Is Buying From Non-Collectors... Ethical?

[@stumbler10462]

in1985 i found a street vendor selling comics .. he had a bunch of old marvels and he was selling them at cover price... i came across one book for 50 cents and asked him a few times if it was only that much.. he said yes.. so i gave him a dollar and he gave me my change and that is how i got my copy of giant size X-men number 1

[@GOTAisMe]

I'll give you an example of an unethical purchase. In the 90s I was the manager of a comic store that was one in a chain of 6. 3 guys came in who were obviously in construction with bags full of silver age Action and Superman books. They were working on a house for an older woman and found them in the attic. They told me she didn't even know they were there and wouldn't miss them. They were willing to sell them cheap. I refused to buy stolen books. They went to the next store in our chain and the manager there bought them. The owner of the chain then chewed me out and said that the other manager did the smart thing and who was I to turn down that opportunity. After I left the chain it was around for about 2 years and went out of business. I guess unethical opportunities like that weren't enough to keep them solvent.

[@tyrannicaltoad6884]

If im being completely honest, for someone in my position finding a multi-thousand dollar grail at a yard sale for dollars would probably be the only way id own a book like that. Telling them might lose me that opportunity. In that moment im not so sure id have the self control to be honest and i think this goes for a lot of collectors despite what they say on the internet.

[@johnscamardo2145]

I did hear some years ago when a kid went to a comic shop in a town nearby. his father had passed and the family needed money. He showed the owner 1-30 Amazing Spiderman in nr-mt condition. the owner which was an honest person told the kid he couldn't purchase them at that time and called someone that would buy them at a decent price. He contacted the mother and the comics were sold and the owner said he didn't want any money for helping the kid since his father had passed away and not robbing the family.

[@hansgruber377]

Whenever I'm at a yard sale and let the people know that their comic books are worth more than what they're asking they decide to keep them. So now I pay what they are asking, put the books in my car and then give them more money after the deal is done.

[@PunguinYoga]

Good compromise.

[@kurtbrown2706]

Perfect answer.

[@kitescuriosities7717]

I really like that thinking.👍

[@charlesmardanes7028]

I would do the same

[@wlnorris75]

That's what I do!

[@ComicsCurated]

It's up to a seller to know what they're selling. As a seller who was too lazy to properly research something in the past and lose out on money as a result, I didn't blame anyone but myself for not knowing what I had. In this day and age of the internet, there's no excuse not to research before selling. Same goes for a buyer. Know what you're buying!

[@stephenbarone4053]

Yes, if you’re talking tens, maybe a hundred dollars that’s a white lie. Thousands, then you’re just rationalize evil. There’s a reason certain individuals in our society can’t consent to certain acts.

[@BrooklynAvenue]

You are unethical.

[@rocketfighter8]

What if the seller is an old widow who is selling her husband's collection? She is not computer savvy and selling to help make ends meet?

[@ComicsCurated]

@rocketfighter8 they made the choice to sell without researching what they had. If they really needed to make ends meet, they would find a way to get them valued before selling.

[@faceless3658]

I don't know this is a really hard question but I can't say i wouldn't take it if I'm being honest.

[@cowyeow]

I picked up a small collection of low grade silver age from a neighbor, was his brother’s who passed away a few years ago. Said he just wanted them to go to another collector. Was worth a couple thousand. He said he wanted $200, I gave him $500 and he was happy. Most will stay in my collection.

[@whatsonehteshaamgulamsmind2885]

I was at a comic book show and got an Xmen 101 for $5. I told him its worth way more than $5. He said i dont care i am old and want to get rid of it. Is it ethical to take advantage like this? I think so because a lot of those people just dont care and want to get rid of it for a few bucks. I dont see anything wrong with that tbh.

[@robertt9342]

1) you told its worth way more 2) you re not taking advantage, see above, you are just realizing an opportunity.

[@ProfessorEchoMedia]

There is northing wrong with that situation at all. You both did your job the way you saw fit. It's a perfect scenario when buying something worth far more than your paying. Good on you for letting the seller know!

[@paperchasecomics]

When a competent adult enters a space of commerce, they have a responsibility to do their due diligence when pricing inventory. ESPECIALLY nowadays, where research is made extremely easy due to smart phones. eBay search will allow you to take a simple photo of any comics or collectible for that matter and pull up listings that match closest. I’ve always believed it was never a collectors responsibility to educate people on the hobby that don’t care to know it themselves. That being said each situation should be treated uniquely and you have to use a good judge of character. Two examples. An old lady has an AF 15 does not seem tech savvy and could really use the money, I’m gonna tell her that she’s got a gold line on her hand. But if I see a young capable person, unloading a bunch of comics that he found and wants to make a quick buck but too lazy to look up the books he’s going to get taken.

[@MintHunterComics]

I think that’s the general consensus

[@ascorvinus]

In my experience, it’s way more common to find a seller charging ridiculous prices for mid-nineties junk than it is to scoop up a grail for a buck. I’ve gotten some good deals over the years, (and some bad ones), but nothing remotely unethical.

[@ijonrice9120]

You can always say no and not buy overpriced books.

[@Cyril-1973]

@@ijonrice9120 You can always shut your mouth when you have nothing useful to say.

[@chriscorcione8104]

First appearance of The Punisher for a buck?!?! That is the very reason why I stop at garage sales to see if they have any books for sale. What a find!

[@rocketfighter8]

This is simple: Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.

[@ProfessorEchoMedia]

That says it all. But sadly the world forgets that 24/7.

