Knowledge is Golden
Anyone in the game of buying and selling comic books for profit stands a much better chance of success if he or she is armed with the latest and most relevant information. This sounds like an obvious statement but you’d be surprised at the number of investors out there who act upon their built in preconceptions of what is valuable and what is not. These preconceptions may have been formed years or decades ago when the collector/investor was much more active in the comic book market. Preconceptions may also be formed by digesting only the comic book news that’s currently making the headlines.
Our hobby/industry is an ever changing playing field where knowledge and information is king. Taking the time to keep up to date on all the happenings in the comic book marketplace enables you to make well informed decisions and by rights increases the chances that those decisions will be profitable ones.
Everyone should own an Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide; the guide is still and will continue to be the benchmark for referencing comic book values. Everyone should have a GP Analysis account and everyone should reference the CGC Census. Everyone should follow the results of the major internet comic auctions. The ambitious among us should even do their own tracking of comics that interest them. The net is a great place to mine data and the best miners usually strike gold!
Keeping up to date and knowledgeable does take some time and effort but for true comic book fans this should not be work. Schedule in some regular time at least 3 times a week to catch up on what’s actually going on out there. I promise you’ll find your purchases will be smarter, your collection will get better and your chances of actually making money playing the comic book game will greatly improve.
Walter Durajlija is an Overstreet Advisor and Shuster Award winner. He owns Big B Comics in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
