Happy to have stumbled across your channel. Been playing the ebay game for the past few years as I reacquaint myself with my 80s childhood. Comics have spiked in such a way that I just don't see the raw deals so much anymore. I buy reader copies and purchase slabs rather than send-off to cgc. Awesome video. You come at it like a mentor, which is what most of us need in this hustle. Thanks for your insight.
When Ebay still offered a "Mixed Lots" category within its Comics listings (more than a decade ago, I think) I got a number of really fun lots, usually at terrific prices. One big boxfull had a Captain Marvel Adventures #2 (About Good), and that same lot had a high-grade All Star Comics 58. Quite a "mixed" lot, indeed. I landed another mixed lot from that "Mixed Lots" category which included a Showcase 8, and the price was right, because you had to look all the way to the last of some blurry pictures to know the Showcase 8 was in there, and you had to recognize that book, because no particular mention had been made of that book. That lot was sold in an auction format; today, though, I don't think I would have landed it, because, as you say, "so many eyes" would have seen it, and competition for the book would have been stiff.
Thanks for being transparent. This was really an informative video on the downside of lot purchases! You are correct in saying this is most likely a kid collection because I was exactly the same way with comics that my grandma would me when I was in grade school and it was until I started buying my own comics that I took better care of them. I guess garage sales are your best bet because at least you can examine the comics before making a purchase. Great video and btw the way I dig your wall display and your increasing stack of comics! Leave on them table! 😁👍
Just wanted to say love your vids. Keep up the great work. Always thought it was cool that your a teacher and thought man I wish I woulda had a teacher who was a collector
Hi Jim, congrats to 1000 subscribers. Hope you can cover your costs with the other comics, somehow. Ebay lots are always a surprise and too often a bad one. Unexperienced sellers often rate a book better than it acutally is. Even if they provide a picture of every book of cover and front one never knows what to expect in the inside of the books. Every book you do not have the chance to check from A-Z personally is a gamble.
I've been thinking about doing either/or mystery boxes or boxed lots for quite some time. Now I have the time to actually do them. I just retired at the beginning of the year and I'm looking to move my books since I can't take them with me :) I want to give the buyers a real good value for their money. Now I don't have what you would call grail books, just some good old golden, silver and copper/bronze and modern. I want to try to keep the modern stuff out unless someone has a request for something. I do have some slabbed books that will be available too. I'm just trying to come up with a price point along with the number of books. I would like to keep the number of books between 15 to 25. Hope to get to this within the next month.
Mystery boxes are tricky. Have to make sure the buyer gets their money’s worth. Saw someone on IG apologizing because I guess they received complaints because the market slowing down caused the FMV of the boxes to be less than they had intended.
Great video. I bought a filler bundle of 20 G.I. Joe comics from eBay 2 years ago. Didn't feel like I was duped but there were a couple of lower condition books mixed in. It is exciting getting the box and seeing what's in there and their condition. Keeping it to single issues these days on eBay or very small bundles of 4 books or less.
I did this same gamble on a $20 lot of random Spider-Man number 1 issues, one picture, hidden in the back was a blurry Ultimate Fallout 4. Was hard to make out if it was a Facsimile. Took the gamble, original print , okay corners, estimating a high mid to high grade when pressed/cleaned. Came in a nilla envelope and was the only bag and boarded book. Best $20 ever!
I've only purchased 1 eBay lot so far and I think I got lucky. It was a raw bundle of all the Mutant Massacre event books across the UXM & X-Factor titles. When I received it I was concerned as the books were all shoved into a single plastic bag with no individual bags and boards. When I pulled them out I found most were mid grade but the 2 biggest keys UXM 212 & 213 were high grade. I paid a grand total of $30 including delivery. The description of the bundle didn't mention issue numbers or the keys which I think is why no one else snapped it up before me. I stumbled on it in a general eBay X-men search.
I sold comic books in 1999s and early 2000s on Ebay. Bundled a lot starting at 35% guide....I can tell you a lot of collectors got great runs of earlier silver age Amazing Spiderman, FF, etc at the low end start based on my review of my Ebay records last year :-).
Thanks for the video. It's great see what the misses look like too. When you looked up the sale price were you checking eBay sold listings or were you checking GPA?
That's unfortunate about so many missing entire corners of the cover. There are some amazing stories in there at least. Some of the Kovac Saga and the Wundagore stuff
Its hard to even give cheap books away, I don't know about the States but in the uk postage is high, packing materials cost more than the postage costs. Add in ebay fees & its probably $5 a book just to cover your costs.
I’d be happy with that Avengers lot, purely from my own personal collection. The best I did with a bulk buy was $240 for 250 “Spider-Man and Wolverine comics” from a news agency which had shut down recently and they were moving old, old stock. In there was a first print run copy of Ultimate Fallout #4. I’d say 9.0 if I’m being conservative. The rest of the pile were somewhat forgettable issues.
