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Everything posted by blazingbob
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When collecting Vampirella, Lady Death etc..What does one look for?
blazingbob replied to Blastaar's topic in Comics General
They are looking for the first appearance of Alana Cleavage -
Highgradecomics.com will be attending. If there is anything specific you want to see please message. Leaving 10/2 to start my drive down.
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Absolutely true, if my numbers are done before a show opens it makes for a much more relaxing show.
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I usually pull out the "Calculator" LOL
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Well I lack the faith that the public will buy what a dealer will so my stock is available before the show opens. All of that inventory is on the website before the show opens so frankly the public has a earlier shot then the dealers who show up at the show.
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Is it visible on the label? Have you attempted OCR scans at shows that are crowded. And if it is pre-OCR am I looking up the serial number assuming I can read it on first gen labels. Sorry.
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Show attendees ask to see/hold books that they will not buy because "If I win the lottery I'm going to buy this". This quote is as old as "I used to own one just like this"
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The topic of "convention pricing, website pricing, store pricing" etc has been the topic of discussion for YEARS. Please note that the pricing of a book that you see in front of you is a snapshot in time. Unless the date of pricing is noted you have NO idea when then book was priced, or graded for that matter (CGC doesn't time stamp their books either). I could have priced the book in 2011 or based on a New indicator in the last 90 days. My pool in the pricing of books using historical data is much bigger then some think. The True test of a seller is when there is no historical data. Sometimes it takes the simple task of asking the seller without being confrontational how did you come up with the pricing. But hey I get it, we are BOTH mind readers since while you are pouring over your phone, overstreet price guide or simply thinking "how did he come up with this price" I am doing the same of the person in front of me. The continuing battle of "Us" versus "Them" continues to this day. When you are on the dealer side you become the "Us", when you are the buyer you become the "Them". Unless a price sticker becomes a LED like your local gas station this topic will continue.
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I'm not following by what you mean early enough? I am dealer 0020 who signed up. How much earlier do I have to be? I was very early in bringing CGC books to shows and selling it. Anything new should be questioned and greeted with skepticism. Not using CBCS was based on their grading, my issues with the holder, the bumping up of grades on big ticket CGC books and then the books not selling for the same price over time. On a conference call with them I had to tell them that their upper tier pricing was more expensive then CGC at that time. (Please note "At that time") PSA has issues with the holder, shows a general lack of dealing with the people who sell their product just like all the others amongst the issues I mentioned to the rep at the show. People switching and using other grading companies really comes down to price to grade/turnaround times/market acceptance and return on your investment. If none of these make sense why am I switching?
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Have I flip flopped on CBCS? I thought I was being very nice to the PSA Rep. I did not get into Mark Wilson's character or past history. I stuck strictly to the holder. I didn't even get into the fact that a wall display of these holders would pretty much collapse most everything out there. Holders don't fit into existing boxes.
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2024 torpedo show was a very good show. If you are not into going to SDCC or having issues getting in there are a lot of National dealers doing this show that gives you "first shot". Admission fee is also cheaper, Hotel room is very nice.
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Bedrock City Con - October 7 and 8, 2023 Houston, TX
blazingbob replied to MrBedrock's topic in Comic Events
Highgradecomics.com will be attending. Please let me know if there is anything you want me to bring before the show. Thank you -
Are prices still climbing or have they eased up a bit???
blazingbob replied to InfantTerrible's topic in Comics General
Ok not to be argumentative on this but if you grade accurately and most ebay sellers do not why do you have to price less then most of the over graded stuff out there? And for time processing you are looking up every book you are listing to see what the lowest price is? Whether they put a grade on it or not? Seems like a lot of work to me. I grade a book, I price it and if offers are fair I sell it. I can never ensure that I'm the lowest price out there and frankly how many websites would I have to look at? . -
Are prices still climbing or have they eased up a bit???
blazingbob replied to InfantTerrible's topic in Comics General
This wasn't my primary income until I got laid off from Verizon which was my primary job. However I already had my business in place when I had to go full time. -
Are prices still climbing or have they eased up a bit???
blazingbob replied to InfantTerrible's topic in Comics General
You don't use GPA, you dion't use Overstreet so what are you using for "pricing data"? Ebay, to me one of the worst reference points as far as raw selling goes since you aren't focusing on Graded books. If you aren't setting up at shows or using a database of your raw sales I would say you are operating in a vacuum. -
Are prices still climbing or have they eased up a bit???
blazingbob replied to InfantTerrible's topic in Comics General
As a "dealer" you don't have GPA? Are you sure you want to be a reseller of books constantly guessing if what you are buying even works? How much money have you left on the table because you didn't know what a book really sells for? Is the subscription fee for a service that makes you money really that much of a dent to your capital base? This type of post bothers me more then the current state of the market. Where are the future big dealers going to come from if they can't afford $9.99 a month -
Hmmm, this thread is turning into a Cheech and Chong movie. Up in Smoke it goes
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The auction market needs people like you to set a floor. Without bidders the auction model doesn't work. Unfortunately if you never win anything you get bored and stop bidding. Auction houses are just like the casino's. Without players they don't work.
