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Plantman
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Posts posted by Plantman
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Just got all through this.
Everything RMA has stated is accurate. If CopperAgeKids was getting $25 for New Mutants 98 in 1999, he was not selling on eBay or at any show I went to/set up at and I was setting up at 15 shows a year all along the East Coast.
Just a little background - I've been a PowerSeller of one kind or another since 1998, and have had - conservatively - 50,000 transactions on eBay over the period. People do not understand what the marketplace in the late 90s was like - eBay was an arbitrage dream. You could buy books at shows and flip them almost instantly for 100-300% profit easily. And, conversely, you could do the same by buying something on eBay and moving it at a show.
eBay in the late 1990s was the wild wild west. It was awesome and scary at the same time. The end came from CGC and just volume. Hard to be the frontier when everyone moved in.
Okay, you got me. Why was eBay in the late 1990s scary?
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Uh, so what's hot now?
I really don't care about memories.
I actually agree.
Guys, this is the "Coppers Cooling/Selling Poorly on eBay from 1998-2002" thread. How could this topic be discussed without memories?
Sleepwalker #1 remained hot throughout the weekend.
Fury of Firestorm #24 may be heating up, but no Smoak no fire? Is Blue Devil doing something in The New 52?
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Some of you folks weren't in the comics market in the late 90's/early 2000's, huh...?
Imagine: any copper book, all of them, for $5 or less. Every. Single. One.
Except Turtles #1. That was a $50-$100 book, off it's 1990 highs of $300-$400.
Imagine, Spidey #252, $3 or so on eBay.
Primer #2? $20.
Spidey #238? $10, tops.
And forget the Johnny-come-lately "keys."
Dark Knight? #1-4, $20.
Watchmen? Drek.1-12, $12 shipped.
Oh, sure, there were the oddballs...Miracleman #15 was selling for $50-$60 or so...but that was the great exception.
Spidey #298? $10. #300? $25. New Mutants #87? $5. New Mutants #98? Sold in runs of #90-100 for $10.
Pick a key, any key...it was virtually worthless. The demand simply wasn't there.
That's what it was like in the late 90's/early 2000's.
As someone who lived in a small town in Ontario, Canada back then (where $5 couldn't get you a UXM #204 in VF, sale on back issues excepted), colour me envious!
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I think Marvel Age Annuals #1-3 have potential, with #3 having the most.
Why? Do they contain out-of-context, non story related previews of new characters?
An argument could be made that Marvel Age Annual #2 is the first (cameo) appearance of The Marauders, but nobody cares about them anyway.
These annuals, to me, should appeal to completionists who want to collect every Claremont X-Men story or every Gruenwald Squadron Supreme story or every comic featuring Jim Lee (or Todd McFarlane) artwork. Having just written that, 500Club is probably right about these not having much potential.
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If Power Pack were to get picked up as a television series, would there be any key issues to pick up other than #1?
I'm assuming that they wouldn't be interacting with the X-Men, so that might kill any heat for #12, #27, and UXM #195.
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How is Rob Liefeld's New Mutants run (outside of the already-hot #87 and #98) doing on eBay? The local dollar boxes used to be stuffed with multiple copies of most of these issues, but now there are only multiple copies of X-Tinction Agenda crossover issues left.
I pick up 94 when I see it for $1. I see dealers asking $10 for it, but the bay begs to differ:
86 sells for more than $1
I haven't seen a New Mutants #94 priced at (or more than) $10 since 1994. I couldn't even sell X-Force #2 for $10 at a small November show. Thanks for the information.
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How is Rob Liefeld's New Mutants run (outside of the already-hot #87 and #98) doing on eBay? The local dollar boxes used to be stuffed with multiple copies of most of these issues, but now there are only multiple copies of X-Tinction Agenda crossover issues left.
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I think Marvel Age Annuals #1-3 have potential, with #3 having the most.
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Just buy both #8 and #11.
