what should I do?

[dellamorte]

Through a friend of my wife I've been put in contact with a couple that had a comic book store back in the late 90's. They have about 300 boxes of books (mix of long and short boxes) that have been stored for the past 11-12 years. Rough estimate of about 60,000 book that I think I can get them to sell for about .03 cents a book ($1800).

Now this is sight unseen, It could be just about anything. So the question is, is it a good risk to take? I'm sure that 99% of it is worthless crap but there could be some gems in the lot, most likely books that had little value then that have crept up in value over the years.

Plus I would have a blast just digging through the boxes looking for the treasure and filling in gaps in my collection. Of course once I've done all that I have to find a way to dump the garbage since I have no long term plans to store that many books. I'm sure I could claim a nice tax deduction by donating the books.

[Elveen]

I would do it as long as you are willing to take the time to get your money back.

I wonder how many Turok #1s and Rai #9s are in there?

[400yrs]

Does it have to be sight unseen?

If it were me, I'd want to at least flip through a few boxes. You can get a pretty good idea of how badly a collection has been cherry picked pretty quickly.

For instance, the store I went to today had about 100 long boxes. I found some of the ones with the valiants. All pre-unities and late issues.... gone.

You'll always be able to find something. I'd just hope that it's worth $1,800 and dealing with 300 boxes. That's alot of damn boxes.

[IMJ]

I'd do it.

It's probably 99% bargain bin fodder, but at that price who knows what runs you'll build that you could slowly sell off as sets or whatnot. Hell man, you could sell them to your LCS at something like 20 bucks a long box and recoup the money if you didn't decide to go to the con with them. I could see that entire collection not containing a single Valiant Gold book or whatnot, but you'd still be able to unload it. It's not a whether or not you can based on the money, but rather whether or not you want to put in the time for that kind of haul.

I'd do it though.

[slym2none]

Do it... if I could, I would.......



-slym

[superman-prime]

as would I

[Brother J]

Does it have to be sight unseen?

If it were me, I'd want to at least flip through a few boxes. You can get a pretty good idea of how badly a collection has been cherry picked pretty quickly.

For instance, the store I went to today had about 100 long boxes. I found some of the ones with the valiants. All pre-unities and late issues.... gone.

You'll always be able to find something. I'd just hope that it's worth $1,800 and dealing with 300 boxes. That's alot of damn boxes.

yeah, if the condition was it has to be sight unseen, I wouldn't do it. At some point, some of these overprinted 90's books are so worthless, I'd almost pay someone to take them off my hands. Like the garbage man, for instance.

[superman-prime]

I have a junk comic sale every 3 - 6 months at 6 for a buck and go through 1000s at a time at the right price someone will buy even turok 1 (sold at least 20 last sale )

just food for thoght

[comicsyte95]

as would I

x2

[dellamorte]

Does it have to be sight unseen?

If it were me, I'd want to at least flip through a few boxes. You can get a pretty good idea of how badly a collection has been cherry picked pretty quickly.

For instance, the store I went to today had about 100 long boxes. I found some of the ones with the valiants. All pre-unities and late issues.... gone.

You'll always be able to find something. I'd just hope that it's worth $1,800 and dealing with 300 boxes. That's alot of damn boxes.

It doesn't have to be sight unseen, I'm going to check out a few boxes just to make sure that there hasn't been any damage in the 10 years they have been in storage. I'll flip through them and see just what kind of stuff it is. When we were talking yesterday she said they are all in alphabetical order and in bags/boards. That saves a ton of time having to organize the lot.

I think I'm going to do it, my wife already wants to kill me but I think it'll just be a blast to be able to dig through them one by one and see what's inside.

The money isn't such a big deal as I know I can flip them to a store or deal them off at a con. At a couple cents a book I don't think you can really lose.

What are the key books/runs from the mid/late 90's?

[xodacia81]

Does it have to be sight unseen?

