I tend to agree , from 2000 on I delt in raw comics , pass, trade , swap , sell etc. Then I saw that slabs were going for an easy 300% more than my raw , so started slabbing. The pressing and cleaning is a ball ache & I slab 20-30 per month . However I had a ASM #602 P&C and at best was a 9.4 , listed it raw as nm- and it FLEW for £150 and I always try down grade my raw comics. So its finding that sweet middle ground . But Im also like you , gimme something no-one has seen before and again it flies. Nothing like holding the only graded copy on the planet , and thats your sale tag right there . Just my opinion of course and the UK & US markets are VASTLY different. Great vid mate !
I think we're seeing a reckoning in the slab section of the hobby. From 2020-22 we all had the fantastical idea of slabbing everything and then selling it at 3x, 4x, 5x the raw price (I remember the recent video you did that showed off a collection you bought from a guy who had dozens and dozens of slabs - you wanted the real keys, but had to pick up the seemingly random stuff that he slabbed - and you can't sell 'em because they're nothingburger books. See? I do pay attention!). That was the thinking then because it worked - people DID have money then and books were selling at wild prices. Even though we figured we were living in a bubble, we assumed new floor values would be established once the "gold rush" was over. Oops! Fast forward to today and people have pulled back on discretionary spending. Simultaneously, collectors seemingly have a bit of "slab fatigue" and have recalibrated how they approach the hobby. In my case I am being far more discerning about what slabs I purchase, and which raws I send in to CGC. Is it a "real" key, or something that is here today, gone tomorrow? If I have doubt, I go raw until given reason to believe otherwise. This does not mean I don't try to add a pinch of speculating to my arsenal, but in that case I tend to buy raw and hold. I don't want to have a bunch of $80-$120 slabs kicking around. Those will sit forever because they're probably not real keys. They're either flavor-of-the-week books that may or may not have a resurgence some day, or books that just don't move the needle. Of my 30 slab collection, only 10 are more recent than 1990, and all but two are legit keys. The other two are books of the 1st appearance of a recently-introduced character that I love, and I'm willing to chalk that expense up to just wanting the 9.8 of a book that may never go anywhere because I'll always love it. But if I look at the short boxes of "keys" that I once intended to get slabbed, I now know that I need to pump the brakes on that notion. I have no desire to send facsimile foils, low-ratio variant covers, 1st cameo appearances, or 1st full appearances of minor characters for slabbing. And I know that because when I visit my favorite online stores and build my wish list (which is really a test), those books don't move month over month. Even when the prices get cut, they still don't move. There's no urgency, and no real value. Anyway, I loved this video and am glad you put it out there. Cheers!
I honestly was mainly a slab collector only but ever since i stumbled on to James’ claim sales ive been buying a whole lot of raw books just cause he’s up front about condition and any other question you which is really appreciated.
I do love me some key graded books, but because of the higher price…it takes more to reconsider especially the 9.8 price and because of that mentality, I just tell myself “if your spending this amount of money, might as well get a signed version slabbed with a lower grade.” But yes , I purchase more key raw books than key slabs, because key slabs cost more…. Yes common slabs are cheaper, and I’ll only buy those for kool covers and nostalgia reasons. Continue the great work James, really do enjoy your content.
Very informative vid. Me personally I tend to move towards raw on key books mostly because budgetary reasons. But I do tend to purchase minor slab keys if the price is right.
I hear what you're saying. I've had to halt sales all together. I'm just in a holdposition for now and sitting on slabs is not a lot of fun. Thanks for the perspective.
The comics selling game... really is a game. Sometimes its better to sell slabs, sometimes just raw. Hard to say. Selling slabs in many cases is a game of patience. You may sell it this week, you may sell it a year from now. Depends on when someone wants it. Just keep doing what you're doing James. It'll pay off eventually!
For myself, i am both a collector and casual seller in Antique store in Strasburg PA. I have some there to grab attention, but i also bought them already slabbed and sell them below fmv since i got them for a reasonable price. Collecting since mid 70s and only sent in 2 slabs to be graded. Slabs are everywhere. I also use them for trade bait. Traded 3 slabs that i had 200 invested in and traded for a raw Detective 359. Good luck and enjoy your videos
The inventory turnover ratio is a financial ratio showing how many times a company turned over its inventory relative to its cost of goods sold (COGS) in a given period. A company can then divide the days in the period, typically a fiscal year, by the inventory turnover ratio to calculate how many days it takes, on average, to sell its inventory
Inventory sitting around cost money too. A graded comic sitting costs a lot more than a raw comic sitting. It costs money to store the books the purchase price of the dollar changes and markets can go down while it's sitting.
