How to Buy Comic Books Online

Determine the market value of the comic book issue you want to buy. Get a current price guide, such as the "Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide" by Robert M. Overstreet, available at HA.com, and look up the value of a mint condition example of the issue in question (see Resources below). Then, value the matching issues you've found based on their condition, devaluing them according to their grade (mint, near mint, excellent, very good, good, fair, poor).

Set up a PayPal account (see Resources below). The majority of online sellers prefer electronic fund transfers to secure payment. As an alternative, you can make arrangements to send the seller a cashier's check or money order in exchange for the comic books you want to buy.

View images of the comic book being offered for sale. Assess its condition, and determine whether the seller's asking price is fair. If so, contact the seller and negotiate a price for the sale. Check out ComicsPriceGuide.com for a detailed comic book condition-rating guide (see Resources below).

Bid for the comic book if the seller has posted it for sale on an online auction site like eBay or HA.com (see Resources below). These sites are among the most popular resources hobbyists and collectors use to buy and sell collectibles. If the seller has not established a reserve price, you might even be able to snag the issue for less than market value if you outbid your competitors but keep the final price below market value.

Submit your payment to the seller according to her terms and conditions. This likely includes you picking up the tab for any shipping costs, and paying any insurance fees. It's not a bad idea to insure a valuable comic book before it's shipped, just in case something happens along the way.

Inspect the comic book closely upon its arrival. Make sure it lives up to the claims made by the seller. If not, take action against the seller--this is why it's necessary to acquire and confirm the complete contact information of the person you're buying from.