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Our inventory covers all major publishers from the start of the Silver Age to date and we also carry a small selection of Golden Age books. Whether you're looking for 'beat but complete' reading copies, professionally graded high-grade books, or anything in-between, Comicana Direct has a huge selection of books to choose from.

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Shipping

In normal circumstances, books will be shipped via Royal Mail at actual cost plus £1 ($1.50 outside of the UK) per box. All comics are mailed bagged and boarded and packages are designed to withstand the majority of abuse likely to be inflicted on them by uncaring postal workers.

Like all postal services, the Royal Mail determine cost by weight.

International details are here.

To give you some idea of how these costs relate to your order, one CGC graded book weighs around 0.8 kg when packed and boxed with a package of four standard comics weighing around 0.6 kg, with each additional book weighing approximately 0.1 kg each.

There are, however, a number of points that need to be clarified:

1. Insurance is optional on orders below £100 ($150), but is compulsory when these value levels are exceeded. The insurance cover is triggered by sending packages via a 'Signed For' service, which then allows coverage through our business insurance's 'Goods In Transit' section. Cost of a 'Signed For' service is £0.75 in the UK and $7 for the rest of the world.
2. Beyond standard mail services, couriers can be used to get your order to you, this option can be selected using the usual shopping cart function on the site.
3. There are no weight limits in place for UK delivery, but international parcels are capped at 5kg, except for Canada, where the limit is 2kg. This may mean your order being split between a number of packages and thus incurring additional cost.
4. We will not declare international orders as 'gifts' for the purposes of customs declarations.
5. Standard international delivery will be via Air Mail, which is usually delivered between 10-14 days after dispatch. However, there is the option of using Surface Mail at a cheaper cost, but delivery time is approximately six weeks.

Grading & Grade Comments

A book's value is determined by a combination of its relative scarcity and its overall condition. In this hobby, we describe an item's condition by assigning it a universally recognised 'grade' and in Comicana Direct's case, we utilise the scale devised by the Overstreet Guide, the industry's bible for four decades.

Similarly, we determine grade by strict adherence to Overstreet grading standards, although we also incorporate certain aspects of the standards laid down by CGC, the industry's premier third-party grading company, when those standards are stricter than Overstreet's interpretation.

All of our books are assessed by at least one Company Director. Our aim is to allocate a grade that would be the minimum grade received should the book be submitted to CGC for independent assessment. Although we cannot absolutely guarantee this will happen, our experience on submissions made to CGC are that less than 10% of books come back graded lower than our assessment, more than 60% are returned at exactly the same grade, and over 30% come back at a higher grade than the one we assigned.

And beyond this, we have a first class returns policy in place to cover any disappointments.

You will find grade comments on certain books; tape along spine, interior covers browning, etc. Please note that these flaws have already been taken into account when determining the stated grade, and are included for informational purposes, to highlight specific defects/characteristics that certain collectors might have personal issues with.

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Benefits of Registering

To enable you to make immediate purchases online, you will be required to register with Comicana Direct. This will ensure you can secure your books instantly and also means that you don't have to e-mail/phone orders through.

However, there are many other benefits to registration...

• Registered members can make immediate purchases online.
• Registered members have the facility to request scans for items with the push of a hot button.
• Registered members can file a 'wants list' online, setting parameters for minimum grades and maximum prices. Automatic matching will then occur when new stock is uploaded to the site and notification of the match will be sent out immediately.
• Although pricing on the site is displayed in USD, members registered in the UK will see the site in pounds sterling and will be able to purchase in pounds sterling.
• Registered members will be able to use the internal messaging system to contact Comicana Direct and keep track of ongoing or past conversations between ourselves.
• Registered members will eventually be able to manage their monthly subscriptions entirely through the site.
• Registered members will be able to view invoices from all past purchases online.
• Registered members will also receive breaking news regarding events or large/important stock purchases before anybody else.
• From time to time, special offers/discounts will be made available only to registered members.

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FAQs

• Do you purchase comic collections?
• Do you travel outside of the UK to purchase collections?
• How much do you pay for collections?
• Do you provide appraisals?
• How can I receive notification when items I require come into stock?
• What forms of payment do you accept?
• Do you accept time payments ?
• Why are there so many scans not available?
• How do I request scans?
• What is your returns policy?
• Why are you offering a dual priced system, with UK Pound prices for buyers in the UK?

• Do you purchase comic collections?

  We are always interested in buying collections, both large and small. If you want to sell part or all of your collection, we would recommend that you e-mail us at [email protected] with a breakdown of what you have (titles, issues, grade ranges), preferably in Excel or Word format. If we are interested, we will contact you to request more details and might ask for scans of specific items, before proceeding to the viewing stage.