Great research always love your knowledge and passion I'm sad your not in Texas 😢 . But love your vids etc. I'm an Australian living here and collect so enjoy the variety.
An enjoyable presentation as always...I would have thought the slabs would have been more successful in all avenues but as you highlighted, it appears to be more of a niche section of the hobby than I thought..
It's sad, 'cause same as you, the underrated books and characters are still my favorite. I hope the place for the wonderful weird side of comics is not completely taken over by the big books that always move. Also, I've been looking for that Cap Carrot figure all over the place, it's just impossible to get where I'm from.
Thanks for sharing your research. It’s a tricky game to play by the sounds of things, if you want to make real profit. I just want to buy and sell enough to offset what I buy for myself. Ive sold a few comics at a collectibles show a buddy and I set up at. Raw didn’t sell too much, a few small sales, but graded were popular with people as I sold quite a few. Not big tickets slabs, but $100 and less stuff. What sold was silver and bronze graded and 80’s-90’s raw. I had a very small selection (sharing a table) but I reached my goals of selling enough to offset the cost of other books and having fun.
Great video and totally true. I'm not a business persay, however, like you I use my "addiction" to support itself. I clean and press comics so there isn't a fee for that, however, I have to look at the condition, "what I can do with it" and then decide if it's worth slabbing and flipping. As you know, moderns have to come back 9.8 or most aren't worth it, however, older modern and silver age keys aren't needing to be that high, as long as I get them for a good price. The bigger book & higher grade I tend to lower my price to be able to "move it" and not for pure profit.
As a comic collector I'm more into reading. I have some slabs but that's for my pc. I've also notice that the slab market caters to a smaller crowd. I felt I was missing out and due to hobby pressure. I also has issues with my LCS submitting my books.
Hey James. You mention something I've been struggling with finding the price point on. The cost to clean/press after purchasing raw, then the cost to slab, and then the final sale price has been something I'm trying to figure out financially what makes more sense. I'm able to sell slabs pretty regularly, however the turnaround time to make the additional money is something I'm not sure it makes as much sense.
I've owned several,but never for long. I tend to trade them for lots of raw books I want or 1 or 2 bigger raw books. I only ever get em to maximize my trade value.
Love these videos that are packed with useful and interesting information for the collector and dealer. It's been a long while since I've set up at any show, but I had an interesting experience where I brought some slabs into a store for a trade. The first store I brought them into only had a couple slabs in store and they only offered a percentage of what they would sell the books raw. There are many stores that only sell raw books, and often are not interested at all at slabbed books.
I sell on eBay and I move a lot of books. About 18 months ago I was slabbing everything with a cover. It was pretty profitable. Now I just can’t move slabs so I don’t even try unless it’s a special book that would increase the value. Customers just don’t want to spend the money on them like they were. It’s too much trouble to try and maybe make a little more money. Not to mention all the low ballers,or my favorite, the customer that wants to pick the slab to death over a slight scuff or maybe the book moves around too much for them. It’s just not worth the hassle anymore. I find it more satisfying and profitable to do the quick flip and sell it raw rather than slabbing.
I really enjoy your show. Looking forward to advice. I live in Central California and would love to hunt at Yard Sales for comics but I have hardest time researching online where to even hunt for yard sales to ask the question, “Do you have any comics? - How do you find yard sales??
Thus people with patience, wisdom, capital and market knowledge win out in the long run and those with scared money and don't do their homework are the fish.
A lot of times I think people also want to submit or find the sharp book to get the 9.8 themselves opposed to buying it because people are silly sometimes they think oh I won’t spend $100 for a slab. I’ll buy a $30 book and cleaning press it and get the 9.8 they feel more accomplished they do it that way.
I love collcting comics I have since the 90s and have a nice small collection but I just don't have the patience or money to send them out to be graded but one day I would love to get to grade my collectipn.
In Spain right now its almost impossible to sell for FMV, people just don't know or don't take into account the shipping, customs and slabbing. The want a too cheap deal. I have 106 slabs and I want to sell 30, but I don't know how. I don't crave eBay.😅
Great video James! I have a couple of 9.8 slabs sitting on ebay right now that have been sitting for weeks. I'm thinking Raw may be the way to go as well.
Would be fun to get into the market in my area...but it seems cold around here. No pawn shops carry comics. No flea markets. And no antique shops. Sad would be a fun business to get into. I'll sit on my PC until I go totally broke and make a few bucks
Interesting topic. I'm collecting covers and appearances of a favorite character, and I decided to just focus on raw. For me, how they present is more important than how they grade in this instance. Plus, to your point. raws are cheaper allowing me to buy more.