[@RPRsChannel]

*_Is it ethical to buy 10 longboxes for $100 each, set them in storage so you can process them in a few weeks when you have time, but that turns out to be months, and when you start going over them books over the next weeks they turn into months, and you find some books that are in very good shape for the age. So you just add them to your CGC submission, the covers are cool after all._* *_1 year later CGC finally graded them and shipped them to you---now it's close to 1year 6months since you bought the 10 longboxes from....who was it again? Anyhow, those old books that looked so good, the ones you didn't collect but had cool sci-fi covers; they've gone up in price and are worth a total of $50,000 now. That's after your CPR, CGC submission._* *_Sure, sounds good, ethical even?_* *_What if it's the day after you discover the old Sci-Fi books? You don't know their worth in 1.5years from now._* *_But what if you did know their worth, but didn't know they were in one of the longboxes?_* *_What if you knew they were in one of the longboxes, knew their worth, but haggled down the price?_* *_Books have also popped in price from $10 to a few thousand in very short time? Should you then contact the seller and give him 80%?_* *_Where is the line?_* *_They guy is selling comic books, not watches and jewelry, he's selling the books because he know people will buy them. If he can't find out what they are worth; too bad for him. Comic books have been valuable for 4 decades._* *_If he was selling watches and jewelry; he'd check the prices._* *_Caveat venditor._*

[@MintHunterComics]

Holy smokes you put some time into that one!

[@mandofoe7447]

It’s so funny that your video came out today because for the first time ever today I found comics at a garage sale. Seller had two long boxes of comics for 3$ each. A lot of it was 90’s junk, image and valiant but I got two voltron #1’s, two tmnt #7 variant covers, one masters of the universe #1 and a bunch of 5-20$ books all newsstands. Best garage sale find I’ve ever had. I paid my money thanked the lady and went on my merry way. It wasn’t my job to educate her at a garage sale just give her my money and get some great books.

[@franciscomarquez3678]

Congrats on the haul brother!

[@mandofoe7447]

@ thanks man I hope everyone gets one of those

[@Scott.B.Chapin]

I cleaned out a used book store going out of business and bought several long boxes of silver/bronze age books for cover price (granted, this was 20-ish years ago) and have zero regrets. I'll buy something for what it's being sold for.

[@pattongilbert]

My best two are definitely *Star Wars 42* (Boba Fett and others, mid-grade), *Star Wars 107* (last issue of the original run), *Jimmy Olsen 134* (Darkseid, low grade), and *Batman 6* (Court of Owls, high-mid grade). Somehow, a used book store in my area had all three in a comics box that no one ever bothered to look through. I ended up getting all four for like $8, even after telling the owner what they had. No way I ever get that lucky again. Insanity.😂

[@mentaldiversions]

I feel ya. i recently made a purchase (of legos) and the guy was offering $20 for a box. The pictures showed some parts I needed to complete a project so I bit. When I arrived and saw the extent of what was in the box I gave him an extra 15 because I told him this was too much stuff for just $20. On the reverse, I had a guy selling a box of legos and it was half knock-off legos which had little to no value. It wasn't too much of a loss since i gave all the knockoffs to a friend who had two boys and they didn't care they were knockoffs.

[@missinglynks]

2 weeks into the pandemic I was on ebay looking for Ultimate Spider-Man fillers. I came across a lot that was selling # 150-162, and an Ultimate Comics All-New Spider-Man #1. They were asking a buy now price of $29.99. I bought it immidiately cause i thought it was an immensly fair asking price for the lot. When I got the books in I discovered the Ult All-New Spider-Man #1 was a newsstand. I messaged the seller asking why they had ended up selling the books? They had responded that the books were their sons old comics that he didnt want anymore, as he'd gone off to college. I thanked them for helping me complete my run of comics and said its been a pleasure doing business with them.

[@dennisvaughan8456]

Last year at a garage sale I took your advice and asked if they had any comics. The woman there said yeah and brought out a box of about 50ish comics in a cardboard box looking like trash...most coverless asking for 30 bucks. I laughed said their not worh anything but gave her a fiver....once thinking if your show about coverless gems. They sat in my comic cave for almost a year before I went through them and lo and behold a guaranteed 6+ on the Pearl Necklace innuendo Archie comic. Wahooo.

[@johnmonahan4377]

I once bought a box of comics at a yard sale for $5 that had Hero for Hire #1 in it, but that was back in the 80's when that book was selling for $5.

[@DarthGojiraComics]

Im in California, everyone here thinks their valiant turok #1 is a $50 book! 🤣 No deals to be found out here in my neck of the woods

[@caldwellscomicsandcards]

not true at all. just bought an amazing collection for a song. it's not common but does still happen

[@urbs1177]

Valiant Turok #1 was the only book I've ever seen at one time that was valued less than the cover price.

[@punyhuman67]

Never have I been in that position, however, I like to think that I would let them know.

[@macorourke2222]

Good video Brother. Back in 1990's when I was a Young adult. I bought a short box full marvel 12 and 15 cent books for $54 Canadian. Giant-Size X-Men #1 was in there. At the time I was going to go to an ATM and get out several hundred dollars to offer the seller. But before I could say anything to Him. He said what do You have in Your pocket. So I gave Him all the money I had. $54. Then went back home with the comic's. I wish I still had them. Lol❤

[@ImagineeringTheCog]

If I know there is a grail there that is drastically off on pricing, I find it is just worth it to be honest. Share that you think it is worth a certain amount, but maybe you can offer a better price. By sharing information and avoiding that guilt moment, it opens up opportunities to pick up other comics, and welcome chances to network and be trusted.

[@MintHunterComics]

That's a great perspective.

