I really wish 60% more eBay sellers would watch this video. I've passed up key books because their pictures just weren't enough for me to confidently bid. I won't even entertain a stock photo. Merry Christmas Regie!
regarding your 1st example of taking only photo......ive seen so many people buying mega keys and grails in TH-cam auctions (spending hundreds of dollars) just by looking at the front cover and not requesting to ask the seller to see what the comic looks like on the back cover. unbelievable. great content and video!!
My wife happened to walk by and said she wants to watch this video. I’m not 100% positive but I think the title specifically the part about selling your comics is what caught her attention. 🥺Merry Christmas to you and yours Regie. 🎄
I used to scan my comics before selling them. The scanner would show the dings or creases. Then take close up photos with a camera. Now this was 14 years ago.
😲great idea with the index card! i used to struggle with trying to properly highlight defects. I use a q-tip or a toothpick with a colored tip now, but still important to note that no one wants to see fingers in the photos! Now, if people could figure out how proper lighting is arranged
I watch a lot of your videos. For content like this... it's just nice to know if I ever decide to start selling some comics. But on the flips. When I want to buy something. It's nice to have some knowledge.
Thus far the most essential helpful video that I've seen on comic book pictures and other people should watch this video most definitely because I've learned so much in the past 24 minutes that I have in a year appreciate you 💯💯💯
Lol. You are very welcome. The goal is to create content that educates, informs and entertains. This one was definitely in the education column due to a whole lot of bad picture taking out there. Lol.
Solid advice Regie. There's a ton of Comic Sellers on Ebay who could benefit from this video. I wish the guy who I bought a lot of books from this week took better photos. The pictures were very deceiving 😥. Something you might want to consider since you are limited to 12 photos on Ebay I use an app called photo collage. You can have multiple photos and use only 1 photo. I use it for Toys I sell on Ebay. I'm very meticulous so if I need more than 12 photos I use photo collage to condense photos of corners etc.
Before you use any cloth on the cover of your book make sure it's clean (yes, even new cloths fresh out of the bag, or just washed) by using it on a clean piece of glass, like the front glass of a tablet. Put your eyeglasses on and use a flashlight to see if there are any smudges on the glass. This could be residue from the manufacturing process or traces of fabric softener from washing. Fabric softener can build up in your washer and dryer. Especially if you use fabric softener sheets in the dryer. (read you dryer's manual, they mention how dryer sheet residue can coat the humidity sensor so the dryer won't work as well.
Most informative video I've seen for taking pics of your comics. I'm now happily a new subscriber and will spend my evening binging all of your videos as I take pics of all the comics I will be selling! Much love from Texas!
great info. these tips i think can work for anything your trying to sell on ebay or anywhere else. especially the lighting tip where you don't cast your own shadow on the product your trying to sell. I also kinda got the vibe you were prepping that ghost rider #1 for me !!!
@@mburns89 I use a scanner majority of the time it is great. I have a big one for legal size documents or art even Marvel treasure edition books I can scan the full cover.
One of the best video’s I’ve seen on taking photos of comics. I would be interested to know if that is just a standard desk lamp and what type size bulb it has, standard or fluorescent. Also where did you get that nice mat. Thank you for your time Regie 🤘
LED table top light from Amazon. A pair were like $24. The mat is something that I had custom made years ago that I planned to release as a Regie Collects product.
If you're photographing a lot of comics buy a copy stand with lights on both sides. It will save you hours photographing your comics. Ones with a grid layout on the board can help you place the books in the center of the images. Put sheets of polarizing materia over the lights and over the front of the lens. Rotate until reflections are mostly, or all, gone. I've tried buying a dedicated scanner of the type that can focus properly on a comic in a slab. HP Scanjet 8270, and it often does a good job but with some books it will have glare over the bottom edge of the slab.
Great tips, In my eBay store I try to use all 12 photos available to us. I take an image of the Cover, back cover all the corners and inside of the book as well. and if there are any defects I close up on it as well. Sharing this to my facebook page. and yes always clean the cameras lens! Thanks Regie!
Regie, as a retired pro photographer I can suggest removing anything from around the comic that isn't black, gray or white. In this instance your phone is in a red case. Light hitting that case will reflect off and pick up some of that red color, which can throw off the color balance of your comic. Moving that red microfiber cloth farther away from the comic was a good step. Also, you can remove reflections from the comic or slab by putting polarizing material over the light source and the lens. Rotate both to remove reflections or greatly reduce them.
Polarizing material? What kind of material would this be/where would you suggest to purchase some? Could you elaborate on taking the glare off please. I don’t sell comics but I’m starting an ig page for my collection and glare is the number one issue I’m having right now I’m moving all over my house trying to find different light sources and going crazy.