Great video and it brings me to something I have been experiencing in my own collecting. I have bought some slabs, but I have never submitted anything to be graded. It is something I plan to do in the future - when I have more time, after I buy a press and learn how to use it, after I have cleaned the books I want to press, etc., etc. In the meantime, just as you mentioned, I will buy three raw books instead of one slab. I like to think I have a good eye for books that will increase in value and that I should buy them raw now, at a lower price, and grade them later - when I have that mythical time to clean, press, etc. I can fill a lot of holes in my collection with raw books for the price of one $1,000+ slab. So, yeah, I'm not surprised that you move a lot more raw books with less effort.
One thing about Pokemon slabs is that Chinese manufacturers are making 1-1 copies complete with psa sticker, skimmed serials off eBay listings and the works lol. Once they flood the market, that whole market is gonna suffer.
If one really thinks about it... in order to sell a $10 raw book, that comes back, say as a 9.8 (which, say, would be a a $100 book) one has to find that special person who is will to pay 10 times as much for a book, that they know that they can get (with a good eye and patience)- for $10, and spend $30 or so bucks on getting it slabbed - for a total of $40. Now, we know that it could come back as a 9.6 - but they don't know that it wouldn't get a 9.8 - and everyone knows that 9.6 to 9.8 is of times randomly assigned. And this, I think is where the price resistance emerges from. Also, and I've mentioned this before - a raw book can be shipped for about $5... a slab is about $13 - on small books, that extra transaction cost is a killer.
@@richardolney1822 thank you - I'm going to look into this (which I just did - looks promising - so thanks!). But assuming it works - Why do so many ebay sellers charge $15 to ship a slab, but on $5 or $6 to ship a raw and 50 cents to $1 for each additional raw? Are they all as uninformed as I am?
Exactly. If I sell a $85 slabbed comic and charge the buyer the actual shipping cost (let’s just say $15), I will have made $71.45. Shipping slabbed comics costs much more than shipping raw comics. Also, eBay takes 13.25% of what a seller charges for shipping. The higher the shipping costs, the more money eBay makes and the less that you make.
Ebay fees are nuts! I remember when it was 8%. That was doable, and even when it jumped to 9% and 10% it wasn't horrible. These routine percentage bumps have been a killer though! I swear we're heading towards a 20% ebay commission.
@@Comicbookyoutubersrock Agreed. It’s already 13.25% + $.40. Also, eBay charges *sellers* a 13.25% fee on the sales tax that eBay charges the *buyer* for the sale. I have no idea how that last one is even legal.
I too sell at an antique mall and your assessment is spot on. The slabs are more for eye candy and targeted customers. I am still trying to win a Captain Carrot. Great video!
Excellent observations, James. I just came to the same realizations a few days ago. I believe there are two types of slabbers. Those who slab to sell, and those who slab to keep. Of the sellers, there are 1. High-end slabs > $1,500, mid-range $100 -$1,500, and lower-end $25 -$100. Each price range has its own type of buyer and can sit on the shelf longer. eBay is so competitive in the low and mid price ranges because there are so many sellers. In these price ranges, buyers think nothing of making offers of up to 60% OFF listed. It's nuts. I think eBay low to mid-range priced slab buyers are mostly looking for items to resell elsewhere. High-end priced slabs with established histories I feel are bought to be held onto. At least for a reasonable period of time. I mean, if you spend $1,500 to $3,000 on a slab, you can't be thinking to just flip it for a profit quickly somewhere else. It's a very volatile market with many players and various motivations. For you, James, I think you should open your own webstore. I think you would do very well because you have the benefits of building off your shop and your UA-cam followers. 14-20% eBay fees is just money out of your pocket. Does anybody else have an opinion about James having his own website?
Have to always keep in mind liquidity of the book. The underrated stuff is cool, but maybe just slab those for your PC. People want to complete their "checklist" of key books. If you wanted to do the occasional WN show, you can probably liquidatea lot of the stale inventory. I think you can pull in 200 viewers easily, like Bry. I've done some listings on Shortbox. it's easy to list and the buyer is charged shipping when they purchase, seller fee is 10% I think. Non-key CBCS slabs sit especially long. I sent a lot off to a weekly auction site and just ate the lost to free up space.
I’m sitting on a lot of graded books, but I also get a lot of non-keys slabbed, especially 70s and 80s that are high grade. I tend to only get non-key stuff graded if I like it, so if it doesn’t sell I’ll just keep it
It is going slow my dude. I post most of my CGC books for sale on eBay at current FMV and buyers seem very reluctant to pull the trigger despite high grades and fair prices. Can't blame them though, the market is falling and the cost of living is starting to border on the insane.