[@DeusExAstra]

It's ethical. Both parties agree to the price, no cheating or law breaking going on.

[@jamiepike6909]

If your mum sold your collection nor realising you probably change your mind.

[@jeffstanley6013]

@@jamiepike6909 Sounds to me like a different scenario; that's mom selling something that isn't hers to sell in the first place.

[@donaldvonglitchenberger4108]

@@jamiepike6909i don’t live with my mom. So why would she sell my grails lol

[@jamiepike6909]

@@jeffstanley6013 it could happen!

[@jamiepike6909]

@@donaldvonglitchenberger4108 hope you never left anything in the attic😱🤣

[@archstanton8126]

I got a first Guy Gardner Green Lantern from a comic shop dollar bin. That shop didn't want to deal with back issues. I mentioned it's valuable and the owner didn't care, so win for me.

[@theobsessedcollector]

The answer to would you tell a seller their $5 price for something I know is a $300 item, for me is a clear yes. It's not worth the cost of my conscience to take advantage of a situation just because, in that instance, I know more than the other person. What if it was a kid, a grandmother, or an adult with a learning disability. When do you draw your personal line as to when it's OK to take advantage of a person? Treat others as you would like to be treated yourself, and it will all come back to you in some way down life's road. 😊

[@patwilliams7362]

I appreciate your post. Honesty is the best policy. Give yourself a little bit room if you will resell it. But don't just rip Joyce off. Couldn't sleep at night with that kind of deal.

[@MediaBrainwashDOTcom]

I was just at an older's guy's living estate sale. He was in the garage basically giving away all his stuff before he moved south. I was talking to him out in the garage and started digging in some cabinets under the work bench and pulled out an old guitar amp from the early 90's. I saw it had mini tubes in it and I know from another repair tech that tube amps are very desirable to many. So I gambled and offered him 10 bux for it (he said he thought it worked, but he only used it as a pre-amp in a band for a short while back when it was new) . He took the $10 and when I got home, I found out it was desirable... and sold it for a grand. After you have speculated on resale and thrown enough junk away, you stop having guilt for a winning gamble. Also, once you have had people screw you out of a sale because you told them they were asking too little, you stop doing that pretty quickly. My record is about 1 in 20 "sales" of different types being profitable. You have to put up with stinky jerks and crowds of resellers to play this game. That deserves some compensation.

[@dinkthinks3958]

Bought a bunch of McFarlane’s Amazing Spider-Man’s for $1 each at an antique shop about 15 years ago. When I got to the register, the shop owner told be I get 25% off for buying more than 10. So…I bought Amazing #300 for half of cover price. Still have it and not getting rid of it EVER. In my book, she didn’t want the books because her shop really didn’t cater to that market and I was able to secure a personal grail and more. Not to mention rescue them from being thrown loose in an old wooden box! My best find ever at the age of 48.

[@zazenbo]

I see this a lot in comic shops, and second hand shops with manga. People don't have a good scope on the prices of manga right now. I bought a set of Basara for 90 bucks. Now: if that were at a regular fella's yardsale, I would walk up to him and tell him to post it on ebay, that it's worth around 1000 bucks.

[@ijonrice9120]

I would 90% of the time just take the score and move on. I mean if it's a sad, poor family yard sale I would buy it, sell it and share the profit. I got a Stray Dogs Preview comic for a buck at a flea market. ($800 value)

[@gabag00lgangsta]

8:30 lol I paid two dollars for an Asm 300 newsstand at a chain thrift store it’s an 8.whatever at best. best find ever and got me back into collecting

[@hotzonecomics8941]

I found a Marvel Spotlight 5 at a yard sale recently. I told the guy what it was. Short version of the story, it was missing pages. I made a post in a facebook group about it and was shocked that one commenter said "why would you tell him what it's worth? Why would you shoot yourself in the foot like that?" um, because I'm not a sh**ty person

[@johnnycalderon9951]

My ex girlfriend had an amazing fantasy 15 in her garage. With a crap load of other comics. She had no idea what she had. I remembered telling ppl and some where like just offer to by the whole box for $20. But I couldn't. I got it pressed and clean for her never graded and it's probably sitting in her closet still.

[@_vixen_4504]

Ohh, that book probably reeks of mold.

[@johnnycalderon9951]

@_vixen_4504 it doesn't its at least a 2

[@_vixen_4504]

@@johnnycalderon9951 well in that case, you have to save them before they actually start smelling of mold.

[@joe3019772008]

bro, when you say you aren't trying to judge anyone ethically. you are still judging them ethically. if the comic was in $1.00 bin or box at a yard sale, then that is on the person or persons selling it. not the buyer, it's not our place as the buyer to come out and say hey, you are selling this for the wrong price. cause then, not only would everyone miss out on the comics being sold but, the seller takes the risk in probably not making any sales either. it's up to the seller to do the homework and say, i can't sell this for $1.00 and get smarter on things like that. also, they were probably just someone that got a big box of comics and said, oh just throw them out there for $1.00 and go from there. again, it is up to the seller to know what they are selling it for, not the buyer. when i had yard sales with comics for sale, i did my homework and made sure certain ones got put out there that were only worth a dollar. if it was something worth more i kept it in the house unless someone was interested in them. #roadto40k #iwantcaptaincarrotplease

[@WOLVERINE25TH]

Saw a situation like this on Facebook yesterday--dude got a decent haul that included a Romita signature for a low-balled $80. Originally offered $50, guy asked for $100, he talked him down to the $80. The seller wasn't a collector and just wanted to be rid of the books. The buyer isn't even a reader, just a flipper. Here's my view of it: If you're dealing with someone knowledgeable--like a comic shop--who's giving you the bargain, then I say it's all fair game. If you're dealing with a normie that somehow got comics in their possession, knows nothing about them, just wants to be rid of them, I think it's an ethical responsibility that we, as informed buyers, either offer as fair a price as we can afford, or barring that at least alert them to what they might have and suggest they ask for a bit more. If they still don't care and don't adjust the price, then that's another matter and feel free to buy away (although I'd still say throw them some extra cash as a "tip"). I love bargains. We all do. It's the only way that most of us will ever get some books. But taking advantage of someone's obvious lack of knowledge? That's a dick move. And if you're okay with being a dick, then you're the kinda person the hobby DOESN'T need.

