blazingbob

Just a short comment on the usual negative comments when change comes to a comic show. Reed and CGC are both well aware that MCM was not a comic book show. But lets not put all the blame on the promoters. If the UK wants big three day show events the UK dealers need to come to the shows. I have offered all of my UK customers the ability to order ALL year long from my website and pick up the orders at the Reed MCM shows to save on shipping. They are also welcome to ask or order anything from my website and have it brought to the show so long as it is way in advance of when I ship my orders off. Last minute requests are usually not done because I only have so much room in my suitcases. My show dates are 1 year in advance, if you can't think a year in advance then please don't be angry if I don't have what you are looking for at the show. I'm open to international dealers coming in from other countries to buy from me. If you want "deals" then I STRONGLY suggest you do that before I get there. I am just as respectful of your cost of getting there as mine. Ken, you would not have a good time at a MCM show. Lets just leave it at that. Everybody wants the cozy/lazy one day comic show where basically you get in for free, buy your books and are home in a few hours. I have to say when I was a collector I drove for hours to go to shows. Inconvenience was not a word I used. It seems unless the date is just exactly right, the price is right, the ambience, the mood or god knows what else collectors all over the world will find an excuse for not showing up. Well if you want US dealers to come over the pond I don't think it will be to do a one day show. The last time London supercon ran a show all I heard was that the show was during the "Vacation season". Go to the beach or go to a show? Hmmm, when pressed the comic collector went on vacation. Show hours weren't right, how come there are not enough comic dealers? Let me guess, when a show doesn't have enough comic dealers it is because there aren't enough Comic book buyers. I had lots of money to spend at the show for books. Unfortunately it seems that the UK dealer is more interested in holding onto every last dollar versus creating long term customer relationships where both of us can make some money. I was paying CASH and didn't spend a cent at this show. Even with CGC at the show did the collector come and submit books, No. I get very little sense of urgency to get books graded or maybe they just don't see the cost justification in getting stuff slabbed. That being said I will see my UK customers at the October show. .

Thank you to some of the posters for the Zatanna Hughes covers. I bought a 30K collection that had long boxes of moderns but didn't know about the Zatanna Hughes covers.

I am kind of surprised by the "moral compass" that gets applied to the grading of comics, Pressing, restoration and removal. When boiled down it always comes down to financial. Pressing is very profitable to the grading company and the person having it done if the book upgrades. Restoration if done in a good conscious comes down to is it good for the book or bad conscious, deceive the buyer into thinking the book is better then it really is. Disclosure is only as good as the person selling the book. Put the book into the wrong hands and the restoration magically disappears until discovered again. Restoration removal is a financial decision since the book is worth more if it is blue versus purple. Doesn't matter how bad it looks the goal is a blue label. Nothing like having a person bragging in front of a customer how he took a purple down to blue by scrapping away. And then they wonder why the customer doesn't buy from them. The idea of "minimizing" the type of restoration is just another attempt at financial gain by those who need another revenue stream. Sorry, I'm black and white, Restoration is restoration. Yeah I get it, Slight to Extensive but to those looking to change the financial landscape slight means a better shot at blue then extensive. Could CGC have done a better job in the beginning? Sure, but if some remember the big obstacle was would the marketplace accept encapsulated comics? You think the dealer pool could come to a consensus on how restoration could be addressed? Why do you think that the comic market continues to deal in a "reactive" mode? Because no industry group exists, those Overstreet advisors last met when? CGC has met with it largest customers to discuss changes when? It would be amazing to me if CGC worked with its biggest customers to discuss and make changes BEFORE they did something. They grade em, WE sell them.

Having made the mistake of buying a Restored CBCS "blue" label (RESTORED is too small on the label) I'm sorry but I'm not a big fan of the one color. When you train buyers with color coding it is very hard to un-learn something especially when you are tired. I see blue, I assume unrestored. If I have to read the label on every book I'm looking at and I look at a lot of books I miss something. And frankly that mistake cost me $500.

The policy has changed when CGC modified the portal to have uniform status's across the companies. I requested that CGC put a estimated grading date since they know when the book comes in, they know the current turnaround times and could easily put a estimated grading date in the system that would limit calls into customer service from customers who used to call in for grades. And it appears you are not on the list.

For me A shows are San Diego, New York Comic Con, Baltimore, C2E2. I've had A type shows at other conventions but not consistently.

If I may ask what two runs are you looking for and do you take the time to email the dealers you shop with to bring what you need to a show? No matter how far in advance I post my show schedule there is always somebody that asks for books that are on my website. I cannot bring 35K books to the show If you ask to see them at a show then I can pull them or put them in a show box so that they are there.

Other Cons have taken over as the better buyer/seller shows, C2E2, Baltimore come to mind. Wizard Chicago has not been "The show" for awhile. Buying books at conventions hasn't been a strong business model for awhile so if you are depending on shows for your inventory maybe you need to rethink that business model. How long do you think that sellers are going to continue to leave money on the table? More and more sellers press their inventory. Do you really think that dealers love watching upgraders make thousands more on a book then they do? Onsite grading was due to Reed making CGC a better offer. That's sometimes how business works.

Can I ask what about CGC express drop off was a joke? Very curious since I've been discussing this with them for awhile now. If you want to pm me that would be fine.

