blazingbob

Of course Andy can be reasonable when pricing on the boards, there is 0 cost to selling on the boards except if paypal is involved.

The retail market is built on "Sales" and discounts off. It is not exclusive to collectibles. Shoppers across the globe all are looking for bargains.

The higher number is not there to make it attractive. It is because most buyers want to negotiate a deal. Should you "earn" the best price or just have it handed to you on a silver platter? That's the art of negotiation. I can't help if you are shy or are uncomfortable negotiating.

My discount for inventory in the boxes is listed, no need to ask on those unless you feel that the stack you are building is worth a bigger one. Almost every buyer buying asks for a deal, very few ever pay full price.

"Why not just price things as they should be instead of forcing people to haggle?" Please define this statement so that it covers everyone's buying style. Because if I did this there are a majority of buyers that would still ask for a discount. Question for most out there? Is there a GPA store you can buy from when I don't agree to sell the book for GPA?

It isn't so much that asking questions is becoming more difficult. It is the following that I am left to guess and deal with when that conversation is taking place 1). Your definition and source of Fair market value. Are you open to sales data that isn't GPA and maybe on how I came up to the asking price? 2). Do you TRUST any dealers and would you prefer me to be truthful or lie to you? 3). Your ego versus mine. Are you a guy who has to "WIN" every transaction and get what YOU want? Or do we both get to walk away feeling good about the deal? 4). Your "budget" and what you can afford to spend. 5). Do you assume I'm overpriced before you even start negotiating? 6). Do you think I'm desperate to sell or that what you think is a lot of money is a lot of money to me? 7). Do you think I'm happy when you negotiate using terms like cash, I agree and then you whip out a credit card with a big smile on your face? 8). Can I get to your number and how will you react to "No".

If I had the book at $110 and came down to $95 am I motivated to sell? If it came from a show inventory box I generally will knock up to 15% off a book which is noted on signs on my boxes. Was $90 a fair price for the book in "decent/whatever that translates to grade wise" condition? Or did you feel that because he was "motivated" you went for the lower number? Does him showing his cards as you say prevent you from negotiating a price that was fair to both? I'd love to hear the other side of this transaction from his perspective.

Sounds like somebody on the boards. I can think of a few.

Lower grade/Higher grade? Using Ebay to determine Raw value for me is a waste of time since I take the assumption that I'm holding the book and most ebay sellers can't grade. OSPG is a good place to start but it also depends on the title being looked at. It is possible that the seller is pricing over guide which you can ask him/her. Not directed at you but assuming I'm stupid and your the smartest/slickest buyer going is not recommended. Being fair so that both parties are happy goes a long way. You may "Win" in the short term but lose in the long run.

Define a "little high" CGC books or raw? What reference are you using to determine "value"?

If a dealer cannot tie up capital to get books graded then they are UNDER capitalized.

Not sure how many of those "doesn't know how to use the internet customers" exist. And do you really want to rip somebody off when you are a brick and motar? Clearly word of mouth means something or threads like these wouldn't start. You think some of these businesses want the type of publicity they are getting in this thread?

Not sure I understand this since I would question who taught that particular store owner how to grade. That is a question I'm surprised more buyers don't ask their sellers since there has never been a formal grading college to graduate from. Learning from a grading book that contradicts itself keeps the "grading is subjective" comment alive and well. No formal training and no 3rd party grading standards keeps most buyers guessing as to what the "third party grading company" will grade it.

You mean you missed the Com-exit notification? Boris and Nigel have been making announcements all over the BBC about it

I'll take the plastic man

In the day of the internet and smartphones if customers don't want to engage or waste my time they can always search my website for the books that are on the wall to quickly gauge prices. I understand Metro's binders from a "show inventory" management but killing trees to keep my showlist current would not exactly work for me.

LOL. Wow, now that is a typical 80's hair band metal formula used by many. Peroxide, drum stick spinning, shirts off, girls on motorcycles. I think Gene pretty much covered everything with that video.

They save the best for last there buddy. Without a foundation the whole thing comes crumbling down.

Again, not picking on you on this but should I post all the times I'm taking books off the wall for the following "Can I just hold it" "Can I take a picture with it" "OMG, is it real, can I touch it" "I bet its $20K, OMG it's 50K" "Honey, buy me this for my birthday" "When I win the lottery I'll be back for this" "Does somebody really buy these" Yup, the glamour life I live.