[@lindsayschultz8106]

One of my best finds was in a comic shop. I seen a first appearance of Ahsoka Tano (clone wars 1) behind the counter, that came from a trade in. I asked how much, they looked in the overstreet (not sure what they saw) but they charged me 3 dollars. Couple days later went back to the same store and there was another one there and a different employee. I asked again, and again they looked un in the overstreet and charged me 3 dollars. I felt zero guilt ever, and I still have them both in my collection

[@coley9594]

my best find was a facebook marketplace listing where there was a video of a bunch of 🗑️, and then out of the corner of my eye i saw the first scooby doo in comics from the 1970s. Zoomed down there and bought it for $1. it might not be ethical to you, but the way i see it is if you’re paying the price they’re asking then you’re perfectly fine. It’s not our job to educate people on what they have and what they are SELLING.

[@wlnorris75]

I don't think it is necessarily unethical, it really depends on the situation. I can give you an example from personal experience. I was 17 years old (1992) a lady had a box of comics that belonged to her son; 200-250 bronze age all Marvel books. I had to get them out of her attic for her. She asked $.25 each and without even looking through them I asked how much she wanted for all of them. She said $25 and I bought the box. When I got home, the box had Marvel Spotlight 5, Ghost Rider 1-10, Giant Size X-Men 1, X-Men 94-104, Hulk 181, ASM 129, Werewolf by Night 32, and a bunch of other great non-key and minor key books. There may even have been a few more keys I'm forgetting off the top of my head. Even in 1992, it was thousands of dollars of books in the box. Did I feel bad? Not a bit. I was 17. The only way I was going to own those books at that time was with a grail find like this. 15 years later, I started sending them off to CGC. In the key books, the lowest grade I received was a 7.5 and the highest was a 9.2. Mostly 8's and 8.5's. Probably with pressing today, I could turn most of them into 9's or higher. I don't think there was a thing unetheical about it, given the situation. I paid what I could afford and didn't know those key books were in there, even though I knew the books were worth much more than what she was asking (VF bronze age books weren't $.25 each anywhere, and certainly not $.10 each in 1992). I couldn't have even given her $100 if I had wanted to. And as a dealer today, I might not treat that situation much different. And here is why. If you tell the lady that you want to be fair, and you will give her $4,000 for the box of comics she just offered up for $25, some people will just take your offer. But about half of people will started to question "if he will give me $4000 for them, would someone else give me $5000?" Then suddenly they won't sell them at all, and you shot yourself in the foot. Just buy them, and then later, mail them a cashier's check or MO. Don't say what it is about. Don't say it was for the comics (they could come back and try to sue). Just put a note that says Thank You for What You Did. Send it certified so they have to sign for it and you know they got it. But it's anonymous, and you didn't screw them over, and you still got the deal for what you were willing to pay. They aren't going to be repeat customers, bringing in items over and over, so you don't need to build that relationship. I am fair with people. Will usually show them the market research that sets the retail price. And I am upfront about the percentage of retail I pay. But that is when you are bringing items to me to sell. When I go out into the field, the rules change, but I usually try to find a way to make it fair, even if it is on the backend. And some situations, paying a low price is totally fair. I bought a 1986 Fleer Jordan RC for $800. Had it graded and sold it for $10,000, and I didn't give the seller a penny more. I bought it at a local auction. Only one guy was bidding against me, and he just didn't have any more money than that. The other people in the auction thought we were crazy paying that much for a card. I didn't pay a penny more, because the auctioneer refused to pass my offer to buy for cash outside of the auction on to the seller. I had offered substantially more to the auctioneer to buy it outright before it was auctioned. I tell all the auctioneers in my area what I will pay as a percentage if they give me the chance to buy upfront before an item is acutioned. Sometimes they call me in and make a deal. Sometimes they insist on running it through the auction, and I get a substantially better deal (and sometimes they get a better deal). So you want to reject my offer, then you get what you get. I slept like a baby with the profit on that Jordan card.

[@nicholaspreston4417]

So if you did fess up and told them what the retail rate is on the book, is it OK for them to then try to sell it at full price and not cut you a deal for letting them know? This can go both ways.

[@clickmyvid]

So a reverse “right to update” price at checkout?

[@artisfu9]

Now that's a VERY GOOD point!!! Lets see if they would be ETHICAL in return!

[@dinkthinks3958]

Bought a bunch of McFarlane’s Amazing Spider-Man’s for $1 each at an antique shop about 15 years ago. When I got to the register, the shop owner told be I get 25% off for buying more than 10. So…I bought Amazing #300 for half of cover price. Still have it and not getting rid of it EVER. In my book, she didn’t want the books because her shop really didn’t cater to that market and I was able to secure a personal grail and more. Not to mention rescue them from being thrown loose in an old wooden box! Decades of Antique Mall hunting and that’s by far my best “big fish” story.

