Westy Steve

On 3/14/2023 at 11:39 PM, Grendel72 said:

Wouldn't bother me at all. It's part and parcel. Since you asked the qn, would it bother you if you were a potential buyer ? 

Not me. I just look at the merits of every potential purchase at face value. But I feel I might be in the minority. 

Hey guys,

I have an interesting ethical question for you. I am trying to build up a business as a dealer. So I am setting up at shows, trying to build an audience on Facebook etc.

Like most of you here, I like looking through comic book ads on eBay and in the sales forum here etc.

How would you feel if someone like me was offering a desirable comic book to you at a good price. But when you looked up past sales on eBay to get a feel for what the market value of the comic book was, you noticed that the comic you’re interested in buying was purchased at a much better price. (Presumably by me).  Like really recently. 
 

If you’re still getting a “good” price on it, does it bother you that I recently bought it at a “great” price to flip it on a public site like EBay?  Is that somehow different than if I bought it from Joe Schmoe at wholesale?

Just curious. 

On 2/27/2023 at 1:32 AM, Aman619 said:

 

2)  Yes, the current generations after the Boomers are smaller in number than the Boomers, but they have grown up with peak comics awareness... NOT as a geeky loser secret hobby.  

Solid point!  I’m bullish, but didn’t consider this. 

Cool book

On 2/23/2023 at 11:54 PM, buttock said:

Re: the comments that the people at the convention are all 35-50.  That's been true of every show I've gone to over the past 30 years, because the collecting demographic is that age (well really more 35-65).  Trying to draw conclusions about a lack of people in their teens and 20s is silly.  

At coin shows, you seldom see people in their 20s. And that market keeps chugging along because coin collectors are spontaneously made from people in their 30s and 40s who just start showing up after they get disposable income. Do not discount the “echo boom“ and also the infill caused by immigration. Below is a is text from a Harvard study on the housing demand. (I did not write it)

It is not uncommon to hear the claim that the baby boom is being succeeded by a much smaller cohort.  But this is simply no longer true if the comparison is among similar 20-year deep generations. Immigration has backfilled the birth deficit that created the baby bust and it is now larger than the baby boom.  The 2010 decennial census counted 81.5 million baby boomers and 82.1 million baby busters. But perhaps the most relevant comparison generation to aging baby boomers should be the echo boom.  It is this generation that will largely be buying baby boomer housing and making significant contributions to their Social Security and Medicare benefits when all boomers are over the age of 65. After 2030, when the ever-smaller cohort of surviving baby boomers are age 65-84, the echo boom will be age 25-44, and far fewer from this still expanding generation will have died.

I collected coins and currency when the demographics were 10 times worse and prices kept going up as the retirees kept buying. How many here are retired and buying?  Will you all please just stop so I can get my books cheaper?  No?

And now the echo boomers are just reaching the age where they can seriously bid against me. great.

On 2/22/2023 at 3:21 PM, VintageComics said:

I misunderstood. He should have written "It could have been like the Porsche 356 I wanted".

My bad. 

Yes, sorry. I meant in the context of my white whale. 

On 2/22/2023 at 2:27 PM, VintageComics said:

You have a Porsche 356?

Gulp. 

No, unfortunately.  I’m sure someone here does. But not me. 

On 2/22/2023 at 8:35 AM, KCOComics said:

It's interesting to think about this in the context of the broader (and endless) debate about the long term health of the hobby. 

It would seem that comic collecting is healthier than ever. Those new collectors that flooded the market during Covid haven't fully left. Prices are still higher for many keys than I ever thought was possible. 

The doomsday folks have always said comic collectors would age out of the hobby. People who grew up reading comics would fade and comics would struggle to maintain value. 

I actually think the opposite is happening. The movies kicked off a new generation of comic lovers. Kids who started watching those movies 20 years ago are now 30 and entering our hobby with money.  

