TIL about the handwritten trade lists comic book fans used to rely on

I was chatting with a longtime collector at a small comic shop yesterday. He showed me a binder full of old trade lists from the 90s, all written by hand and photocopied. Fans would mail these lists to each other to swap issues they were missing. Now, everything is done through apps or online forums where you just click to buy. It made me think about how much slower and more personal fan interactions used to be. Back then, you'd build a reputation based on trust and good trades over years. Today, it's faster but feels like you're just another username in a database.

4 comments

4 Comments

gray3141mo ago

Totally agree with jordan511, changed my mind on this after seeing those old lists.

hayes.wade1mo ago

Yeah, that trust thing is real.

jordan5111mo ago

Ever think we traded better back then? Building trust over years was key. Now it's just a quick click, right?

tyler_young1mo ago

But what about people who never got into trading before because it seemed too hard? Now they can join in and learn the basics fast, right?