I think you’ll be able to break even here but it’s going to take some time and effort so I would call it an overall small loss. Definitely worth the gamble though if you can almost break even in this kind of condition. There certainly was a much higher ceiling than floor.
So far, my fishing in the bay experiences have been positive. Everything has been shipped either in Geminis or were thoughtfully-packed. Still, knock on word - I almost didn’t have a book shipped across the country due to weather delays.
I'm looking to complete my batman run. I've had some successes with auctions on individual books. I was looking at lots but find that there's mixed quality for high prices. Based on your video, seems very hit/miss and it's difficult to take the risk unless you've built up a network for trading/selling books.
now THIS is important to me for two reasons: i used to do this a lot. No longer, BUT...i still do it occasionally..and it usually doesn't pay off. Its like a casino...roll the dice. yeah, you get some good keys, but in my humble opinion, usually its NEVER WORTH the price. And also, i usually NEVER get those packages well protected or packaged. I guess the seller thinks its not important and sends so many out, that he doesn't need to take the time and protect the package with padding....? There must be a way to choose the right kind of Ebay lot? So I will listen to this video
I've never been brave enough to purchase a mystery box of any sort. I've heard nothing good about any of the eBay lots. And as far as other sellers, there are some that I've heard do a really good job on their boxes and others that just throw in junk. Like you say, it's a gamble. I'll stick with trying to hit the Powerball.
"It's a gamble" is one way to describe it. For me, it's always "no." I would never buy a lot on eBay; it's way too much risk as your video demonstrated. I only buy recent releases that I've missed or are hard to find, and even that happens as a last resort. Even then, I'm picky about whom I buy from. I pass on sellers who post bad pictures and provide sparse a description. In general, I avoid the temptation of buying lots online, though I've rolled the dice a few recently times with other auction sites. The first time, I was disappointed in the quality of the books, though they were much better than those in your Avengers lot. I have another lot that I still have to arrange for shipping, so I don't know yet how that one will turn out. I don't have high hopes.
Ugh, I wouldn't buy anything from eBay and expect it to be in good enough condition to get it graded. My "near-mint" X-Men Adventures #1 was faded had staple tears in it, so I bought another off of eBay that didn't even comment on condition (not the wisest decision!) and it was in better condition - only a few spine ticks.
Sucks you struck out. Bought almost an entire run On Infinity Inc. for $40, decent condition, had all the keys, guy threw in almost another 60 books for free!
huh. good advice. depends on seller. also , read the fine print. Look, the fact is....EBAY IS GOOD for some things... but... If you REALLY want a good deal or want to guarantee you get some Keys...GO TO comic books shop or convention. After watching your videos for a while it SEEMS that your best purchases and procurements, were from Cons, Comic shops, and Garage/Estate sales, not Ebay.
As someone who doesn’t care at all about how much it costs or resells for I’m just here for the reads. I feel like they can be.
I appreciate that you give your reasoning behind buying a mixed lot, helps reduce the buyer's risk.
Happy to have stumbled across your channel. Been playing the ebay game for the past few years as I reacquaint myself with my 80s childhood. Comics have spiked in such a way that I just don't see the raw deals so much anymore. I buy reader copies and purchase slabs rather than send-off to cgc. Awesome video. You come at it like a mentor, which is what most of us need in this hustle. Thanks for your insight.
When Ebay still offered a "Mixed Lots" category within its Comics listings (more than a decade ago, I think) I got a number of really fun lots, usually at terrific prices. One big boxfull had a Captain Marvel Adventures #2 (About Good), and that same lot had a high-grade All Star Comics 58. Quite a "mixed" lot, indeed. I landed another mixed lot from that "Mixed Lots" category which included a Showcase 8, and the price was right, because you had to look all the way to the last of some blurry pictures to know the Showcase 8 was in there, and you had to recognize that book, because no particular mention had been made of that book. That lot was sold in an auction format; today, though, I don't think I would have landed it, because, as you say, "so many eyes" would have seen it, and competition for the book would have been stiff.
Yeah. Blurry pics and poor descriptions. It’s a risk, sometimes it pays off. The CMA 2 is an a awesome book.
Never thought about buying lots, thanks for the awesome advice!
Just got into collecting and I love your channel very helpful and keep them coming
Congrats on reaching 1K subscribers!