I've bought 1 slab in my entire life... and I refuse to slab any more. I am geading books myself and keeping them raw in the collection. Saves space and money. Condition is important but not everything to enjoy this hobby.
I tend for more raws at claim sales, for slabs I try to keep to certain ones I am hunting for and not splurge to much on a cool cover or key. Not that haven't of course can't always resist
If I want a graded book, I prefer to find it raw and get it graded myself. However, sometimes that just isn't a realistic option. On another note, I hope another large company, like PSA, enters the fray to give CGC some real competition. They could even use their simplified grading scale that they use on cards (e.g. no 9.2, 9.4, 9.6, 9.8 or 9.9).
If I am selling the book, I keep it raw. If they want the book slabbed, I leave it to the buyer. If it is a popular book that has kept a high value for longer than the movie has been released on streaming, I go by what you stated @5:37. For my PC, if I want to keep it "forever" and it is a $100+ value raw, I slab it for my own enjoyment to be placed on my office wall (like hunting trophies).
James, my wife wants to know if you would ever start your own grading service? She says you're qualified to do it, which I agree. On another topic, did you get the baby an officially licensed Green Lantern baby shirt yet? You got to start those future guardians on the right path as soon as possible!
I honestly regret slabbing some of my comics, I used to read them and now I just have them in a box. I realized this late, you slab the comics for other people to get them after something happens to you, and you never read the comic again.
Has the underrated vs overrated key demand changed? I thought I remember you talking about how overrated keys fetch a higher value, but give you less return and sit for awhile. Thanks for your content! Love it!
Perhaps the more common keys are more likely to sit around just simply because the supply is not going to diminish. I think you're right to focus on the more uncommon stuff.
Another Great Informative Video! Thanks for Posting! Would love to own that Captain Carrot Figure. I own two Copies of Captain Carrot 1 and I have his first appearance in Teen Titans Also😊
I'm guessing your channel attracts more collector's and less flippers (though I could be off base); particularly to your youtube sales events. Since people generally trust your eye for grades, they don't need the "guarantee" of a slab-graded book. It might be worth asking if your buyers who do your youtube sales if they would be willing to take a quick survey regarding how/what they collect. Are they turn and burning, or collecting for personal? Chasing affordable keys as a future investment?
A slabbed comic is no longer a comic. It becomes an oversized trading card.
Very true, tho how many of us back read our collections ?
Or framed art work
I tend to agree , from 2000 on I delt in raw comics , pass, trade , swap , sell etc. Then I saw that slabs were going for an easy 300% more than my raw , so started slabbing. The pressing and cleaning is a ball ache & I slab 20-30 per month .
However I had a ASM #602 P&C and at best was a 9.4 , listed it raw as nm- and it FLEW for £150 and I always try down grade my raw comics. So its finding that sweet middle ground . But Im also like you , gimme something no-one has seen before and again it flies. Nothing like holding the only graded copy on the planet , and thats your sale tag right there . Just my opinion of course and the UK & US markets are VASTLY different.
Great vid mate !
I think we're seeing a reckoning in the slab section of the hobby. From 2020-22 we all had the fantastical idea of slabbing everything and then selling it at 3x, 4x, 5x the raw price (I remember the recent video you did that showed off a collection you bought from a guy who had dozens and dozens of slabs - you wanted the real keys, but had to pick up the seemingly random stuff that he slabbed - and you can't sell 'em because they're nothingburger books. See? I do pay attention!). That was the thinking then because it worked - people DID have money then and books were selling at wild prices. Even though we figured we were living in a bubble, we assumed new floor values would be established once the "gold rush" was over. Oops! Fast forward to today and people have pulled back on discretionary spending. Simultaneously, collectors seemingly have a bit of "slab fatigue" and have recalibrated how they approach the hobby. In my case I am being far more discerning about what slabs I purchase, and which raws I send in to CGC. Is it a "real" key, or something that is here today, gone tomorrow? If I have doubt, I go raw until given reason to believe otherwise. This does not mean I don't try to add a pinch of speculating to my arsenal, but in that case I tend to buy raw and hold. I don't want to have a bunch of $80-$120 slabs kicking around. Those will sit forever because they're probably not real keys. They're either flavor-of-the-week books that may or may not have a resurgence some day, or books that just don't move the needle. Of my 30 slab collection, only 10 are more recent than 1990, and all but two are legit keys. The other two are books of the 1st appearance of a recently-introduced character that I love, and I'm willing to chalk that expense up to just wanting the 9.8 of a book that may never go anywhere because I'll always love it. But if I look at the short boxes of "keys" that I once intended to get slabbed, I now know that I need to pump the brakes on that notion. I have no desire to send facsimile foils, low-ratio variant covers, 1st cameo appearances, or 1st full appearances of minor characters for slabbing. And I know that because when I visit my favorite online stores and build my wish list (which is really a test), those books don't move month over month. Even when the prices get cut, they still don't move. There's no urgency, and no real value.