Excellent advice at 19:57. Always remember to give your back side a wipe to remove debris. Ha. Seriously though, where did you get the monogrammed mat?
Thank you for this show Regie watched it this morning its kind of perfect timing being that I plan on trying to sell some books for the first time today. I've already posted 1 book for sell on ig now I wanna go take it down & take more pics of different angles of the book thanks again for this video such great timing and BTW I bought one of those Ghost Rider books from you lol 👊
I think you should put a small arrow on the index card. Someone could think you are covering something with the card instead of using the corner to point. But overall I love the idea 💡
THANK YOU REGIE!! This was a great informative video. I always stuggle with photo quality when I list items on ebay. Mainly cards and comics. This video has been very helpful with a couple of tips that I been lacking. Oh! And I love your book choice for the demonstration! 😉 🔥💀🔥
Thnx for the info this is somthing I needed to hear . Now I know how I can take better fotos of comi s and sell a littel beter . Right now I can only buy books I want like I bot an batman 100 viriant cover 9.6 cgc (2020) but i played with my money not the money i get out of selling some comics . But I do not have anay big comics for sell . This hobby if so fun buying the comics some statue for show and tell it's an amazing hobby but it is 100% not an easy hobby . Like today I was going tru my comics and I have so so many incomplete sets j realy beed to start completing but then again I always see a book I want to buy 😂 . Thnx for the helpful vid . And MERRY XMAS 🎄
Hi Regie. How about a video instructing how to take images of slabbed comics. Currently I use an HP Scanjet 8300 purchased off of eBay for this purpose. I am curious how people are actually using a camera setup to do this without all the glare reflecting off of the plastic slab.
Happy Holidays to you and your family Regie! Great video and photo tips! I was just researching recommendations for taking pictures of comic books covers for listing. I've always had issues with glare or reflections. I did order a Ompait 37MM Professional cell phone camera polarizer clip on lens off of Amazon for $11.99 for my iPhone off of Amazon to help with glare. I'll test when it comes in next week. Can you post another video of helpful tips for slabbed comics? Thanks!
Great vid! Very helpful. Have you or could you post a vid showing tips for photographing slabs and metal/chrome covers? I’m having real problems with glare on these and getting the images to pop on the metal covers. LMK, thanks man
Thanks. Process is basically the same. Turn out the overhead lights. Stand back, zoom in from angle. It may be helpful to put something small behind the top 1/4 of the book/slab to angle it.
Here’s a video as well: th-cam.com/video/Dg71wFlZhf4/w-d-xo.html Generally speaking if you search TH-cam for Regie Collects plus a term you will find videos. Hope the video above will help.
@@RegieCollects much appreciated, thank you so much for taking the time to help me out. The best pics I ever took were outside on my porch in the late afternoon when the sun was at a low angle and it was slightly overcast. Looks like timing is important and I’ll need to try to reserve time for this specific activity, also I’ll start experimenting with other rooms in the house and try to achieve ample yet indirect sunlight. I did purchase some polarizing films but haven’t figured out how to work them. Ultimately I’m going to set up a dedicated imaging workspace with proper lighting and surfaces and a stationary jig for my cellphone. I really do appreciate the advice 👍
The mat isn’t available at present. It’s something that I made which may be rolled out via my website. The LED light is morning special, you can get one from Amazon for $12. Cleaning clothes and kits are available on RegieCollects.com or you can just use a microfiber cloth.
Another great video Regie! One thing I will toss in on the second example you gave. EBay from time to time has offered to do their background removal just like you are seeing in that posting. Could be the user altering it, or it could have been ebays tools?
@@RegieCollects totally agree with it not looking natural. I have declined ebays auto picture modifier every time it has come up. I tend to post a lot of pictures as well. Never want to have the dreaded "this is not the same as the pictures"
Thanks so much for the great tips... Man I need um.😂I havent sold any comics as of yet. But I do want to thin out my collection mostly books that are not apart of my collection goal.The index card is a great idea. Will there be/is there a video to help determine shipping cost?
I have a series of older and newer videos that get into shipping methods: th-cam.com/video/YzyfmDeDyvs/w-d-xo.html th-cam.com/video/TcOYQZMF8wI/w-d-xo.html
Hey Regie. Merry Christmas! I have been looking for a good matt to safely work on comics. Are you able to tell me where you got yours or what material its made out of? Thanks!
