Pipeline 1.13.2009

[kevhines]

Let me know if you figure out what to do with those comics Augie.

I used to sell them by the batch on EBay, but I made so little (I think I once figured the profit to be 50 cents an hour that I spent dealing with those sales) that I kind of stopped.

I mostly want these comics to end up in the hands of people who want to read them, not resell them. And I don't want to throw them away (or recycle them - whatever).

Lately I have toyed with the idea of just dropping them off at a thrift store. (I go through my boxes pull out my favorite runs - not necessarily the most valuable - that are not collected (or at least I don't have collections of)). I am not sure if that is the best option...

But I also know the lion's share of my books are mid-80s and on, and none of that is too highly needed by any comic shop.

Any ideas? Is there a NYC option I am not aware of?

[uthor]

For catalogging, I use ComicBookDB (http://www.comicbookdb.com/index.php?), which is free. It also lets you input where you store individual issues and the like. However, it's not setup specifically for that purpose, so it takes more clicks than you'd want to deal with organizing a big collection.

For a huge collection a scanner and barcodes would probably be worth the cost.

[De Carabas]

Three years ago, I went through the eBay thing Augie described. I tried to jettison a bunch of single issues, not dreaming of profit, but just getting them out of my house. I even listed a Buy It Now that had me selling them at 60 cents on the dollar. In the auction, I listed them as in "Good" shape. The buyer did leave positive feedback, but added a bitchy, passive aggressive comment of "Issues were not in NM condition." That made me throw hands up and quit on the whole eBay thing.

I'm sadly down to only a small number of books to buy and read. I think I'm delaying that so I can always have something to look forward to. Irrational, yes, but it works for me.
That's exactly how I am with Usagi Yojimbo. I love it, so I always want there to be something on my shelf, that is new to me, that can be picked up and read at a moment's notice.

EM

[kozmo]

I purged something close to 20 longboxes of comics this summer. I went through each box carefully and pulled out the individual books or series that I actually do re-read or intend to re-read. The rest were boxed up in longboxes that I labeled as DC or Marvel or Mixed. I taped them up and donated them to our local church's yardsale. We were supposed to put our own prices on things, so I simply said $20 or $25 a box (I can't remember which). It was the greatest deal ever for a comics fan, and they all sold within the first hour of the sale.

My wife couldn't believe that I got rid of some of my comic books, but like you said Augie, I just needed to get rid of some of the clutter. I wasn't going to re-read those books again, so why keep them? My brother was aghast (he also loves comics) that I'd get rid of comics, but I've purged before -- it's a good practice to teach you that this hobby isn't about money -- it's about entertainment and art.

[Augie De Blieck Jr.]

Other ideas that are popping up in my email: Donate to art schools, get the good stuff bound, use CraigsList.

I know a guy who was a regular at the shop I used to frequent who just dumped long box after long box into a dumpster his girlfriend had at her house while getting some house work done. He saved the stuff he liked and kicked something like 10 long boxes into the trash to save the hassle.

Sad. But I think I begin to understand it.

-Augie

[pmpknface]

- You can donate them to a children's unit at a hospital
- If you flip through any recent overstreet, you'll find dealers willing to buy collections. You may not get much, but it's better than nothing and it'll be all "one & done"
- Try some websites. I think you can use Kermit's Pad or some others that you can make a few $'s on.
- Your best bet is still ebay. I really don't think the entire universe is out for NM+ copies. Lots of people just like reader copies to fill holes. It's when you advertise as one thing and it turns out crappier that people get pissed. Work in lots of 10-15 comics and it will make you the most $. Yes, it takes time but the cash will add up.

[De Carabas]

I know a guy who was a regular at the shop I used to frequent who just dumped long box after long box into a dumpster his girlfriend had at her house while getting some house work done. He saved the stuff he liked and kicked something like 10 long boxes into the trash to save the hassle.

Sad. But I think I begin to understand it.

-Augie
I actually came to the decision to do just this, a few days ago. Fortunately, my mother isn't making sounds about wanting them out of her house, so I have time to think up and alternative.

EM

[kevhines]

I did the ebay thing for a while. 5-25 issue lots. depending on what I had.

One day I figured out how much i was making profit per hour of time I put into it (photos, posting, packing, shipping, etc) and it came out to less then a dollar an hour. That might just be because of the books or something else I did.

I bet Augie could get more if he linked via his blog... if he wanted to do that... but I wasn't doing better.


So I am still leaning towards dropping them off at a thrift store. OR maybe I will skim an overstreet and check on those dealers. A buck or two is more then I'd be getting at the thrift store.

Or I might just post on Craig's List and see if I get any bites.

Another issue is I only have some of it at home. The rest is in storage and I need to go through each box before I'll get rid of it. I just went through my G,F, and H boxes.