If it were me, I'd want to at least flip through a few boxes. You can get a pretty good idea of how badly a collection has been cherry picked pretty quickly.

For instance, the store I went to today had about 100 long boxes. I found some of the ones with the valiants. All pre-unities and late issues.... gone.

You'll always be able to find something. I'd just hope that it's worth $1,800 and dealing with 300 boxes. That's alot of damn boxes.

It doesn't have to be sight unseen, I'm going to check out a few boxes just to make sure that there hasn't been any damage in the 10 years they have been in storage. I'll flip through them and see just what kind of stuff it is. When we were talking yesterday she said they are all in alphabetical order and in bags/boards. That saves a ton of time having to organize the lot.

I think I'm going to do it, my wife already wants to kill me but I think it'll just be a blast to be able to dig through them one by one and see what's inside.

The money isn't such a bid as I know I can flip them to a store or deal them off at a con. At a couple cents a book I don't think you can really lose.

What are the key books/runs from the mid/late 90's?

You mean they were making comics between 96 and 99?

[dellamorte]

Does it have to be sight unseen?

If it were me, I'd want to at least flip through a few boxes. You can get a pretty good idea of how badly a collection has been cherry picked pretty quickly.

For instance, the store I went to today had about 100 long boxes. I found some of the ones with the valiants. All pre-unities and late issues.... gone.

You'll always be able to find something. I'd just hope that it's worth $1,800 and dealing with 300 boxes. That's alot of damn boxes.

It doesn't have to be sight unseen, I'm going to check out a few boxes just to make sure that there hasn't been any damage in the 10 years they have been in storage. I'll flip through them and see just what kind of stuff it is. When we were talking yesterday she said they are all in alphabetical order and in bags/boards. That saves a ton of time having to organize the lot.

I think I'm going to do it, my wife already wants to kill me but I think it'll just be a blast to be able to dig through them one by one and see what's inside.

The money isn't such a bid as I know I can flip them to a store or deal them off at a con. At a couple cents a book I don't think you can really lose.

What are the key books/runs from the mid/late 90's?

You mean they were making comics between 96 and 99?

I guess so, It's kind of a dark spot in my collecting, I was buying very little those days so I'm sure I missed some really good books. Now I might have a chance to get some of them.

[400yrs]

I think I'm going to do it, my wife already wants to kill me but I think it'll just be a blast to be able to dig through them one by one and see what's inside.

Just wait until she actually sees all those boxes.

Alphabetical and B&B will help for sure. Do you have a storage unit or something? Even 300 short boxes will fill up a room really quickly (not leaving much space to maneuver.

What are the key books/runs from the mid/late 90's?

Not much. Starbrand or ZWH might have some knowledge. I tend to abhor mid 90s books.

Witchblade, late Maxx issues, some Spawn, Next Men 21 (of course), Strangers in Paradise #1 (the abstract one). I'm sure I'll think of more....

For reading purposes, about all I'd pull out of there is Astro City books, Stranger in Paradise and Daredevil (none of which really sell).

[xodacia81]

Does it have to be sight unseen?

If it were me, I'd want to at least flip through a few boxes. You can get a pretty good idea of how badly a collection has been cherry picked pretty quickly.

For instance, the store I went to today had about 100 long boxes. I found some of the ones with the valiants. All pre-unities and late issues.... gone.

You'll always be able to find something. I'd just hope that it's worth $1,800 and dealing with 300 boxes. That's alot of damn boxes.

It doesn't have to be sight unseen, I'm going to check out a few boxes just to make sure that there hasn't been any damage in the 10 years they have been in storage. I'll flip through them and see just what kind of stuff it is. When we were talking yesterday she said they are all in alphabetical order and in bags/boards. That saves a ton of time having to organize the lot.

I think I'm going to do it, my wife already wants to kill me but I think it'll just be a blast to be able to dig through them one by one and see what's inside.

The money isn't such a bid as I know I can flip them to a store or deal them off at a con. At a couple cents a book I don't think you can really lose.

