I like to buy lots of things. I traded some comics for a hat once….you know, that black one I’m always wearing, that’s it. I’ve traded for football tickets (real football, not the armored kind) I’ve bought crazy things like a 6ft tall Mario sign or the Life-Size Power Ranger that won’t shut up, a complete collection of WaterWorld action figures and even some Batman Returns cereal.
What I like to buy the most is comics. I will always buy them no matter what you have. Let me first tell you what ones are NOT, NOT worth any money. 80-90′s comics. I have maybe 500 boxes of the stuff, I don’t need them, I won’t need them, every collection has them, I still want them.
80′s-90′s comics average about a nickel each. That’s actually good money because most places won’t buy them period. (That or they will buy 4 from you, send you away with the rest of your box, you call me, I look at the box, offer you the money and you add the 2 offers together and it would have been the same that I would have given you for everything…except now you lost time and money from trucking it around.) Or you could try ebay. I stopped selling vintage comics on ebay years ago because it wasn’t worth my time.
Now there are a handful of comic books from that this period that are worth more. The first appearance of Venom, first Gambit (I do pay more for those) but I’m just as happy buying the filler. I need them for 50 cent boxes, to hand out for Halloween and to put in the giant 10 cent comic sale we have every Corn Fest.
Again almost all 80′s and 90′s comics have NO VALUE. Death of Superman, Knightfall, X-Men, X-Force, Spawn, Youngblood, All Valiant, any comic that came sealed in a bag, any comic that says “Collector’s Item”, comics bought from QVC and definitely comics from this time period that show any wear all all. Also your idea of good condition and my idea of good condition are probably worlds apart. Just because you think a comic is old doesn’t mean it’s old. (old comics are from the 50′s) Just because a comic is in a bag and board doesn’t mean it is rare or valuable, it means I have to do more work because I have to take it out of the bag. Just because a comic is #1 doesn’t mean it is expensive.
Maybe I sound like a jerk but it isn’t personal. I’m in the selling comic book business, I’ve been doing it for almost 15 years….I know what I’m talking about.
All that being said I still want to buy them. Buying rates on a bulk collection of this time period are:
bagged and out of order books are 5 cents
some bagged and in order with lots of runs and sets are 7 cents
unbagged in order lots of sets and runs with a-list titles are 10 cents
Anything from the 70′s and earlier is stuff I’ll have to look up. Some stuff gets looked up some doesn’t. I make a judgement call on these. A List comics might get a % of guide, most don’t.
Let’s talk about toys.
I’ll buy just about anything that has a moving part or lights up. No California Raisins or Fast Food premium toys ever. Board games as long as they are either kitschy (a 3 year old Life board game-no, a 25 year old life game yes….now a MR. T board game is what I’m talking about.) or has a connection to fantasy, comic books or pop culture.
G.I. Joes and Transformers even if they are broken.
Vintage Star Wars………look, the ship has sailed on this one. Prices are absolutely not what any guide says anywhere, anytime or anyplace. Like anything there are still a few pieces that are worth money. I know what they are and pay accordingly. Don’t be looking for a big payday for a handful of blasterless Greedos and dirty Stormtroopers, this isn’t 1994 any more.
I also need weird collectibles too. I will buy fast food glasses….but not Batman ones from the 90′s. Anything here is fair game, Smurfs, Superheros, Peanuts, Star Wars and more. NO RAISINS.
I buy carded action figure collections. Most folks have stuff from the 90′s and just like other 90′s stuff, it isn’t worth much. Spawn, X-men, and most figures from the 90′s average 50 cent to a buck or two depending on who the character is. I also buy them loose.
Video games. Anything back to the Atari 2600 and before, if any of you remember. Cartridge games do not need boxes and instructions, it sometimes helps though. Disc games NEED case and instructions, I will not buy disc games without them. I do not want sports games. I will buy them but for a fraction of what I pay for others….. a small fraction.
Other??? Well you just never know. Like I said earlier I traded for a hat once. It never hurts to try. I’ve bought suit cases full of records, clothes, tiki mugs and lots of other weird things…traded for them too.
