I’ve learned the hard way never bring your girlfriend or a friend who’s not really into comics to a Con or comic hunt. They get real bored quick when your head’s down in boxes for hours. They don’t understand. Go by yourself and take your time!!
At 3:56 i used to have Shi and Cyblade #1 Image comic and i drew the comic cover on 18×24 sketch/drawing pad, don't have drawing anymore either, as i gave away lots of my personal drawings to a friend who is too is an artist as i lost the passion for deawing. But after 12 years later i'm back to drawing again which I'm happy about, Amen. Nice review.
One very important thing I take from this is ur mouthpiece ur charisma ur willingness to network is gonna get u the most places and not just in the comic book world but for a lot of things in life
Great tips, James! I'd love to see more of these kinds of videos. Maybe some where you talk about selling comics, flipping single keys to bulk or bulk to single key trades, or even tips on staying current with prices when negotiating with sellers. I've always thought it would be cool to start with a single comic and work your way up to a specific key book. Sort of like trading a penny for a house type adventure. Keep it up!
Definitely a good selection for $50 only! Really liked your varied grabs of Dell/Four Color/Charleston books. I'm always hunting for those. Enjoyed tip vid 😃👍
While I haven't tried walking into a flea market with comics already to "chum the water," at most of the flea markets I frequent I'll get people coming up to me while I'm digging through comic boxes in someone else's booth to let me know where there are more comics for sale. Sometimes it's another vendor at the same flea market who wants me to check out his booth, sometimes it's a store owner who passes me the business card for his comic shop or antique store, sometimes it's another customer who's there to try and sell his comics to vendors and is trying to hedge his bets. etc. Hell, sometimes the cashier who's ringing me up will tell me where else in the area sells comics, toys, etc., when they see what I'm buying. I never really considered doing this as a deliberate strategy, but advertising yourself as a comic buyer does cast out a much wider net. Next time I'm on the hunt, I'll try either bringing in stuff I've already bought from other stores or resist the urge to drop off the comics I've already pulled at the check out desk to keep my hands free and see if I get any bites from doing that. Oddly enough, I rarely, if ever, bump into the actual booth vendors when I go to a flea market or antique mall. Maybe it's a Great Lakes thing, but most vendors just put out their stuff at a booth an leave it there, and the staff of the flea market are responsible for checking you out, preventing theft, etc.. If I do bump into an actual vendor and not the staff, it's never at their own booth, as they usually mill around, check out what other booths are selling and/or try to talk other booth's customers over to their booth, or just strike up conversations with friends and strangers alike. Some of it has to do with space (hanging out in your own both means there's space for one less customer to look around), but mostly it's pointless if the table fees they pay include the manpower of the staff to monitor and sell the stuff for you. Normally, I don't haggle on price, as most booths either have signs noting that "All Prices Are Firm" or "Everything in this booth is xx% off" so you're already getting a discount. On the rare occasion when haggling is necessary to close a deal, you bring the item to Customer Service and someone from the staff calls the owner of the booth on the phone to see if they're willing to accept your offer. Again, maybe it's a colloquial thing, but most of the indoor flea marks and antique malls I check out have their own concession stand or kitchen that sells food and drinks. At bare minimum, they at least have a coffee pot or a cooler of bottled water if you need to buy something to drink. If anything, it's harder to find a restroom at a flea market than a place to eat, as they either don't have public restrooms or they're always locked and you have to hunt down someone at Customer Service to get the key. That said, the only advice I would add to your great (as always) video would be to make a pit stop somewhere close by with a public restroom before you go shopping...and either don't drink or limit your drinking until you're done shopping so you don't get interrupted with a call of nature when still have five more boxes to flip through and a stack of books you can't take with you to the restroom.
It is SOOOO RARE that i ever find good dealers at my local fleamarkets in IL. 99% of the comics are overgraded, dilapidated, discolored from being in sun too long and my favorite is the water damage hiding on most back covers. My rule is if it is NOT in a slab i will not buy it anymore at fleamarkets. Been there done that....appreciate the content though and keep it going!