• Do you travel outside of the UK to purchase collections?

  Yes we will happily travel across the globe for the right collection and make regular visits to the USA for that specific purpose.

• How much do you pay for collections?

  The amount we pay for collections depends entirely on what the books are and what grade they are in as well as our stock selection and the desirability of the items themselves. Whilst for some items we might happily pay 80-90% of our retail, these books are very much in the minority. In fact, most items from the 1980's to date might only fetch pennies on the pound due to their overabundance and our own stock levels. If you want to enquire about selling your books, please e-mail [email protected].

• Do you provide appraisals?

  We do provide appraisals for insurance purposes. Please contact [email protected] for further details.

• How can I receive notification when items I require come into stock?

  We have a comprehensive 'wants list' service available to all registered members, which allows immediate matching and notification with any new items that are uploaded to the site.

• What forms of payment do you accept?

  Purchases can be made automatically on the site by using the PayPal system of payment or by Credit Card. This allows you to fund online purchases from either credit cards, debit cards or balance transfers. Once you are finished shopping and wish to check out, you will be taken directly to Comicana Direct's PayPal portal, where you can finalise your purchase. Purchases can also be made via telephone and payments taken directly from a credit/debit card, or arranged by cheque.

• Do you accept time payments?

  Yes on more expensive items, we are happy to consider time-payment arrangements. This is not an automated option on the site but can be negotiated by e-mailing us directly or messaging us through the site system. Terms will be determined by the scale of the purchase but there will always be a deposit required of at least 20% of the full purchase price.

• Why are there so many scans not available?

  Adding scans to the site will be an ongoing, and never-ending, process. If a scan is available for an issue, it is a scan of the actual book and not a 'stock' representation. Please note though, we do not intend providing scans for all books and certainly scans for low value items will be scarce.

• How do I request scans?

  If you would like to see a scan of an item that is not already provided on the site, you can either hit the "Request Scan" button (if registered) or e-mail us with the details. However, it is unworkable to provide scans for everything on the site and so we must regrettably impose a lower limit of £7/$10. We cannot provide scans for books valued below these limits without very good reason.

• What is your returns policy?

  • Returns are accepted for any valid reason on all items, including CGC graded books, for a period of three months after purchase, providing goods are returned in exactly the same condition as when they were sold. Shipping will be at the buyer's expense.
  • If the return is necessary because of an alleged Comicana Direct error (incorrect grade, information not offered at point of sale, etc), the item will be reviewed and if fault is found, shipping both ways will also be refunded.
  • Returns/partial refunds are available if a book is graded by CGC up to one year after purchase and is assessed at more than one point below the grade stated by Comicana Direct at the time of sale. In these circumstances, return shipping will also be refunded.
  • A full refund, including shipping both ways, if a book is found to be restored at any point in the future and this fact was not disclosed at time of sale.

• Why are you offering a dual priced system, with UK Pound prices for buyers in the UK?

  The value of American comics is generally expressed in US dollars, whether that be in the Overstreet Price Guide, or with sales recorded at GPA. Although we are based in the UK, we consider this convention to be globally accepted and so have priced all of our items in USD.

  However, to make matters simpler for our UK customer base, once you have registered, all prices will appear in pounds sterling and your purchases will also be made in pounds sterling. The currencies will be exchanged at the bank-to-bank rate with no surcharge or penalties, adjusted every few days.

Welcome to Comicana Direct!

Thank you for taking the time to register and welcome to the world of comic buying made easy!

As a registered member, you can take advantage of many great features such as:

• Contact us directly through our internal messaging system, which also incorporates filed history of all communications
• View past invoices
• Request scans for any comic at the press of a button
• Be the first to get breaking news, whether it be an Open Weekend at the offices, purchase of a significant collection, or a discount offer available to members only

Whilst we feel these benefits will serve to make your life easier, we're not content to sit back and relax. Over the coming months, we will be adding additional features to further enhance our commitment to customer service. Facilities we intend to add soon include...

• Order management - check online when you order has been picked, packed and posted
• Subscription management - view your monthly pull list online, add and remove titles with the click of a button
• Consignment management - if you have consigned books to Comicana Direct, you will be able to view which books have already sold and which ones haven't, how much is due to you...and you'll be able to remove books from sale that you've decided to keep

About Us

Comicana Direct is run by Nick Beckett, Inran Ahmed, & Garry Crawley. We can be contacted at [email protected] .

