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If you are selling your comic books face-to-face – either at comic shows, over the phone, from other comic dealers, or from folks responding to your ads – you need to be able to negotiate in order to get top dollar for your comics.
Here are six tips that will help you get dollars versus pennies when selling your comics in person.
Tip #1: Be willing to negotiate all the time. Some comic sellers are timid about talking money. However, being unwilling to engage in “money-talk” can cost you a lot of money. There are a lot of comic buyers who are experienced negotiators. If they can see you’re reluctant to negotiate over your comics, many will take advantage of that fact and low ball you for your comics or not talk to you at all.
Tip #2: Don’t get emotionally involved. One big mistake many amateur comic sellers make is to become too emotionally attached to their comics. They’ve had them for years and have an inflated feeling about what they’re worth. Be objective – and leave your pride or ego at the door. You’re much more likely to get the price you want that way.
Tip #3: Never be the first person to name a figure. This is an expensive lesson to have to learn, but a good one. I’ve sold a lot of comics face-to-face, and one of the first questions I’m usually asked is “How much will you take for that comic?” Before I learned my lesson, I often found myself blurting out a figure that was lower than what I really wanted. These days, I’ve learned the importance of getting the buyer to say a number first. Now, I respond to that question by asking “How much are you willing to pay?” Often, I’m shocked to discover they’re offering me a better deal than I thought they were.
Tip #4: Ask for more than you expect to get. Once the comic buyer has given their figure, even if it’s much better than you expected, say something like “I think you’ll have to do better than that”. Don’t be arrogant or aggressive. Just say it calmly. When they ask what you want, ask for more than you expect to get. Few people will walk away from a deal once it’s begun, and you can let the other person feel as if they’re winning by lowering your “price” just a bit at a time.
Tip #5: Don’t act too interested. Just giving the impression that you’re willing to walk away can do wonders for getting a better price for your comics. Always play the reluctant seller.
Tip #6: Don’t leave comic buyer as if they’ve been cheated. Many comic sellers try to screw every last drop of blood from every comic buyer they negotiate with. This is a mistake. If the other person feels they’ve been cheated, it can come back to bite you. They may tell other comic buyers. Or refuse to deal with you in the future. Be willing to give up things that don’t really matter to you in order to create a feeling of goodwill. For example, if I’ve often tossed in a few comics the buyer has wanted at 50% off in order to close the deal and make the buyer feel good.
write by Fergal