*_That bank ad thing might be worth big bucks. Some of those 40/50's dentist comic book giveaways are worth a lot._* *_What is "a lot" ?, just thousands._*
Wow you should do a video about vintage comic like gold key, dell or other classic illistrated comic beside marvel and dc that would be interesting to watch
So bring the friend rule has a few drawbacks. The obvious one of course, is you are bringing your own competition and unless you hash out rules of engagement ahead of time, the person you brought may end up grabbing all of the good stuff right out from under your own nose. Happens with video game chasing all the time which is why I go solo and don't divulge all of my locations if I can help it.
The solution to that problem is to bring a friend who collects different comic books than you do. For example, the friend I bring (and who in turn brings me) is currently trying to fill holes in his Incredible Hulk collection, so if I'm looking for Amazing Spider-Man issues then I don't have to worry about him grabbing something out from under me. If anything, it doubles our chances of finding something because he'll be looking for Spider-Man books for me while he's trying to find the Hulks he needs and vice vera. If you have a friend you share the hobby with, then what you each individually collect should come up naturally in the conversation and will make picking a wing man for a day of comic hunting easier you know he's on the lookout for something that's not even on your radar.
@@jimbomba4365 that sounds great on paper. The problem is if you both also try to flip books or video games or whatever to make money to fund your collections. You will always end up at odds at some point when you find that $1 priced book that's worth $100 and you both want it. In general, it's just easier to fly solo when you are searching for stuff to add to personal collections I have found... (Or take the significant other which is what I started doing because she doesn't have any stake in the game but is a another set of eyes looking out.)
Spouses are definitely great for doublechecking books for imperfections. When you see a high value book out in the wild at a ridiculously low price, it's easy to get blinded by the find and just grab it out of instinct, only to find that it's closer to a 5.0 than a 9.0. I can't tell you how many times my wife saved my bacon when I handed her a book to take a second glance at and she inevitably finds all of the ticks, creases, and stains that I missed in the excitement of the hunt. As you said, having an impartial observer by your side comes in handy in situations like that.
Great video and cash is definitely king. I’m torn on bringing comics with me. They could view it as you are definitely buying and might not negotiate. You do have some ppl that don’t know comics and believe old or if it’s Spider Man it must be expensive. But definitely be nice and respectful. I’ve used “this is my last $xxx. Can you please sell it to me for that?” And they usually do. I’ve gotten $10-20 bucks off. Also near the end of the day is best. Usually when it’s time for them to pack up and go home, they are more eager to say yes to a lower price. Heck I did this at a comic con a few years back and saved lots.
Very sound advice James. 1. Cash is accepted everywhere, I always have some on me but will check first if the seller is okay with electronic payment; if they say yes then I still have the cash on me for the next seller if needed. 2. Check both sides of each bagged comic: sometimes there are two books in a single bag. 3. Mantra #1 - looks like that's early Terry Dodson art. 4. I love those Golden and early Silver Age promo comics, especially the hard to get petrol station ones. 5. Treasure Chest Of Fun And Fact is a really interesting comic, lasting nearly 500 issues from 1956-1972; it combined biographical stories especially of saints, puzzles, advice on things like camping and fishing and origins of various festivals.
Oh man thanks for the great advice. It's helped me a lot lately. Although, I didn't know people really one of those gold tones, I see those all the time for a buck or less. I guess that's a good deal eh? LOL again thank you for the video and information waiting for the next one.
Dude that Buster Brown issue 17 that shows up at about 7:50 in the video, it has a cover and interior art by Ray Willner, whom I consider one of the most underappreciated Golden Age artists.
