Ignore discounts
I’ve been selling comic books for a long time (since the mid 1980s) and I’d have to say that the most frustrating mistake I see collectors repeatedly make is comparing discounts.
Unfortunately many collectors cannot grade consistently well enough to confidently come up with a sense of value when considering the purchase of a comic book. This can lead to clouded judgments especially at conventions where dealers compete against each other by offering larger and larger discounts off the sticker price.
Because no two comic books are alike it is very difficult to rely on discounts alone to measure how good a deal one got. Is the comic overpriced in relation to grade vs. guide vs. desirability? Is the guy discounting 75% giving you a better deal than the guy discounting 10%? The answer is not necessarily.
In the end you owe it to yourself to educate yourself on the basics of grading and practice trusting your own judgment. The price you pay for a comic should factor in the grade you feel it is measured against the guide/market value or simply how much it’s worth to you to own. Don’t get distracted by the flashy XX% OFF signs.
Walter Durajlija is an Overstreet Advisor and Shuster Award winner. He owns Big B Comics in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
