Head of Comic Acquisitions

Hip eCommerce

13h • Remote

About The Position

The Head of Comic Acquisitions serves as the strategic leader responsible for all purchasing decisions, consignment acquisition strategies, and collection procurement across our Fulfilled by Hip division. Reporting to the SVP of Direct eCommerce, this role drives revenue growth through expert valuation, strategic acquisition decisions, and optimal consignment vs. purchase determinations. This position requires a deep expertise in comic book markets, auction dynamics, and collection assessment, combined with strong business acumen to maximize profitability while building our premier comic book marketplace. The role demands someone who can balance the art of comic collecting with the science of data-driven acquisition strategies.

Requirements

• Industry Expertise: 7-10 years of progressive experience in comic book collecting, dealing, or auction management, with deep knowledge of Golden Age through Modern Age comics, key issues, market trends, and collecting terminology - proven track record in high-value collection assessment and acquisition.
• Auction & Market Experience: 5+ years of hands-on experience with comic book auctions, consignment management, or collectibles trading - demonstrated ability to evaluate market conditions, timing decisions, and competitive positioning for optimal collection monetization.
• Business Acumen & Analytics: Strong financial analysis skills with experience managing acquisition budgets, calculating ROI, analyzing profit margins, and making data-driven purchasing decisions - proficiency with market analysis tools, pricing databases, and financial modeling for collection valuation.
• Valuation Expertise: Expert-level knowledge of comic book grading standards (CGC, CBCS, PSA), condition assessment, and market valuation - ability to quickly and accurately assess collection value, identify key issues, and spot restoration, reprints, or other factors affecting authenticity and worth.
• Relationship Building: Exceptional interpersonal skills with proven ability to build trust with collectors, negotiate complex deals, and maintain long-term business relationships - experience managing high-value transactions and sensitive estate situations with professionalism and discretion.
• Strategic Thinking: Strong strategic planning abilities with experience developing acquisition strategies, market entry plans, and competitive positioning - ability to balance short-term cash flow needs with long-term inventory and profitability goals.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Acquisition Leadership: Lead all consignment and purchasing decisions for comic book collections, determining optimal acquisition methods (consignment vs. outright purchase) based on market analysis, collection value, and profit - managing multi-million dollar annual acquisition budgets while maximizing ROI.
• Collection Valuation & Assessment: Conduct expert evaluations of comic book collections using deep market knowledge, recent auction results, and condition assessment - accurately pricing collections from single key issues to multi-thousand-piece collections while identifying hidden gems and market opportunities.
• Business Development Team Management: Lead and mentor a team of Business Development Managers responsible for collection sourcing, relationship building, and acquisition pipeline development - setting targets, coaching performance, and ensuring consistent deal flow across multiple acquisition channels.
• CRM Team Coordination: Maintain dotted-line oversight of the CRM (Consignors) Manager and their team to ensure seamless coordination between acquisition strategies and consignor relationship management - collaborating on consignment terms, collection prioritization, and consignor communication while respecting their primary reporting line to the SVP of Direct eCommerce.
• Operations Collaboration: Partner closely with the Operations & Fulfillment Manager to prioritize inventory processing, optimize storage allocation, and coordinate high-value item handling - ensuring acquisitions align with operational capacity and fulfillment capabilities.
• Revenue & Profitability Analysis: Develop and execute data-driven acquisition strategies that optimize GMV (Gross Merchandise Value) growth while maintaining target profit margins - analyzing market trends, pricing strategies, and competitive positioning to guide purchasing decisions and maximize collection turnover.
• Strategic Decision Making: Make critical consignment vs. purchase decisions based on collection quality, market demand, storage capacity, and cash flow considerations - balancing immediate acquisition costs against long-term profit potential and inventory management requirements.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 11-50 employees