Well, it’s Wednesday, and thanks to vacations or other what
not, it’s been a few since we managed a post here at Let Your Geek Show. Today,
I’ll be focusing on DC Universe Rebirth speculating and flipping, which is a
topic just about everyone can relate to. If you’ve been into a comic book store
over the past few weeks you have likely noticed the cool blue DC Comics logos
across the tops of several books, and many of these issues have exploded on the
secondary market.
The first thing to keep in mind if you are a flipper is that
timing is everything. With a major event like Rebirth, it’s easy to get caught
up in all the hoopla and hype surrounding it. At the New Dimension Comics
location I work at, we’ve been selling out of every type of Rebirth title
imaginable. That’s a big deal. However, on my recent business
trip/vacation/week in Hades in the Orlando area, one thing became very clear to
me on the Rebirth success: Some retailers are making the most of the 100% returnable
part of the series.
In several (read: ALL) the shops I went to (Four BTW), there
were plenty of Rebirth Batman, Flash, Aquaman, Green Arrow, and more, and
plenty of #1’s as well. Since some of those issues are weeks old, I was amazed,
because flippers have been putting up and out for a few weeks now online
turning in nearly double that $2.99 cover price. However, all those issues on
shelves in a major area (face it there are more people in the Orlando area than
here north of Pittsburgh), mean something key to flippers and speculators—the value
is likely short lived.
All those issues, and there were excess of 75 or so per
location on average, means a glut on the market. Whether those are destroyed
when returned to DC or not remain to be seen, but if even a portion of them
find a way to market, all that pent up demand gets met quickly dropped the
price of the book (for you economics folks that’s basic supply and demand).
This whole situation points to striking while the iron is
hot, and red hot from the way things are going to turn a profit and maximize
the return. While I don’t personally have a problem with flippers (I do have a
problem with one person buying twenty-five copies of the same issue to sell online
though one or two is a different story), folks not actually reading these
Rebirth stories are doing themselves a disservice, because they are for the
most part a lot of fun. At least, they are better than that “Villains’ Month”
crap a few years ago.
So there you have it, if you are speculating with DC
Universe Rebirth for the long run, you might be in for a wait, but if you are
flipping short-term you might just have a nice little profit on your hands.
However, if the demand continues to grow, and signs point that they will, you
might be better off being a speculator for maximizing your value. It’s always
tough to say, but just by being involved in comics, you are after all, letting
your geek show, and that my friends is tremendous.
