GenesisDay07
Teacher
Location: South Africa, Cape Town
Posts: 323
My Collection
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- Posted: July 17, 2024 3:16:03 am
- I've just realised that I've been using this site for around 10 years . . . I was quite surprised to realise this, but the reason I was peering so far back is because for the first time since I've been documenting my collection here, I've seen a drop in estimated profit, average price and overall value of my collection even though I haven't sold anything from my collection.
Now don't get me wrong, I collect for fun and for the love of the genre but must confess that I do get a kick out of it if one of my books goes up in value.
I see the following potential reason for the drop and I invite your comments here:
- some comics may be overvalued as we cannot possibly track every single price and when values are then brought to a more updated market value, we see blanket revaluations which adjust prices downwards
- from the above, prices are driven by demand and if demand is down then prices will do the same and be driven down, which again feeds into that age-old narrative that comics are probably not that popular in its traditional format anymore and we'll see a gradual decrease in demand which will accelerate as the older generation moves on
- the excess funds that boosted that markets the past couple of years have dried up and people are spending more money on essentials and (at least for some), comics are not essential. This could mean that when the market turns and people have excess funds, we could see an uptick in demand and therefore prices again (although the world economy in general is possibly in more turmoil than we might imagine)
- some or all of the above is also driven by the increasing price of new comics that are deterring a newer generation from buying and collecting comic books. Why spend $10 on a comic book when you could use it for a game pass, etc.
I know this is quite a contentious topic and I'm sure that there are many of you both older and younger collectors that may agree or disagree with the above but would like to hear your thoughts and opinions.
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drew
Grasshopper
Location: Ottawa ON
Posts: 212
My Collection
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- Posted: July 17, 2024 11:32:30 am
- I've been updating my collection on here after years (decades) of leaving my comics in boxes in the closet. I got some backer boards and mylar bags for them as well.
Because of this I've been watching some youtube videos, collections, cgc submissions, are CGC gradings worth it? Does it ruin the hobby etc
There has been talk on numerous channels about how for the first time there's been dips in the values of a lot of comics that traditionally have not dipped.
I think the economy has something to do with it for sure
the fall of the MCU from amazing to okay has hurt the industry too I think.
DC's movies under performing could be part of it too.
I just entered most of my collection into the database here so I'll be interested to see how the values change.
I doubt I'll ever sell my collection, maybe try with a few issues here and there but I'll probably hand all or most of it to my kids when I grow much older and they're no long living at home.
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brucifer
Wise Beyond the Years
lifetime member Location: Toronto, Canada
Posts: 1167
My Collection
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- Posted: July 18, 2024 2:10:07 pm
- Here's my two cents about comic book collecting:
Less people are buying new comic books due to many factors. The cover price, fans losing interest, the inability of the Big 2 to reach new fans (the under 25 year olds) and digital comic books.
It seems people, both young and old, would much rather see a 2 hour Spider-Man movie than read a TPB of Spidey. I don't think the millennials like to read unless they absolutely have to (thanks Tik Tok?).
GenesisDay was right about the extra money (and time) people had during the Covid times. When you're stuck at home with nothing to do as you have watched all of Netflix, you might as well check out those comic books you haven't touched in years and years. There was a definite influx of buyers and sellers during that time period. That has obviously dried up a bit (a lot?).
You will notice that most of the members here on CBR are old and have been collecting for decades. I'm sure there are some under 25, but not very many. You might also notice that those oldies (myself included) aren't buying very many new comic books. The millennials would prefer to read stuff on their smart phone than on paper. I kind of don't blame them as long as the price is right (ie. free).
Obviously the HOT books will always be collectible. First appearances, #1's and the like will continue to be wanted by fans both die-hard, casual and those crazy investors (aka speculators). Unfortunately collecting comic books is becoming like collecting artwork. People love those nice covers and the popularity of CGC proves that. Once a book is slabbed, you're never going to be able to read it again. I don't think CGC has ruined comic book collecting, but they are all about making money and don't care if it does or not.
Art lovers have been paying big money for Picasso, Rembrandt, van Gogh and a tonne of other famous painters like those. I'm thinking comic books will be looked at in the same way in the distant future. Is that a good omen for us collector's? Not really. What are you going to do?
I've always been about reading first and collecting second. It's nice when a book skyrockets in value, but that shouldn't be the only thing that interests you about the comic book industry. Let's hope things pick up a bit in terms of new comic books that are well written/drawn and interesting for all ages to read. Fingers crossed.Bruce McKinlay
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