F For Fake

I think the price discrepancies in "true" first appearances vs market accepted first appearances, cameo vs full appearance, etc, simply come down to comics largely being a nostalgia based hobby, in which collectors buy what they think is "coolest". Hulk 180 is the first appearance of Wolverine. It's true, it's a fact. But 181 has that cool cover, and Wolverine appearing through the whole story. Isn't that cooler? Surely the answer comes down to a matter of opinion, but it seems like the vast majority of the collectors have spoken, and it snowballs from there. Facts about first appearances don't matter. What matters is what the collective decides. So, Hulk 181 is the champ, forever and ever amen. Now the X-men 94/GSX1 thing, I could see them pulling back closer to even at some point, simply because both have cool covers on which all of the characters appear, and the characters appear throughout the stories. I'd still say GSX1 is the one to have, but 94 is, indeed, a pretty cool book!

When I was coming up, the accepted definition of "key" seemed to be along the lines of "any book that has some significance that would make it worth breaking out individually in OSPG". That could be a first appearance, or the first work of a major talent, or a classic cover, etc. If there was something that made one book more desirable/popular/expensive (take any or all of those meanings as you see fit. One usually leads to the other) than the other books around it in a run, then it was a "key". That's why there are "run collectors" and "key collectors". Some people want the full runs of a series, others just want the "significant" books. Definitions change over time. I can't count how many discussions we've had about "what makes a key". It has become clear over the years that you're never going to get everyone on these boards, much less the entire collecting community, to agree on a firm definition. Therefore, there will never be a true "right" or "wrong" answer. BUT, we can definitely agree that we have a pretty good idea. In the current market, everything is about tv and movie spec, therefore, at this time in the hobby, "keys" are largely attached to the first appearances of characters who are appearing in other media. That's just how it is. I may not like it, but there's no point in denying it. Eventually this bubble will pop, and keys may go back to being centered around story, talent attached to the books, etc. Or maybe they won't? Who cares?

If I drop dead unexpectedly, my wife will probably be giving the stuff away (she's already said she "doesn't want to deal with it") so stayed tuned to the obits in Louisville for some good deals! Otherwise, I plan on selling most of the stuff whenever I retire, as we plan on traveling a lot and won't be home to look at old comics and toys anyway. Plus, as has been pointed out, that stuff is heavy. I'm only 42 but I'm already tired of carrying boxes around. I can't expect I'm gonna love it when I'm 55-60. I'm already in downsizing mode, trading in boxes of drek for a handful of nicer books. I expect I'll continue along that route of consolidation, so it's possible that by the time I retire, I really may only have a few books. We have no kids (well, three cats, but as far as I can tell, they can't read), but we do have a niece that we're very close to. She is 11 now, and she loves Archie comics, Wonder Woman, and Captain Marvel. Right now she's just a reader, as it should be at that age. Not sure if she'll turn into a collector or not. if she does, for sure I'll leave her some cool stuff. But the rest of it will be sold, and she'll probably get the money anyway.

I'm not one to button-hump, I'm not thin skinned, and I generally don't care one way or another what people post on here. But TWO instances of profanity masking AND a borderline (if not overt) racist epithet? Sock puppet or no:

Sounds like a reasonable limit to me. Personally, the largest collection I ever picked up was about 40 longs (may have been 37 or 38), and that is pretty close to my threshold. I enjoyed working the collection but it took up a lot of space and several months to get rid of everything. Had fun making money, but yeah, I'm thinking 40-50 is near the top of where I want to be, and I tend to prefer collections in the 10 boxes or less range. 200 boxes of picked over stuff, even dirt cheap, I'd likely have to pass unless I had someone who was going to help me schlep it around.

Maybe technically be copper, but I still recommend selling all of the above and putting everything into this.

Yes! Hooded CC, that also just about broke my spirits with the waiting. Also mailed away for Sgt Slaughter, and The Fridge, and probably some other stuff as well. It was a pain to wait that long as a kid, but the anticipation was usually better than what actually showed up in the mailbox.

Love it, and I LOVE the MANTA. I remember mailing away for it, those 6 to 8 weeks felt like FOREVER.

