Weighing in on DC Universe Rebirth Speculators and Flippers

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.