How to Sell Your Comic Collection the Smart Way

Selling Your Comic Collection Seems Easy – But It’s Quite a Job. We’re Here to Help!

Below you’ll find tips to help you sell your collection in the best possible way.

General tips

1. PREPARE YOURSELF
Before you start selling, it’s smart to organise your collection by single issues, titles or sets to get the maximum return. Make clear lists with title, issue number, volume and condition. Take good, detailed photos and write a proper description. Because comic buyers usually want to know exactly what they’re getting, they expect some sort of “grade”. Use simple categories like LOW / MID / HIGH grade to avoid discussions afterwards.

2. DETERMINE THE VALUE
Decide in advance what your minimum and maximum price is. You will get offers – and doubt is your worst enemy. Always ask what someone wants to pay before you mention your own price. Their offer might be higher than what you had in mind! If you’re selling single issues, check eBay Sold listings or the Key Collector Comics website for an indication of the current market value. Need help with pricing? Feel free to ask me a question via the contact form!

3. TIME IS MONEY TOO
Think about how much time you really want to spend on selling. It’s usually a lot more work than you’d expect. Many collectors want to look through your collection in detail first. Consider whether you’re comfortable having strangers in your home to go through your comics. Also make sure the comics you want to sell are set aside in advance, so people won’t start digging through your shelves, longboxes or storage boxes.

Does your energy level already drop just reading all this?
If you’d like to sell your comics without all the hassle, you can also contact us directly. On to the tips!

Where is the best place to sell your comics?
If you’re planning to sell your collection, there are several sales channels you can use. Below are the most common options, including their pros and cons.

eBay
Selling comics via eBay takes time, but often gives you the highest possible return. eBay is globally known and widely used, which means great exposure for your collection. However, there are costs involved. You pay listing fees and sales commission.

There are also relatively few buyers who have the cashflow to buy an entire collection in one go. Make sure you’ve categorised and photographed your collection in advance. It’s also smart to look at international shipping rates beforehand. PostNL and DPD are good international carriers. If you list something on an international platform, remember that international shipping is part of the deal.

Advantages:
+ International audience.
+ Popular buying platform for hardcore collectors.

Disadvantages:
– Listing fees.
– Relatively time-consuming and a complex platform to learn.
– Demanding buyers.

Catawiki
Catawiki is an auction site for all kinds of products – including comics. It is well known across Europe and gives solid exposure for your collection. You sell your items through an auction: the highest bidder wins. There are, however, significant fees for both seller and buyer.

The commission is 12.5% excluding VAT (15.1% including VAT) on the auction result.

The advantage is that these fees are deducted from your proceeds afterwards. Again, very few buyers have the funds to purchase a full collection in one go. So make sure your collection is categorised and photographed before you list. International shipping plays a role here as well.

Advantages:
+ International audience.
+ Popular buying platform for serious collectors.
+ Auctions can lead to high sale prices if you have attractive books.
+ User-friendly selling environment.
+ An “expert” helps you with value estimates.
+ Auction duration is one week – after a week your comics are sold… hopefully for a good price!

Disadvantages:
– Relatively high fees.
– Auction system carries risk: if you only get one low bid and the auction ends, you’re stuck with that price.
– Still quite a lot of work and a platform you need to learn.
– Demanding audience.
– You have to wait for your payout; it can take a while.

Marktplaats
Marktplaats is an online marketplace for all kinds of products, including comics. Marktplaats is part of eBay and has a strong reputation in the Netherlands. Listing your comics here takes some time, but the app makes communication with potential buyers easy. Listing is FREE. However, if you want better visibility, it’s usually wise to pay for a highlighted ad or extra exposure. You can choose between auctions or fixed prices – fixed prices generally work best and fastest.

Again, there are not many buyers who can purchase an entire collection at once. Make sure your collection is categorised and photographed. You’ll receive lots of questions and not every “interested” person is a serious buyer. Expect a lot of haggling and negotiating. If you don’t feel like all that hassle and having strangers over, Marktplaats might not be for you.

Advantages:
+ National audience.
+ Popular buying channel for collectors.
+ Free to list.
+ Easy-to-use selling environment.
+ With patience, you can find good buyers – but it may take time.

Disadvantages:
– Extra visibility options cost money.
– Demanding buyers.
– Lots of haggling.
– A lot of back-and-forth communication with potential buyers.

A comic shop
You’d think this is the best place. But comic shops have limited space. They’re often not actively looking to buy full collections. Their sales channels are sometimes limited to their regular customers and walk-in traffic. They know exactly what they’re buying, but they’re not always willing to invest a large portion of their shop budget in used stock. Because of their high overhead (rent, existing stock, staff), you’ll often find their offers are very low – or you may even get a polite “no” instead.

They need a large margin to make it worth it and can never offer what a private buyer might pay. If you do find a shop that’s interested, you get: minimal effort / modest total return – but a fair outcome when you also count the hours you’d otherwise spend selling everything yourself.

Advantages:
+ Everything sold in one go.
+ You get your money immediately.
+ Relatively high return per hour invested.

Disadvantages:
– Few shops are interested in used collections.
– Very low price per comic.
– You have to bring the collection to the shop.

A dealer / reseller
Comic dealers are often fans themselves. They know exactly what they’re buying and are used to paying larger amounts in one go. Of course, they are sharp negotiators. They need margin to resell and can’t offer what a private collector might pay. Many operate as a business or comic shop, pay VAT and taxes, and have overhead costs. That means they can’t pay top euro for your collection – but they do usually buy everything at once.

If you compare the hours you’d otherwise spend selling everything piece by piece, this is often minimal effort for maximum result. Dealers often come by to view, pay and take everything with them straight away. You must be prepared to make a decision on the spot. They won’t come back twice. Don’t like people coming to your home? Many reputable dealers also offer drop-off: you bring the collection to them. Always discuss a rough price range in advance.

Advantages:
+ Quick sale of the entire collection.
+ No hassle or endless negotiations.
+ You get your money in one go.
+ Relatively high return per hour invested.

Disadvantages:
– Not everyone is trustworthy.
– It’s not always clear who is a serious buyer.
– Moderate price per comic compared to selling everything yourself.

Interested in an offer on your collection? I also buy collections starting from around 500 issues – and I’m happy to help you with advice even if you decide not to sell to me. Get in touch!