Nick Beckett

Nick bought his first comic in '69 at the age of seven and started collecting seriously in '73. He began dealing on a small scale at the start of the 90's, setting up at a few London shows, and kept his hand in on an irregular basis throughout the rest of the decade. In the early 00's, he teamed up initially with 'Chaos City Comics' and then ‘Comicana' as their Silver & Bronze Age specialist, helping stock their bricks and mortar outlets and also returning to the London shows. During this period, he also produced the UK market reports for Comicbook Marketplace and built up a large and loyal eBay following whilst selling under the ID of 'gwentleaf'.

Nick is Comicana Direct's primary grader.

John S.

John started off in comic retail with Stateside Comics in 1989 and soon worked his way up to General Manager. However, he became increasingly dissatisfied and in 1994 left to go out on his own. Trading as ‘Mighty World Of Comics', he cut his teeth on the show circuit and quickly built up his business. At the end of 1996, ‘Mighty World of Comics' merged with a company called ‘Comicana', reuniting John with Duncan McAlpine, with whom he had for many years produced the Official UK Comic Book Price Guide.

John and Duncan ran the newly-formed ‘Comicana' for a few years before John took up sole ownership. John also worked with Vault Auctions as Consignment Director for a period of time, bringing his expertise to what was then Europe's premier auction house. In 2005, John sold 'Comicana' to his shop manager and shortly after, relinquished his duties with Vault in order to take a well-earned break.

The break lasted for a couple of years, but by 2008, John and Nick were talking about starting up again together, building a business that was 100% their own vision. They felt there was a dearth of quality back issue dealers in the UK and concluded that the market was crying out for a well-stocked, professional, customer-focused operation.

John is Comicana Direct's primary buyer.

Garry Crawley

Garry is a lifelong comic reader and collector. His collecting lead him to starting to sell off duplicates from his ever-expanding collection by setting up at the London Comic Mart and through the CGC Boards forum. In 2008, Garry started selling comics as a business and gained a loyal customer base selling through websites, comic forums and by setting up at shows such as the London Marts and London Super Comic Con as “The Comic Box” as well as becoming a CBCS member dealer. In 2019, Garry joined Comicana bringing a wealth of expertise and resources to the team.

Privacy Policy

This privacy policy explains what information we collect about customers, how we may use it, and the steps we take to ensure that it is kept secure. It also explains the rights of our customers and how to contact us.

Changes To Our Privacy Policy

Our privacy policy is maintained by us and updated from time to time to ensure that it meets changes in the law and good practice.

What Information Do We Collect?

We collect information from you when you register on our site or place an order. When ordering or registering, you may be asked to enter your name, email address, mailing address or phone number. You may, however, visit our site anonymously.

How Do We Use The Information?

All personal information that we collect and/or obtain about customers will be recorded, used, and protected by us in accordance with current data protection legislation and this privacy policy. We will use personal information for the following purposes:

• Administer transactions and provide products and services and or details of products and services to customers who request them
• Record, handle and respond to enquiries and complaints
• General record keeping purposes
• Improve our site and the products and services we offer
• Track activity on our website
• Send periodic e-mails advising of new stock, offers, events and facilities
• Create an individual profile of each customer so that we can:
  • Understand and respect their preferences and privacy
  • Offer products and services that we think might be of interest to them
  • Customise our communication with them. For example, we may customise our website and marketing communications according to their interest.

Note: If at any time you would like to unsubscribe from receiving future emails, simply contact us at [email protected], or use the internal messaging system, and we'll remove you from our list. We also include detailed unsubscribe instructions at the bottom of each email. Please note that even if you unsubscribe from our periodic emails, you will still receive email confirmations of any orders you place on our site.

Do We Use Cookies?

Cookies are small pieces of information that are stored by the browser on a computer's hard drive and they are used to record how people use and navigate websites.

However, the Comicana Direct web-site only uses temporary cookies and only when you are logged in. These cookies are cleared as soon as your session is ended.

Do We Disclose Information To Any Outside Parties?

We do not sell, trade, or otherwise transfer to outside parties your personally identifiable information. This does not include trusted third parties who assist us in operating our website, conducting our business, or servicing you, so long as those parties agree to keep this information confidential. We may also release your information when we believe release is appropriate to comply with the law, enforce our site policies, or protect ours or others rights, property, or safety. However, non-personally identifiable visitor information may be provided to other parties for marketing, advertising, or other uses.

Your Consent

By using our site, you consent to our web site privacy policy.

Your Rights To Access Your Personal Information

You have the right to receive a copy of the personal information that we hold about you and we are entitled to charge a fee towards the cost of administering any request that you make. The current fee is £10.

How To Contact Us

If you wish to contact us regarding our Privacy Policy, please either:

• E-mail us at [email protected]
• Or write to:

  Comicana Direct
  PO Box 3477
  Barnet
  Hertfordshire
  EN5 9HN