Comic Buying Center — Local services in Libertyville

After a brief intro phone call last week, Mike came in from the suburbs to my house in Chicago today and spent several hours evaluating my 3,600-book collection. He's a true pro and a nice guy.

I decided I would probably sell to CBC after hearing about their program of setting out lightly picked boxes (major keys pulled) at five bucks a book at the beginning of the month and then dropping the price to a buck on remaining stock at the end of the month. Cool way to keep the collectors engaged and give them a shot at some nice finds. Those are the kind of people you want to do business with.

If you are selling a collection, the biggest difference between having a positive experience and a bad one is in setting realistic expectations. I told Mike I wanted us both to do well in the transaction and that I know guide prices often don't reflect market realities. After that, it was a mellow process marked by good conversation.

The price we negotiated was a fair one and I felt this collection--which I built from the ages of 7 to 16 from a combo of diligently buying new books and making the rounds of second-hand stores back in the days when you could stumble on an entire box of Silver Age superhero titles for cover price--was going to a good home.

If I sent the major keys out to be graded and sold them individually on eBay, I probably could have tripled the payout, but I don't have the time or inclination to do that. CBC will very likely double the money, which is perfectly fair. The collection was assembled with passion and I smile at the thought of collectors going through my 15 long boxes and fishing out some gems.

I would recommend these guys to any collector looking to sell. If I was still a kid, I'm sure I'd be camped out there on the first day of every month....

Having been in sales, I know the value of a review. Most people only get on line to give a review to complain. Not the case here. As a retired baby boomer who read his comics and was now ready to sell them, I am glad I contacted these gentlemen. Peter, the owner, actually came to my house and evaluated the entire collection (and did not consume my entire afternoon!) He and his warehouse are about an hour and a half from me, so it was a blessing that I did not have to pack up my books and lug them around. He was pleasant and respectful, answering my questions. I was glad to hear he has been full time in the business since 2006 along with his wife. That showed stability and character to me. (Can't be ripping off people and remain in this type of business that long.) He explained the value of the comics I had, ranging from the Warren series and including the familiar Marvel and DC. I was shocked at the price I was quoted since it was higher than expected given the condition of some of the books. Give them a call if you are ready to sell, and they will walk you through the process on the phone. I trust you will be as pleased as was I with...

I wanted to give a big shout out to the Comic Buying Center in Libertyville. I recently decided to part with a 251 issue comic book collection that I inherited 7 years ago when my father passed. I first did my own research with the Overstreet Guide. I subsequently brought my collection in for a free evaluation. I interacted with Mike and Pete and they were extremely knowledgable and professional. I felt that they offered me a fairly valuation for my collection which contained some rare and marketable issues. I chose to seek out a second opinion from a local comic book seller which was a nightmare. I was advised that I had nothing of value and offered $100 for my entire collection. This was either a dishonest attempt to obtain my collection for essentially nothing or the owner doesn't really know his business. I returned to the Comic Buying Center and was paid $5,000 for my collection. Pete is a very honest and professional individual and I would recommend him and his business without hesitation. As my story above illustrates, there are many others in this business who are not so forthright. ...