PSA: Don't buy those "rare variant" covers from that online comic reseller Flashback Comics

I dropped $80 on what they claimed was a 1:100 variant of a 90s X-Men issue and it turned out to be a reprint with a fake stamp (the paper quality gave it away immediately). Has anyone else gotten burned by these third-party sellers hyping up print runs that don't actually exist?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_emma20d ago

Did you check the seller's return policy before you bought it? Most of those shady resellers hide behind "all sales final" fine print because they know exactly what they're selling. The real problem here isn't just one bad seller though, its how the whole "rare variant" market works now. These guys take common reprints, slap a fake stamp on them, and pray people don't look too close at the paper stock. I've seen the same trick with "1:500" variants that literally never existed in the actual print run from Marvel. What really gets me is how many collectors just accept this as normal now, like paying premium prices for something that's barely worth cover price. Maybe we should all start sharing photos of the paper quality from our copies so new buyers know what to look for.

brookep2719d ago

Respectfully, I kinda disagree. Some of those rare variants are actually legit from certain comic shops that did their own print runs with Marvel's permission, not just shady resellers making stuff up. Yeah there's definitely fakes out there, but the market isn't totally broken like you're saying. A lot of us just buy what we like the cover of and don't stress about the paper stock or the supposed rarity number. Plus sharing paper quality photos would honestly be a mess to organize and most people wouldn't bother contributing anyway.