Why Are Some Comics and Omnis More Expensive Once They’re Out of Print?

If you’ve browsed our store and noticed that certain out-of-print (OOP) books are priced higher than their original cover price, you might be wondering why. We get it. And we want to be upfront about how we approach OOP pricing at Walt’s Comic Shop.

First things first: We offer pre-orders for a reason.

Almost every book we carry is available for pre-order at the lowest possible price before its release. If you’re looking to lock in the best deal, that’s your moment. But once a book is officially out of print, the market shifts.

We can’t restock OOP books.

When a book is in print, we order as many as we think we’ll sell. But if it suddenly sells out at the publisher and distributor level, we have no way of getting more copies unless we buy them from private collectors (super rare!) or other, more expensive secondary sources. 

Comics are collectibles. Always have been.

Comics didn’t start out in bookshops—they started in specialty stores built on back issues and rare finds. Supply and demand dictate pricing. This has been true since the first comic shop opened its doors in the 1970s. A book that was $100 when available might be worth $200, $300, or more once it’s scarce. That’s just how the collector’s market works, whether it’s comics, vinyl, sneakers, or first-edition books.

The reality of running a comic shop in 2025 (and in Berlin, no less).

We have one of the largest selections of U.S. comics and manga in Europe, and maintaining and growing that level of inventory is expensive. Berlin rents are high. Import costs are high. And paying decent salaries to our team (because nobody should work in comics for free) is important to us.

Meanwhile, we carry a LOT of books that don’t sell fast, which means a big chunk of our warehouse space is filled with books that lose us money until the right customer comes along. When a book becomes valuable, we need to price it accordingly—not just to keep up with the market but also to balance out the books that are gathering dust.

So what should you do if a book you want is OOP and expensive?

• Check if it’s a Marvel or DC book. Most of the big titles (X-Men, Spider-Man, Batman, etc.) WILL get reprinted. But it could take years. If you can wait, do it.
• If you don’t want to risk it, pre-order! Especially DM variant covers, which sell out quickly and rarely get reprinted. These have much lower print runs than standard covers and are usually gone within weeks of (if not right at) release.
• Don’t fall for eBay panic pricing. A book that just went OOP might spike in price instantly, but sometimes it cools down after the hype fades. If the price feels absurd, track it for a while before jumping in.

The Mix is What Makes It Work

At Walt’s, we try to strike a balance—we have:

✅ Pre-order discounts for the best early prices
✅ Regular sales to make things more affordable
✅ OOP pricing on books that have become collector’s items

We understand that higher OOP prices aren’t ideal for everyone. But this is the reality of running a sustainable, well-stocked comic shop. Our goal is to offer as many comics as possible, to as many people as possible, while staying in business and growing our selection.

Hope this helps explain things! And if you ever need advice on a book, just ask us. We’ll always give you an honest recommendation.

— Walt & Team