Just came across this when looking at some of your older videos. Those ebay postings with lazy photos drive me crazy especially when some angles are blurry. Were they drunk when posting? or the cropped edges - what are they hiding? Or when they post one photo in the bag on a stand from far away - I mean who's gonna buy that? Sheesh - with a little more effort they could get the FMV for the book. Anyway I do have one question and it is the lighting source. I don't list a ton of books, and usually have the best luck on a cloudy day using natural light. What lighting were you using in the video? Follow-up question: how do you photograph slabs without getting glare/reflection? Thanks!
Sounds like I need to do a few follow up videos. Lol. I tend to turn off the overhead lights and use an LED light pointed at the comic. It’s to the right of these comics in the video. Natural light is best but not always dependable hence the LED. For slabs I tend to put them on the floor in a well lit room (using natural light) with the overhead lights off. I use my cell phone camera to zoom down to avoid casting my shadow on the book.
Hey Regie. I am one of the sellers whose listing (uncanny x-men 282) you demoed in your video of bad photos :) Although I 100% agree with all your advice in the video on how to take good photos of comics when selling them, I feel that my listing requires some justification and an explanation of why your advice would not have applied so well in my case. When I created my listing it was for the purpose of selling 10 issues of Uncanny X-Men 282 (you happened to have stumbled upon my listing when there was the last issue left). All of these issues were of the same grade (7.0 FN/VF) and hence I created only one listing with a quantity of 10. In this situation, it was not possible for me take detailed photos of all the 10 issues and it certainly would not have made sense to take detailed photos of only one of the issues. The reason being is that if I did take detailed photos of one of the issues, it would have been deceptive to the buyer, because it would be very unlikely that they would receive that same exact issue. Hence taking only one photo and keeping that issue in the bag, served the purpose of providing a generic representation of what was being sold. As such, for this listing, I would have to rely on my reputation (seller rating and feedback) to convince the buyer that my description of the comic was accurate. Obviously some buyers would not go for this and probably avoided purchasing my books, but I did sell all of them in less than 3 months (all without getting any negative feedback or disputes). So, something must have worked right in my favor. I know, and some might say that I could have listed each book separately by creating 10 separate listings, each one with detailed photos. However, to them I say "time is money" and I certainly didn't have the time to do 10 separate listings, certainly not for a book that sells for around $14. Even if I did, I am not sure it would have yielded me any better returns in this particular case. That being said, when I sell any book that is worth over $50, I try make sure to take as many detailed photos as possible. Overall, your video on this subject was great and my listing did serve its purpose for your demonstration :) Keep the great content coming.
Bro, you have my apologies I probably should’ve blocked out the sellers names in this video. It’s honestly did not occur to me during the editing process. Sorry about that. 👊🏾
@@RegieCollects no worries, I didn't have any problems with my ebay name being shown. Just thought to point out that some situations require different approaches. Lol, what were the odds of you picking my listing out of all the other ones available on ebay, and the fact that I happen to be watching the vid. I gotta go play the lotto.
Comics might be the only thing I use the profile orientation to take pictures of, 99% of the time I'm a landscape guy Great pointers, I shoot (heh) for all of the same things, I can't believe I didn't think to use a printer in my pictures though! I use one in videos, but not my pictures!
Great video Regie. I watch your videos very frequently. Not to be a downer but did you ask the sellers if it was ok to use them as an example? It is good insight for them but its almost saying don't buy from them. I would have blocked out their seller names.
Nope. And, it didn’t even occur to me. That was my bad. With that said, one of the sellers actually commented and agreed with my assessment. He also provided some rationale which is beneficial for all.
Thanks bro. It's been awhile since I created/watched this video but putting a cloth over the light cuts down on harshness, using indirect natural light is also good. The same can be said with shifting your body and the camera...put another way, do not stand directly over the book. Take a step back and zoom in, stand to the side, etc. Maybe an updated video is needed. I never did create one for slabs. :-)
@@RegieCollects much appreciated. I've been collecting since I was 10 yrs old. After the divorce, sold some of my collection to compensate. They came in handy 💪😆💪. Still got a decent amount in quantity and quality. I used to place my phone on top of a clean 1/8" window pane and take pics at the comics below. 🤔 Your suggestion, to avoid glare, a cloth shear or sheet, excellent I will employ that method. Thanks
Helpful vid for those not showing their comics off to the best extent-I often yell at listings with poor photos😡! What’s your take on the ‘I’m not a professional grader so make your own decision on the grade’ listings? Do you put a grade on yours? Cheers Regie
No honestly because none of that matters. The real questions are what equipment and software do you have? Which do you know how to use? Those are the best. I started out with a hand me down iPad, a $20 mic from Amazon and a single light in my kitchen. I used what I had and upgraded from there.
