5 TIPS TO FING COMIC BOOK VALUE

Since Action Comics #1 hit the news stands in 1938 fans and collectors alike have been clamoring for comic books. Comics are fun to read, fun to buy and fun to collect. In 2014 a copy of Action Comics #1 sold for 3.2 million dollars. So comic books can also be a great investment if you know what to buy and how to check the value of your comic book. With this in mind, Collection Connection brings you 5 ways to check the value of your comic book!

#1. Price Guides
Comic book price guides are generally monthly, quarterly, or yearly publications which detail the changes in the resale value of a comic over a period of time. Price guides are also important tools for collectors looking to sell their collection or determine their collection’s worth for insurance purposes. Several publications are available today such as The Official Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, Comics Buyer's Guide magazine, and Comics Buyer's Guide Standard Catalog of Comic Books, and formerly Wizard magazine.
The problem with price guides is the constant changing price of comic books as a commodity. Prices of comics can change within a day of an event dealing with certain characters and movie or series announcements. Having a price guide that can be dated so quickly renders this form of comic book valuation obsolete.

#2. Social Media
As a collector I have joined many groups that deal with items I collect on social media. These groups are a great place to interact with other collectors. They can be a place to learn from more experienced collectors as well as mentor newer collectors. In these groups the newer collectors are always asking how much their comics are worth. This can work to get your answer if you are prepared to filter through all the different answers and trolling comments. You should also beware of vultures trying to sneak a deal from you for your book. Although this is a popular option, I recommend against it.

#3. Comic Shops
As a rule, many comic shops WILL NOT give you free appraisals for your comics. They are in the business of buying and selling these books and need to buy low and sell high to make their margins. However, if you become a regular or a member of the stores pull list program you may be privy to some insider knowledge. I still do not recommend this method since you are relying on people who make their living on those mark ups. Letting all the customers in on their business model is not good business.

#4. Comic value Web sites
There are some sites online that offer comic book values. They use several different methods to determine comic values. Some are reliable and some are not. You would spend a lot of time researching the differences between reputable sites and sites looking to inflate values through speculation. Your time would be better served using our last method to find your comic’s value.

#5. Ebay completed listings
The ultimate way to see what your item is worth is to have metrics, pricing and data on what the comic is actually selling for right now. And more importantly what your comic has been sold at most recently. eBay offers a method of checking completed listings to see what comics and other collectibles are selling for in real time.

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