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I'm guessing your non-disclosure agreement has expired.
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But everybody tells me that Auction houses are the true $$$$ reflections of the market. They aren't?
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CLOSED: Avengers #2 CGC 8.5
blazingbob replied to silverseeker's topic in Golden/Silver/Bronze Age Only
Thank you for the kudos. Remember the book, still have the raw scans. -
Ordering from Highgradecomics' online store is a little wonkey
blazingbob replied to AltonKroobe's topic in Comics General
This thread brings up a lot of things for me and I'm sure other sellers. Without some type of communication the seller never knows what the buyer's expectations of the seller is. It is assumed that the seller will know how to grade, be honest to disclose restoration, how to price and be willing to discount. There are a lot of assumptions on both sides. The Perpetual tug of war as I call it. GPA, GoCollect, Overstreet, Ebay, etc are all different areas where pricing can be introduced into a transaction. I have to guess which one of these the buyer is using. When a buyer is looking at the phone I'm guessing GPA. If the list is stuck in a Overstreet price guide I'm guessing they are using that. If they are working off a piece of paper with numbers on it they are generally shopping for the best price on a book on that list. The buyer when they come up to my booth is trying to guess what am I using. Selective pulls from bins, casual glances at the wall are all trying to give that buyer the sense of what to expect without wasting THEIR time. Not mine, theirs. Without communication we are both guessing what the other is thinking. Without a general understanding of the person or persons negotiating from both sides of the table we struggle to figure out where each other is coming from. Difficulties result when each cannot do what the other wants. Trust is never upfront because as long as I've been a dealer our reputations are we are trying to get one over the buyer. Now from my side of the table am I the seller going to be the "wholesaler" to the retailers? Being that guy again is based on how much material you have access to. Am I the seller going to be the lowest priced? Without good reliable sourcing of material to support that business model I won't last long. What pricing model am I going to use? Low/Medium/High. What is the cost basis of the the material that supports those price points. Being the lowest priced doesn't necessarily translate into Higher quality. What buyer market am I catering to? I have always said there is a Dollar Tree/TJ Maxx, Target, Nordstrom/SAKs type of retail business model. There will always be the beer wallet/champagne taste mentality out there. Or the "When I win the lottery" type buyer. I often say that if you want to get a dealers attention or want them to price better spend more. The argument that dealers get all the great deals before shows open is because we write bigger checks. What I want is show pre-orders, I don't want to know that you the buyer wanted something that I didn't bring. No matter how far I list a show in advance it never fails that what buyers want is still in my storeroom. I want guaranteed sales on a large number of books at one time, I want large checks. That's what I go to shows for. If you want a half off sale on higher quality material I'm not sure where you will find that. I've spent a lot of time looking for that source. If you are a "flipper/reseller" and want big discounts on my hard work I hope you are willing to spend some money. $500 with big discounts is not some money. Cherry picking my good stuff while I'm stuck with the stuff that is hard to sell is not my idea of fair. Nickel and diming me down on every transaction is not my idea of fun. Nobody likes walking away from a deal feeling beat up. When we both win things work out better in the long run. While the original poster may have pissed me off it does make you realize that you cannot sit on your "$$$". -
Ordering from Highgradecomics' online store is a little wonkey
blazingbob replied to AltonKroobe's topic in Comics General
If there is a question about my "pending verification" status on the website this was due to customers ordering and immediately paying for something even though they weren't sent the invoice yet. Now while some of you feel that this is the "best" thing to do I had too many instances of theft, damage, books from consignor's not being sent etc. Paypal doesn't refund the fee any longer so I put in this additional step to ensure that everything is as stated on the website for the order. Yes it would be great to have just in time inventory, I apologize for that. If I were starting today yes there would be bar codes for scanning on every book that I could use a POS scanner at a show. However, looking at 40K books to get those bar codes on now while doing everything else is not a easy commitment to make. Again, if there are changes to the website that benefit all I'm open to suggestions. Not everything is cost effective and I don't know many of my competitor's websites that are custom designed for how I navigate through them. I appreciate the positive feedback, I'm not exactly thrilled at this not being addressed through a email or phone call but I get it. -
Ordering from Highgradecomics' online store is a little wonkey
blazingbob replied to AltonKroobe's topic in Comics General
As far as pricing, discounting goes I am never going to be everything to everyone. Every book is open to an offer. You can build as big a pile of books you want as if you were right there at a convention and see if I'm open to your offer. Or if you prefer the gambler type of bidding you can spin the wheel for a discount. It was never created to be tilted to my favor, it is a win/win for both of us since I don't have to keep guessing what discount gets the book sold. If there is a feature on the website that doesn't work the way someone prefers or feels it takes too much effort etc I am generally open to suggestions. Comments like Wonkey are really not technical descriptions. I spent 20+ years as a programmer/analyst/IT systems manager so I'm sorry but if you want to send specifics that describe what you were attempting to do and what the website didn't do for you feel free to send me a Message.