EBay : 7 Questions with T.A. Ewart of The Value Comics

When T.A. Ewart's contract as a college professor wasn't renewed, he persevered like the superheroes he'd been reading about his whole life. To pay his son's tuition, he turned a $100 box of comic books into $3000.

Now, he's got a business that's grown beyond his biggest expectations.

Shop T.A.'s huge collection on eBay at The Value Comics.

7 Questions with T.A. Ewart of The Value Comics

1. What does a typical day look like for you?

My day starts at 4 o'clock in the morning. I get up, I'll exercise, then start getting packages ready to go out to the post office. If I can get some assistance from my son, that's great. Otherwise I'm responsible for doing up to 2 drops a day, but those need to be ready by 9 o'clock.

Then I take photographs so I can do my listing. Listing is a very important part of the day, because if you're not listing it, it doesn't matter how valuable a comic is. It's just sitting there! The sooner you get it up, the sooner you can expect the sale-that's my motto. You have to be able to schedule some sit-down time.

1. What's one thing you would tell yourself when you first started your business?

There was a big mistake I made where I purchased some books and I was led to believe they were more valuable than they were.

I took the person on faith, and I shouldn't have done that. I should've done the research, but I also didn't want to come across like I didn't know what I was doing. He really sold them well, and I took them.

Sometimes I know the value off the top of my head. Sometimes I don't.

Once I found out that I couldn't sell them for what I thought, I took a sizable loss on those books.

I would have told myself not to be afraid to pull out my phone and check eBay and find out what those books are actually worth.

Don't be embarrassed to take out your phone and check and find out what the value of it is. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Don't be afraid to find out the value. Don't be afraid to ask for any assistance.

T.A.'s store includes many first and notable appearances from some of comic book's biggest stars.

1. What's your process for sourcing merchandise?

Initially I had a stock of my own books that I was willing to part with. So that's one source.

And I'm in New York City, thankfully, so there are comic book stores you can go to and look through back issues and there are dollar books-that type of stuff.

But the biggest source that I had was finding a good wholesaler. This is somebody who's able to buy comics and get them at a really great price. And if I'm here, low on the totem pole, this person's here, way up high. They know they're selling me something for $100, and I may make $300 or $400 on it, but they've made their money and they're content with that.

Get a good wholesaler. Get somebody who maybe buys in bulk and is willing to give you a good price and good deals. That is definitely the best way to go about it.

It's hard for me to think what other specific guidance I would give someone. Unless you want to read comics for 20 years- that might be a little harder.

1. How do you stay productive?

Some philosopher said years ago that people are always moving somewhere, and once we get to that place, we're moving someplace else. You have to have short, intermediate, and long-term goals, and check those off. Then once you do, you reset and keep yourself going.

What's your short-term goal? You want to sell this or do that or have a hundred sales within a certain amount of time. Great. So you did your hundred sales or whatever. Now what's your intermediate goal? And what's your long-term? What's it going to take to hit those goals? Thinking like that makes it all very possible to do.

1. What eBay tool do you find most useful? Why?

Scheduled listings.

I find that the best time to schedule listings is about 9:30 at night, because that way, if it's an auction, it's going to end at 6:30 in California. That means that for anybody who wants it, there's a reasonable amount of time across the States for that person to get it. It's not going to end at 2am for anybody. And then you wonder, "Why did it do so poorly?" It's 2 in the morning! People are sleeping!

You want to give people an opportunity to actually buy it. Scheduling your listings is very good for that.

1. Who inspires you?

My father without a doubt has been the biggest inspiration in my life.

He was very, hands-on, very demanding-probably the most intelligent man I've ever met.

This is a guy who could hold his own on many different subjects. Literature, science, art. He was just such an erudite person.

As a kid, at least on an intellectual level, I really wanted to be like him, or even surpass him. He was always inspirational, because you know, a part of me really, really wanted him to be proud of me and wanted him to look at what I was doing and to give it that seal of approval.

1. What's your favorite quote?

It's actually a whole poem by Rudyard Kipling. I'll do the first couplet. "If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you…" And the last line, "You'll be a man, my son."

That poem has always been very motivational for me-in good times and bad.

If you can do this, if you can do that, if you can persevere- you can do it, you can make it.

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This interview has been edited for concision and clarity.