Anyway, I loved this video and am glad you put it out there. Cheers!
I collect raw and slabs. Very informative information. Thank you for sharing
I honestly was mainly a slab collector only but ever since i stumbled on to James’ claim sales ive been buying a whole lot of raw books just cause he’s up front about condition and any other question you which is really appreciated.
I enjoy your channel the most out of all comic guys, James. You have a wide variety of subjects.
Business changes mindset. Still a hobby but different when it puts good on the table. Love your stuff as always
I appreciate the honest evaluation and exploration of your business ventures! Best of luck with the antique mall store!
I do love me some key graded books, but because of the higher price…it takes more to reconsider especially the 9.8 price and because of that mentality, I just tell myself “if your spending this amount of money, might as well get a signed version slabbed with a lower grade.” But yes , I purchase more key raw books than key slabs, because key slabs cost more…. Yes common slabs are cheaper, and I’ll only buy those for kool covers and nostalgia reasons. Continue the great work James, really do enjoy your content.
Thanks for the honesty
Very informative vid. Me personally I tend to move towards raw on key books mostly because budgetary reasons. But I do tend to purchase minor slab keys if the price is right.
Great video! Your honestly and knowledge about the industry is greatly appreciated! Keep up the amazing work!
I hear what you're saying. I've had to halt sales all together. I'm just in a holdposition for now and sitting on slabs is not a lot of fun. Thanks for the perspective.
The comics selling game... really is a game. Sometimes its better to sell slabs, sometimes just raw. Hard to say. Selling slabs in many cases is a game of patience. You may sell it this week, you may sell it a year from now. Depends on when someone wants it. Just keep doing what you're doing James. It'll pay off eventually!
For myself, i am both a collector and casual seller in Antique store in Strasburg PA. I have some there to grab attention, but i also bought them already slabbed and sell them below fmv since i got them for a reasonable price. Collecting since mid 70s and only sent in 2 slabs to be graded. Slabs are everywhere. I also use them for trade bait. Traded 3 slabs that i had 200 invested in and traded for a raw Detective 359. Good luck and enjoy your videos
Ah now you are the real life vendor who must turn inventory and not the investor trying to reach a certain value and hold for long period. :-)
The inventory turnover ratio is a financial ratio showing how many times a company turned over its inventory relative to its cost of goods sold (COGS) in a given period. A company can then divide the days in the period, typically a fiscal year, by the inventory turnover ratio to calculate how many days it takes, on average, to sell its inventory
Inventory sitting around cost money too. A graded comic sitting costs a lot more than a raw comic sitting. It costs money to store the books the purchase price of the dollar changes and markets can go down while it's sitting.
To store and to insure! it's a lot
Like I always say your book is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. Not what a web site tells you what's is worth
Bingo!
Great research always love your knowledge and passion I'm sad your not in Texas 😢 . But love your vids etc. I'm an Australian living here and collect so enjoy the variety.
Slabs definitely moved a lot easier a couple years ago. Now even below fmv or at it they sit. Even on eBay they just sit for weeks if not months..
Great insights! Thanks for sharing!
When Captain Carrot shows up in the James Gunn Superman movie this figure is going to the moon!
An enjoyable presentation as always...I would have thought the slabs would have been more successful in all avenues but as you highlighted, it appears to be more of a niche section of the hobby than I thought..
"Just because a guy reads comics doesn't mean he can't start some sh!t!" - Brodie/Mallrats... 😂
It's sad, 'cause same as you, the underrated books and characters are still my favorite. I hope the place for the wonderful weird side of comics is not completely taken over by the big books that always move. Also, I've been looking for that Cap Carrot figure all over the place, it's just impossible to get where I'm from.
James you’re the man. Another great Video !
Thanks for sharing your research. It’s a tricky game to play by the sounds of things, if you want to make real profit. I just want to buy and sell enough to offset what I buy for myself. Ive sold a few comics at a collectibles show a buddy and I set up at. Raw didn’t sell too much, a few small sales, but graded were popular with people as I sold quite a few. Not big tickets slabs, but $100 and less stuff. What sold was silver and bronze graded and 80’s-90’s raw. I had a very small selection (sharing a table) but I reached my goals of selling enough to offset the cost of other books and having fun.
