Answers, before you even sign in.
Getting-started guides for collectors, shops, and creators, plus the questions we hear most. No account needed to read any of it — and signed-in users get the full searchable Help Center inside the app.
In-app help requires a Longboxed account — everything on this page doesn't.
Pick your lane.
Your first longbox
- Create your account — sign up with your email and confirm it from the link we send. You can add two-factor codes or a passkey later in Settings → Security.
- Add your first book — scan a barcode with your phone's camera, search the catalog by title or ISBN, snap a cover photo, or import a CSV. Whichever you pick, the book lands immediately; cover art and details fill in behind the scenes.
- Find your way around — Home is your dashboard, Inventory is everything you own, Stats shows value and coverage, Wishlist tracks what you're after with target prices.
- Start a pull list — follow a series from Discover and new issues come to you; link a local shop from My shops to have them set aside.
- Protect what you've built — export your collection anytime (CSV, JSON, or PDF), generate an insurance schedule, and map your shelves so you always know where a book sits.
Run the store on it
- Two modes, one account — Collector mode is your personal collection; Retail mode is your store's inventory, register, customers, and back office. Switching changes which data you're in.
- Ring sales at the register — search stock, scan, or use quick keys; take cash, card, or a split. Card-present runs on your existing terminal — no card data touches Longboxed. Turn on Training mode to practice without posting anything.
- Connect your customers — customers link to your shop by two-sided consent; you see their history at your shop only, and they can disconnect anytime. Manage their pulls, subs, and holds.
- Order and receive — build vendor POs from FOC-due, reorder-point, and catalog lanes; scan to receive and stock lands at cost.
- Close the day — End of day produces a Z-report: sales, tax, totals by tender, voids, and top items.
Make the book yours
- Work in Creative Studio — a private workspace for projects, drafts, characters, and a story bible. It's yours alone until you decide otherwise.
- Check the public-domain library — references for characters and works whose rights may have lapsed. Status is time- and jurisdiction-specific, so verify before you build — it's a starting point, not legal advice.
- Print through the Print Studio — preflight checks, a cover wrap with computed spine, a proof you approve, and a quote with the unit math shown.
- Keep your rights — the colophon marks the printing, never the IP. Your story, your copyright, your ISBN if you bring one.
- Get scouted — Longboxed Publishing reviews portfolios year-round. Pitch through the submissions portal.
The questions we hear most.
Is Longboxed free?
Longboxed starts free. During the beta, Free and Pro are open — Pro adds more capacity and features — and two further tiers, Basic and Max, arrive at launch. Every plan and what it includes is on the Pricing page; your current plan and renewal date live in Settings → Billing.
Does Longboxed store my card details?
No. Billing is handled by Stripe — Longboxed never stores your full card number. Managing your subscription or updating a payment method opens the secure Stripe portal. For shops, card-present payments run on your existing terminal, so card data never touches Longboxed there either.
Where do market prices come from?
Market prices are the median of recent sold comps — real completed eBay sales, not asking prices — matched to your book by ISBN or, without one, a looser title match. Every price carries its provenance: the source, the number of comps behind it, and when it was last refreshed. If there aren't enough comps, no market value is shown.
Why does a book show MSRP instead of market value?
Longboxed refuses to fake a market number. When it can't match recent sold sales to a book, it falls back to the publisher's list price for the collection total and shows a dash in the market column. Market matching is far better with an ISBN on the copy, and for scarce or older books comps may simply be thin — the value fills in when sales data appears.
Is the grade Longboxed gives me a certification?
No. Grades in Longboxed — from the grading wizard or entered by hand — are an estimate to help you organize, insure, and value your collection, not a professional certification or appraisal. The wizard is deliberately conservative: it gives a band, a descriptor, and a confidence level, and explains what capped the grade. If you have a professional grade (CGC, CBCS, PGX), record its cert number and the copy reflects that instead.
My scan didn't find the book — now what?
You can always add it manually from the review card — type the title and the details fill in later. No barcode, or a damaged one? Try a cover scan (match from a photo) or search the catalog by title. And on weak signal the scan may simply have queued offline — it syncs when you reconnect.
Why does scanning a comic ask me "Which issue?"
Many comic barcodes identify the series but not the exact issue, so the scanner sometimes needs one tap from you: pick the right issue from the candidates (a best guess is usually highlighted). Longboxed remembers that code, so the same comic scans straight through next time.
Does scanning work offline?
Yes — scans queue on your device and sync automatically when your connection returns, so a spotty basement long-box dig never loses a scan. On your phone, use your browser's Add to Home Screen for an app-like, full-screen Longboxed.
What does FOC mean on the calendar?
FOC is the Final Order Cutoff — the last day a shop can adjust its order for an upcoming comic. It matters for pulls: a pull created before FOC is normally ready for you, while one created after the cutoff may be at risk because the shop's order is already locked.
Can I put releases on my own calendar?
Yes — the release calendar has a Subscribe (iCal) option. In Apple Calendar use File → New Calendar Subscription; in Google Calendar use Other calendars → From URL.
Can I share my pull list without sharing my account?
Yes. Sharing creates a read-only link that shows titles and dates only — no account details — and you can revoke it at any time.
Can I get my data out?
Anytime. From Settings → Data & Privacy → Export my data, download your full collection as CSV (for spreadsheets), JSON (for backup and portability), or a print-ready PDF. Your collection is yours.
How do I delete my account?
From Settings → Data & Privacy. If you change your mind, contact support within 30 days and we can restore it; after that it's permanent. Our Privacy Policy, Terms, and all legal documents are readable without an account.
How do I lock down my account?
Settings → Security offers a passkey (Face ID, Touch ID, Windows Hello, or a security key — the strongest option), an authenticator app with one-time recovery codes, or an email code as a weaker backup. The same screen lists your active sessions and recent sign-in activity, and you can sign out any device.
Ways to reach us.
In-app Help Center
Signed-in users get the full searchable Help Center — step-by-step guides, troubleshooting, and contact support — inside the app.
Open in-app help →
Requires a Longboxed sign-in.
Creators, partners & press
Pitching work, proposing a partnership, or writing about Longboxed? The submissions portal reaches us directly — with or without leaving an email.
Shops & business
Running a shop and want a walkthrough of Longboxed for Business? Tell us about your store and we'll be in touch.