There's probably boxes full in every comic shop's basement, or holding a door open somewhere. You can probably even negotiate down to 10 for a dollar.
That's what I do (if they are $1 or less), although I am firmly in the #8 camp.
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I surrender.
I relied on over-inflated mycomicshop.com, eBay.ca, and local dealer prices which led me to falsely believe that issues 13-60 of the 1997 Deadpool series were worth more, on average, than cover price. My local situation is not representative of the pricing in the USA or Canada.
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And if I'm not mistaken, the people who are floating this theory are sitting on the very books we should be buying.
You're mistaken.
This might surprise you, but not everyone posts solely out of self-interest.
So, a straight up answer, do you have any of the books for sale you are suggesting people should be buying up?
Nope.
1. I already said that I'm not "sitting" on these books.
2. Why would I sell them if they haven't even BEGUN to achieve what I think is their potential?
Selling my ASM "Vol 2" #1-29? Why? They sell for nothing.
Deadpool #13-60? Why? They sell for nothing. Barely cover price.
But, I'll be more than happy to buy any that anyone is selling.
Deadpool (1997) issues #13-60 sell for nothing? They may be cover price in California, but I can't find any issue selling for less than $7 around here.
Just random copies that sold for around cover price or less. Yes, shipping is involved for the buyer, but the seller isn't making that, and books can be, and are, combined.
That means someone wanting to sell them on eBay, and expecting any sort of money for their time, would have to buy them for 50 cents each, or less.
Meanwhile, back in 1991, a dealer could pay $5-$10-$15 for a New Mutants #88, and sell it for $25-$30...in 1991 dollars. In late 1992/early 1993, a dealer could pay $50-$75 for a Harbinger #1 and sell it for $125-$150, or $50 for a Rai #4 and sell it for $75-$80.
And, putting things in perspective, $7 is pretty much "nothing", in this era of $4-$6 cover prices. The difference between $2-$3 and $7 isn't much, in the grand scheme, unless you're selling many multiple copies.
So basically you can't find any Deadpool (1997) issues selling for less than $7 in Canada. You wrote a lot of words to essentially say, "I agree with Plantman's post, but $7 isn't much compared to current cover prices."
I have no idea. I don't live in Canada, and haven't been in Canada since 1992. I've never looked for any comic in Canada, much less Deadpool.
I "wrote a lot of words" so that my point would be clearly understood, with supporting data to back it up. That is the point of discussion, is it not?
There's a tone of orneriness around here lately. I wonder why.
I am not trying to fight with you. I was trying to describe the price situation in my area and implicitly asking you if you thought Deadpool (1997) issues selling for $7 minimum were undervalued.
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And if I'm not mistaken, the people who are floating this theory are sitting on the very books we should be buying.
You're mistaken.
This might surprise you, but not everyone posts solely out of self-interest.
So, a straight up answer, do you have any of the books for sale you are suggesting people should be buying up?
Nope.
1. I already said that I'm not "sitting" on these books.
2. Why would I sell them if they haven't even BEGUN to achieve what I think is their potential?
Selling my ASM "Vol 2" #1-29? Why? They sell for nothing.
Deadpool #13-60? Why? They sell for nothing. Barely cover price.
But, I'll be more than happy to buy any that anyone is selling.
Deadpool (1997) issues #13-60 sell for nothing? They may be cover price in California, but I can't find any issue selling for less than $7 around here.
Just random copies that sold for around cover price or less. Yes, shipping is involved for the buyer, but the seller isn't making that, and books can be, and are, combined.
That means someone wanting to sell them on eBay, and expecting any sort of money for their time, would have to buy them for 50 cents each, or less.
Meanwhile, back in 1991, a dealer could pay $5-$10-$15 for a New Mutants #88, and sell it for $25-$30...in 1991 dollars. In late 1992/early 1993, a dealer could pay $50-$75 for a Harbinger #1 and sell it for $125-$150, or $50 for a Rai #4 and sell it for $75-$80.
