Back issues over the net

[mrc1214]

Hey everyone. Ive been in the process of trying to find certain back issues and the local shows or shop havent helped. I either cant find them there or i end up buying books i didnt want in the first place. So i was wondering where you guys go to get backissues. I know Mile High and mycomcshop are pretty popular but sometimes overpriced. And ebay doesnt help because for something like the few issues i need on PAD's X-Factor ill be paying over as well. So i was wondering if you guys knew any good places??? A friend found a site call 50centcomics. com but i dont know if they were legit. So any help would be appreciated.

[The Confessor]

Well, actually I tend to pick up a lot of my back issues from ebay and I don't find them over priced at all...as long as you shop around of course. I mean, sure, there are overpriced comics on ebay but there's also an awful lot of underpriced ones too.

For instance, about 6 months ago I picked up a bundle of Silver Age 'Marvel Tales' comics (#2 - #9) in VG/F condition from a guy in the USA for what worked out as £3.00 a comic!

In fact, I've picked up some really good back issue bargins on ebay over the years. Sure, it takes a little bit of effort trawling through the listings but I figure that if you want the comics bad enough it's not a problem. I don't know where in the world you're located but as a UK resident I often find it's cheaper to buy comics from American sellers and have them shipped over. Often, this will still work out cheaper per issue than buying them from a UK company.

The other place I get back issues from is milehighcomics and as you say, usually their comics are priced at the current going rate (although again, still cheaper than UK on-line comic shops) but there are bargins to be had on their website too. Especially if you sign up to their e-mail service where they'll send you discount code words that will allow you to make savings on the listed prices.

You might also want to check out milehighcomic's ebay shop. I don't know for sure, but I've got a sneaking suspiscion that the comics they list on ebay are sometimes cheaper than they are on their actual website.

Anyway, hope this helps you in some way :)

[Indigo Al]

Hey everyone. Ive been in the process of trying to find certain back issues and the local shows or shop havent helped. I either cant find them there or i end up buying books i didnt want in the first place. So i was wondering where you guys go to get backissues. I know Mile High and mycomcshop are pretty popular but sometimes overpriced. And ebay doesnt help because for something like the few issues i need on PAD's X-Factor ill be paying over as well. So i was wondering if you guys knew any good places??? A friend found a site call 50centcomics. com but i dont know if they were legit. So any help would be appreciated.

Mycomicshop.com has a general 50% off on back issues. I don't know how that applies in terms of PAD's X-Factor.

[dan bailey]

Mycomicshop.com has a general 50% off on back issues. I don't know how that applies in terms of PAD's X-Factor.

i generally use those guys myself. in addition, mile high frequently offers 30%-50% discounts to subscribers to their newsletter (one such deal expired yesterday, as it happens).

[mrc1214]

i generally use those guys myself. in addition, mile high frequently offers 30%-50% discounts to subscribers to their newsletter (one such deal expired yesterday, as it happens).

Yea i deleted it. I dont know why i did that. PADs X-Factor plus the Hulk tie-ins were only like 75 cents each.

[MichikoS]

I have tried many, many online back issue sites, some of which have gone belly up in the past couple of years, or gone to eBay store sales only. Aside from the "big two," i.e., Lone Star (mycomics.com) and Mile High, I have used the following for back issues:

http://westfieldcomics.com/wow/order_main.html
Westfield Comics: Long-established, top-notch customer service and new comics sub service at good prices. Also some recent back issues at below cover. I've always been pleased, even if the back issue selection is rather limited. First-rate.

http://www.newkadia.com/NK.php
NewKadia: I've tried to give these guys the benefit of the doubt, but they aren't very good. Their grading is sometimes laughably optimistic, and the complicated grading criteria they use (e.g., "3454454") needs to be junked in favor of a straightforward Overstreet-style scale. Customer service is, as far as I can tell, non-existent. There are some bargains to be found, since they lower the price a little bit on back issues every week. Some back issues that have been in inventory for 100+ weeks without selling are almost reasonably priced. They have the single most cumbersome, stupid comic lookup process I've ever seen at an online vendor site.

http://www.comiclink.com/./default.asp
ComicLink: This is a full-service comic auction and consignment site. I've picked up some bargains in their "eBetter auctions" area, but the CGC section is comparable to Heritage. This is for investment-oriented collectors with big bucks to drop. Customer service is adequate, but rather slow. I had a minor problem with a lot of lower grade books I bought that had one comic with a torn-out page. It took me well over a month to get that resolved, but it was handled professionally and I'm satisfied. I've also picked up a few offbeat slabbed books for very low prices at auction. Not for everyone, but I do peruse their listings regularly.