Great video!
slabbing ties up a LOT of money and makes the books sell slower
Good research.
Great video and totally true. I'm not a business persay, however, like you I use my "addiction" to support itself. I clean and press comics so there isn't a fee for that, however, I have to look at the condition, "what I can do with it" and then decide if it's worth slabbing and flipping. As you know, moderns have to come back 9.8 or most aren't worth it, however, older modern and silver age keys aren't needing to be that high, as long as I get them for a good price. The bigger book & higher grade I tend to lower my price to be able to "move it" and not for pure profit.
As a comic collector I'm more into reading. I have some slabs but that's for my pc. I've also notice that the slab market caters to a smaller crowd. I felt I was missing out and due to hobby pressure. I also has issues with my LCS submitting my books.
Hey James. You mention something I've been struggling with finding the price point on. The cost to clean/press after purchasing raw, then the cost to slab, and then the final sale price has been something I'm trying to figure out financially what makes more sense. I'm able to sell slabs pretty regularly, however the turnaround time to make the additional money is something I'm not sure it makes as much sense.
great video! I noticed the same thing, I'm a collector and I rather buy raw books then slabs.
I love slabs, have a bunch, but haven't bought one in a good while. Probably because of what you said, I can get 3 books for the price of 1 slab.
Definitely worth thinking about. I love the odd stuff slabbed!
I primarily only sell on eBay and to say it’s slow would be an understatement. Unless I list a book for 20 to 25% below FMV it will not sell.
Another great vid. Highlights two basics of business. Time is money and if the numbers don’t add up it’s hard to go with the heart over the mind.
You’ve always been a straight up guy.I always enjoy your content.
I've owned several,but never for long. I tend to trade them for lots of raw books I want or 1 or 2 bigger raw books. I only ever get em to maximize my trade value.
Love these videos that are packed with useful and interesting information for the collector and dealer. It's been a long while since I've set up at any show, but I had an interesting experience where I brought some slabs into a store for a trade. The first store I brought them into only had a couple slabs in store and they only offered a percentage of what they would sell the books raw. There are many stores that only sell raw books, and often are not interested at all at slabbed books.
I"ve definately only been submitting "big" keys lately, the niche books are for the PC.
I don’t buy slabbed books, but this is an interesting part of the equation that I hadn’t considered.
I sell on eBay and I move a lot of books. About 18 months ago I was slabbing everything with a cover. It was pretty profitable. Now I just can’t move slabs so I don’t even try unless it’s a special book that would increase the value. Customers just don’t want to spend the money on them like they were. It’s too much trouble to try and maybe make a little more money. Not to mention all the low ballers,or my favorite, the customer that wants to pick the slab to death over a slight scuff or maybe the book moves around too much for them. It’s just not worth the hassle anymore. I find it more satisfying and profitable to do the quick flip and sell it raw rather than slabbing.
I really enjoy your show.
Looking forward to advice.
I live in Central California and would love to hunt at Yard Sales for comics but I have hardest time researching online where to even hunt for yard sales to ask the question, “Do you have any comics?
- How do you find yard sales??
I think every seller eventually comes to this conclusion. Slabbing is fun but its not really profitable unless you are willing to wait and hold.
Thus people with patience, wisdom, capital and market knowledge win out in the long run and those with scared money and don't do their homework are the fish.
I learn a lot from your channel
My main thing has always been giving my books to strangers I don't have any reason to trust. All the news coming out has helped prove I was right.
Thank You for the insight.
A lot of times I think people also want to submit or find the sharp book to get the 9.8 themselves opposed to buying it because people are silly sometimes they think oh I won’t spend $100 for a slab. I’ll buy a $30 book and cleaning press it and get the 9.8 they feel more accomplished they do it that way.
I love collcting comics I have since the 90s and have a nice small collection but I just don't have the patience or money to send them out to be graded but one day I would love to get to grade my collectipn.
I love Captain Carrot... but he needs green shorts to look his best.
In Spain right now its almost impossible to sell for FMV, people just don't know or don't take into account the shipping, customs and slabbing. The want a too cheap deal. I have 106 slabs and I want to sell 30, but I don't know how. I don't crave eBay.😅
Great video James! I have a couple of 9.8 slabs sitting on ebay right now that have been sitting for weeks. I'm thinking Raw may be the way to go as well.
Would be fun to get into the market in my area...but it seems cold around here. No pawn shops carry comics. No flea markets. And no antique shops. Sad would be a fun business to get into. I'll sit on my PC until I go totally broke and make a few bucks
Love the content! Thx again for the amazing WC Avengers #45 slab!!