Thanks for being transparent. This was really an informative video on the downside of lot purchases! You are correct in saying this is most likely a kid collection because I was exactly the same way with comics that my grandma would me when I was in grade school and it was until I started buying my own comics that I took better care of them. I guess garage sales are your best bet because at least you can examine the comics before making a purchase. Great video and btw the way I dig your wall display and your increasing stack of comics! Leave on them table! 😁👍
Just wanted to say love your vids. Keep up the great work. Always thought it was cool that your a teacher and thought man I wish I woulda had a teacher who was a collector
Been thinking about looking into bundle lots glad I saw this vid
Hi Jim,
congrats to 1000 subscribers.
Hope you can cover your costs with the other comics, somehow.
Ebay lots are always a surprise and too often a bad one. Unexperienced sellers often rate a book better than it acutally is. Even if they provide a picture of every book of cover and front one never knows what to expect in the inside of the books. Every book you do not have the chance to check from A-Z personally is a gamble.
I've been thinking about doing either/or mystery boxes or boxed lots for quite some time. Now I have the time to actually do them. I just retired at the beginning of the year and I'm looking to move my books since I can't take them with me :) I want to give the buyers a real good value for their money. Now I don't have what you would call grail books, just some good old golden, silver and copper/bronze and modern. I want to try to keep the modern stuff out unless someone has a request for something. I do have some slabbed books that will be available too. I'm just trying to come up with a price point along with the number of books. I would like to keep the number of books between 15 to 25. Hope to get to this within the next month.
Mystery boxes are tricky. Have to make sure the buyer gets their money’s worth. Saw someone on IG apologizing because I guess they received complaints because the market slowing down caused the FMV of the boxes to be less than they had intended.
@@bronzevillecomics2581 absolutely agree!
Awesome info on buying/selling lots on Ebay.
Great video. I bought a filler bundle of 20 G.I. Joe comics from eBay 2 years ago. Didn't feel like I was duped but there were a couple of lower condition books mixed in. It is exciting getting the box and seeing what's in there and their condition. Keeping it to single issues these days on eBay or very small bundles of 4 books or less.
I try to take a pic of every book in a set/lot to entice buyers, defects and all. Works in my favor more often than not.
You nailed it. Love the mystery but it is a roll of the dice. Had some luck have been burnt!
Sound advice. I stay away from ebay for the most part unless I get lazy or need a rare book that I can't find anywhere else to fill a run.
I did this same gamble on a $20 lot of random Spider-Man number 1 issues, one picture, hidden in the back was a blurry Ultimate Fallout 4. Was hard to make out if it was a Facsimile. Took the gamble, original print , okay corners, estimating a high mid to high grade when pressed/cleaned. Came in a nilla envelope and was the only bag and boarded book. Best $20 ever!
Nice analysis and tips. Thanks!
I really got excited when I saw that taskmaster. Was hoping you scored. Better luck next time.
this was fun even though you didn’t get anything in great condition. Keep up the great content :D please do more of these lot reveals
I've only purchased 1 eBay lot so far and I think I got lucky. It was a raw bundle of all the Mutant Massacre event books across the UXM & X-Factor titles. When I received it I was concerned as the books were all shoved into a single plastic bag with no individual bags and boards. When I pulled them out I found most were mid grade but the 2 biggest keys UXM 212 & 213 were high grade. I paid a grand total of $30 including delivery. The description of the bundle didn't mention issue numbers or the keys which I think is why no one else snapped it up before me. I stumbled on it in a general eBay X-men search.
I sold comic books in 1999s and early 2000s on Ebay. Bundled a lot starting at 35% guide....I can tell you a lot of collectors got great runs of earlier silver age Amazing Spiderman, FF, etc at the low end start based on my review of my Ebay records last year :-).
I used to clip "Johnson Smith" Novelty Items Mail Away Packages when I was a kid ...should have Xerox copied the pages.
I've had similar hits and misses with lots, though when I do buy them, it's to fill in books that I want to read.
Cool books my friend.
Great video keep them coming
Love hunting lots on EBay. Found some great hidden gems and spec hidden in pics backgrounds.
Enjoyed the video, thanks for the opportunity! 🍻
Thanks for the video. It's great see what the misses look like too. When you looked up the sale price were you checking eBay sold listings or were you checking GPA?
That's unfortunate about so many missing entire corners of the cover. There are some amazing stories in there at least. Some of the Kovac Saga and the Wundagore stuff
great video keep up the great work
Its hard to even give cheap books away, I don't know about the States but in the uk postage is high, packing materials cost more than the postage costs. Add in ebay fees & its probably $5 a book just to cover your costs.
The lots are not something I go for, generally. I sometimes go for them if there is a comic book or two I want that likely will be in the lot.
I only buy if I think there’s a chance at a really good deal on a book or two.
Awesome video
I’d be happy with that Avengers lot, purely from my own personal collection. The best I did with a bulk buy was $240 for 250 “Spider-Man and Wolverine comics” from a news agency which had shut down recently and they were moving old, old stock. In there was a first print run copy of Ultimate Fallout #4. I’d say 9.0 if I’m being conservative. The rest of the pile were somewhat forgettable issues.