Just an fyi but most buyers that aren't serious start with "I'm just curious".

Not a criticism but a question. Besides a post it note what other price sticker can be read from 4-6 feet away? How big? Post it notes bring up posts that prices are different then the website. Frankly post it notes don't look professional. I'm sorry but my prices are on the back since most customers want to see the book and not my price when handling it. bob

Who or what were you hoping to see at the show? Maybe my term "expectations" should be changed to "hope" when I post in Convention threads. My HONEST hope is that I find high grade priced where I can make money, Or keys that I need for customers, or books that are hard to find. If I'm honest with myself sometimes that hope doesn't translate into what the convention can deliver. MCM will NEVER be a true comic convention but that doesn't mean you can't find what you are looking for if you are looking for stuff that dealers can bring to the show. However as I stated earlier sometimes I HOPE that I can find a dealer at a show that doesn't know what stuff is worth, or is willing to discount a lot to meet my "budget". Then I can post in the thread my "haul" and get some attaboys. There are plenty of comic cons in the US that don't deliver on My or collector's hope either.

I'm actually glad that there are posters who post their expectations. I've never been to the London Monthly fair so I don't know what to measure the London supercon I used to do and now Reed MCM against. My experience with the London Supercon dealer pool was the reluctance to support John's show when he started. Other promoters also didn't like the competition and frankly what I know about how promoters behave would make you ill. Business is just as cuthroat in the UK as it is in the US as well as Canada as far as conventions go. Pence variants is not something I would have. I have two magazine boxes of pre-hero Marvels as well as a large collection of Westerns that I would never bring over to the UK. That would have to be requested by a customer. Money is always the number one priority when it comes to shows. Underneath all the "love for the hobby" posturing are people who are there to make a living. We just so happen to be selling collectibles/art/toyes/sketches/information etc to make that living or pick up some "side money". How you approach your business really depends on who taught you. Sometimes I look at the dealer/customer relationship as some sort of good versus evil battle and depending on what side you are on determines who goes on what side.

If you have an issue with Heritage not being at the booth that is not the promoters issue. What is your definition of "reasonable". I have had this term used throughout convention threads for years. Depending on your expectations that could equate to 5, 10, 15 or 20. If it is a certain type of material does that dealer base exist in the UK or would US dealers do well enough to come over? Multiply your budget by the number of customers looking for that type of material will determine if that "dealer class" would setup at the show. As with a lot of the dealer base a convention requires work from the dealers as well as the promoters. If the dealers in the UK don't see the benefit of large shows or making enough sales then they won't come. I hate to say it but I see a lot of guys who don't want to invest in their businesses. In the US and international. They expect the doors to open and magically the customers come. I'm guessing my stock was atrocious? Was there material on my website that you were looking for or do I not have what you are looking for? As far as Reed website information goes I will be speaking to my US Sales rep about trying to expand the Comic presence at the MCM shows. I cannot guarantee that they will listen or do what would meet your expectations. Hopefully the staff at Reed UK will follow up with the Twitter media storm. I would say it may take a little while but I seem to feel that in the US Reed does a very good job with the website and getting information out. But don't think that "nobody" cares. If comic dealers were scattered about that was because some of them chose cheaper tables. Cheap seems to be a resounding theme with many dealers that I talk to, both in the US and the UK. Either they don't have the stock to setup at shows or they don't want to pay to expand their customer base. Being under capitalized seems to be a common theme as well as the ability to want to work together where both parties come away feeling that they got a good deal. I can't help a buyer if they have champagne taste with a beer wallet. Here is some feedback to dealers whether in the US or abroad. If you can't find it how can you expect the customer to? Telling customers to dig through the boxes may be some big smart ploy on your part to think they will buy something else but to me it is a big "No, No". Not everybody has the time or desire to surf through your boxes especially if the bags and boards haven't been changed in awhile. Not everybody is into dumpster diving. Stuffing two booths into one is not exactly a welcome mat. Again, I'm not sure what business economics course some of my competitors took but I know what 20 pounds of potato's looks like in a 10 pound bag.

Yes, because of one dealer selling undergrounds and who wouldn't cover them up plus some of the "stripper guests" the church did get tired of the shows. In addition the basement did not have A/C which limited dates on when shows could be done. which is why the show moved eventually to the Hotel Pit, I mean Hotel Pennsylvania.