It seems like you are more of a grading detective...as a seller I don't point out every imperfection I give the book an overall rating eg G/F/VF etc. And I think that is what is most important. I take the front cover showing the 4 corners,the back showing the 4 corners as well and the interior on the page where the masthead is. I think Im going to add spine angle as well. Thanks for the info....question....how do you do photo shoots for sets....say house of M 1-6?
My goal is to provide my folks with a real sense of what they are buying. Put another way, a G is a grade but it does not tell you what defects resulted in that grade. The photos and descriptions provide context to the grade because not ever Good is created equally. 😏 If I am doing a set I would take photos of the set front and back out of the bags. I would also provide up-close detailed photos of the more expensive book(s) within that set as the value typically resides in a handful of books. Hope this helps.
@@RegieCollects Cool. Thanks for the quick response. I have been using overhead ceiling LED and battling glare and shadow. Your tip about turning off all other lights is a good one. Obvious once you mention it! I am just getting started in selling…still noodling how to start, where to sell…whether I use PayPal with Facebook or go to eBay or Whatnot. At least I have my books in CLZ…and with Covrprice integration coming I will have some sense on pricing. Best to maximize display with your tips!
Cool video! Great tips and love the in-depth on the photos and why you take them! I am trying to pick up a slab of Marvel Team Up 141 and they have 3 photos. Hopefully this works out but that his been on my wish list awhile. The listings you found were great examples of what not to do. That matt your using looks really nice I need to find one like that.
@@RegieCollects Sorry. Both this and the companion video are AWESOME and I wish more sellers would use these tips. The problem I'm trying to solve is SPEED, for dealing with high volume, low value comics, in which a single front cover image will do. The key is that I want to be able to take the pic as quickly as possible (a few seconds max), without glare, and move on to the next book. I've tried a bunch of things, but they consistently end up being either too time-consuming, or else introduce glare. I'm sure the key is in the lighting and angles, but I haven't figured it out yet. Thanks for any insight!
@@RegieCollects Thanks! I mostly spec on three and four figure books these days myself; I've just got a lot of run filler from collections that I need to clear out. I used to run a used book resale business and found tons of efficiencies in that world, but most of it doesn't translate to comics (biggest difference is that you rely on stock photos 99% of the time with books unless they're collectible).
I really wish 60% more eBay sellers would watch this video. I've passed up key books because their pictures just weren't enough for me to confidently bid. I won't even entertain a stock photo. Merry Christmas Regie!
regarding your 1st example of taking only photo......ive seen so many people buying mega keys and grails in TH-cam auctions (spending hundreds of dollars) just by looking at the front cover and not requesting to ask the seller to see what the comic looks like on the back cover.
unbelievable. great content and video!!
only 1 photo
Just bought a lot of about 1500 comics;found your channel been helpful in understanding how to go about selling them👍🏻
My wife happened to walk by and said she wants to watch this video. I’m not 100% positive but I think the title specifically the part about selling your comics is what caught her attention. 🥺Merry Christmas to you and yours Regie. 🎄
Wives love anything that involves comics leaving the house. 🤣😆😂
I used to scan my comics before selling them. The scanner would show the dings or creases. Then take close up photos with a camera. Now this was 14 years ago.
Very educational video! I have passed on a lot of books that were not properly presented, thanks for the tips and Merry Christmas!
I’m gonna be referring to this video quite often, in the coming weeks lol. I’ll get it down with some practice
😲great idea with the index card! i used to struggle with trying to properly highlight defects. I use a q-tip or a toothpick with a colored tip now, but still important to note that no one wants to see fingers in the photos! Now, if people could figure out how proper lighting is arranged
Wow, I would've thought of all of those different ways to take a picture, show the good and bad of a comic. Thank you!
I watch a lot of your videos. For content like this... it's just nice to know if I ever decide to start selling some comics. But on the flips. When I want to buy something. It's nice to have some knowledge.
Got ya covered from all sides bud.
Merry Christmas!
Fun fact : The Green Lantern oath can be sung to "Oh, Christmas Tree".
Love the index card as pointer. Genius!
I try. 🤣👊🏾 Appreciate you watching.
Great tips Regie. I'll definitely use them next time I go sell a comic book
Thus far the most essential helpful video that I've seen on comic book pictures and other people should watch this video most definitely because I've learned so much in the past 24 minutes that I have in a year appreciate you 💯💯💯
Lol. You are very welcome. The goal is to create content that educates, informs and entertains. This one was definitely in the education column due to a whole lot of bad picture taking out there. Lol.