And, putting things in perspective, $7 is pretty much "nothing", in this era of $4-$6 cover prices. The difference between $2-$3 and $7 isn't much, in the grand scheme, unless you're selling many multiple copies.
So basically you can't find any Deadpool (1997) issues selling for less than $7 in Canada. You wrote a lot of words to essentially say, "I agree with Plantman's post, but $7 isn't much compared to current cover prices."
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And if I'm not mistaken, the people who are floating this theory are sitting on the very books we should be buying.
You're mistaken.
This might surprise you, but not everyone posts solely out of self-interest.
So, a straight up answer, do you have any of the books for sale you are suggesting people should be buying up?
Nope.
1. I already said that I'm not "sitting" on these books.
2. Why would I sell them if they haven't even BEGUN to achieve what I think is their potential?
Selling my ASM "Vol 2" #1-29? Why? They sell for nothing.
Deadpool #13-60? Why? They sell for nothing. Barely cover price.
But, I'll be more than happy to buy any that anyone is selling.
Deadpool (1997) issues #13-60 sell for nothing? They may be cover price in California, but I can't find any issue selling for less than $7 around here.
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Most of my local dealers, based on their pricing, have already adopted a stance that considers copper non-keys to be overprinted and near valueless garbage. At the same time, these dealers seem to believe that anything printed even somewhat close to the year 2000 had a micro print-run.
Here's a good example:
I think Marvel Age sold under 100,000 copies a month in the mid-1980's, but the dealer was blowing out these comics for about the same price as massively overprinted Excalibur issues.
It might be hard to tell from the picture, but this copy has stacking rub and is not even a NM. I bought it for four times the cover price of 25 cents. Incredibly, the other local dealer was selling his copy for $3. This book must have had a massive print run, yet these dealers are charging multiples because they assume it had a small print run.
Oh, by the way Uncanny X-Men #423 was, in my opinion, a garbage book. I stopped trying to fill in my UXM collection after I read it.
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Right now there is great $$$ to be made from CA books since you can snag collections for so cheap. I am curious to see how things end, but this reminds me a lot of the action on BA books from 2003 - 2005 (maybe starting a bit earlier).
Snagging collections "for cheap" depends entirely on where you are. Maybe in Canada, but here in SoCal, it's simply not possible.
So true, up here I can throw a dead cat and hit high grade collections all day long. I was in California this summer and traveled up and down the coast and there was nothing but garbage to pick at. Mind you, my trip wasn't about finding comics, it was to relax so maybe there is stuff out there but the shops carried rags for back issues and everything was priced the highest I've ever seen.
Interesting. We are fortunate here then with Copper and older collections. They pop up on a regular basis. For example, last night I picked up 700 or so book that included a NMish run of Sandman #1-75, a nice run of Swamp Thing #37 - 171, and New Teen Titans/Tales of #1-59 plus a bunch of other nice books (e.g. Transformers #1, 3, 4; Power Man & Iron Fist #56 up, Avengers #190 - 230, some Tecs, GLs, Spideys, etc.)
If you don't mind my asking, did you acquire these books through the people you know and the connections you made?
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Right now there is great $$$ to be made from CA books since you can snag collections for so cheap. I am curious to see how things end, but this reminds me a lot of the action on BA books from 2003 - 2005 (maybe starting a bit earlier).
Snagging collections "for cheap" depends entirely on where you are. Maybe in Canada, but here in SoCal, it's simply not possible.
So true, up here I can throw a dead cat and hit high grade collections all day long. I was in California this summer and traveled up and down the coast and there was nothing but garbage to pick at. Mind you, my trip wasn't about finding comics, it was to relax so maybe there is stuff out there but the shops carried rags for back issues and everything was priced the highest I've ever seen.
