Why Most Online Comic Price Checks Are Misleading
If you’ve ever searched “how accurate are online comic price guides?” after looking up one of your comics, there’s a good chance this happened:
You saw one copy listed for £5.
Another for £50.
Another for £500.
Same comic. Same issue. Wildly different prices. So which one is right?
The uncomfortable truth is that most online price checks are not valuations at all... They’re just random asking prices floating in the digital void.
And if you’re trying to work out what your collection is worth, that distinction can cost you thousands.
Let’s break down what’s really going on.
1. Asking Price vs. Sold Price: The Most Important Difference
Here’s the rule most people don’t realise:
A comic is not worth what someone is asking for it - it’s worth what someone actually pays.
The golden rule, is that anything is worth exactly what people are willing to pay for it. Marketplaces like eBay, Etsy, and even comic shop websites are filled with fantasy prices, dreamed up from the minds of people without a clue. These are still visible, and for sale, because no one is willing to pay the price they're asking it's as simple as that.
Sellers list comics at:
None of that matters unless the book sells.
Professional buyers only look at:
Those numbers show real money changing hands, and they’re often far lower than the prices you see advertised.
2. Condition Is Almost Always Ignored Online
Most online price checks assume something that is seldom true: That your comic is in Near Mint condition.
In reality, most raw comics from collections fall into:
That alone can drop a comic’s value by 50–90% compared to guide prices.
Online tools rarely account for:
-
Spine ticks
-
Colour rub
-
Creases
-
Page quality
-
Staple rust
-
Small tears
Two copies of the same comic can be worth both £5, and £500. They might look “fine” on a blurry photo, but there's a world of difference between just fine, and near mint.
3. Price Guides Are Always Behind the Market
Printed guides and online databases are:
-
Updated slowly
-
Based on limited data
-
Averaged across grades
-
Often influenced by hype
By the time a price appears in a guide, the market may already have moved on. Especially in a market environment like the volatile comic book market, where individual books can drop or rise 100% in a day. Can you imagine the manpower required to stay on top of this? Yes, some if it can be automated, but those automated crawlers often struggle to differentiate between graded and raw copies, signed copies, and variants.
That’s why a comic can:
All three numbers can exist at once, but only one reflects reality.
4. Speculation Distorts Online Prices
Movies, TV shows, and rumours create massive price spikes. Online listings explode, but most of those comics never sell at those inflated prices. Unless you know what you're doing, the speculative market is the most dangerous part of the game to try and play. Miss the point of sale, and you're going to loose a tonne.
Dealers know:
-
What demand will survive
-
What is short-term hype
-
What will crash
Online price checks do not.
5. Why This Matters for Collections
When people come to us at Fantasy Road, they often say:
“I checked eBay and my collection is worth about £12,000.”
After real condition grading and market comparison, the actual number might be £6,000… or £18,000... Because real value only exists where buyers and money meet.
The Professional Valuation Difference
Here’s what real valuation includes:
-
Accurate grading
-
Sold-price data
-
Demand trends
-
Run completeness
-
Rarity
-
Saleability
This is how collections are actually priced when real cash is involved.
The Trustworthy Way to Find Out What Your Comics Are Worth
At Fantasy Road Comics, we don’t use wishful thinking or outdated guides.
We:
-
Assess condition properly
-
Use live market data
-
Price based on real buyer demand
-
And make you a genuine buy offer
If you want a real-world valuation without the headache, start here:
No guesswork. No inflated hopes. Just honest, professional comic book appraisal.
