from the 1930s are simply hard to find. Since you are most likely trying to say that some book from the 1970s (or newer) is "rare", it's like you're just giving the punchline to a bad joke. "Rare" is simply not an accurate description of comics in your collection... unless you are trying to say that they are undercooked.

"Rare", "Limited", "Premium", "Exclusive", "Hard To Find", "Unique", etc. These are all terms that are so overused, they've become completely useless. Even if there is the tiniest chance that your book is actually a priceless gem, describing a comic with these terms in today's market just comes across as noise. It doesn't help to add "Very", "Extremely", or "Super" to the description either. Those words are thrown around with comics all the time, and it just looks like a weak attempt to increase your profits at the expense of the buyer.


But this is a first edition, it says #1, first issue, it's a first printing...
Once the comic publishers realized that people like first issues, they started printing them all the time. Did you know that there have been over one hundred different books in the past 50 years with the word "Spider-man" in the title and a #1 on the cover? Do you know which one is his first appearance? None of them. Spider-man debuted in Amazing Fantasy #15 in 1962. The Amazing Spider-man #1 is from 1963. Every other "Spider-man" with a #1 on the cover isn't a true "first".

Sure, a #1 is a first book in the series, but it's usually not the original series. The title is just slightly different, change the words a little, and they put #1 on it. There could be the word "Annual" somewhere, or it could be volume two, or volume three, and they still put #1 on the cover. People like books with #1, so they are everywhere. It's just another attempt by the comic publishers to get people to buy a book. It must have worked, because you're holding one.

It's still possible that some of you may have very important books in your collections, like Action Comics #1, Amazing Spider-man #1, or Batman #1, etc., but each of those books has been reprinted through the years. The reprints are not the originals. Reprints may look like the originals, and someone may have even told you it was an original, but they're not. If you have an original copy, then you will need to verify it with an expert. 9,999 out of every 10,000 people who find an important book like those in their collection are finding a reprint. Sadly, reprints rarely have any value.


Why do I hear about people making lots of money selling comics?
Because those extremely unlikely stories make the news. Every other comic sale doesn't make the news. In general, you can't go wrong with the classics, Batman, Superman, Spider-man. Everybody loves the heroes... and some books are very, very valuable. But... these characters have been around for over 50 years, and there are tons of books out there. To really have value, you need to have important books for these characters. First appearances, early issues, key stories. Most of the time, these more valuable books are from the 1960s or earlier. As a result, there is a simple test... check the original cover price.

If the original cover price on your comic book is 10cents or 12cents, that's a good sign. That means your comic book was probably printed before the end of the 1960s. Comic prices rose as the years went by, so cover prices of 15cents and 20cents are also possibly good, but they are more recent and probably easier to find. Prices of 25cents to 50cents are much more common, and prices over 50cents are really common in many comic book collections. Prices above $1.25 indicate comics from the 1980s or later, and usually that is a very bad sign. There are currently very few comics from the 1980s to present that are significantly more valuable than their original cover price. Most aren't worth that cover price anymore. Supply and demand. If everyone's got it, then nobody needs it. If they don't need it, then they don't buy it.


Great! My comics were all originally 10cents! Now what?
Now, you need to be more careful with your comic books. You need to be more careful handling them. You need to be more careful storing them. You need to be more careful trying to sell them. First of all, make a list. Comic title, issue number, and since we're talking about 10cent comics, you might make a note about whether the comics still have their covers, still have all their pages, whether they have any stains or pieces missing, etc. Did anyone ever write on the pages? Does it have any tape?

Most 10cent comics are nowhere near "top condition", but if they still are complete and in decent shape, they may also have decent value. Not every 10cent comic is valuable, but many of them are. The older, the better. The 1930s are great, and the 1940s are solid. Most 1950s comics still had 10cent covers, but some are only worth a couple dollars today even though they're more than 50 years old. In the 1930s and 1940s, people weren't saving comics. In the 1950s, collecting was rare, but comics were in lots of children's hands. As a result, many are still around today, but some are very rare in higher conditions. If you have more than a few dozen comics with 10cent prices, especially if they're pre-1950, you might want to call in the experts.