I agree with this. But you don’t need good demographics. It could be like my Porsche 356. When I was in college I really wanted one and they cost about $8000. After I got out of school and started making good money they were about $15,000 and I should’ve bought one because at the time I could afford one. Today they’re like $80,000 minimum and I can’t justify that. (FYI: In all honesty I could sell one of my town houses to buy it, but that would be stupid.)  My point here is that kids today I don’t even know what a Porsche 356 is. And it’s not something they would want because it’s not fast or reliable. It’s the same pool of guys who are chasing that car.  But over time, some of those guys got wealthier than I did and so they can afford them or they bought them and won’t sell. Demand didn’t really increase. Supply didn’t increase and the number for sale may be lower. But what changed is the difference in wealth levels in the top 10% of the people who are willing to buy them or at least hang onto them. There are 10 guys who want one for every 1 car, so if you’re not in the top 10% you’re out of luck.

On 2/21/2023 at 6:00 PM, Microchip said:

The spike in sport card prices, sent a lot of them over to our side.   The non existent population numbers, and broad price bands enticed enough of them to try the hobby.   A lot of the books that spiked, reflected a novice understanding of the hobby.   

And perhaps some of them stuck around because comic collecting is more awesome. 

On 2/11/2023 at 8:00 PM, CGC Mike said:

This round is closed.  The reveal coming in a few, followed by the graders notes.  I am told the results from CGC will be ready tomorrow.  If I receive them by by 10:00 AM, I will post them in the morning.  If not, they will be posted tomorrow evening.  I have about 25 people's grades to record, so don't worry if you have not heard from me yet. 

Dang it. I forgot and missed it. 

Frese art.  My only Frese seems like one of his best Betty’s. Her top isn’t her usual dress. 

Newp I’m thrilled to have. 

I’m guessing that Hit comic didn’t get a press.  That coaster book killed me. 

On 2/3/2023 at 3:16 AM, lou_fine said:

Just a question for you with respect to your comment here...........are you talking about stocks or comic books here or are you talking about both?  

We’ll, I was talking about comics using stocks as an analogy, but I do think stocks are in the same situation. 

On 2/3/2023 at 10:21 PM, ashsaytr said:

the WW killed me LOL

Same.  I did great except the WW…never saw the crease. 

On 2/2/2023 at 9:20 PM, CGC Mike said:

So far, 79 participants have entered their grades.  

If this attrition keeps up, I could win. 

On 2/2/2023 at 10:08 AM, EastEnd1 said:

It's a truism of investing... if you're trying to time the bottom, you're almost sure to miss it.  Prudent investors "ladder"... buy and/or sell periodically through all the ups and downs.

There is a lot of wisdom in what you’re saying. And dollar cost averaging definitely works in investing. But another method that can be effective  is just to buy (blue chips) when everybody is afraid. If people believe right now blood is on the streets and the prices will be lower next month, then right now is precisely the time to buy.  You may not catch the exact bottom but it’s still better than a random purchase.

Also, for what it’s worth, with stocks a good rule of thumb is that they will overshoot to the upside and the downside by approximately 1/3. Like if a stock is in $100 and some new news comes out where it shoots up to $200, it will drop down and eventually settle at $166. However just like it went too high, it will also go below $166 temporarily until it settles at $166 because it will overshoot the target loss of $33 by 1/3 (I.e. an extra $11) therefore maybe getting down to $155 before bouncing back to $166 and settling.  In my humble opinion we have already overshot to the downside where we will settle.  But even if I’m wrong about that, I feel now is a good time to buy because of all of the fear.

On 2/1/2023 at 11:35 AM, lou_fine said:

Exactly right, especially since FOMO which from a rational POV never should have been in the marketplace for most books is now gone. 

Absolutely no reason to bid high on books that you know will continue to show up in all grades in future auctions going forward.  On the other hand, you better bid higher on those HTF books that you probably won't be seeing in any grade possibly for years to come.  

Not sure what you mean here by "firming" though?  Are you saying that the softness in the marketplace is firming up and getting stronger or are you saying the marketplace is starting to firm back up?  

I feel that the rate of descent, which is more visible in the more common material, is slowing. I thing there is the beginning of a “Fear of missing Bottom”. (FOMB). 

IMHO, the market softness (Which I feel is firming) Is closely associated with the rarity of the books. If the book is easy to obtain later in the same grade, then it’s price has  softened.  If a book is difficult to obtain later due to flat out rarity (golden age) or later books in high grade, Sellers are hesitant to sell.

3.0 for that Spider-Man?  I had it at 1.8.    With respect, can you prescreen the books a bit?  That doesn’t belong in a 3.0 holder 

I’m not above winning by attrition. If 40 people drop out every round I got a real good chance.