Advice Needed: Storing Magazines & Other Print in Inventory

[lu12-deals]

We're starting to build up a significant number of old magazines and I'm really curious what other sellers here do to keep them from getting damaged in storage. Do you store them flat or keep them upright, like a comics or sports card collector would do?  

[wrong66]

If you have each magazine bagged, with a hard backing, I would store them upright like comics.

[wastingtime101]

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@wrong66 wrote:

If you have each magazine bagged, with a hard backing, I would store them upright like comics.

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Exactly. Comic books are stored upright because they have backer boards and plastic sleeves. Trading cards are small and lightweight.

Magazines are a different beast. I'm not an expert on storing magazines, but I can tell you that one seller I know stores them stacked flat in boxes on bookshelves. The magazines they have aren't pristine condition so they're not overly concerned about sleeving them.

[a_c_green]

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@lu12-deals wrote:

Do you store them flat or keep them upright, like a comics or sports card collector would do?  

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Bagged and flat. Comics and cards are lightweight and can stand on end without sagging, but to store magazines that way would require sturdy bookends pressing inward from both sides to prevent the magazines from sagging and curling on their open sides. It's much easier to store them laying flat and let gravity do the work for you.

[katzrul15]

Ours are flat and in bankers boxes

[1786davycrockett]

And please store them in a well-ventilated and climate-secure area.  Too many seem to have been locked away in basements and attics, and have that musty, moldy, mildewed aroma that nearly makes them worthless.

If possible, store them above-ground, in a temperature-controlled environment, preferably out of the sun and other weather elements, as well as secure from insects, spiders, rats, mice, silverfish, and other assorted critters.  

Good luck!

[southern*sweet*tea]

I keep large paper lying flat in lidded plastic storage tubs, labels and postcards in plastic shoeboxes. They are stored in a room with a dehumidifier.

[gatefold]

Magazine Bags and acid-free backer boards are a minimum. (they are available from digest size up to Life Magazine size)....I rotate them from vertical in magazine boxes to upright  every 2 months or so.....If not, they get a slight wave to them if stored like you would see in a comic store for browsing for a long time....Also, as mentioned (storage) in addition to those tips....don't let the glued binding issues freeze...If you have to store them stacked up....criss cross them alternating the bindings so they are not all on the same side...helps keep them flatter...

[biggymoe]

I store mine flat, in apple boxes, inside plastic bags.  No scientific reason for this method.  Many of the magazines are more than 50 years old.  Have stored them this way, for years and years, with no problems.  I have never even considered storing them upright.  YMMV

[iart]

We put these items in bags. Then lay flat in boxes (we like banker boxes, we mark the boxes with our codes so we can find the items later). Many of our items are in the garage, so we put the boxes on pallets to prevent water damage (our clothes washer is also in the garage and had leaked in the past).

In 20 years selling on eBay, we've rarely had a problem.

[simba6]

It they are flat and under a big stack, the pressure can cause the pages to stick together.

[femmefan1946]

And please store them in a well-ventilated and climate-secure area.

Stamp collectors in humid areas make a "Florida Closet".

This is just a small space filled with shelves and with a well-fitted, but not tight, door.

A single light bulb (not LED) is installed and - this is important- left on at all times.

The idea is that the heat from the incandescent bulb lowers the humidity enough to prevent foxing. This isn't permanent storage, so the door is probably open for a few hours every week.