Guy was selling all comics for $10 a piece for 50 cent and 1 dollar books. I was able to get the entire Nightcrawler mini series 1-4 for just $15 buy being nice and showing him most of the books were only worth $1
many of those takehomes in good raw conditions are 50-100$ just for a single issue even casual collectors can follow the 10, 12, 15 & 25 cent covers value does fluctuate heavily on finding a buyer for your hauls can't really go wrong buying for '1' and putting it in your '3' long box someone else will be left to sort out locating that 50-100 buyer
Do you ever shop at online comic stores or do you only do in person comic shops? If so, which online shops can you give shout outs to for quality prices and good selections?
$100 for 4 or 5 X Men 1??? Listen... i dont do this often... but you seem like a nice guy... Tell you what.. I got a stack of those... ill let them go for... 700?
I must be going to the wrong flea markets. All the ones in my area are full of junk comics they can’t give away as it’s the same. Over printed 90’s crap that’s been in the same boxes for the last 30 years.
I’ve learned the hard way never bring your girlfriend or a friend who’s not really into comics to a Con or comic hunt. They get real bored quick when your head’s down in boxes for hours. They don’t understand. Go by yourself and take your time!!
At 3:56 i used to have Shi and Cyblade #1 Image comic and i drew the comic cover on 18×24 sketch/drawing pad, don't have drawing anymore either, as i gave away lots of my personal drawings to a friend who is too is an artist as i lost the passion for deawing. But after 12 years later i'm back to drawing again which I'm happy about, Amen.
Nice review.
I love the new content! And the multiple videos/week. Keep up the good work.
Thank you.
One very important thing I take from this is ur mouthpiece ur charisma ur willingness to network is gonna get u the most places and not just in the comic book world but for a lot of things in life
Really great tips! Being nice is a huge plus, never get pushy with the price negotiating.
Indeed
Nice run of books, good flea market finds
I love the old metal men cvrs ....so cool
My brother and I go hunting together, he'll find keys I don't know about and I'll find stuff he doesn't know,so it works out for both of us.
Great tips, James! I'd love to see more of these kinds of videos. Maybe some where you talk about selling comics, flipping single keys to bulk or bulk to single key trades, or even tips on staying current with prices when negotiating with sellers. I've always thought it would be cool to start with a single comic and work your way up to a specific key book. Sort of like trading a penny for a house type adventure. Keep it up!
Definitely a good selection for $50 only! Really liked your varied grabs of Dell/Four Color/Charleston books. I'm always hunting for those. Enjoyed tip vid 😃👍
In thought so too!
While I haven't tried walking into a flea market with comics already to "chum the water," at most of the flea markets I frequent I'll get people coming up to me while I'm digging through comic boxes in someone else's booth to let me know where there are more comics for sale. Sometimes it's another vendor at the same flea market who wants me to check out his booth, sometimes it's a store owner who passes me the business card for his comic shop or antique store, sometimes it's another customer who's there to try and sell his comics to vendors and is trying to hedge his bets. etc. Hell, sometimes the cashier who's ringing me up will tell me where else in the area sells comics, toys, etc., when they see what I'm buying. I never really considered doing this as a deliberate strategy, but advertising yourself as a comic buyer does cast out a much wider net. Next time I'm on the hunt, I'll try either bringing in stuff I've already bought from other stores or resist the urge to drop off the comics I've already pulled at the check out desk to keep my hands free and see if I get any bites from doing that.
Oddly enough, I rarely, if ever, bump into the actual booth vendors when I go to a flea market or antique mall. Maybe it's a Great Lakes thing, but most vendors just put out their stuff at a booth an leave it there, and the staff of the flea market are responsible for checking you out, preventing theft, etc.. If I do bump into an actual vendor and not the staff, it's never at their own booth, as they usually mill around, check out what other booths are selling and/or try to talk other booth's customers over to their booth, or just strike up conversations with friends and strangers alike. Some of it has to do with space (hanging out in your own both means there's space for one less customer to look around), but mostly it's pointless if the table fees they pay include the manpower of the staff to monitor and sell the stuff for you. Normally, I don't haggle on price, as most booths either have signs noting that "All Prices Are Firm" or "Everything in this booth is xx% off" so you're already getting a discount. On the rare occasion when haggling is necessary to close a deal, you bring the item to Customer Service and someone from the staff calls the owner of the booth on the phone to see if they're willing to accept your offer.
