Do you care about the condition?

[risingstar]

There's an old saying, "You have to be rich to buy cheap".

I prefer to get it right the first time, you know? If I can't get close to the condition I want, I try not to get tempted into buying it. I've never been into the buying of low grades to complete holes in runs.

I'd rather have 10 VF or better issues between say numbers 20-40 than having all of them in vg-f. While I love my comics, I'm also aware of their value. From my experience, vg-f books are easy to find and sell for a fraction of book value. It's not the type of legacy I'd want to leave behind or get stuck trying to sell somewhere down the line.

[Teague]

I see what you're saying, RS, and a friend of mine has the same policy. And I can respect that. But I'm not buying these for resale later (you yourself have said several times that you worry that the bottom's going to drop out of comic prices completely at some point, and I'm not so sure you're wrong about that...I hope you are, but I worry about the same thing...).

When I really started buying back issues, I looked at the conditions on the books I've had since I was a kid, and realized that they're already in VG condition (or worse, in some cases). And there's no way I'm replacing that Amazing Spiderman 48 in G or ASM 73 in FA (!) just because I can get a better copy now. (I might buy a better copy, but I'll also keep the original that I bought off the rack...)

In the end, I get some satisfaction from having a complete run of Avengers books, or a near-complete run of Amazing Spider-man. And if I have the 7.0 or higher rule (my friend's rule), then I KNOW I'll never get that copy of ASM #1, or #14, because there's NO way I'm paying those prices.

Until the market crashes, that is.

Originally Posted by risingstar

There's an old saying, "You have to be rich to buy cheap".

I prefer to get it right the first time, you know? If I can't get close to the condition I want, I try not to get tempted into buying it. I've never been into the buying of low grades to complete holes in runs.

I'd rather have 10 VF or better issues between say numbers 20-40 than having all of them in vg-f. While I love my comics, I'm also aware of their value. From my experience, vg-f books are easy to find and sell for a fraction of book value. It's not the type of legacy I'd want to leave behind or get stuck trying to sell somewhere down the line.

[risingstar]

Originally Posted by Teague

I see what you're saying, RS, and a friend of mine has the same policy. And I can respect that. But I'm not buying these for resale later (you yourself have said several times that you worry that the bottom's going to drop out of comic prices completely at some point, and I'm not so sure you're wrong about that...I hope you are, but I worry about the same thing...).

When I really started buying back issues, I looked at the conditions on the books I've had since I was a kid, and realized that they're already in VG condition (or worse, in some cases). And there's no way I'm replacing that Amazing Spiderman 48 in G or ASM 73 in FA (!) just because I can get a better copy now. (I might buy a better copy, but I'll also keep the original that I bought off the rack...)

Until the market crashes, that is.

I love my books too. Now that I'm older, and the collector's bug has moved on, I just figure it's an inevitability, you know? If I don't sell them myself, whomever ends up with them likely will, and will probably get far less for them than I would.

Sadly, I've given up buying the issues I'm missing as the values have gone far past what they're worth to me. I'm just glad I got the ones I did when I had the chance. Back in the 80s, going to cons were so much fun. The convention centers were usually packed with comic collectors and, you could pretty much find multiples of whatever you wanted, at affordable costs too!

I've been collecting pretty much non-stop since 1973 (Amazing Spiderman #124 was my first newstand purchase). Thirty five years is a pretty good run, I think. As much as it pains me to write these words, I'm ready, you know?

While I hope I'm wrong about the future of the market, it doesn't look particularly rosy. If film and TV renditions can't tempt kids into even picking up a free comic book out of simple morbid curiosity, I'm not sure what will get them back in droves.

[BoloMusashi]

As long as it isn't ripped etc., then it doesn't bother me too much. I'd rather grab an issue that's in decent condition, with the possibility of upgrading later, instead of missing out on completing a run/arc.

[ratchet]

Originally Posted by BoloMusashi

As long as it isn't ripped etc., then it doesn't bother me too much. I'd rather grab an issue that's in decent condition, with the possibility of upgrading later, instead of missing out on completing a run/arc.

i agree