What are the key books/runs from the mid/late 90's?

You mean they were making comics between 96 and 99?

I guess so, It's kind of a dark spot in my collecting, I was buying very little those days so I'm sure I missed some really good books. Now I might have a chance to get some of them.

In all seriousness, the same here. I just didn't seem to care-or have the money-at the time and I was pretty much out of comics by 97/98, except for 2 or 3 titles and I didn't get back into comics for a long time. I know I missed some things as well, such as all of Cross Gen.

[dellamorte]

I think I know how much room they are going to take but I'm sure it's going to be worse. They will go into the basement stacked on pallets (to keep them off the floor). After they are here I'm sure I'll just dig through a box or two a day and see what's going on inside.

[Draco]

You just cant go wrong here.
Im about to do similar with 120 boxes though i know what is in them, not in order, but oh boy the fun.

YOu can flip them at $40+ a box and laugh all the way to the bank after removing the good bits.
The 90's may have published plenty of worthless crap, but there are still plenty of gems and no end of books that sell all day at $5-10 bucks still.

good luck.

[toddyboy]

i'd do it if i had somewhere to store 300 boxes.

[400yrs]

Who do you all flip these boxes of drek to for $40? No one around here is buying that crap. I see people dragging boxes in to the LCS and they just tell them to donate them somewhere.

[Knightt]

Who do you all flip these boxes of drek to for $40? No one around here is buying that crap. I see people dragging boxes in to the LCS and they just tell them to donate them somewhere.

I'd have to agree there... the back issue market is not flourishing (IMO) at any LCS that I have been to lately. And while there may be $5.00 books here and there, I don't think there are enough hours in the day to make back my money $5.00 at a time.

But if you could get the chance to go through there and really look at what is in the boxes, I guess a random check here and there of 300 boxes and find some really cool stuff then... maybe. But late 90s books ? Lots of fun to be had but I sure hope you just don't buy $1,800s worth of pulp. I would at least try to talk him down to $1,500... that is a lot of heavy lifting. Point A to point B to point C... cruise through the boxes, go to point D (your collection) to point E (Ebay or 'other') and finally at point F, Post Office. Ouch, my back is already hurting.

[Doorman]

I'd buy 'em up ... assuming it's not heavy duplication. Where are you located?

[Chiclo]

I'd buy 'em up ... assuming it's not heavy duplication. Where are you located?

Then from the way I hear it, you are the exception rather than the rule.

I know of 4 shops between Amarillo and Lubbock. Two have signs posted that they aren't buying through the end of the year and a third doesn't buy used books. The fourth will but cheaply. The owner will ask how much you want for them but if you shoot him too high a number, he'll just tell you he's not interested.

[Knightt]

I'd buy 'em up ... assuming it's not heavy duplication. Where are you located?

Yeah but you do this kind of thing all the time... the books that you have available is incredible. I think that by now I have half of a shelving unit packed with books that were gotten from you. My FemForce collection thanks you !!!

You put a lot of effort into your store as well and know how to turn a profit... I mean you have great sales very often and your price in your books is well within... well at least my range (NOT that I won't try to haggle).

[J-Scott-R]

as would I

x2

Same here, as long as the money is no problem.

[slym2none]

A lot of the late-90s books were wayyy underprinted. Bigger titles like X-Men, Spider-Man, and Hulk even can be very HTF and can command a premium. Maybe not a huge premium, but cover price or somewhat better.



-slym

[Chiclo]

A lot of the late-90s books were wayyy underprinted. Bigger titles like X-Men, Spider-Man, and Hulk even can be very HTF and can command a premium. Maybe not a huge premium, but cover price or somewhat better.



-slym

Definitely. A pretty good percentage of books from about '98 (maybe even '97) to '01 or '02 sell for cover or better.

Keep an eye out for Thunderbolts, Deadpool and Birds of Prey. Those are pretty consistently around cover price or more from what I understand.