[@dinkthinks3958]

If someone asked me, hey I’d like to sell these, can you help me with how much to ask? I would be (and have been) totally honest even though it would price me out. However, if they have decided what they would ask and it’s a “steal” I pay them what they ask. Like my example above, some people don’t want to mess with them and want to get them out of their store, house etc.

[@jamiepike6909]

If it’s a few bucks that’s fine, but I think you do the right thing even if it’s after the fact. Ie. If you sell something for a few grand, you can pop round with some extra cash for them.

[@Rasdock]

That’s asking for trouble. You give a person extra money and they’re going to want more. You might even end up getting sued. Be honest with them before the sale or just let it go.

[@panteraJTM]

I got my ASM #129 for less than a dollar and the seller knew exactly what he had. It was his collection of books he had as a kid and he just wasnt into them any more. I got 165 books, all Spiderman titles from 70s, 80s, and early 90s for $150. And that was also the very first collection I ever bought, it was crazy

[@panteraJTM]

Also a couple months ago I was on marketplace and found the Xmen board game with all the pieces and it also had the Pressman Xmen #11 inside. I got that for $15 lol

[@derektitov6667]

I take my wins where I can get them. I've poured so much money into the hobby/industry over the years that if end up snagging a 20-30 dollar book for 5 bucks I feel nothing but happy and excited. In a situation where there's a huge discrepancy? I can't say I wouldn't. Would I feel guilty? Maybe a little depending on the circumstances. You made a good point though James, you have a public reputation to uphold. Most collectors aren't in the spotlight in the same way.

[@johnmonachelli9292]

I've been on both ends of this. Bought ASM 129 at an antique shop for $7. You're right about the rush. I was shaking when I left. And sold a bunch of old stamps (that I know nothing about) at a yard sale only to read in the paper 2 wks later that someone bought a $10k stamp at a yard sale. Coincidence? IDK.

[@MintHunterComics]

That's a wild coincidence.

[@ShawnMcGinnis]

I had a full run of Batman Adventures except for #12. I didn't know at the time it was a key book and bought it for $1 at a flea market around 1999. A couple of years ago I did buy a Vengeance of Bane #1 for $1 at a garage sale knowing what it was. I do find it skeezy when you know a key book is way underpriced and then try to get them to lower the price.

[@duchovny2]

It’s kinda like scalpers buying everything to charge much more later. It’s up to us to educate non-collectors as to the value of comics. But you have more people who don’t really care.

[@WhatDoesEvilMean]

It would be almost impossible for me to say someone selling something is being “ripped off”. Unless it’s literal money, a thing is only ever worth what I paid for it.

[@TheReadBaron91]

If I sell something and I don’t know it’s worth, that’s on me. I know I’ve sold comics inadvertently at a lower price. You win some and lose some.

[@artisfu9]

I don't go to yard sales so I have to talk about a SUPER-STEALTH-BUY at a comic store! I live in a suburb of Atlanta and found the greatest book for 50 cents. It is A STRANGER'S TALE #3!!! At the time it sold $1000 in good condition! It's an Adam Hughes cover that is supposed to be extremely rare. It's so rare until reports mentioned that people thought it was only a two-part series for a long time. This is until issue 3 popped up in a few places. I still have the book! My second best would have to be a BATTLE OF THE PLANETS #1. I paid 50 cents for it as well. The book is about an 8.5. I can get about $125.00 for it. This was at another shop.

[@knobles2010]

My 2 best scores have been a Vengeance of Bane #1 1st print NM condition for $1.50 and a Fantastic Four #52 that was in a comic lot I picked up on Ebay that if you divided the price equally for all the books made it $4.40. That was about 2 years ago. I was extremely happy with both.

[@bustercrutcher917]

I cannot believe of the amount of replies putting this on the seller. Your ethics and values are there to make the choice of taking advantage of the situation or buyer or to do the right thing.

[@johnkasdorf]

I hear you, and I hope most of us would inform an unwitting seller that their item had greater value. But once the exchange becomes a monetary transaction with a buyer and a seller, it is on the seller to educate themself on what they're selling and it's worth.

[@brokecuzofcomics]

This is a tough question. If I hit a yard sale an buy a box without looking for an agreed price, get home to find ASM 129 or House of Secrets 92 that’s one thing, but if I buy the box after I look and see a 1st Venom, or 1st John Stewart them it becomes a different story because I know what’s in there.

[@carminemango8212]

My best was a "fire sale" and the guy KNEW what he had. I am a Marvel guy, but there were a lot of SA DC I picked up (with no real idea of the importance, because: Marvel guy) for LITERAL pennies each. Example: mid-grade AC#252 for 10 cents, no joke. There were several SA DC keys I purchased for 10 cents each, not knowing what I was grabbing, just knowing 'OLD=GOOD.' I also paid 0.75 each for the most pristine Marvel Treasury Editions I had ever seen at the time, which still kind of strikes me as ironic that I paid so much more for the MTEs than the SA DC Keys.

[@carminemango8212]

Note: this was about 20 years ago.

