# Anyone ever try selling crap from comics? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 17, 2026, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-try-selling-crap-from-comics/1026767 "2026-01-17T05:59:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Kelby2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ebca7d/32.png) [@Kelby2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kelby2)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2026, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-try-selling-crap-from-comics/1026767/21 "2026-01-17T16:30:08Z")
So they were “sold” one way or another? ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2026, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-try-selling-crap-from-comics/1026767/22 "2026-01-17T16:30:20Z")
I’m blanking on the cite but somewhere there was a collection of short parodies of TOS Star Trek episodes, which included “Space Seeds For Prizes”. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2026, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-try-selling-crap-from-comics/1026767/23 "2026-01-17T16:54:45Z")
Leroy tries to sell seeds in “The Great Gildersleeve” (1942). [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/bA8zIqajUm8/maxresdefault.jpg "Leroy Sells Seeds - The Great Gildersleeve") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bA8zIqajUm8) ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2026, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-try-selling-crap-from-comics/1026767/24 "2026-01-17T16:59:07Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > In 1967 the Wilson Chemical Company was dealt a crushing blow by the Federal Trade Commission, which decided that the company’s advertising method of luring young salesmen had to stop. [Here](https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/Wilson-Chemical-Company.pdf) is a PDF of the full FTC decision. ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2026, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-try-selling-crap-from-comics/1026767/25 "2026-01-17T17:34:01Z")
If I’m gonna walk around selling stuff I need to get a monkey out of it. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2026, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-try-selling-crap-from-comics/1026767/26 "2026-01-17T17:41:02Z")
Maybe you need an organ. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2026, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-try-selling-crap-from-comics/1026767/27 "2026-01-17T17:53:18Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > And probably the most unrealistic prospect of these, selling tins of petroleum salve to their friends (with a bonus swell art picture!). My daughter, at the age of 12, decided she wanted to sell soaps and other skin care products that she would make at home using recipes she found on YouTube. I was like, ‘sure, let’s do this, it’s a teaching moment’. So I loaned her $250, she bought the supplies and whipped them up, putting the soaps, etc, into these cases we got from Temu (or whatever the low-cost online seller of the day (2013) was). I created a brand, ‘Sophia’s Scentsations’, made labels, and we spent a week or so packaging these soaps. She (we) then went door to door in our neighborhood pitching these. I helped her with a sales script and stood in the background while she knocked on doors, etc. Made over $600 in revenue - people were just throwing money at her, lol, “OMG, you’re so cute, here’s $20, keep the change”. When done, we did the accounting, I got my $250 back, she cleared over $400 for our trip to Los Angeles (a Gallifrey (Doctor Who) convention), she learned a LOT about things that people in their twenties and thirties are unaware, and gained a LOT of confidence in her ability to plan, execute, and make money. Not comic related, of course, but your comment about ‘petroleum salve(s)’ triggered this memory. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2026, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-try-selling-crap-from-comics/1026767/28 "2026-01-17T18:30:08Z")
I tried greeting cards once. From Boys Life. Knocked on a grand total of 1 door, and that unsuccessful experience likely soured me on any future in sales. Don’t remember any follow-up from the card company. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2026, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-try-selling-crap-from-comics/1026767/29 "2026-01-17T21:53:08Z")
A classmate of mine had the right idea. He used to set up shop in front of the school - 7th through 9th grades - and sell these long packages of bubble gum that were very popular at the time. He had a dozen or so flavors, and he must have had an in (his dad, I’m guessing) at the local wholesaler. He had cases of the stuff, and every morning he had a swarm of kids surrounding him preparing to get their gum fix. I wonder what he’s doing these days. mmm ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2026, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-try-selling-crap-from-comics/1026767/30 "2026-01-17T22:21:44Z")
@JohnT, that’s a really impressive story, particularly with respect to the effort that both you and Sophia put into it and the success that resulted. Curious question. Were her homemade products actually any good? Or did people buy them because she was cute? Regardless, that was an amazing youth entrepreneur story. I think the reason so many others failed is that the whole comic-book sales thing was a scam. The FTC order cited upthread is more evidence of that – I had a quick look at the actual filing and among many other things it stated that the “free gifts” offered to kids was deceptive. I myself was never infected by the entrepreneurial spirit so I never did any of those things. I’m certain I would have been terrible. I did make money as a kid but only because I was virtually shanghaied off the street by a newspaper employee, apparently desperate to find a new newspaper delivery boy after the previous one had quit. I remember sitting in his car while he described the job, but leaving the door open due to the fear of Bad Men that my parents had instilled into me, so I could leap out if necessary. 😁 It wasn’t necessary. It was a real job. And it perfectly suited my timid personality because all I had to do was pull my little wagon full of newspapers and drop them off in mailboxes or doorsteps. I didn’t even have to talk to anyone except on collection day, which was weekly. It made me enough money to buy a really nice 35mm camera and a bunch of darkroom equipment including an enlarger and a developing tank so I could develop and print my own film. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2026, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-try-selling-crap-from-comics/1026767/31 "2026-01-17T22:31:47Z")