Many major comic book dealers (and industry experts) have advertisements in the pages of the price guides and other industry publications. Several mention to "call us for an appraisal", or "don't sell until you talk to us". I'm not recommending any of them in particular, mainly because I've never had a stack of 10cent comics to sell... but it would be hard to read the Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide and not see at least a few options as far as the experts go.


I don't have any 10cent comics. Mine are all higher prices.
Welcome to the club. Obviously, not every other comic is worthless. There are many valuable comics with 12cent covers. There are several valuable comics with higher prices on the cover. Price guides can give you a good idea of "book value", but you should consider every price with a grain of salt. Unless you're the exception to the rule, your comics aren't "top condition", regardless of how well you've taken care of them. Most don't start out in top condition, so no amount of care will upgrade them to something they weren't to begin with.

If there are multiple prices in the price guide for your comics, consider looking at the full range of prices listed, and consider that it might be possible to sell your books for the lower values, since it's likely that the buyer will also want to make a profit when they sell the book, too. Very few comics sell for full price or more than the price guide value, so expecting to get full price when you sell (as an inexperienced seller) is being far too optimistic. If the experts don't normally get full price, then the amateurs would be kidding themselves if they think they will.


So, I can just add up an estimated value for all the comics, right?
Not exactly. Have you ever purchased every single item on a shelf in the supermarket? Probably not. You don't want some of those items. You don't normally need lots of extras. You wouldn't want to pay for each and every item when you don't even want some of them, right? Comic buyers are the same way. Unless they need each and every comic you own, and unless they are willing to pay top dollar to get them, chances are you have a lot of comics that are just "extras" for the buyer. They'll either want a significant discount, or they won't want those comics at all since they might just take up space.

Selling your entire collection in "one shot" is usually the same as selling your best books for a reasonable price and then just throwing the rest of the books into the deal for free to get them out of your house. The buyer might want a few of your books, but it would be next to impossible to find someone who wants them all.

Comics valued at $3 aren't normally bought for $3 each in large quantities. They're bought in bulk. They're bought 100 at a time for $30. That's not $3 each, that's $0.30 each. Sometimes, it's 1,000 at a time for $30. That's $0.03 each. What are the comics you have? How common are they? The price guides just don't reflect reality for lower priced comics.

Comics aren't that different than other things you might buy... How much do you pay for a gallon of milk? $3? How about for ten gallons? $30? If you can't use ten gallons of milk, the $30 price doesn't matter. You probably don't want to spend $20. You might not even spend $5 for ten gallons of milk. If you don't need it, you don't want it. You want the $3 milk that you need for a fair price, and you don't want the other gallons at any price. If a buyer doesn't want the bulk of your collection, the price doesn't matter. They just don't want it. Most collections are made up of a few "best issues" and a bunch of lower priced comics. Sometimes a collection of 1,000 comics can be made up of a dozen best issues and 988 "other". You can see why adding up your whole collection is building up a great big false hope.


But I have a complete set of these titles, isn't that worth extra?
Usually not. It doesn't seem fair to complete your collection for a title, and not get any credit at all for doing so, but there's a reason behind this madness. If someone likes and wants the set you have completed, chances are they already have some of those books. If they already have some of those books, why would they pay extra to pick up duplicates? If someone wanted to sell you things you already owned, would you pay any extra?


So what do I do with these comics?
Honestly, I don't know. I don't know you, and I don't know about your comics. But I do know that many, many collectors have many, many comics that aren't worth what the price guide says. Most price guides won't list a comic book below its original cover price, and as mentioned, most recent comics only sell for a fraction of the original cover price. Frankly, the price guides are causing problems. If your comics are listed in the price guide for their original cover price, that's not good news. Comics which have not increased in value years after they were printed are usually not highly sought after.

