Had a guy try to trade me a rare variant for a water bill at the register

I work at a comic shop part time and last Saturday this dude comes up with a stack of books he wants to sell. He kept insisting his first print of The Walking Dead #1 was worth enough to cover his water bill and then some... I told him the condition was rough and he got super defensive about how I didn't know what I was talking about. Finally had to pull up the GPA data on my phone to show him recent sales. Anyone else deal with customers who think their beat up comics are worth thousands?

2 comments

2 Comments

sandralee1mo ago

Well now, I have to say I'm on the guy's side here a little bit. You pulled up GPA data on your phone which is fair, but condition is subjective and some people put a lot of stock in sentimental value over market price. I once saw a mangled copy of Amazing Fantasy #15 sell for a nice chunk just because it was a real original, not a reprint. Maybe that Walking Dead book looked rough to you but had some personal meaning to him, and he figured the shop could work with him a bit. Plus, water bills are no joke these days, and if he was desperate, a little understanding from the register could have gone a long way.

jordan1341mo ago

Wait, you think sentimental value should cover someone's water bill? That's not how business works. The store has bills to pay too, and taking a beat up book at a higher price just because the owner is attached to it doesn't pay the landlord. If I went into a grocery store and tried to trade a worn out pair of sneakers for my groceries because they have "sentimental value," they'd laugh me out the door. The guy might have been in a rough spot, but it's not the shop's job to overpay for a book that's only worth $20 in that condition. That Amazing Fantasy #15 you mentioned was valuable because it's a key book with demand not because of feelings. The Walking Dead #1 has a lot of copies out there, and rough ones don't move.