May get worse before it gets better, got to wait it out!
Interesting topic. I'm collecting covers and appearances of a favorite character, and I decided to just focus on raw. For me, how they present is more important than how they grade in this instance. Plus, to your point. raws are cheaper allowing me to buy more.
Great video and it brings me to something I have been experiencing in my own collecting. I have bought some slabs, but I have never submitted anything to be graded. It is something I plan to do in the future - when I have more time, after I buy a press and learn how to use it, after I have cleaned the books I want to press, etc., etc. In the meantime, just as you mentioned, I will buy three raw books instead of one slab. I like to think I have a good eye for books that will increase in value and that I should buy them raw now, at a lower price, and grade them later - when I have that mythical time to clean, press, etc. I can fill a lot of holes in my collection with raw books for the price of one $1,000+ slab. So, yeah, I'm not surprised that you move a lot more raw books with less effort.
My slab sales have been in the 9.2 -9.6 range for modern. The custom labels are popular minor keys that are raw in VF to NM seem to sell well
I have seen the same thing....slabs have been moving verrrrrry slowly
Unrealized potential, I must agree.
Shop exclusive variants don't sell very well. Too many and, for many, unknown. Ratio variants are better. I'm still very new though.
I think right now the inflation has impacted the slab resale market. Most collectors are buying raw because its way cheaper right now.
I buy a few key slabs, but there's nothing like being able to put hands on a book and look through it. I'm not a seller though so idk.
I prefer slabs personally but can completely see what your saying
One thing about Pokemon slabs is that Chinese manufacturers are making 1-1 copies complete with psa sticker, skimmed serials off eBay listings and the works lol. Once they flood the market, that whole market is gonna suffer.
If one really thinks about it... in order to sell a $10 raw book, that comes back, say as a 9.8 (which, say, would be a a $100 book) one has to find that special person who is will to pay 10 times as much for a book, that they know that they can get (with a good eye and patience)- for $10, and spend $30 or so bucks on getting it slabbed - for a total of $40. Now, we know that it could come back as a 9.6 - but they don't know that it wouldn't get a 9.8 - and everyone knows that 9.6 to 9.8 is of times randomly assigned. And this, I think is where the price resistance emerges from. Also, and I've mentioned this before - a raw book can be shipped for about $5... a slab is about $13 - on small books, that extra transaction cost is a killer.
@@richardolney1822 thank you - I'm going to look into this (which I just did - looks promising - so thanks!). But assuming it works - Why do so many ebay sellers charge $15 to ship a slab, but on $5 or $6 to ship a raw and 50 cents to $1 for each additional raw? Are they all as uninformed as I am?
The ebay fees really eat into profit on slabs.
Exactly. If I sell a $85 slabbed comic and charge the buyer the actual shipping cost (let’s just say $15), I will have made $71.45.
Shipping slabbed comics costs much more than shipping raw comics. Also, eBay takes 13.25% of what a seller charges for shipping. The higher the shipping costs, the more money eBay makes and the less that you make.
@@johnnydropkicks yeah, it's crazy that ebay charges their fee based on the total price including tax and shipping.
Ebay fees are nuts! I remember when it was 8%. That was doable, and even when it jumped to 9% and 10% it wasn't horrible. These routine percentage bumps have been a killer though! I swear we're heading towards a 20% ebay commission.
@@Comicbookyoutubersrock Agreed. It’s already 13.25% + $.40. Also, eBay charges *sellers* a 13.25% fee on the sales tax that eBay charges the *buyer* for the sale. I have no idea how that last one is even legal.
@@johnnydropkicks Yeah the sales tax one seems about as corrupt as possible, makes no sense.
I do see what you’re saying, it seems like you just need to be strategic in what you slab up. I can’t believe you still have captain carrots!
I too sell at an antique mall and your assessment is spot on. The slabs are more for eye candy and targeted customers. I am still trying to win a Captain Carrot. Great video!
So so true man, also I'll keep you in mind for the Captain Carrot! I typically decide winners the following day
This video makes me wanna revisit the unbelievable cold keys list because its giving me the same vibes.
Yeah I have cut my cgc submissions by half. I am seeing the value in raw
Excellent observations, James. I just came to the same realizations a few days ago. I believe there are two types of slabbers. Those who slab to sell, and those who slab to keep. Of the sellers, there are 1. High-end slabs > $1,500, mid-range $100 -$1,500, and lower-end $25 -$100. Each price range has its own type of buyer and can sit on the shelf longer. eBay is so competitive in the low and mid price ranges because there are so many sellers. In these price ranges, buyers think nothing of making offers of up to 60% OFF listed. It's nuts. I think eBay low to mid-range priced slab buyers are mostly looking for items to resell elsewhere. High-end priced slabs with established histories I feel are bought to be held onto. At least for a reasonable period of time. I mean, if you spend $1,500 to $3,000 on a slab, you can't be thinking to just flip it for a profit quickly somewhere else. It's a very volatile market with many players and various motivations. For you, James, I think you should open your own webstore. I think you would do very well because you have the benefits of building off your shop and your UA-cam followers. 14-20% eBay fees is just money out of your pocket.