Solid advice Regie. There's a ton of Comic Sellers on Ebay who could benefit from this video. I wish the guy who I bought a lot of books from this week took better photos. The pictures were very deceiving 😥. Something you might want to consider since you are limited to 12 photos on Ebay I use an app called photo collage. You can have multiple photos and use only 1 photo. I use it for Toys I sell on Ebay. I'm very meticulous so if I need more than 12 photos I use photo collage to condense photos of corners etc.
Great tips to take pictures. Regie is always raising the standard of comic book collecting, selling and buying!
Helpful tips. Amazing how some pictures are presented on eBay (blurry, lots of glare, still in the bag...).
Before you use any cloth on the cover of your book make sure it's clean (yes, even new cloths fresh out of the bag, or just washed) by using it on a clean piece of glass, like the front glass of a tablet. Put your eyeglasses on and use a flashlight to see if there are any smudges on the glass. This could be residue from the manufacturing process or traces of fabric softener from washing. Fabric softener can build up in your washer and dryer. Especially if you use fabric softener sheets in the dryer. (read you dryer's manual, they mention how dryer sheet residue can coat the humidity sensor so the dryer won't work as well.
Most informative video I've seen for taking pics of your comics. I'm now happily a new subscriber and will spend my evening binging all of your videos as I take pics of all the comics I will be selling! Much love from Texas!
You are very welcome Christopher. Welcome to the channel.
These videos havin to deal with selling comics have been coming out right on time for me, goin to start resourcing my books
great info. these tips i think can work for anything your trying to sell on ebay or anywhere else. especially the lighting tip where you don't cast your own shadow on the product your trying to sell. I also kinda got the vibe you were prepping that ghost rider #1 for me !!!
That second example is probably done on a scanner. I scan the majority of my books I sell on eBay.
I was about to post this same comment. Most likely flatbed scanner pic.
@@mburns89 I use a scanner majority of the time it is great. I have a big one for legal size documents or art even Marvel treasure edition books I can scan the full cover.
Nice informative video. It helped make my pics turn out so much better. Nice channel too!
You’re welcome.
One of the best video’s I’ve seen on taking photos of comics. I would be interested to know if that is just a standard desk lamp and what type size bulb it has, standard or fluorescent. Also where did you get that nice mat. Thank you for your time Regie 🤘
LED table top light from Amazon. A pair were like $24. The mat is something that I had custom made years ago that I planned to release as a Regie Collects product.
Great tips. When I decide to sell, I will definetly be using these tips.
If you're photographing a lot of comics buy a copy stand with lights on both sides. It will save you hours photographing your comics. Ones with a grid layout on the board can help you place the books in the center of the images. Put sheets of polarizing materia over the lights and over the front of the lens. Rotate until reflections are mostly, or all, gone.
I've tried buying a dedicated scanner of the type that can focus properly on a comic in a slab. HP Scanjet 8270, and it often does a good job but with some books it will have glare over the bottom edge of the slab.
Great overview -- really appreciate the real-world examples
Great tips, In my eBay store I try to use all 12 photos available to us. I take an image of the Cover, back cover all the corners and inside of the book as well. and if there are any defects I close up on it as well. Sharing this to my facebook page. and yes always clean the cameras lens! Thanks Regie!
Thank you bro.
Will there be a video on taking pictures of slabs? I'm hoping my CGC grades will be good enough that I can list them on ebay.
Happy Christmas to all!
Especially avoiding reflection and glare
Regie, as a retired pro photographer I can suggest removing anything from around the comic that isn't black, gray or white. In this instance your phone is in a red case. Light hitting that case will reflect off and pick up some of that red color, which can throw off the color balance of your comic. Moving that red microfiber cloth farther away from the comic was a good step.
Also, you can remove reflections from the comic or slab by putting polarizing material over the light source and the lens. Rotate both to remove reflections or greatly reduce them.
Polarizing material? What kind of material would this be/where would you suggest to purchase some? Could you elaborate on taking the glare off please. I don’t sell comics but I’m starting an ig page for my collection and glare is the number one issue I’m having right now I’m moving all over my house trying to find different light sources and going crazy.
Great insight and information Regie. Thank you for all you do in the comic community.
Wow! What an insightful and thoroughly explained video. Great advice that I wish everyone who listed a comic would utilize.
Great tips as always Regie. Thanks for showing examples on both sides of the good and bad. always helps
Excellent advice at 19:57. Always remember to give your back side a wipe to remove debris. Ha. Seriously though, where did you get the monogrammed mat?
I made it. I was thinking about offering them as a product but never moved forward.
Thank you for this show Regie watched it this morning its kind of perfect timing being that I plan on trying to sell some books for the first time today. I've already posted 1 book for sell on ig now I wanna go take it down & take more pics of different angles of the book thanks again for this video such great timing and BTW I bought one of those Ghost Rider books from you lol 👊
You are very welcome bro. Glad that I could help you. Good luck with the sale.
