Been buying and reselling comics long enough to get burned a few times, so here's the honest checklist I run before any key issue goes in my cart — whether it's a raw book or a slabbed CGC copy.

1. Page quality over grade number. A 9.0 with bright white pages often outsells a 9.4 with tanning. Ask for interior shots, not just the cover slab photo.

1. First appearance ≠ automatic value. Plenty of "first appearances" are background cameos nobody remembers. Know WHY a character's first appearance matters before you pay a premium for it.

1. Print run context. A 1986 DC book and a 1993 Marvel book had wildly different print runs. Scarcity isn't just about age — it's about how many actually survived in the grade you're looking at.

I run CollectorbyDay the same way I'd want to be sold to: no countdown timers, no "only 1 left!!" pressure — just an honest look at real books (Outsiders #34, Akira #15, and a CGC 9.8 X-Men book with a Bishop appearance are up right now) and the story behind why each one is worth a second look.

Happy to answer questions on grading, print runs, or what a book is actually worth vs. what it's listed for — that's the whole point of this space.