[@TheJohno95]

I feel like it can go both ways. On the one hand, I've warned people that they're selling books for way to cheap and told them how to do their research. In that case, it is usually individual people that need the money or that have been out of the hobby and don't know how much the prices on Silver and Bronze Age books have jumped. On the other hand...I've probably watched Pawn Stars too much, but there is some truth that if you try to do someone a favor and make them aware that something they have is worth more than they think, they usually try to turn around and try to ask the maximum price for it. I've had this happen at a flea market I was selling comics at. Some old timers that sold jelly came and asked me if I would look at their son's books that had been sitting under the kitchen sink. I say sure, expecting them to be utter water damaged rubbish. Surprisingly, they were two stacks in a boot box. No water damage, just well-read and a little beat up. Most were westerns, though. So, I really didn't want to mess with them because I was already sitting on plenty and hadn't sold a one. It's nice to have inventory, but there comes a time where you just have too much you're buying and you're not moving enough. The only thing they had that I thought I could move was a Daredevil #7 in probably 2.5 or 3.0 condition. I told them that a couple of the books were worth some money, but as a whole it was just stuff that nobody was interested in. The guy insists that I make him an offer and I tell him that he could probably get more if he took the time to parcel them out himself or go to a store, but that I would give him a hundred bucks for the lot. He comes back in about an hour with a price guide someone sold him and starts ranting and raving that he has a thousand dollars worth of books and I tried to take him. I proceed to explain that if the books were in better condition, they would probably book for about that, but most were in the 3.0-6.0 condition and that very few people are interested in Bronze Age westerns. He rants and raves some more and I tell him to be my guest and sell his books on his own. Some competition never hurts at the flea market. If word gets out there are multiple comic sellers, more collectors show up. But I did take a trick from the Old Man on Pawn Stars and told him if he ever showed up with his hat in his hand trying to sell them again, the price would be $75. Never saw him again. No worries. I guess it all comes down to the situation, who's doing the selling, and what the item is. If it's a modern book that's not worth a fortune, whatever. If some poor old lady is trying to sell her kid's collection for rent money, don't rip her off. Just do what you can do and still go to sleep at night. Don't take anybody, but also don't get took. God knows it's a buyers market out there right now, so don't be paying crazy prices for crap right now. It's just like after the 90's bubble burst, there are still a lot of jokers out there that think their variant cover of Gwen Stacy is worth a million dollars, so it can make you jaded dealing with it.

[@paulthomas5789]

If you found a box of comics in the trash, would you knock on the door and give them money? People just want to clear their clutter. They don't know to care about anything's value in a collector's market. I've trash picked all sorts of great stuff, I know where all of the wealthy areas are in my city, and these people toss all sorts of stuff. Don't worry about stiffing people. You're doing them a favor taking away their unwanted items.

[@RudeMekanicals]

For every grail found in a flea market or yard sale for pennies on the dollar, there are way more sellers who think every book from the 80's backwards are worth hundred of dollars and are trying to sell them at outrageous prices, so... sometimes you eat the bear, and sometimes the bear eats you!

[@davelaughey431]

Always buy the item in question for what is asked for, even if a very low price. You now own the item.If at a later date you wish to reward more money to the seller you can find them and offer them extra explaining you got more money than expected. If you offer more money, information, before buying, the seller may refuse to sell you the item and you can't do anything but feel foolish. Buying at the price offered and quickly gives you control.

[@TheDukeofMadness]

The movie Comic Book Villains encapsulated this perfectly.

[@thatonekid-gy2kt]

I think another man put it best. Honesty is the best policy. You may not get the best deals, but you'll get the most credit and opportunities.

[@jamesontorres3317]

I go back and forth. I think it’s totally okay to buy a book for a dollar if that’s what they’re offering but I’d feel really weird if it was the first Superman or something

[@Snikt_Itch]

I find great deals all the time on books, sometimes even in comic book shops when the owner may not recognize a key issue when they have it. Somehow that feels less shady than buying a grail from somebody’s grandma for $1.00. 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@charlielarson2407]

Best find I found was ASM 24 paid 30 bucks for it at a antique store and my second best friend was marvel team-ups 141 paid $3 for it like 3-4 years ago

[@Markus465]

Considering the internet is abundant and the amount of information that is out there concerning comics PLUS the focus of comic-related content hitting tv and movie theaters in the last 12 years, I find it hard to believe that someone would have an AF 15 at their yard sale for a $1. If someone did, it would probably be a coverless beat up copy with some pages missing. Everyone KNOWS the value of this book.

[@arunafonseka1326]

An interesting compromise, if you're worried about not being able to get the comic if you told the seller, would be to buy everything that they are selling if you would buy the grail for the price of all the comics they were selling.

[@karlburkhardt9902]

I've gotten minor keys at yard sales but my best find I found at a Renningers in Kutztown. Full disclosure I did tell rhe vendor what they had and she sold it to me for what she had it marked at anyway. It was the 1:25 variant of Ultimate Fallout 4. I paid $4 for it.

[@ThePowerfulOne07]

Ethical! People sale things in yard/garage sales, market place, eBay, etc sometimes without knowing the value. As long as the elements of a contract are met, it’s fair game!

[@jasoncraft2135]

I have a large collection of comics and toys. Im not married got no kids. I've told my nieces and nephews that they would get it when im dead cause im not selling it. So they would have to figure it out. As of yet, none of them has shown any interest in getting a head start on this while im still alive. As much as i dont want them to get ripped off. If they do its kind of their own fault. You know. The saying buyer beware kinda goes for the seller, too.

[@jpl484]

my wife runs a successful resale business (no comics) we come across this issue alot particularly when its comes old collectibles, like pottery, we will often pay up for things when its not asked because it is good karma. we once found a piece of Tiffany Pottery with $5 price tag that we knew should be worth a lot more..we told them so and gave them $150, they acted like they won the lottery. ..we put in the work and time and got the big pay out months later. fair deal

[@PunguinYoga]

Sounds good.

[@Matches-Malone]

It’s the sellers responsibility to know the price. There’s so many sources for the seller to be informed of the value. Is it ethical for the seller to change the price once the buyer informs them of the market value? The same feeling or ethical situation is when comic book store employees/ owner raise the price on a person of a comic book even though that buyer may have found it on a dollar bin. This happens to me all the time which makes me angry, I would spend a good hour looking and to have the price changed on me with 5x the marketed cost.