I think you should put a small arrow on the index card. Someone could think you are covering something with the card instead of using the corner to point. But overall I love the idea 💡
Loving these vids, thanks Regie!
You make it look so simple, thx
That’s my job. Lol.
Great help . Thx Regie 👍
THANK YOU REGIE!! This was a great informative video. I always stuggle with photo quality when I list items on ebay. Mainly cards and comics. This video has been very helpful with a couple of tips that I been lacking.
Oh! And I love your book choice for the demonstration! 😉 🔥💀🔥
You are very welcome bro. Happy to help! Happy selling.
Some excellent tips here!
Thnx for the info this is somthing I needed to hear . Now I know how I can take better fotos of comi s and sell a littel beter . Right now I can only buy books I want like I bot an batman 100 viriant cover 9.6 cgc (2020) but i played with my money not the money i get out of selling some comics . But I do not have anay big comics for sell . This hobby if so fun buying the comics some statue for show and tell it's an amazing hobby but it is 100% not an easy hobby . Like today I was going tru my comics and I have so so many incomplete sets j realy beed to start completing but then again I always see a book I want to buy 😂 . Thnx for the helpful vid . And MERRY XMAS 🎄
Hi Regie. How about a video instructing how to take images of slabbed comics. Currently I use an HP Scanjet 8300 purchased off of eBay for this purpose. I am curious how people are actually using a camera setup to do this without all the glare reflecting off of the plastic slab.
Turn off the overhead lights and avoid direct light from the window. Stand over the slab and zoom the camera. Easy breezy.
Happy Holidays to you and your family Regie! Great video and photo tips! I was just researching recommendations for taking pictures of comic books covers for listing. I've always had issues with glare or reflections. I did order a Ompait 37MM Professional cell phone camera polarizer clip on lens off of Amazon for $11.99 for my iPhone off of Amazon to help with glare. I'll test when it comes in next week. Can you post another video of helpful tips for slabbed comics? Thanks!
At some point, I will get around to doing a video on slabs. Stay tuned.
@@RegieCollects Thanks Regie!
Great vid! Very helpful. Have you or could you post a vid showing tips for photographing slabs and metal/chrome covers? I’m having real problems with glare on these and getting the images to pop on the metal covers. LMK, thanks man
Thanks. Process is basically the same. Turn out the overhead lights. Stand back, zoom in from angle. It may be helpful to put something small behind the top 1/4 of the book/slab to angle it.
@@RegieCollects TYVM!
Here’s a video as well: th-cam.com/video/Dg71wFlZhf4/w-d-xo.html
Generally speaking if you search TH-cam for Regie Collects plus a term you will find videos. Hope the video above will help.
@@RegieCollects much appreciated, thank you so much for taking the time to help me out. The best pics I ever took were outside on my porch in the late afternoon when the sun was at a low angle and it was slightly overcast. Looks like timing is important and I’ll need to try to reserve time for this specific activity, also I’ll start experimenting with other rooms in the house and try to achieve ample yet indirect sunlight. I did purchase some polarizing films but haven’t figured out how to work them. Ultimately I’m going to set up a dedicated imaging workspace with proper lighting and surfaces and a stationary jig for my cellphone. I really do appreciate the advice 👍
The index card is a great idea.
Thanks bro. The goal is to provide practical helpful tips.
Great tips. Good job.
Great stuff.. how bout the link for the black custom mat u use under the books.. or the light source. Or the particular cloth you are. Using
The mat isn’t available at present. It’s something that I made which may be rolled out via my website. The LED light is morning special, you can get one from Amazon for $12. Cleaning clothes and kits are available on RegieCollects.com or you can just use a microfiber cloth.
Great video! Thanks
Another great video Regie! One thing I will toss in on the second example you gave. EBay from time to time has offered to do their background removal just like you are seeing in that posting. Could be the user altering it, or it could have been ebays tools?
Could be. Others have suggested a scanner was used. At the end of the day, it doesn’t look exactly natural.
@@RegieCollects totally agree with it not looking natural. I have declined ebays auto picture modifier every time it has come up. I tend to post a lot of pictures as well. Never want to have the dreaded "this is not the same as the pictures"
Good Video, Thanks Regie.
You are very welcome.
Thanks so much for the great tips... Man I need um.😂I havent sold any comics as of yet. But I do want to thin out my collection mostly books that are not apart of my collection goal.The index card is a great idea. Will there be/is there a video to help determine shipping cost?
