mysterio

If they were buying then why are dealers dropping like flies at so many of the mega shows? WW Austin this weekend is a prime example of a show that was well attended and had lots of comic dealers 6-7 years ago and now it’s a wasteland of insurance dealers and Pop tables. What about all the empty booths at WW Chicago this year?

It doesn’t matter if you get 10,000 people in the door if nobody is there for comics, but the right 50 people can make a show. The right mix of buyers there for books can work for big and small dealers, and buyers will be happy to have the diversity. I’m happy to be able to dive dollar boxes at the same show I can also buy $1000 books. This is why a show like WW Chicago is so great when they have the right mix of mega dealers and small timers.

I still think cosplay is a trend that will die off when this generation finds something else to do. The “pros” will fall by the wayside when the mega-cons start to dwindle.

The silence in this thread is deafening.

And proud of it. These whippersnappers today don’t know what they’re missing. And get off of my lawn, hippie!

Free State in Lawrence and Air Capital in Wichita come to mind as great examples. I’ve had great times at those shows three years running as both a customer and a seller.

I’ve been to a few shows like this in the Kansas area, and it’s nice to see true comic shows that are still doing well. I’m hoping that this is a trend we’ll see coming out of this deflation of the mega-con market.

With the sheer number of shows these days it would appear to any outside observer that we’re experiencing a golden age of cons that is coinciding with the golden age of comic movies. Seemingly every weekend you could go to a con, especially in a place like Texas, and if flights weren’t an issue you could probably attend a large show (Wizard, Fan Expo, Reed, Heroes & Villains, etc) damn near every weekend someplace in the US. However, as anyone who goes to these shows to shop for books knows, comics tend to be pretty scarce at the average “comic con” compared to years past. These shows have evolved into a generic mutated shell of their former selves. Its been our experience that comic sales at the larger shows have been trending to be, at best, very hit or miss. I’ve heard similar set of complaints from a variety of other vendors on different online forums. I can’t help but think that this could be due, at least in part, to oversaturation. Cons are no longer once or twice a year special events that you save up for months to attend and spend like a drunken sailor, now you go once a month and spend a few bucks. This change in spending trends is not reflected in the ever escalating vendor table fees and entry fees. With Wizard (once again) seemingly on the ropes I’m left to wonder if we’ve passed “peak con” or will very soon.

That’s a common mistake for that issue, you’re definitely not alone in having made it!

That’s a really nice looking list.

More donations:

It is good when you can get the market to take its clothes off.

Chicago was serviceable this year, but I'll agree that it paled in comparison to even 2-3 years ago. To me that story looks like a plea to be bought. They played a similar tune this time last year and got a cash infusion, and this seems like the same thing. Either someone else will come in and give them a pile of money, or they'll sell their (shrinking) slate of decent shows. That may be only NO, Chicago, and 1-2 others, but they would be worth something to somebody. As long as there is a late summer comic extravaganza in Chicago I'll be happy, no matter who runs it. That is a tradition that cannot be allowed to die.

With only about 16 days without a Clink auction spread throughout the year there is always time to put in tracking bids.

Check mailed Monday (I'll be waiting a while, but when they're keepers I'd rather save the 3%).

Reserved for recap.

Beckinsale cancelled.

Very nice. Exactly what I am looking for, and if I had the budget right now I'd be all over it.

I recently purchased a collection of about 75 Justice League of America books starting with #74. The books average about 7.0, some better and some a bit worse. I'll roll those out over the course of several days. in the public thread or via PM gets the book, timestamp rules. An incomplete negotiation (i.e., where I haven't agreed to your terms) will be negated by an outright take in thread or PM. Shipping will be extra, to your location either in the US or abroad. US shipping will have a $10 maximum to encourage repeat buying. International shipping will not have a ceiling, it will always be at cost to your location via some trackable method. I will do my best to provide good scans and descriptions of the books, but if you are not satisfied you may return the book for a refund. Return shipping is on the buyer unless I made some material error in my listing, in which case the return shipping is on me. Same book must be returned in the same grade. Paypal, checks, and MOs are accepted. Paypal only for international buyers. Nobody on any naughty list, or who has previously backed out of a deal with me, is welcome to purchase. I'm not ready to get to the JLAs quite yet, but I do have an interesting placeholder to start the thread. Betty & Veronica #322 VG (3rd Cheryl Blossom and her first meeting with Archie). Book has non color-breaking wrinkling and bending to the front cover, and some bending/creasing to the back cover (doesn't show up that well on the scans but it is there). A press would help reduce this but would not completely eliminate all of it. The upper corner of the spine has a light stain that is most visible from the inside of the cover. It extends down the spine to about the issue number, but affects the cover only and no page involvement. It is an attractive enough copy for the grade. Overstreet has this book at $14 in VG, so that is what I will ask for it the asking price is $10 (plus shipping).

Thanks again for the purchase! I really appreciate you stopping by.

That’s a sweet setup.

Give USPS even more money? Pass. I'd much rather give the Postal Inspection Service some work. So instead of paying money to provide peace of mind that you will get your books, and can make easy cases against the PO if you don't, you'd rather pay out for the books you don't receive. Makes sense.

PO boxes to receive your packages are your friend in this case. If you receive books on a regular basis, as I imagine we all do around here, it is a cheap form of insurance against this sort of tomfoolery.

Most of the time I agree with this but not always. I had a $100 book being shown as delivered but the lady claimed it had never arrived. No signature confirmation on that amount so I waited to see what E-Bay would do. They found in my favor but I still felt bad and found her another copy and had it shipped to her on my dime. Book never did show up. Signature confirmation is usually suggested and may be required over $300 so that may change their stance but good luck in the book showing up. Over a certain dollar amount (I believe it is $250) Paypal requires signatures to protect the seller. That may be the difference between your cases here. A $100 book would be under the threshold.