http://www.streetlifecomics.com/
Mostly modern-era, but other stuff too, including some CGC books. I've purchased some decent books here, but it is obviously a personal sideline business, and the stock is rarely replenished. Good, responsive service and shipping, though. Grading is accurate.

http://www.bipcomics.com/
BIP Comics: Great site for lower-grade "reader" copies and unusual items well-below book value. It's actually a multi-vendor platform, but most of what I've purchased has been from the site's sponsor, Nick Pope (gifflefunk). I've purchased dozens of mid-grade Charlton books from this site and have been very, very happy. In fact, everything I've purchased has been a bargain and a delight. Selection is limited, and the search interface is clunky, but BIP has my highest recommendation in terms of service, responsiveness, first-rate packaging, and speed of delivery.

http://www.harleyyeecomics.com/
Top of the line stuff, from a longtime comic collector and fan. Very nice stuff, accurately graded, but you will pay top dollar. Good for the occasional treat-yourself-to-something-special purchase, but you won't find any bargains here. Golden and Silver Age.

http://www.dougcomicworld.com/
Doug Sulipa: Send Doug your wantlist items, and he'll track them down for you if he doesn't have them. Not cheap, but not outrageous, either. I used him to fill in some holes in late Silver and early Bronze runs I was trying to complete. He is in Manitoba, Canada. Helluva nice guy and knows his business.

Michi

[ata5d]

ebay is best for lengthy comic book runs
Mile High Comics is best for individual issues, like to fill in holes in your collection

[mrc1214]

Anyone got any good ebay stores to check out besides MileHighComics??? I like them but i wanted to try some other places. i figured someone on here knew some good sellers.

[scratchie]

Anyone got any good ebay stores to check out besides MileHighComics??? I like them but i wanted to try some other places. i figured someone on here knew some good sellers.I've had pretty good luck with zillaf4 (Langes Sports in Michigan) and J&S Comics in New Jersey (I think their Ebay id is jscomics).

[SpideySuperFan]

I disagree. I've ordered from newkadia several times and the grading is right on target, the books are well-packaged and shipping is totally FREE.

[rick]

If you do go to Mile High though be aware that they grade reading copies very loosely and you might buy a book in good condition and then open it up to find out that an ad is cut out or the back cover has water damage.

[Christopher Cross Is God]

Well, actually I tend to pick up a lot of my back issues from ebay and I don't find them over priced at all...as long as you shop around of course. I mean, sure, there are overpriced comics on ebay but there's also an awful lot of underpriced ones too.

ebay is great for finding deals (Especially groupings/lots), but one of the problems is whether the comics get damaged in the mail. You never know what kind of packaging the seller will use to send the comics, or what the post office may possibly do to the package while it's on its way.

For the most part, it's been OK, but I've had at least 5 or 6 instances where comics got all bent up, because the packaging the seller gave was a document evenlope with the comics bunched together in a plastic bag, with one or two comic boards to protect them all.

Some of the best deals I've found on ebay are the entire Invaders run (Missing 2 issues, actually) for a little over a hundred bucks......A group of Hulk comics for $30, which included a lot of key issues. They were all in great shape, and the seller even threw in Hulk vs Venom, for free and without me knowing in advance. He left a note in the package saying he threw that in, that it's rare, and that he'd like to give it to someone who'd appreciate it rather than sell it at a comic shop................I also got, from others, the current Supergirl title, from issues 1-9, for 12 bucks......Batman Year 2 tpb (1st printing & perfect shape) for a dollar, plus $3 shipping.......Flash #214-230 for $4, plus $4 shipping......Those are the ones I remember off the top of my head. It's similar to real-life auctions. You can get unbelievable deals, you just have to be at the right place at the right time (Or, in the case of ebay, bid at the right time, in that others with the same interests don't happen upon the same auction).

There have also been some great deals I narrowly lost, although who knows what the winning bidder's maximum bid was in each case.

If I'm searching for particular issues, don't feel like going through the ebay route (As you never know if you'll win an auction or not), and if I'm unable to find the back-issues locally at a reasonable price, I'll just buy from mycomicshop.com since they have a large selection. For both Mile High Comics and mycomicshop.com, they have e-mail membership discounts, so to the thread originator, you might want to join both stores' e-mail groups to see if you can get better deals that way.

I recently bought a large amount of Sub-Mariner comics from mycomicshop.com, for far lower than I think I would have at other comic shops, due to the extra discount they gave on certain comics via the e-mail they send.