Is getting a comic(s) certified worth the time and cost?

I have approximately 2000 vintage comics (pre-1975), mostly Marvel and DC, that have been sitting boarded and bagged in my basement for decades. I've been considering beginning to sell them. I had one certified (Amazing Spider-man #50) about 15 years ago with PGX because it was the most cost effective at the time. I've been looking into the cost and turn-around for getting some of my higher value comics certified and slabbed but I've been disillusioned by the turn-around time. I simply can't bring myself to wait 194 days (by one estimate with CGC) before I can begin marketing it. Which brings up the next question: What's the best venue for selling comics? I don't care for Ebay because of all of the fees and their practice of nickel-and-diming you to death. I'm still in research mode but this site seems reasonable. I'm not in a hurry to sell them and I see myself selling them piecemeal over several years as the mood seizes me. Just trying to get a better feel for options.

Hi oaktrimmer - This is a tough on to comment on for many reasons, the most relevant being my affiliation with the site, so of course in an ideal world you were happy slowly selling your books here on Nosto. To be fair, the motivation for developing a marketplace here has been the high fees on places like eBay. Over 20% is just too big a slice of the pie. And while I tout the value of certification for the right books, the turnaround time you mention is actually my biggest complaint. IMO certification shines when you have a high value item, are in no rush, and would really benefit from the assurance that your book has not been messed with - to remove any doubt there has been any restoration done. We are a big fan of Heritage here at Nosto. What you get is a respected, extremely high quality venue in every regard, with a huge audience. It's the one venue where you honestly don't need to slab your book beforehand to get great value with quick turnaround. Their graders and catalogers are so good that buyers trust what they are bidding on, even without the slab. I hear great things about MyComicShop too for lower end items. The good news is that you only decided now to start selling, and are in no big rush. Now and certainly for years to come, is the ideal time to start slowly selling a collection. Welcome to the site! PS - start entering your items in My Lists. One of the key benefits of Nostomania that few collectors realize, is we do a calculation and tell you which comics would benefit from slabbing and which not to bother with!

Thanks, starman! I appreciate your input very much. I just spent the last 30 minutes pulling my 7 boxes out from under the stairs in the basement and skimming through them. I have a big job ahead of me to generate a detailed catalog. I also intend to get the premium membership, but I have to get my PayPal account funded and up-to-snuff since that appears to be the only way to pay for a membership. I haven't used my PayPal account for probably 15 years back when I was doing some ebay stuff.

I actually created a Nosto account back in 2007 but did nothing with it. At the time, I had created a list of my higher value items but, no surprise, it's no longer there. That's okay since I intend to create a detailed inventory in the coming days. I'm retired so I have a lot of free time.

I will look into Heritage and MyComicShop. Thanks for the heads up.

Looking forward to exploring the premium content for the site.

Hi OAKTRIMMER...welcome to the forum!

Sounds like you have quite an enjoyable project ahead of you.
I have had many books in my collection graded and encapsulated mainly for
preservation. The day will come when they will be sold off but for now I just
enjoy having them protected...plus they look great.
Good luck and keep us updated on your progress.

Marty

Thanks Martymann. Looking forward to it!

I know the slabbing feeling. Do I or don’t I. That’s why I came up with this in between solution. Visit my link and tell me what you think
https://www.comicbookgradinglabels.com/comicradle-grading/

Hi mbruni. Your interesting solution certainly seems more time-efficient and cost effective. I suspect that it's influence on sale price is mitigated by the lack of an official grading certification. It behooves me to become an accomplished grader and to convince potential buyers that the grade is "certifiable". I applaud your industry though!

I don't see myself ever settling for turnaround times of several months to get anything certified and slabbed. I've been poring over my Overstreet Grading Guide and comparing it to the grading guide on Nosto. I'm even watching some YouTube videos on the topic. Not sure how far I want to take this. I really appreciate the "Uncertified" column on the Nosto price lists. That's most likely the way I'll go. I'm currently developing the list that I will eventually submit to Nosto.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 05-08-2022 06:52:54

Hello Oaktrimmer, The ComiCraddle is a step above the raw grade condition, meaning that any serious collector after a few thousand or a few years practicing grading, can approximate a slabbed grade within 1 to 1.5 CGC grade level. Usually, I tend to grade on the conservative side. The COMICradle is unique by offering a QR Code that you can scan with your phone’s camera to show you the current value on this Nostomania site. It also protects your investment until you want to get it certified slabbed by these 3rd party services. Nostomania and Comicbookgradinglabels approached this concept over a year ago and continue to improve the product. The COMICradle is an answer to comic book values between $75 up to $150. We have had a good response so far to the COMICradle. Good luck in you decision. Happy Grading and Collecting!