If no one is seeking them, it's hard to sell them... at almost any price. Regardless of that printed value, either in the price guide or on the cover of the book, there may be little or no demand. To be fair, most price guides do have some "fine print" that mentions that large numbers of comics listed often sell for a significant discount to the printed guide price, but that "fine print" doesn't appear on every page... so most potential sellers aren't reading it. Even after reading it, some sellers still aren't believing it.

Like the stock market, there have been "booms" in comic collecting when some books were valuable and hard to find. Many people buy comics during the "booms". Perhaps you have lots of comics because you bought during one or more of those "booms". Also like the stock market, there have been "crashes". Many "hot books" from the past are now ice cold. What was $50 then might be $0.50 now. What was once a "can't miss, greatest limited edition ever printed" when you bought it might be "that old book that's everywhere and isn't selling for the cost of shipping it". It happens. The stock market might rebound after a crash, but some of those companies go bankrupt. If you're holding the shares (or the comics) of a worthless type, they don't have value, regardless of the price you might have paid and the amount of time you've invested.

If after reviewing a price guide and checking some internet auctions for comics which are similar to yours... you may have found that selling your comics would be both disappointing and a major hassle. You can take some solace in the fact that you're not alone... though I don't guess that helps remove the sting very much. If you collected comics as a kid for the sheer enjoyment of the books, you might be interested in donating those books for other kids to enjoy. Comics4Kids is an organization that might be helpful to you. I'm not personally familiar with them, but I've heard good things. Your own local organizations may also be willing to accept donations such as hospitals, clubs, or orphanages. Each will have its own standards and policies, but it would be hard to imagine that there's no way to get comics into the hands of children in your area.

Comics for children to read and enjoy... wow, the whole thing has come full circle, hasn't it?


The fine print (as if you aren't already tired of reading this page):
This article, website, contents, etc., were created in response to years of discussions between comic buyers, sellers, collectors, dealers, experts, amateurs, graders, haters, and friends. The author of this article has chosen to remain anonymous in order to discourage anyone from thinking he would like to buy all your valuable comics for pennies on the dollar. In fact, the author would like for comic sellers to get every dollar they deserve in the comic market, but also not to be uninformed about the reality of the situation. It's also an attempt to avoid the desire to shoot the messenger. I didn't make the rules, I just took a few minutes and wrote it all down. If someone sent you a link to this page or printed it for you, it's because they care about you and don't want you to be uninformed about your comics. Perhaps you asked someone what you thought was a simple question about selling your comics, and this is the whole uncensored, unbiased answer they wanted you to have. Don't shoot the messenger or the messenger's messengers. You must be important to them or else they could have just said, "I don't know" and walked away.

Money is made and lost in comics. It's supply and demand, of course. Unfortunately, money is lost almost every time a new comic is purchased as an investment. Regardless of who says it's the next great thing. Regardless of how long you've waited. If you notice who is saying "buy this now", it's usually a seller. Why would they even sell to you if it's going to be so valuable?
(The answer is pretty obvious, and it's not because they're looking out for your best interests.)
I know, I know, it's too late to hear this now. Because now you've got all those comics and no one to sell them to. You're not alone. Just in case you now have a desire to curse comic books forever, you should know that the same story has happened in collectible coins, sportscards, stamps, plates, knives, toys, guns, cars, real estate, stocks, bonds, jewelry, gems, minerals, tulips, potatoes, tea, and I'm pretty sure that fire was highly valued at some point. Prices rise and fall. No one said they must rise again. Congratulations to those of you who have learned something today, even if you don't end up making any money out of comics... consider your "Diploma of Grim Reality" as a consolation prize. As promised, I still don't want to buy your comics. Here's hoping you find someone who will... and here's hoping you aren't surprised if the old dreams don't come true.