Again, maybe it's a colloquial thing, but most of the indoor flea marks and antique malls I check out have their own concession stand or kitchen that sells food and drinks. At bare minimum, they at least have a coffee pot or a cooler of bottled water if you need to buy something to drink. If anything, it's harder to find a restroom at a flea market than a place to eat, as they either don't have public restrooms or they're always locked and you have to hunt down someone at Customer Service to get the key. That said, the only advice I would add to your great (as always) video would be to make a pit stop somewhere close by with a public restroom before you go shopping...and either don't drink or limit your drinking until you're done shopping so you don't get interrupted with a call of nature when still have five more boxes to flip through and a stack of books you can't take with you to the restroom.
Great vid buddy as always.
Thanks VP
It is SOOOO RARE that i ever find good dealers at my local fleamarkets in IL. 99% of the comics are overgraded, dilapidated, discolored from being in sun too long and my favorite is the water damage hiding on most back covers. My rule is if it is NOT in a slab i will not buy it anymore at fleamarkets. Been there done that....appreciate the content though and keep it going!
Been really enjoying this content recently and sharing your videos to mu FB comic group. Seems you had a good day and got great stuff.
*_That bank ad thing might be worth big bucks. Some of those 40/50's dentist comic book giveaways are worth a lot._*
*_What is "a lot" ?, just thousands._*
I have to some research - it's pretty darn cool
@@MintHunterComics *_Those odd ones are comic books, right? Then you might have something. They are definitely rare and maybe 1-of-a-kind._*
Wow you should do a video about vintage comic like gold key, dell or other classic illistrated comic beside marvel and dc that would be interesting to watch
I have! Look up my four color video!
So bring the friend rule has a few drawbacks. The obvious one of course, is you are bringing your own competition and unless you hash out rules of engagement ahead of time, the person you brought may end up grabbing all of the good stuff right out from under your own nose. Happens with video game chasing all the time which is why I go solo and don't divulge all of my locations if I can help it.
The solution to that problem is to bring a friend who collects different comic books than you do. For example, the friend I bring (and who in turn brings me) is currently trying to fill holes in his Incredible Hulk collection, so if I'm looking for Amazing Spider-Man issues then I don't have to worry about him grabbing something out from under me. If anything, it doubles our chances of finding something because he'll be looking for Spider-Man books for me while he's trying to find the Hulks he needs and vice vera. If you have a friend you share the hobby with, then what you each individually collect should come up naturally in the conversation and will make picking a wing man for a day of comic hunting easier you know he's on the lookout for something that's not even on your radar.
@@jimbomba4365 that sounds great on paper. The problem is if you both also try to flip books or video games or whatever to make money to fund your collections. You will always end up at odds at some point when you find that $1 priced book that's worth $100 and you both want it. In general, it's just easier to fly solo when you are searching for stuff to add to personal collections I have found... (Or take the significant other which is what I started doing because she doesn't have any stake in the game but is a another set of eyes looking out.)
Spouses are definitely great for doublechecking books for imperfections. When you see a high value book out in the wild at a ridiculously low price, it's easy to get blinded by the find and just grab it out of instinct, only to find that it's closer to a 5.0 than a 9.0. I can't tell you how many times my wife saved my bacon when I handed her a book to take a second glance at and she inevitably finds all of the ticks, creases, and stains that I missed in the excitement of the hunt. As you said, having an impartial observer by your side comes in handy in situations like that.
Good advice
Great video and cash is definitely king. I’m torn on bringing comics with me. They could view it as you are definitely buying and might not negotiate. You do have some ppl that don’t know comics and believe old or if it’s Spider Man it must be expensive.