Still good stuff. Nice to find the gold in the collection.
Sorry that lot didn’t work out but thank you for showing your process. Very informative
Great info
You have a seller that put in lower price keys in lot
I think you’ll be able to break even here but it’s going to take some time and effort so I would call it an overall small loss. Definitely worth the gamble though if you can almost break even in this kind of condition. There certainly was a much higher ceiling than floor.
Great content. Thank you very much.
Tough break, Jim... But good video out of it.
What is the best ebay seller you ever buy from
So far, my fishing in the bay experiences have been positive. Everything has been shipped either in Geminis or were thoughtfully-packed. Still, knock on word - I almost didn’t have a book shipped across the country due to weather delays.
I'm looking to complete my batman run. I've had some successes with auctions on individual books. I was looking at lots but find that there's mixed quality for high prices. Based on your video, seems very hit/miss and it's difficult to take the risk unless you've built up a network for trading/selling books.
Never done an eBay lot. Kinda curious now.
Buyer beware.
now THIS is important to me for two reasons: i used to do this a lot. No longer, BUT...i still do it occasionally..and it usually doesn't pay off. Its like a casino...roll the dice. yeah, you get some good keys, but in my humble opinion, usually its NEVER WORTH the price. And also, i usually NEVER get those packages well protected or packaged. I guess the seller thinks its not important and sends so many out, that he doesn't need to take the time and protect the package with padding....? There must be a way to choose the right kind of Ebay lot? So I will listen to this video
Nice vid!
I've never been brave enough to purchase a mystery box of any sort. I've heard nothing good about any of the eBay lots. And as far as other sellers, there are some that I've heard do a really good job on their boxes and others that just throw in junk. Like you say, it's a gamble. I'll stick with trying to hit the Powerball.
Love the show
"It's a gamble" is one way to describe it. For me, it's always "no." I would never buy a lot on eBay; it's way too much risk as your video demonstrated. I only buy recent releases that I've missed or are hard to find, and even that happens as a last resort. Even then, I'm picky about whom I buy from. I pass on sellers who post bad pictures and provide sparse a description. In general, I avoid the temptation of buying lots online, though I've rolled the dice a few recently times with other auction sites. The first time, I was disappointed in the quality of the books, though they were much better than those in your Avengers lot. I have another lot that I still have to arrange for shipping, so I don't know yet how that one will turn out. I don't have high hopes.
I’ve not bought anything other than graded books off eBay for many years now, been burned many times in the past with raw lots
I was thinking of doing a lot of X-men comics that I own already but are really beat up.
Probably should ask for more pictures next time. Always the fear of missing out and somebody BIN but safer.
Sweet
Who is the seller that you bey from the avengers lot
Who is the best ebay seller that you ever seen
What you serch for finding the best deal
I buy lots once in a while. It’s fun for run fillers but not much great value
Certainly higher quality books sell for closer to (but likely still lower than) FMV.
Ugh, I wouldn't buy anything from eBay and expect it to be in good enough condition to get it graded. My "near-mint" X-Men Adventures #1 was faded had staple tears in it, so I bought another off of eBay that didn't even comment on condition (not the wisest decision!) and it was in better condition - only a few spine ticks.
Laughed when you said you were hoping for a happy video.
Some people gamble with the lottery, I prefer to gamble on comic lots.
I am not so much into Ebay. I tried and it's liike a 3 ring circus these days and I am dscouraged about the amount of rip offs happening
I've had good luck buying lots on Ebay.
Lord they used the tape. Lol
Hey I'd buy that taskmaster book for 10$! :)
EBay lots are only good for plugging holes in Runs
I gotten lucky a few times
Sucks you struck out. Bought almost an entire run On Infinity Inc. for $40, decent condition, had all the keys, guy threw in almost another 60 books for free!
That was on eBay?
@@bronzevillecomics2581 Yes sir.
Buy 4 or more some comic collectier do better shipping prices cost 2 comics great ideas , love give away awesome collections
Yeah, that’s rough…..u taking risks with eBay. I am too chicken to take that kind of risk very often….lol
Your table looks like my house...comics EVERYWHERE!
Trying to work on that.
too bad. Was hoping you made a good score
Me too.
eBay lots seems to be a crapshoot - I'd prefer to just buy what I can see
huh. good advice. depends on seller. also , read the fine print. Look, the fact is....EBAY IS GOOD for some things... but... If you REALLY want a good deal or want to guarantee you get some Keys...GO TO comic books shop or convention. After watching your videos for a while it SEEMS that your best purchases and procurements, were from Cons, Comic shops, and Garage/Estate sales, not Ebay.
Better luck next time