I have a series of older and newer videos that get into shipping methods:
th-cam.com/video/YzyfmDeDyvs/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/TcOYQZMF8wI/w-d-xo.html
Hey Regie. Merry Christmas! I have been looking for a good matt to safely work on comics. Are you able to tell me where you got yours or what material its made out of? Thanks!
I had it made. 😂 Secret Regie Collects project that may see the light of day at some point.
@@RegieCollects Sure thing. Thanks for getting back to me.
Still very useful and helpful video.
Just came across this when looking at some of your older videos. Those ebay postings with lazy photos drive me crazy especially when some angles are blurry. Were they drunk when posting? or the cropped edges - what are they hiding? Or when they post one photo in the bag on a stand from far away - I mean who's gonna buy that? Sheesh - with a little more effort they could get the FMV for the book.
Anyway I do have one question and it is the lighting source. I don't list a ton of books, and usually have the best luck on a cloudy day using natural light. What lighting were you using in the video? Follow-up question: how do you photograph slabs without getting glare/reflection? Thanks!
Sounds like I need to do a few follow up videos. Lol.
I tend to turn off the overhead lights and use an LED light pointed at the comic. It’s to the right of these comics in the video. Natural light is best but not always dependable hence the LED.
For slabs I tend to put them on the floor in a well lit room (using natural light) with the overhead lights off. I use my cell phone camera to zoom down to avoid casting my shadow on the book.
Hey Regie. I am one of the sellers whose listing (uncanny x-men 282) you demoed in your video of bad photos :) Although I 100% agree with all your advice in the video on how to take good photos of comics when selling them, I feel that my listing requires some justification and an explanation of why your advice would not have applied so well in my case.
When I created my listing it was for the purpose of selling 10 issues of Uncanny X-Men 282 (you happened to have stumbled upon my listing when there was the last issue left). All of these issues were of the same grade (7.0 FN/VF) and hence I created only one listing with a quantity of 10. In this situation, it was not possible for me take detailed photos of all the 10 issues and it certainly would not have made sense to take detailed photos of only one of the issues. The reason being is that if I did take detailed photos of one of the issues, it would have been deceptive to the buyer, because it would be very unlikely that they would receive that same exact issue. Hence taking only one photo and keeping that issue in the bag, served the purpose of providing a generic representation of what was being sold. As such, for this listing, I would have to rely on my reputation (seller rating and feedback) to convince the buyer that my description of the comic was accurate. Obviously some buyers would not go for this and probably avoided purchasing my books, but I did sell all of them in less than 3 months (all without getting any negative feedback or disputes). So, something must have worked right in my favor.
I know, and some might say that I could have listed each book separately by creating 10 separate listings, each one with detailed photos. However, to them I say "time is money" and I certainly didn't have the time to do 10 separate listings, certainly not for a book that sells for around $14. Even if I did, I am not sure it would have yielded me any better returns in this particular case. That being said, when I sell any book that is worth over $50, I try make sure to take as many detailed photos as possible.
Overall, your video on this subject was great and my listing did serve its purpose for your demonstration :) Keep the great content coming.
Bro, you have my apologies I probably should’ve blocked out the sellers names in this video. It’s honestly did not occur to me during the editing process.
Sorry about that. 👊🏾
@@RegieCollects no worries, I didn't have any problems with my ebay name being shown. Just thought to point out that some situations require different approaches. Lol, what were the odds of you picking my listing out of all the other ones available on ebay, and the fact that I happen to be watching the vid. I gotta go play the lotto.
Lol. Thank you for understanding bro. Salute.
Learning alot from you thank you
Salute
Comics might be the only thing I use the profile orientation to take pictures of, 99% of the time I'm a landscape guy
Great pointers, I shoot (heh) for all of the same things, I can't believe I didn't think to use a printer in my pictures though! I use one in videos, but not my pictures!
Great video Regie. I watch your videos very frequently. Not to be a downer but did you ask the sellers if it was ok to use them as an example? It is good insight for them but its almost saying don't buy from them. I would have blocked out their seller names.
Nope. And, it didn’t even occur to me. That was my bad.
With that said, one of the sellers actually commented and agreed with my assessment. He also provided some rationale which is beneficial for all.
Very thorough 👍. How do you prevent glare...ring light? Belled, subbed and 👍
Thanks bro. It's been awhile since I created/watched this video but putting a cloth over the light cuts down on harshness, using indirect natural light is also good. The same can be said with shifting your body and the camera...put another way, do not stand directly over the book. Take a step back and zoom in, stand to the side, etc.