But definitely be nice and respectful. I’ve used “this is my last $xxx. Can you please sell it to me for that?” And they usually do. I’ve gotten $10-20 bucks off. Also near the end of the day is best. Usually when it’s time for them to pack up and go home, they are more eager to say yes to a lower price. Heck I did this at a comic con a few years back and saved lots.
I soooo need this video. Love your content and been wondering how I could pick up from garage sales, flea markets ect.
Very sound advice James. 1. Cash is accepted everywhere, I always have some on me but will check first if the seller is okay with electronic payment; if they say yes then I still have the cash on me for the next seller if needed. 2. Check both sides of each bagged comic: sometimes there are two books in a single bag. 3. Mantra #1 - looks like that's early Terry Dodson art. 4. I love those Golden and early Silver Age promo comics, especially the hard to get petrol station ones. 5. Treasure Chest Of Fun And Fact is a really interesting comic, lasting nearly 500 issues from 1956-1972; it combined biographical stories especially of saints, puzzles, advice on things like camping and fishing and origins of various festivals.
Oh man thanks for the great advice. It's helped me a lot lately. Although, I didn't know people really one of those gold tones, I see those all the time for a buck or less. I guess that's a good deal eh? LOL again thank you for the video and information waiting for the next one.
How's the job search going? Wishing you the best, keep the vids coming!
Great Video!! Keep it going!!
Thanks Erik!
Dude that Buster Brown issue 17 that shows up at about 7:50 in the video, it has a cover and interior art by Ray Willner, whom I consider one of the most underappreciated Golden Age artists.
well made vid. do more expensive ugly covers... by era, publisher, character
Thanks for the tip I will remember that. 😀👍
If you can move that stuff at a profit congratulations. I always lose when I pick that material
Guy was selling all comics for $10 a piece for 50 cent and 1 dollar books. I was able to get the entire Nightcrawler mini series 1-4 for just $15 buy being nice and showing him most of the books were only worth $1
You did a great job with those books. You may have sent a little too much on those “free to a good home“ Blocks
many of those takehomes in good raw conditions are 50-100$ just for a single issue
even casual collectors can follow the 10, 12, 15 & 25 cent covers
value does fluctuate heavily on finding a buyer for your hauls
can't really go wrong buying for '1' and putting it in your '3' long box
someone else will be left to sort out locating that 50-100 buyer
Do you ever go to estate sales and if so what type of experiences do you typically have?
I set a budget,See to much stuff i want and overspend.
Do you ever shop at online comic stores or do you only do in person comic shops? If so, which online shops can you give shout outs to for quality prices and good selections?
Can't believe you got all of those Dell books for only $50! Wow!
Free Archies can't beat that!
Amazing books! I love the anti-communist, plane covers and such too. War books are great
Stuff is classic!
I actually had Starfire #1.
Take a friend who's into/ know about comics you can cover more ground
I’m curious, when you mention that you have $1 and $3 bins, does that mean that you sell and comic cons? Or are purely selling on eBay?
Sometimes I set up at flea markets and put stuff up on my instagram!
How many places have flea markets? Been to 40 states and 29 countries, only seen flea markets in Asia and in Maine. No comic books tho haha.
$100 for 4 or 5 X Men 1??? Listen... i dont do this often... but you seem like a nice guy... Tell you what.. I got a stack of those... ill let them go for... 700?
I must be going to the wrong flea markets. All the ones in my area are full of junk comics they can’t give away as it’s the same. Over printed 90’s crap that’s been in the same boxes for the last 30 years.
Ironically my flea market which used to be my gold mine is all the same 4 vendors with $5-20 priced nothing 90s books now - it's ruined!
Who is buying superman 3,4,5 bux? I can't even give it away
Also remember if you collect comics and have comic book figures in your house you can count on not having sex with females.
Very good advice haha - I guess I must be an anomaly then!
good tip maybe i will try some from this too