Long boxes, bags and boards, an overhead phone and board-stiffened mailers for selling back issues live in the evening and on eBay in between.
Built forYou hold a few thousand bagged back issues, from 2000 AD progs to American keys, run two or three Whatnot shows a week and sell slower runs on eBay, posting 20 to 80 orders a week from a spare room.
Kit total
£354 to £585
Running cost
£140 to £226 a month
Consumables at 50 orders a week
- Orders a week
- 20–80
- Space
- Spare bedroom
- Budget
- £550
Why this setup
You hold a few thousand bagged back issues, from 2000 AD progs to American keys, run two or three Whatnot shows a week and sell slower runs on eBay, posting 20 to 80 orders a week from a spare room.
A comic is cheap to post, and a spine roll or a bent corner drops a book a grade.
You sell volume live in cheap bin-style lots and list keys and complete runs on eBay. One set of long boxes stocks both, provided each book has a code and a fixed place.
The kit
Every item, why it’s here and what it typically costs in the UK.
Comic long box×4
Stores issues upright so spines stay straight. Sort by title and number and you find a sold issue in seconds.
Typical price£60 to £100
See on Amazon
5-tier steel shelving, 180 cm
Floor space runs out before height does. Number the shelves and each item gets an address you can pick from.
Typical price£40 to £70
See on AmazonOverhead phone arm
Card and small-item shows sell on the shot of your hands. An overhead arm holds the phone steady and out of your way while you open packs.
Typical price£20 to £35
See on AmazonTwo LED video panels with stands
Holo cards, foiled boxes and glossy packaging reflect a ring light straight back at the camera. With two panels angled in from each side, the glare falls outside the frame.
Typical price£45 to £75
See on AmazonClip-on wireless phone mic
Viewers leave a show when they can't hear you. A clip-on mic keeps your voice level while you reach for stock.
Typical price£25 to £45
See on AmazonMUNBYN thermal label printer
It takes the standard 100 x 150 mm labels that eBay, Vinted and Whatnot all generate, and generic labels work, so the running cost stays low.
Typical price£55 to £85
See on Amazon
Buy this kit
Copy the full list to take shopping, or print it.
Postage per order
What most orders like these go by, at today’s published prices. Prices checked 6 October 2026.
Royal Mail Tracked 48 Large LetterUsual£2.90
TrackedUp to 1 kgHigher-value cards and flat items up to 1 kg that need tracking and a delivery photo.
- Royal Mail Tracked 48 Small Parcel
£3.75
TrackedUp to 2 kgClothing and small boxed items up to 2 kg, with tracking for less than untracked 2nd Class.
- Royal Mail 2nd Class Small Parcel
£4.40
Not trackedUp to 2 kgFolded clothes, books and boxed small items up to 2 kg, posted from a postbox or Post Office.
About £628 a month in postage at 50 orders a week On most marketplaces the buyer pays postage; this is the cost when you pay it.
How to lay it out
Where everything goes, so each order moves one way through the room.
- 1
Long boxes on shelves, off the floor
Rack the long boxes on a shelving unit, labelled on the end by title and issue range. Damp paper warps, so shelve the boxes instead of stacking them on the floor.
- 2
Show table under the arm
An overhead arm points the phone straight down at a dark mat. Set two LED panels high on either side, angled so the light doesn’t flare on the bag.
- 3
Pull pile beside the camera
Before a show, pull tonight’s books into a short box beside the mat in run order. Put sold books in a second box with the buyer’s name on a slip.
- 4
Packing at the far end
Large Letter boxes, small cartons and boards stack beside the printer and scale. Send most single issues in a Large Letter box with an extra board.
The guide
Each step in the order you'll need it.
Coding every book before it’s listed
Print a small code label for each bag, for example box, title and issue. Stick it to the back of the bag and keep it off the comic.
Put the code in your eBay listing and on the Whatnot slip, so you go straight to the right box when a book sells.
Kit for this step
Running a back-issue show
Open with cheap reading copies at a low starting bid, then move to keys once viewers have joined. Hold each book flat under the overhead phone, turn it over and show the spine.
Pause on any flaw you’d mention in a listing and say it on air before the bid opens.
Kit for this step
Listing runs and keys on eBay
Photograph the front, the back and a close-up of the spine for any book over about £20. Put the volume and issue number first in the title.
Bundle complete runs as one listing, since a buyer chasing a full arc may pay more for the run than for single issues.
Packing so corners survive
Slide the bagged book between two boards, tape the boards together at the edges without touching the bag, and box it. Multiple books stack face to face in a single small carton.
Check Whatnot’s help centre for how it combines a buyer’s orders from one show, then pack the combined order in one parcel. Pack heavy lots flat in a box.
Kit for this step
Keeping paper away from damp and light
Keep long boxes away from radiators and windows, because sunlight fades red covers.
Check the room in winter: a spare room with a cold outside wall can build condensation behind a box.
Kit for this step
Buying collections to restock
House clearances and loft finds sell as boxes of mixed condition. Price the whole lot on its best ten books and treat the rest as show fillers.
Bag and code a new collection before any of it goes live, so the books slot into your long boxes in order.
Kit for this step
Common mistakes
Each one costs you money or reviews, and each has a fix.
- If you post a single comic in a padded envelope without boards, the corners bend. Board both sides and box it.
- A price label stuck on the comic leaves residue. Label the bag.
- Long boxes on a cold floor pick up damp, so keep them on shelves.
- If you name a grade you can’t back up, buyers return the book. Describe the defects you see.
- If a book is also listed on eBay, you can sell it twice, so end the eBay listing before the show.
When to upgrade
At around 40 orders a week, a brighter key light lets you show gloss and creases on cover close-ups. Past 60, a crosslisting tool keeps eBay and your other shops in step when a run sells live.
- 40+ Elgato Key Light
- 60+ Crosslist
Questions
Do I need to bag and board every comic?
Bag and board every book you list: it costs pennies and stops the spine curling. Bulk lots of reading copies can share a bag, one bag per short run.
Which bag size fits UK comics?
Current American comics take current-size bags. Older silver age books, 2000 AD progs and magazine-size titles each need their own sizes, so measure a book before you buy a case.
How do I post a single comic?
Bag and board it, add a second board or stiff card on each side, and send it in a Large Letter box. Check Royal Mail’s current Large Letter thickness limit before you add a third board.
Should I grade my comics myself in listings?
Describe what you see instead of naming a grade: spine stress, corner wear, colour breaking ticks. Buyers check each one against your photos.
Can I post graded slabs the same way?
Wrap a slab in bubble wrap and box it with space on all sides, as you would any hard case.
How do I run lots on Whatnot without losing track?
Give each book a code label on the bag before the show and read it out as you sell. After the show, match the code list to Whatnot’s sold orders before you pack.
More setups
Updated 6 October 2026
