Exactly right. I'm in more of a position to know than most... I spent 2 years putting my own 600-page guide together (for my own buying and selling purposes -- not for re-sale) and update it regularly. OPG may be too low on a number of "key" books, but is way inflated on the vast majority of GA. In fact, the dirty little secret that is seldom talked about is that most GA issues have been gradually falling in value over the years as newer generations have no connection to it.
.... I believe there is more need for published price guides now then ever. ...
OPG is a wealth of data. No price guide can keep up with certain volatile items in a given short period, but I think if OPG dropped all of the "cover price or less" material out of the guide and concentrated on actual collectible issues (with a larger font that could actually be read), and dropped its fear of showing downward movements, it could rise back to being the primary go-to source it once was.
All great points, Tim. I for one would be interested in buying a copy of your own comics price guide. I've put together a few lists of particular titles of interest, and know how much work it can be. I wish there was a Guide which truly attempted to list the prices older books will sell for. OPG, I believe, gave up on that long ago. I still buy Overstreet almost every year, but it is an eyesore and a disappointment.
The OPG really seems to be a relic of the 70s, when Overstreet was actually still active in the hobby, and still reflects his tastes and biases. He apparently hated Crumb and his gang and refused to list them, while attempting to be a sort of complete checklist of the mainstream publishers. As a result, the Guide is unwieldy and has tiny eyestraining print, bloated with redundant listings of worthless drek, while simultaneously ignoring valuable "Underground" comics based on some Puritanical objection to naughty pictures. Remove the drek, and you'd have room for larger print and a truly complete listing of collectible books from all genres. More attention to the Golden Age is a must too, as some titles/issues are selling at multiples of guide and others are tough sells at a fraction of Guide price.
The pricing on most older books seems to be an attempt to control and "stabilize" the market rather than an honest reporting of what things sell for. I remember reading an article by Chuck of Mile High where he reported on an Overstreet Advisers meeting where this was actually discussed, there was concern that prices fluctuating would scare off people and kill the market so small and steady increases were decided on as the wisest course. I think the folks involved cared a lot about the comics market and so meant well, but this means the Guide was not really an honest unbiased report. Letting prices drop as well as rise would actually make the book more useful and a trustworthy source of pricing.
Another beef is that it seems no attempt has been made to make the book more useful by updating and completing the art credits. Look at pre-code Atlas titles, just as one example, and you will find incomplete and inaccurate info on the artists in the tiny print at the bottom of the listings. In the old days, this type of info was apparently hard to assemble and was volunteered by the Advisers piecemeal. It is really easier today to just go to the Internet for most such info, so why list it in such a half-azzed way? List all the Robert Q. Sale stories in the title or don't list them at all, but saying he has art in #9 and 12 while he actually also has art in 6, 8, and 15-22 also is a disservice disguised as "help".