A Reddit user getting their comics appraised for sale got a miserable offer, but a spirited comic book community came together to highlight the real value of his collections.
The hardest part about collecting comics is the end of the road when it’s time to part ways with your collection.
Many who got into collecting comics when they were younger eventually find themselves parting ways to make ends meet or just to free up space. Unfortunately, while there are books with value, it’s just not the booming collector’s market it once was in the ’90s.
That means it’s now an industry rife with scammers and con artists, leading many collectors to believe decades of saving and protecting collectibles was wasted time. Fortunately, there are communities like Reddit’s comicbookcollecting subreddit, where dedicated fans are offering advice to collectors who are ready to sell.
Redditors offer advice to comic fan who received lowball appraisal of comic collection
One such fan is user PearsonTiles, who recently took to Reddit with a post expressing how heartbroken they were about their collection.
They had recently begun the process of parting ways with his collection but were having mixed success. They had been able to part ways with some vintage GI Joe and Star Wars figures but had a truly devastating encounter when trying to sell comics.
According to PearsonTiles, they had met with a local collector who agreed to appraise the collection for free. However, the encounter ended with a miserable offer.
“He has the the day off and will check out my goods! For free!!! His conclusion after checking out my whole collection? Couple hundred bucks,” PearsonTiles said.
The comicbookcollecting subreddit was quick to come to the rescue, picking apart the images shared and pointing out that the collection had some gems, and they had most likely been lowballed.
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“I see a couple hundred in just like 5 books, one user said. “The toys are also worth a pretty penny depending on completeness. Sounds like this dude was trying to rip you off.”
“Don’t listen to him I see a Transformers comic in there that’s worth several hundred bucks in mint.” one user said of the collection.
“Not to mention a Venom #1, SW #8, Spawn #1, & Dark Knight Returns #1,” another user added. “This lot is worth much more than the price OP was given, especially once they’re slabbed or signed.”
“Jim Lee Batman, Secret Wars 8, Transformers 1… ACTION COMICS 1!!! (haha) all kidding aside you can see at a glance this is worth more than 200.” one said.
“Did he follow that up with a “I’ll do you a favor and take them off your hands for $201″? Sounds like some Pawn Stars valuation to me.” one joked.
PearsonTiles later returned to the thread to confirm that the offer was just to have the collection appraised, and the collector expressed no interest in buying. Still, the community came together to make sure they understood the real value of what they had. Others still had their fun with it, though.
“how much for the dog” one user asked, pointing to the poodle staring forlornly at the camera in the first image.
“Pricey,” PearsonTiles replied, “but taking offers!”