[@xerogenesis2003]

I think that if someone has books already priced it’s ok to buy for low cost. It should be on the seller in that instance. If they don’t have books out and priced, but you ask if they have any, then I think it’s not ok, because they’re selling them on the fly at this point and didn’t have time to look them up in advance.

[@clintmann1692]

Found a Wolverine 88 at an antique shop for $50 had it grade came back a 9.8 and traded it for my asm 300 newstand!

[@MintHunterComics]

That's actually about the raw price for it honestly!

[@johndavis48076]

I got Walking Dead 1 2 and 3 at a yard sale for free when consider the other items that were bundled in with the purchase. I had no idea they would go for $4000 graded. I just knew I had something and bought them.

[@michaelrose-qf4ze]

My all-time best flea market find? How about Adventure 247 for $7. Since the cover's detached it's probably a 2 if I got it graded. I'm not married to price guides so I wasn't aware of its full value but imagine my surprise when Overstreet had it for $600 in Good. This was about 6 or 7 years ago. At the same time I also picked up a Fantastic Four 26 about a 1.5 for $7 too. And I was complaining to myself about having to get some cash from a liquor store atm across the street and having to pay additional fees because it wasn't my bank atm! The guy selling the comics had a ton of them in a few totes to look through and he said he had a collectibles store in town. He was selling everything for $7 each regardless of if they were worth it or not. I knew I was getting a good deal on something I just wasn't sure how good at the time. He thought he had better stuff than what he did but I was able to find a couple treasues. Love the channel and the videos. Take care.

[@buraddorun3043]

The onus is on the seller. As long as there is no falsehood involved, like say the buyer tells a seller, "yeah this is all junk, I'll give you $5 for the lot" when they know it's worth hundreds or thousands, then it's not wrong to get grails for cheap. That said, if you go to your neighbor's house, and she's recently widowed and selling her deceased husband's comic collection along with a bunch of other stuff to try to make ends meet because she can barely afford to keep the mortgage, and you see an AF15 in a box marked $5 mixed in with other random overpriced modern books, maybe you take the ethical route and tell her what she has for the sake of her and her kids' livelihood. As for cheap big books I've found, most have been from a major retailer: Half Price Books. I've gotten a lot, but some from memory are NYX 3 for half of cover price, ASM 101 for $5 (though the cover was detached), and Incredible Hulk 449 in a $7 grab bag with 14 comics, so basically 50 cents. And literally a couple weeks ago, I found a newsie high grade Uncanny X-Men 244 for $2.

[@FireflyComics]

Also even outside of comics and in everything, people benefit from superior knowledge. If you put in the effort and labor and get up early to visit countless yard sales, flea markets and estate sales, it’s not so you can educate the public about comic values. It’s to get a great deal.

[@battling_murdock]

I got a first appearance of Fantomex for $3 and a first appearance of Black Cat for $10 at a comic book store's sidewalk sale. I think nowadays, with so much access to the internet, it's up to the seller to know the value of what they have

[@wlnorris75]

Or another example. I bought a lot of silver age Hawkman books of Comic Link, about 20 in the lot. I think I paid $120 for them, somewhere around 2008-2010. Then had listed them as average grade of Fine and did say #4 was inlcuded (1st Zatanna). No individual grades. I really figured #4 would come in a VG and maybe the other books FN, so an "average of FN". To my surprise, the book came in looking great! Several of the books did. Sent #4 off to CGC, because no way was it FN. Came back a 9.0 with no pressing or cleaning (wasn't a big thing then). Two other books came back 9.2, and one an 8.5. The rest were probably FN. Should I go back and offer that seller, selling on Comic Link, more money? Nope.

[@leeknoll8141]

Such a gray area with no defined parameters. I think it depends on the person and price. I’ve told my LCS about underpriced books and I’ve bought keys for $1. Recently I picked up a high grade X-Men 221 for $1 at a flea market.

[@nathanchaffin6380]

When it comes to a question of ethics. I imagine anything over a thousand of dollars should probably be discussed in detail. But its a case by case basis.

[@J-Russ]

When I was a kid in the 80s I’d regularly buy silver age for $0.25-$0.50, got some great books, and back then that was a regular offering at yard sales around me.

[@matthewinman4376]

That's a double-edged sword my friend. I once drove a couple hours to buy a collection. Old dude who does clean-outs and grabs any baseball cards and comics and whatnot. We talked and talked and I was told they were old books from the 70's and some were encased in plastic. I get there with a wad of cash and what I was shown was a bunch of banana boxes and printing paper boxes filled with late 80's and 90's shit. Then he says for me to go through them all and see what I think. Ugh. I was ready to drive home empty handed. What I like is to buy a collection of any size and then go through it. The joy of discovery and the anticipation, hoping to find a Hulk 181 is almost as much fun as finding the book itself. So I went through them all and was very disappointed. I offered him $300. He asked for $400. Ugh. Fine dude. Here's your cash. And to be honest, he said he still had all his comics from the 60's, so I bought this crap in hopes of establishing a relationship with him so I could buy any clean out comics he found, but I was *really* interested in his collection. Long story short, he would reach out every now and again and tell me he's "getting ready to have his big sale" where he sells off all the accumulated crap he gets from cleanouts. This is after he had me on the hook, chasing him for his personal stuff, which I eventually gave up on. Yet HE was the one reaching out to me about more comics. I never ended up doing business with him again despite every couple months him reaching out telling me I can come down and look at everything. Waste of my flippin' time. I did get my money back and another $200 or so more when all was said and done, but it left a bad taste in my mouth. I'd like to think I would take the high road, but more often than not, I am just looking for a box of old stuff and if you want $100 and I can see there is some 70's stuff in there, then yeah. I'll give it to you and hope there is an Action Comics #1 in there. For every person like the guy above, there is someone who is trying to sell a bunch of random comics they found and want $100 because the comics are 20 years old.