Maybe an updated video is needed. I never did create one for slabs. :-)
@@RegieCollects much appreciated. I've been collecting since I was 10 yrs old. After the divorce, sold some of my collection to compensate. They came in handy 💪😆💪. Still got a decent amount in quantity and quality. I used to place my phone on top of a clean 1/8" window pane and take pics at the comics below. 🤔 Your suggestion, to avoid glare, a cloth shear or sheet, excellent I will employ that method. Thanks
My daughter has sheer curtains in her room which also filter the light. Makes for a great place to take photos in the afternoon.
Helpful vid for those not showing their comics off to the best extent-I often yell at listings with poor photos😡! What’s your take on the ‘I’m not a professional grader so make your own decision on the grade’ listings? Do you put a grade on yours? Cheers Regie
Checkout the store on RegieCollects.com for the answers to your questions.
Regie, do you have a video on how to or what kind of equipment and or software is best for making the videos?
No honestly because none of that matters. The real questions are what equipment and software do you have? Which do you know how to use? Those are the best.
I started out with a hand me down iPad, a $20 mic from Amazon and a single light in my kitchen. I used what I had and upgraded from there.
@@RegieCollects Thank you for the input and the quick response. I don't know how you keep up with all the inquiries.
I'll just use your thumbnails. Step one: Hire Jimmy Olsen. Step two: Relax.
It seems like you are more of a grading detective...as a seller I don't point out every imperfection I give the book an overall rating eg G/F/VF etc. And I think that is what is most important. I take the front cover showing the 4 corners,the back showing the 4 corners as well and the interior on the page where the masthead is. I think Im going to add spine angle as well. Thanks for the info....question....how do you do photo shoots for sets....say house of M 1-6?
My goal is to provide my folks with a real sense of what they are buying. Put another way, a G is a grade but it does not tell you what defects resulted in that grade. The photos and descriptions provide context to the grade because not ever Good is created equally. 😏 If I am doing a set I would take photos of the set front and back out of the bags. I would also provide up-close detailed photos of the more expensive book(s) within that set as the value typically resides in a handful of books.
Hope this helps.
What light setup are you using? You did not show that. Seems important….
Nah, not at all. It’s a cheap LED light from Amazon that costs $12.
@@RegieCollects Cool. Thanks for the quick response. I have been using overhead ceiling LED and battling glare and shadow. Your tip about turning off all other lights is a good one. Obvious once you mention it! I am just getting started in selling…still noodling how to start, where to sell…whether I use PayPal with Facebook or go to eBay or Whatnot. At least I have my books in CLZ…and with Covrprice integration coming I will have some sense on pricing. Best to maximize display with your tips!
@@RegieCollects any tips on type of pad? I like the dark background. What material is it?
I have a video coming out later this week on slab photos that translate for raw books as well. Stay tuned.
Was so worried one of your "bad" examples was going to be one of my sales, LOL
Lol
thank you bud
You are welcome.
Cool video! Great tips and love the in-depth on the photos and why you take them! I am trying to pick up a slab of Marvel Team Up 141 and they have 3 photos. Hopefully this works out but that his been on my wish list awhile. The listings you found were great examples of what not to do. That matt your using looks really nice I need to find one like that.
Wow this video is informative
Glad it was helpful bud. There is a ton of this type of content on the channel.
@@RegieCollects You've got my subscription.
Boom
Any advice on how to take decent photos QUICKLY for the cheap (
Not sure that I understand the question. The tips provided in this video are dependent upon value. What am I missing?
@@RegieCollects Sorry. Both this and the companion video are AWESOME and I wish more sellers would use these tips. The problem I'm trying to solve is SPEED, for dealing with high volume, low value comics, in which a single front cover image will do. The key is that I want to be able to take the pic as quickly as possible (a few seconds max), without glare, and move on to the next book. I've tried a bunch of things, but they consistently end up being either too time-consuming, or else introduce glare. I'm sure the key is in the lighting and angles, but I haven't figured it out yet. Thanks for any insight!
Ah, that’s helpful. I don’t deal in high value/low cost so I haven’t exactly experienced this challenge. I’ll have to noodle.
@@RegieCollects Thanks! I mostly spec on three and four figure books these days myself; I've just got a lot of run filler from collections that I need to clear out. I used to run a used book resale business and found tons of efficiencies in that world, but most of it doesn't translate to comics (biggest difference is that you rely on stock photos 99% of the time with books unless they're collectible).
Skills!!
Where'd you get the mat?
🤫I had it made.
Regie, Are you using a ring light ?
No
Let’s go!!!
I always try to take a photo of the front and back and spine. I try to get 4-6 photos total.
👍
Hope the names of the offenders were kept hidden until proven guilty. :-)
Not sure that they need to be proven guilty. A bad photos is pretty apparent. 😉
Great info, Thanks