Big buyer or competing dealer? If the big buyer is a upgrader then he is a dealer. If the big buyer is buying books for resale he is a dealer. If a collector is buying books to sell to make money so that he can buy books for his collection he is a DEALER. If I am giving a badge to any of those "Big buyers/competing dealers then I am creating my own competition. If I do happen to give a badge to a person who buys and sells books I generally have a business relationship with that person. As far as my "big booth" with killer keys with no ceiling goes I did start a lot smaller. I used to work for Vinny when he was Vincent's collectibles. I started with 1-2 boxes of books. I poured profits back into more inventory over time. I learned by partnering and doing shows. Always learning. Never assume I know everything. For every complainer about a show I'm sure there were 10 that did very well. Not everybody posts on the boards about shows and frankly if the show were really good why would I invite more dealers to do it? Have you ever considered that maybe some people are diverting attention away from a show with misinformation?

Unused Dealer badges are not "FREE". I pay for those as part of the booth cost. If small time dealers aren't doing the shows either the Booth sales team aren't contacting them, it is too much of a hassle for them to do the show or they have done the show and didn't do well at it. Wizard was a pretty good show last year.

When there are complaints about "empty booths" from "full time buyers" who are also "full time sellers" they are relying on the exhibitors who paid to setup to "subsidize" their business model. Now they may argue that they are "buying" from dealers but dealers make money "buying and selling" at conventions. That's what I paid the booth fees for and how I judge a show. Wizard Chicago has a lot of "Wanna Be Buyers/Sellers" running around before the show opens. I'm sure if you counted up those "Workers" it would add up to a lot more money then you think. If just 3-4 of those "Full time buyers" who are also "full time sellers" had bought a booth then $5K goes to the promoter. Promoters don't make as much money as you think so $5-10K makes a big difference to the bottom line. Those "full time buyers/sellers" as you call them don't even buy a 4 day badge which could translate into $$$$ to the promoter. A decision to setup at a major show is not just the "booth cost". It can be hotels and the strength of the inventory you have to sell at the show. You also have to question your business model. It the model is high prices, no discounting, no selling to dealers and you have very limited wall books you probably won't do well at a multi day show with more expensive booth costs. Some dealers frankly just think "small" and want to pay $50-$150 for a one day booth where if they do $1500 its a good day. For me, I can stay home behind the computer drinking coffee and make that. Which is why I don't do 1 day shows which equals 4 load in and load outs of the mini van. If I am no longer setting up at a multi day show that I've done before it is because the numbers were not good. My gauge is 10X expenses for sales. I grade shows A - F based on Buying, Selling, Customer traffic, Customer interaction, Wall requests, box stock purchases, etc

Exchange rates are not the sellers fault. We cannot control government monetary policy. Shipping costs really depend on the options available. When expensive items are shipped in a vacuum with no tracking sellers have a right to limit the shipping choices. Nothing like a scam or loss to change those options. I very rarely sell on Ebay so no GSP shipping issues.

Yeah imagine if guys who bought and sold books actually bought a badge or a booth to support the show instead of getting a badge for free so that they can buy and sell books. Nothing like watching guys who have no booths, get free dealer badges competing with you buying books when you've paid $3K-4K in booth costs to be there.

Playboy bunnies?

I live for the "love" and "likes" LMAO

All we need is a Joe Pesci of the comic business to get the word out. There was a few jokes made at C2E2 that we could take the guy down to a "room" for awhile.

One of the nightmares of doing shows is exactly this type of thing happening.

I will be there. Looking forward to another great "preview" show

If the movie that the villain appears in is good the issue will generally hold its value. If the movie is not good then the book tends to drop and gets a little harder to move since the "buzz" is off the book. Nobody knows exactly what the top price will be. If you have made a nice profit in the book be happy that the movie got announced in the first place and move on.

I'm not a paper expert but not all "pressers" are created equal. Proper hydration, drying techniques, "dry" versus "wet" pressing are not consistent across the "pressing universe". I tend to think of pressers like counterfeiters. Each has his own signature, his own talent. Just takes awhile to figure out what their signature is. It also helps to know the person doing the pressing. Obsessive/compulsive pressers tend to want to get everything out all at once. Professional company pressers have people working for them that may not have that same obsession resulting in "pressed" books that still have some defects. CCS has the Quick press which is cheaper. Amateur pressers buy a shirt press, read some articles and practice till they get what they think is a good result. And I'm a believer you get what you pay for. Which is why I have the 10X Grading/pressing grading company model. Over time I think bad work results in bad results. Does that mean damage? Any time you are manipulating a book runs the risk of damage.

My Grading company business model theory is that every book has 10 combinations of grading/pressing in it. Take the love of the books emotion out of it. Look at the book as strictly a dollar/cents revenue producer to the grading company and owner of the book. Pressing is more profitable then grading. Upgraders have a unrestored book that with their "talent" can remove some defects that result in profit to them. The clue to spotting them at shows are the flashlights and spinning books like pizza pies. Some are more "talented" then others. As prices escalate on certain books there will always be another buyer/upgrader looking to see if they can squeeze a bump in the grade. Which is why vintage markets need new material to come into the market. Eventually a book reaches its full potential. Unfortunately it doesn't have a ticket with holes punched on how many trips through the pressing/grading cycle it has taken.

I did not say that I said it is a $75K book today. I have discussed pricing of this copy with an "owner" when it was a 9.6. I am not sure who the new "owner" is. Either way this was not a recent conversation.

I owned a 9.2 and a 9.0 FF #5. I owned the White Mountain FF #1 9.2. I have sold two FF #5 9.4's, 3 9.2's. I remember this copy when it was a 9.4 and when it got a 9.6 grade.