[@fogsmoviereviewscom]

I only have one rule in buying, and that's "Dont lie". Which may sound like a ridiculous oversimplification, but for those of us who hunt, you know how many times people completely throw themselves at your mercy. And I've seen plenty of shop owners and people in the wild do it... just tell people whatever they can in order to get the books as cheaply as possible. Outside of that, though, the way I look at it, random sellers arent entitled to my years of knowledge. *I* earned it. I went to the shows, and watched and studied, etc etc, so that I COULD do this. If they want my skills, my "eye", so to speak, they should have to go through the decades it took to develop it. I'm not out running charity missions, seeking to help poor unfortunates who are on the verge of giving away their valuables, oh no! I'm out looking for opportunities to find high value at low cost.

[@TomRivera-wf8fo]

It’s up to both the seller and buyer to agree on a price. If they do then the sale is fine.

[@CedRed]

I believe you judge each scenario on its own merit. But I do believe in compensating to a degree, if you find a really big key book.

[@fnulnu8243]

Wasn't a "grail" but I did come across a book going for around $10 that would easily sell for north of $500 that I pointed out to the seller. He was an older guy and my conscious just wouldn't let me buy it.

[@stingersplash]

On the scam front I know a guy who bought a 9.8 slab on Ebay and when it arrived it was very badly cracked. When he tried to return it the buyer had closed their account so they obviously sold it damaged without telling him. I then bought his collection on Ebay and he clearly mentioned the problem but it was extremely cheap (like the cost of a raw 9.8). So yeah always ask for more pictures if a buyer is conveniently hiding something.

[@vanman266]

No it's not okay.

[@soldjer21]

its like that saying a, a nuclear physicist shows up at a Nuclear plant to fix a meltdown, he walks over the machine and bangs it the machine with crow bar in just he right place. Later the plant manager get a bill for $10,000 . The plant manager irate says he all you did was hit it with a crowbar, the Physicist responds I charged a dollar to hit, I charged you 9,999 to know where to hit it.

[@rocketfighter8]

As a nuclear reactor operator in the navy and as a civilian for almost 40 years you should stick to what you actually know. 😂

[@denniswheeler3852]

If they’re selling at a certain asking price, then I’m buying.

[@sourcecode5273]

long time ago at a yardsale. i spent ten bucks on a cardboard box of comics. earned a grand in a couple of days from it.

[@pcantu3]

I would say a sale is a sale, you both agreed to the price. If your conscious comes into play, complete the sale and give them a little something extra.

[@John-et5wu]

If someone brings comics to your shop / booth and asks for a price, it's unethical to say it's super cheap. If its for sale at a yard sale or estate sale, free game.

[@martezberry3164]

James, u looking slimmed down, good job.... I got marvel age 41 for 50 cents in comics bin . But at a comicCon. It went up after Stan passed away.... But to answer question: a deal is a deal , but we would hate it if it happened to ourselves, lol 😆

[@BattleToabs1]

I would say most times it's ok. I think it's common knowledge that there are comics worth money whether a person is a collector or not, all the information you need to know is online.

[@charliedogg7683]

Some of Marvel's reprints are so close to the originals that you really have to look closely to differentiate them. I can understand in such cases an inexperienced buyer or seller thinking they've scored a cheap key book. The buyer is not required to educate the seller so buying a valuable comic for peanuts is fine with me. If other buyers feel differently they can always send the seller some of the money they make when they sell that key book, or even just put the money in an envelope and leave it anonymously in the seller's mailbox.

[@nivekwons7545]

I usually ask if they are theirs or selling for someone else. Then I can try to figure out how much they care for the books or value. Some sell them because their child moved and said just get rid of the stuff so they do. Some care but need them gone for various reasons. I don't think it's unethical as you agree to the price but I may offer to show them the values if there are several high dollar books in there. As someone else stated, finding one this way would probably be the only way I'd own it so I definitely be a little torn in the moment. The best yard sale find isn't huge but I found a NM copy of Alias 1 a few weeks back for $1. As she's rumored for Daredevil it could jump so I'm excited for that!

[@billyrod1980]

I had a a friend who had a Rolled up Hulk 181 in the trunk of his car. I immediately grabbed it and put it in a comic loader and informed him what it was. Haven’t found anything crazy at a yard sale but I did find 1st winter solider at a goodwill for a buck. At the time it was a $100 buck.

[@gregoryliedtka7510]

I don't do enough high value books (i play in the 5-50 range) to totally judge, but I can say when I have done deals for a loot and i think its under priced below 50% I mention the book or two that are stand outs and let the seller decide.

[@larryhoague9803]

If it's simply listed and you pay the asking price, sure. It's buying what they wanted to sell it for. I, personally, would buy the stuff that is fluff if I'm getting a very good deal. That way they get to complete their unloading of clutter. But, if they ask my opinion, I won't lie or deceive them. I will offer a higher amount and just say there's more value to the books than they are asking for. But I've not seen a major comic grail in those events.

[@thurstonfaulkner4]

I must not be very lucky, the comics I find at yardsales are pretty much worth what I pay. It would be nice to be put into that situation every once in a while