Lessons Learnt: Which bags are the right bags for non-graded comics?

Comics need to be stored safely and secure, but even when there is no sunlight and a nice protective bag around the comic, it is still possible that the comic loses value. The reason could be the materials used for the board and/or the bag. In general, you want boards and bags that do not interfere chemically with the comics. So long story short: you want to use acid-free materials. 

The comic boards I use when I comes to my comics, are from BCW (the same comics I get my storage container from). You can by the packages in 100, 200, 400, and even larger sizes. I normally get, when I order, two of the 100 board packages (e.g. from Amazon). BCW guarantees that their boards are acid-free (read here for more details) and the reviews on Amazon "sum up" to a 5-star rating, which they deserve.

Ask the Store of your Choice

The sad part, of the fact that you have to have your own boards for comics you receive with board, is that most comic suppliers (i.e., stores) do not inform their customers about the boards they use. To avoid replacing a board, which could be totally fine to keep and use, I normally ping the store I ordered from and ask if they can guarantee that they used acid-free boards. The answers vary from no guarantee, to we don't use acid-free boards, to yes we do. So be prepared and have at least a little stack of boards when the comics arrive.

The Story with the Bags

Now that we clarified the board issue, it's time to take a look at available bags. The price ranges from around 0.05¢ for a bag (or even less) to several $$$. Normally, your ordered comics already arrive wrapped in bags, so do you really have to replace these. The answer is the same as it was for the boards, ask the store and see if you are happy with their choice, otherwise BCW has you covered (for example, here). I personally wanted to use some more robust bags for my non-graded comics. I believe a comic, that I decide to collect, deserve this. In the end, I don't want to have spent a good amount of time searching, selecting, picking, and buying. So for me personally, I decided to go with the EnvyPack, a more robust, color code-able, and great looking bag. 

EnvyPack bags cost with around 0.35¢ per piece a little bit more, but for me it's worth it - again I spent a lot of time and money to select the comic that goes in.