Does anybody else have an opinion about James having his own website?
Have to always keep in mind liquidity of the book. The underrated stuff is cool, but maybe just slab those for your PC. People want to complete their "checklist" of key books. If you wanted to do the occasional WN show, you can probably liquidatea lot of the stale inventory. I think you can pull in 200 viewers easily, like Bry. I've done some listings on Shortbox. it's easy to list and the buyer is charged shipping when they purchase, seller fee is 10% I think. Non-key CBCS slabs sit especially long. I sent a lot off to a weekly auction site and just ate the lost to free up space.
I’m sitting on a lot of graded books, but I also get a lot of non-keys slabbed, especially 70s and 80s that are high grade. I tend to only get non-key stuff graded if I like it, so if it doesn’t sell I’ll just keep it
It is going slow my dude. I post most of my CGC books for sale on eBay at current FMV and buyers seem very reluctant to pull the trigger despite high grades and fair prices. Can't blame them though, the market is falling and the cost of living is starting to border on the insane.
I'm going for that Captain Carrot 🥕 eventually!
Interesting. I feel like things have settled again with the market. I'm all readable but I'm fascinated by the graded market's weird patterns.
I've bought 1 slab in my entire life... and I refuse to slab any more. I am geading books myself and keeping them raw in the collection. Saves space and money. Condition is important but not everything to enjoy this hobby.
SPACE is so important
I tend for more raws at claim sales, for slabs I try to keep to certain ones I am hunting for and not splurge to much on a cool cover or key. Not that haven't of course can't always resist
If I want a graded book, I prefer to find it raw and get it graded myself. However, sometimes that just isn't a realistic option. On another note, I hope another large company, like PSA, enters the fray to give CGC some real competition. They could even use their simplified grading scale that they use on cards (e.g. no 9.2, 9.4, 9.6, 9.8 or 9.9).
If I am selling the book, I keep it raw. If they want the book slabbed, I leave it to the buyer. If it is a popular book that has kept a high value for longer than the movie has been released on streaming, I go by what you stated @5:37. For my PC, if I want to keep it "forever" and it is a $100+ value raw, I slab it for my own enjoyment to be placed on my office wall (like hunting trophies).
James, my wife wants to know if you would ever start your own grading service? She says you're qualified to do it, which I agree. On another topic, did you get the baby an officially licensed Green Lantern baby shirt yet? You got to start those future guardians on the right path as soon as possible!
I do sell more raw, but I like getting books graded. Half the books I grade books for my PC and the other half I sell to fund my PC.
I honestly regret slabbing some of my comics, I used to read them and now I just have them in a box. I realized this late, you slab the comics for other people to get them after something happens to you, and you never read the comic again.
Has the underrated vs overrated key demand changed? I thought I remember you talking about how overrated keys fetch a higher value, but give you less return and sit for awhile.
Thanks for your content! Love it!
The prob is sometimes u grab raws u don’t really kno if it’s restored / so sometimes I grab a graded book because I kno what I am grabbing
Q1 in most years is mega low in general. January and February are the best time to buy because not many are.
Perhaps the more common keys are more likely to sit around just simply because the supply is not going to diminish. I think you're right to focus on the more uncommon stuff.
That's one thing FMV doesn't take into account. The turnaround speed
VERY TRUE
We love you videos 😅
Another Great Informative Video! Thanks for Posting! Would love to own that Captain Carrot Figure. I own two Copies of Captain Carrot 1 and I have his first appearance in Teen Titans Also😊
Interesting. BEST WISHES, DAD!
Thank you kindly!!!!!!
Another great piece of advice, Thanks
Great informative video. Gives me something to think about grading.
I'm guessing your channel attracts more collector's and less flippers (though I could be off base); particularly to your youtube sales events. Since people generally trust your eye for grades, they don't need the "guarantee" of a slab-graded book. It might be worth asking if your buyers who do your youtube sales if they would be willing to take a quick survey regarding how/what they collect. Are they turn and burning, or collecting for personal? Chasing affordable keys as a future investment?
That's an excellent figure.😮
Hey What's up great intel thanks. Keep it up..