Emerald Dragon Books 316 W. Texas Ave. Baytown, TX 77520 Contact Us
Order by Phone - 832.856.2800 Tue – Sat 11AM CST – 7PM CST Closed Sundays and Mondays
We primarily buy comic books and related collectibles including hardback and paperback books, toys, action figures, games, DVD's, Blu-Ray’s and other collectibles related to comic books, science fiction, fantasy, horror, cartoons/cartooning and animation, we are primarily interested in items from before 1980.
Below are some examples of the type of questions we are often asked.
Q: How does the buy process work? Determining the value of used comics, books and collectibles is not an exact science, but there are primary factors we always consider when buying used merchandise of any kind: condition, and supply and demand. Condition is integral to value.
Q: Can you tell me what you'll give me for a certain comic or other item? Not all items are equal, and, no, we don't buy by the pound. We need to actually see a comic book (or portfolio, fanzine, card, hardback, paperback or whatever) before we can make an offer on it. It's hard to evaluate any item without seeing it and touching it, and then offer money for it. Please feel free to call or email us first; we can usually let you know by email, chat or over the phone in general terms how interested we are in a particular item; we can tell you whether or not we see it come in often, whether or not it's out-of-date, or whether or not it may have some collectible value. We want to be helpful, but we don't want to mislead you, or make promises we can't keep.
Q: So, what kind of items do you like to see? Basically, we will pay a higher percentage for comic books or other items that we see less often. In general, comic books published before 1980 are typically going to get the highest offers. Comics published after 1980 and items manufactured after 1980 tend to be what we see the most of. We do not normally pay as much for those as for older comics and other items, because our supply and the overall availability of most comics and items from after 1980 is very great.
Q: And what kind of items do you hope not to see? Well, let me say again that we will be happy to look at any collectibles related to comic books, science fiction, fantasy, horror, cartoons/cartooning and animation, 19th. And 20th. century art and illustration and make an offer. Again, we are primarily interested in items from before 1980, and our offers for items are based upon supply and demand.
Q: What about trade paperbacks and reprint collections? Most publishers produce inexpensive trade paperback editions and reprint collections of popular titles, and these seldom have much resale value. Unlike many dealers, we do stock some used trade paperbacks and reprint collections, so we won't turn you away if you bring them in. Our price on used trade paperbacks and reprint collections is considerably less than the new price, and those that we see often are sold very inexpensively, sometimes by the box lot. You can normally look up most books / trade paperbacks / graphics novels on amazon.com - if a book / trade paperback / graphics novel is available on amazon inexpensively, then we will probably either make no offer or offer very little. It's strictly a question of supply and demand, a great many titles have enormous supply and very low demand.
Q: What about Movies? Not buying VHS/DVD's/Blu-Rays currently.
Q: What about Games and related accessories? We do buy and sell quality Card Singles, D&D books and manuals, tabletop games such as LOTR, any games related to comics, science fiction, fantasy or animation basically. We prefer to have the complete packaging, and, as with everything else, certain items sell better than others.
Q: What about Sports Cards, Collectible Card Games and Non-Sports cards? We do not buy sell or trade Sports Cards. We are always interested in Magic/MTG - Yu-Gi-Oh - Pokemon and other non-sports cards, we buy, sell and trade singles, collections and bulk accumulations. Please contact us directly for details.
Q: What about Toys and Action Figures? We buy and sell used toys and action figures as well as busts and maquettes that are related to comic books, science fiction, fantasy, horror, cartoons/cartooning and animation. We prefer to have the complete packaging, and again, as with everything else, certain items sell better than others.
Q: What kinds of Magazines do you buy? We do buy magazines, including pulps, that are related to comics, fantasy, science fiction, animation or other related genres. We prefer magazines from before 1980. Many magazines dating from the sixties and earlier are collectible and sought-after.
Q: What kinds of Vinyl Records do you buy? We do buy used vinyl records, primarily 33 and 78 RPM, we prefer records from before 1980 (With some notable post-1980 exceptions, including Punk, Metal, Industrial, Noise, Experimental, MFSL pressings, etc.) Rock, Blues, Jazz, Rockabilly and Psychedelia are the primary genres we are interested in. Most especially, with records, condition is very much integral to value.
Q: How do I know if my books are collectible? Know the edition and know the condition. There are many features you can check to find out if your book is a first edition or another desirable edition. The Official Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide is printed annually and is a great resource. In general, condition is key, the better the condition, the more desirable a comic is. A very good online guide to grading can be viewed here
Q: What about ephemera? Printed ephemera are paper collectibles other than comics, books and magazines. Items that fall into the category of ephemera include postcards, advertisements, movie and other posters, cardboard standups, model kits, slurpee cups, fanzines, lobby cards, lunch boxes and many more items. They are mementos and symbols of our social and cultural history. We love to see all kinds of ephemera related to comics, science fiction, fantasy, horror, cartoons and other animated genres come in and we are happy to make an offer for any cool or unusual ephemera.
Have a question you don't see on this page? Call us - Phone - 832.856.2800 Tue – Sat 11AM CST – 7PM CST Closed Sundays and Mondays, email us ! contact (at) emeralddragonbooks.com , use our handy contact us webform or use our live chat - we will normally respond within 24 hours.