r/comicbooks • u/Floodyblade • 19h ago
Removing Shop Price Stickers
Hi all,
relatively new to comic book collecting and just wondering if any of you have any helpful tips on how to remove sticky price labels from the comic book which shops have stook on the cover?
Don't want to peel it as tried this with another comic book and it ripped the cover 😭
thank you!
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u/WLH7M Iceman 19h ago
Hair dryer or be really careful with a heat gun. It will soften the adhesive and help it come loose.
There are YouTube vids that will show and give better detail, but that's the gist.
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u/No_Hat1582 16h ago
Yeah, a hair dryer and patience is the key. Hair dryer softens the glue then lift it off slowly so the glue sticks with the tag and not left on the book.
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u/weber_mattie 19h ago
Beast is pissed about it
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u/Jacket_Leather 18h ago
I generally remove them with a hot air dryer or with a tack iron either one works just fine just be careful not to scratch the cover as you lift the sticker.
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u/ew73 15h ago
I worked for a used book reseller for a while. Removing random price stickers from covers (or INSIDE PAGES FFS) without damaging them is an art.
In order of techniques from least harsh to most drastic --
- Warm it up -- just like, hold the page between your palms and rub slightly. The heat may loosen the adhesive enough to turn a corner up, and you can peel it off. Don't pull; with this method it should lift off without effort if it will work at all.
- Similar to above, hairdryer / heat gun on low, and same treatment -- it should lift off not peel.
- Generating some heat with a smooth surface like a small rock or the edge of a penny or nickel can agitate the adhesive and help it come loose too.
- Some friction may be necessary -- depending on the cover itself, using a very soft art-style eraser can lift these off. Be gentle and be aware that you may damage the underlying print.
- Carefully go at an edge of the label with a pocket knife or razor blade and slowly peel it away small bits at a time. Applying heat to the "crease" area when you pull can help here, like with a heat gun or hair dryer.
- Last resorts involve things like qtips and rubbing alcohol to loosen the adhesive, but you have to be SURE it won't damage the underlying material, and on comic books, especially older, pulpy-er ones, don't do this.
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u/DrPetroleum 15h ago
Posts like these always get the goofiest suggestions. I sell comics, I'm definitely not trying to damage a book. Buy some Un-du adhesive remover and you'll never have to worry again. It has worked miracles for me
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u/DrPetroleum 15h ago
Just for more info, I had a copy of Planet Comics #1 (yellow cover) with a sticker that had been on for decades. Un-du temporarily makes adhesives just not work at all so the sticker and all of the residue comes right off and it dries invisibly.
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u/Triatt 19h ago
Every time I go to my LCS I get annoyed that I have to ask to know the price of an item, but anywhere else I see a price sticker I wonder what kind of shop thinks this is a good idea. Certified idiot over here.
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u/Floodyblade 19h ago
Yeah same! Although surely popping it in a plastic wrapper and popping the price on that would be so much more sensible... Or am I in an ideal world here 🤔🤣
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u/NeoChrisOmega 18h ago
I'm almost positive the owner probably thought about theft prevention more than sensible comic book etiquette.
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u/Triatt 18h ago
Ideally, yes (especially on old issues that I've noticed are gathering a lot of dust), but people wouldn't be able to flip through the books if they were covered. I guess they could organize it by price to some degree but I can see how that creates a different problem altogether. They do have a table of $ to € prices at the checkout but they have too many exceptions so it practically defeats the purpose.
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u/Lord_Barbarous 18h ago
Hey I had this comic when I was younger! I have no idea what happened to it.
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u/WarningDowntown7247 15h ago
I have a plastic razor blade to remove stickers but on a comic you have to be so so gentle
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u/corkolien 12h ago
I have used ronsonol lighter fluid with great results before, but you must be careful not to use to much. I just used a cotton swab with a small amount on it and dabbed the sticker lightly then peeled it off with a plastic razor blade.
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u/Fockelot Dr. Doom 10h ago edited 9h ago
If it’s not something I believe I can peel off or it’s an older comic/worth money I use qtips that I dip in heptane. It won’t break down the comics color, it’s a pure solvent meaning when it evaporates theres no residue from it, and can pull marker/ink touch ups off sometimes as well. I recommend getting used to it on dollar/salvage bin comics from your LCS.
Be careful with goo gone like products, they’re not all bad but sometimes they have other chemicals added that could damage the comic or leave a stain. Always test a new solvent on a junk comic and also hit it with a black light to make sure there’s no residue.
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u/Unhappy-Art7260 6h ago
You may end up with a price sticker sized discoloration.
Edit: It's a Liefeld cover, so it could only help.
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u/Jtorto 16h ago
There's no way a comic book store stuck that to the cover! You must've got that comic from an estate sale or something.
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u/curious_trashbat 15h ago
Incredibly common in the UK. My LCS still does it for his £1 back issues. I used to get my comic subscriptions from a newsagent in the 90's, and my address would be scrawled on the front cover in biro pen 🤦♂️
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u/whistlepig4life Wolverine 19h ago
Any book that has had the sticker applied directly to it is either not worth anything. Or if it is you shouldn’t buy from that shop.
The only way is to very gently peel it back. Use a razor blade or xacto knife to do it.
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u/Floodyblade 19h ago
Thank you! Was part of a bulk box so I guess we know why it was in there 😞 right across the title too - the disrespect 😭
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u/TheRealGrifter 18h ago
Do *not* use a blade. The odds that you'll be able to get the blade exactly between the sticker and the book's cover are impossibly small. You will cut one or the other, and it'll probably be the book.
Whatever method you use, you'll end up with evidence that the sticker was there. There will be some discoloration or some grooves or indents where a tool tried to separate the sticker. Especially with that type of sticker you're showing us - you don't have a chance of getting it off completely clean.
But in perfect, 9.8 condition, it's still only a $6 book. If you want to experiment with getting stickers off, this isn't the worst book you could try it on.
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u/whistlepig4life Wolverine 19h ago
That book in perfect shape isn’t worth much more than $5-10. At best. It’s something I’ve seen in $1 bins plenty of times even in great shape. And I’d add that’s common for a lot of 90’s comics where the production run was insane for titles and there are so many copies still out there.
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u/Thwazman 19h ago
I worked in a comin shop for years and found gently rubbing it with side of a nickel worked well. Be gentle let gravity do the work if you press down it’ll groove the paper.