To the casual collector, reselling old comic books can seem like a daunting process that looks something like this…  

  • Step 1: Own a comic book 
  • Step 2: List it for sale… somewhere… 
  • Step 3: ??? 
  • Step 4: Profit. Hopefully.  

That’s why we’re here to help. By following a few simple guidelines, you can maximize your sale price and get the most money possible from selling your old issues.  

Ensure your comic book collection is well protected. 

If you’ve been collecting comic books for a while, you probably already know that it is vital to protect your investment. If you’re planning on selling a collection of comics that are bent, torn, or unprotected, you’re not going to make much of a profit. Fortunately for you, here at Vanguard Comics and Collectibles, we’ve already covered some tips for keeping your comic books in good condition.

Another helpful piece of knowledge to have is understanding the concept of the grading scale. In the world of comic books, even the slightest tear or bend can hurt your grade. 

When you own graded comic books, it is important to understand the grading system. CGC uses a 10-point grading scale when evaluating comics. While we won’t go into immense detail of the grading scale in this blog, there are a few general things you should know about it. For instance, anything at 9.4 or above is considered near-mint. Though 9.2 (NM-) and 9.0 (VF/NM) are still considered near-mint, they are considered on the low end of it. Depending on the comic, a grade of 9.2 can actually see a significant drop in value from that of a 9.4.  A comic at 8.0 and above is considered very fine (VF). Anything less than that, and the comic starts to accumulate some minor to severe defects.     

Decide whether to sell the comics yourself online, or find a reputable vendor who buys comics. 

If you really want to get the most money out of your comics, selling them online is your best route.  This will involve more work of course, but it puts the power in your own hands as far as what you want to gain from your collection. If you go this route, be extremely detailed in your description of what you’re selling. This is also where having graded comics comes in handy, as having them professionally graded takes most of the descriptive legwork away.   

If, alternatively, you decide to sell your comics directly to a vendor, be sure to find one with a good reputation. When you opt to go this route, you must understand that the vendor’s only priority is to make a profit. They do this for a living and you should never expect to make a huge profit for yourself this way. Usually this route is better reserved for collectors who are hurting for space or are in a hurry to unload their collection.   

One last tip is to decide whether to sell your comic individually or in a lot. 

Much like the decision above on how to sell your comics, one of these options (usually) includes more work for a higher profit. If you have comics that are considered key issues or rare, it is usually better to sell them individually, as you will probably garner a higher profit this way.  

However, if you are selling a specific collection with no major key issues, you might be better suited to sell them all together. One thing you may not want to do, is sell a random assortment of comic books together in one auction. While there’s nothing innately wrong with doing so, most buyers are looking for something specific, and therefore may not wish to buy a mixed collection of Marvel, DC, Image, and the likes.