How to find the value of your comic book
The process of trying to find the value of your comic book can be very tricky. So much is taken into consideration. As well, there are differences in opinion when it comes to how much it might be worth. There is essentially a four step process though to hopefully make it a little easier.
The four steps are: 1) Grade the comic book 2) Refer to a Price Guide 3) Compare with other sales 4) Your goals should be realistic
Using the above simple methods, you should be able to determine what the market value is for your comic book.
Step 1: Grade the comic book
Grading is essentially just determining the condition of the comic book. There are several things that are carefully looked over prior to coming up with a grade. For example, small tears on the pages, or even creases will lower the value. It is not just the outside cover that makes a difference either. If the inside is discolored in anyway, or there is any fading, it is a lower graded comic book. A lot of people think that it doesn’t have any impact on what condition it is in, but there are a lot of old comic books that are not worth very much.
Step 2: Refer to a Price Guide
After knowing what kind of grade your comic book has received, you can move on to looking at price guides. These guides will take the name of the comic book and provide the value based on what condition it is in. There are some with a range in price. There are a couple of very popular and well-respected ones out there. The two most famous ones are probably the Wizard Magazine and The Overstreet Price Guide. Please note that just because these guides give you a price, it does not mean that this is the end all be all. If the market buyers do not think that you have a very valuable product, they won’t buy it regardless of what that guide has it priced at.
Step 3: Compare With Other Sales
Just as it says, even though the guide tells you a price, you should still go out and see what the market is doing with comic books like yours. Seeing that two were sold at $25.00 and another at $50.00 one week later can imply that yours will probably sell for about the same price. Possibly more if a little time has passed and it seems to sell quickly.
The easiest way to check the market, is to look at auction sites such as eBay. Comic books are commonly sold online and there are several places you can look for them. A specific Google search could also provide some hints at what your comic book is selling at.
Step 4: Your Goals Should Be Realistic
It doesn’t matter if you can sell fart spray to a skunk, if you are not realistic with your pricing, your comic book will not sell. Most people who buy comic books have been doing it for a while. They know what to expect, what is a fair price, and at the same time they won’t hesitate raking you over the coals to get a nice comic book. You should do your research and then price fairly.