I remember reading about Michael Dell’s childhood. (He’s the one who founded the Dell Computer Company.) As a teenager he sold the local newspaper subscriptions. He concentrated on newlyweds and those who just moved to town. I think he had something like 500 subscribers. He also bought stock as a kid. I think Warren Buffett also invested early. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2026, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-try-selling-crap-from-comics/1026767/32 "2026-01-17T23:19:16Z")
It was probably a _dun_ letter. He just exaggerated to scare me straight. I was notorious for getting my older sibs mags and comics and send off for anything that required SASE(remember those?) and seemed free to a 10yo old me. Columbia House was a favorite. Got it lots of hot water about that. Eeek 😱 (Boredom does weird things to me. Still does) ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2026, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-try-selling-crap-from-comics/1026767/33 "2026-01-17T23:38:58Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Got it lots of hot water about that. No doubt, the business plan for all of these companies relied on parents bailing out their kids. Legally, none of these companies making contracts with kids had a leg to stand on but enough parents were ignorant of that fact to make them profitable for decades. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2026, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-try-selling-crap-from-comics/1026767/34 "2026-01-18T00:09:04Z")
I tried the seeds as well. What’s worse was the ad came with a coupon that you fill in for your friend so I signed him up as well. My eight-year old self didn’t consider letting him know, let alone ask him first. I only remembered after we went there to try to sell some. His mom wasn’t thrilled. I don’t remember how it ended. I may have sold a few to relatives and friends then just ignored the letters after that. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2026, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-try-selling-crap-from-comics/1026767/35 "2026-01-18T00:54:47Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Curious question. Were her homemade products actually any good? Or did people buy them because she was cute? 99% sure it was because she was cute. And she _was_ cute. And determined. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2026, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-try-selling-crap-from-comics/1026767/36 "2026-01-18T01:15:51Z")
I bet the products she made were just as good as anything commercially made. And fresher. Good for her. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2026, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-try-selling-crap-from-comics/1026767/37 "2026-01-18T01:36:58Z")
I honestly didn’t know this was a thing. I really didn’t start reading comics until the early 1980s, so I missed the era of these scams I think. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2026, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-try-selling-crap-from-comics/1026767/38 "2026-01-18T01:45:44Z")
I didn’t sell from comic books, but I went to Catholic school, and between that and Cub Scouts I had a lot of experience going door to door and asking people to buy things they had no idea they had ever wanted. The most important thing I learned is that a lot of grownups had no compunction about rudely telling a little kid to get lost. ---
**Author:** ![sunacres](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@sunacres](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunacres)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2026, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-try-selling-crap-from-comics/1026767/39 "2026-01-18T13:14:54Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > 99% sure it was because she was cute. And she _was_ cute. And determined. When we were 10-year-olds, my buddy and I started making candles to sell door-to-door at Christmas. They sold like hotcakes every year until we hit puberty. ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2026, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-try-selling-crap-from-comics/1026767/40 "2026-01-18T14:18:42Z")
I was one of those who tried the greeting card sales road to riches. As I recall, I was just barely able to sell them all, though it took me a lot more walking than I expected. I have since wondered if the neighborhood settled up every year and the parents reimbursed each other for buying the kids’ crap. The most successful sales I ever did as a kid involved selling light bulbs. (This was NOT a comics-based sales program.) The Boy Scouts had me sell light bulbs (60, 75, and 100 watt) for $0.25 each. I doubt that they were of any quality, but you might be surprised how many people said, “Light bulbs?!? Sure, I always need those. Here’s a buck.” I probably made a sale at two out of every three houses. Could have sold a lot more if they had given more to me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-try-selling-crap-from-comics/1026767.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-try-selling-crap-from-comics/1026767.md?page=3)