There could never be an absolute grading system, because every defect is different, and affects different books in different ways. Grading is an art, not a science. If I'm looking for a slabbed book (which is rare, I'm not usually a slab buyer) I take the CGC grade as a means of getting in the ball park. Then I look at the book and make my own decision. Buy the book, not the number.

Paging @Gem_Mint! I actually watched a Gem Mint video just yesterday. I'd been considering picking up an omnibus and wanted to see what the binding looked like. I enjoy his vids.

People like hockey. Who knew?

That'll be a lot of fun to go through!

Selling a book that is missing pages and chunks like that...it really could be an honest mistake. It's not likely, but hey, it could happen. Some buyers/sellers never open their books at all, and don't grade anything beyond the front cover. Sad but true. BUT, relisting the book after the problems have been brought to light, is extremely shady, and worth being brought to everyone's attention.

This is where I'm at. I 100% understand that it sucks to get hit with duties and taxes and high shipping fees, but if not for GSP, I wouldn't be selling internationally at all. I've been on eBay nearly 25 years, and sold EVERYWHERE for most of that time. A little less than 10 years ago, I realized that 99% of the "problem" transactions I were having were with international customers, almost exclusively because once the packages leave the US, there was no reliable way to track them. Chargebacks, refunds, it just got to be too much of a mess, considering that this is my hobby, not my business. So I stopped selling internationally, and was much happier. When GSP launched, it was the best thing for me, because it opens me up to international buyers IF they want to deal with the extra charges. If not, that's cool too. But eBay has grown so punitive towards sellers, I need every protection I can get. As always, with boardies I am still 100% happy to sell internationally, because we do a better job of policing shady buyers than pretty much any other venue I can think of. I love my international boardies. But on eBay, it's just not worth it anymore. GSP provides a half-way decent solution. I had one buyer once who bought a ton of my books, realized he couldn't combine shipping (although my item descriptions all warn buyers that this is the case with GSP) and proceeded to give me all kinds of hell. So I canceled. It's just not worth it. For those of you who are full time dealers, I understand that you don't want to cut off any potential revenue streams. For those of us who are hobbyists, any hassle is more hassle than I have to deal with, so I don't.

I'm comfortable enough with myself to allow for the love of strangers on the internet. My wife may have some objections though...

Same. Let's not have perfectly good skanks brought down to the level of dodgy eBay sellers!

I was getting a "Penthouse Forum" vibe at the beginning of the post. Still, a very nice story! We've been in our house for 7 years, and have had so many postal carriers, I've lost track of them. I used to tip our first guy John $20 every Xmas, but after he left it has been a rotating cast of characters that seems to change every other day.

I know all of the arguments from buyers who hate it, but as a seller, I like it a lot, and have been using it since it launched with absolutely zero issues. Also, I live in Kentucky, so shipping to Erlanger is fast and cheap for me, so it's a double bonus.

Definitely add them to the thread of eBay sellers to avoid, if you haven't already.

I have three or four hardshell binder things that I keep in my backpack, each holds around 10 books or so and makes sure they don't get damaged while I'm walking the show floor. If I do a lot of buying I usually have to make a couple of trips to the car. No big deal, usually.

Rudy Nebres rules, and nice pickup on the Sandman 2nd print!

Yeah, no way that happened in the factory.

Yes, they were straight retellings of the Dark Horse comics, after the Newt and Hicks characters had been changed to "Billie" and "Wilks". They also did novelizations of other DH Aliens comics, I believe Labyrinth, Music of the Spears, Genocide, Rogue...maybe a couple more?

Thanks a bunch everyone, that should keep me busy for a couple of weeks for sure!

It's the absolute truth. While most boardies realize that a CGC grade may not be correct, that you really have to look at the book and make your own call, for the majority of buyers of slabs running around out there these days, the number is the number and that's all that matters. Having to grade a huge raw collection just seems like such a chore. The slabs cut out the majority of the work. We both agree what a 9.8 is worth, you have a 9.8, the deal is done. And as you said, it's always worth remembering that slabs are a fraction of the books being sold out there. They're a niche within a niche within a niche.