I'll have to start using the dead cat method because the dealers own my territory (Oshawa to Ottawa). I bought one copper/modern collection this year at 30 (THIRTY!) cents a book, and they were mostly mid-grade.
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X-force 2 newsstand. Course good luck finding a high grade.
Why would anyone want an overprinted 3rd appearance?
I'm glad I jumped on the ygogolak (and others) bandwagon instead of yours.
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Overlooked and Undervalued:
X-Factor #9-11
New Mutants #46
Thor #373-374
Power Pack #27
Why?
They are all Mutant Massacre crossovers, and while X-Men #210-213 carry a substantial premium over surrounding issues, these books can be had for little to nothing.
It is was also one of the first (along with the Asgardian War of the year before) of the "titled crossovers" in comics, which have since become standard.
I think X-Factor #10 (or #11) is more likely to get an Apocalypse/Four Horsemen bump than a "Mutant Massacre" one.
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Does anyone else think Uncanny X-Men #295 is overlooked? I believe this was Apocalypse's first appearance in the main X-title. There is a precedent: first Rogue in UXM (#158) and first Sabretooth in UXM (#212) both sell for more than surrounding issues. The downside is that the print run for #295 was probably huge.
(Full disclosure: this is the first superhero comic my parents bought for me. I have a strong attachment to this issue that could easily cloud my view of it.)
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Bartman #1 (first appearance of Comic Book Guy)
Simpsons Comics #39 (first Comic Book Guy cover?)
However, Bartman #1 may have had a huge print run, which could prevent it from ever popping.
Why Comic-Book Guy? I think he's one of the least-liked Simpsons characters?
I don't know how this talk became a shipping debate (although I found it interesting), but you guys should be fortunate the USPS has such low rates. I can't ship anywhere near 3-6 bucks for a book through Canada Post.
Comic Book Guy is a known character among even casual fans of The Simpsons. This season, he had a starring role in one episode and played the villain in the most-hyped episode. He appeared just once in Bongo's flagship comic (Simpsons Comics) during its first four years of publication yet had 87 appearances over the next 16 years. He is featured on the cover of all eight Bongo FCBD issues and had a mini-series in 2010. I don't know how well-liked he is, but he is getting a ton of exposure in comics.
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Bartman #1 (first appearance of Comic Book Guy)
Simpsons Comics #39 (first Comic Book Guy cover?)
However, Bartman #1 may have had a huge print run, which could prevent it from ever popping.
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Livewire and All-Star "hype" are someone's idea of a bad joke to part fools and their money. Just like Squirrel Girl
Here is my Livewire local market report:
I picked up an Action Comics #835 from a flea market dealer for $1 on May 17, 2014. Another collector had just exhaustively went through the dealer's two Superman long boxes. I did not see any Superman Adventures among the 40 or so books he bought. When I handed the dealer my 5 $1 books, he had no reaction to seeing the AC 835. Yet this guy had his New Teen Titans #21 selling for $10 (and we had a discussion about this book when he saw me looking at it.) He frequently asks me why I pick up certain books, and I frequently ask him what other people are buying.
I picked up Superman Adventures #'s 4, 5, and 65 for $3 each yesterday at my second-closest LCS. No other customer asked me about my tiny stack while I was browsing. The owner and employee didn't say a single word about Livewire. When I brought up Harley Quinn and the Joker's daughter during September 2013, they mentioned there was a huge buzz in-store and multiple phone inquiries about the 3D covers featuring these two characters.
Then I went to my closest LCS to ask the owner/operator if people were talking about Livewire. He said I was the first! He didn't even know who Livewire was. I asked him if he could check if she was in any current titles. He checked and said she wasn't. I didn't push things because I wasn't interested in buying Justice League #30.
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I was reading a thread started by ygogolak on another message board in which he posts pictures of his back issue hauls. While he does not have as many views per video as a MERCENAUT, his Yanni Gogolak YouTube channel does have over 150 subscribers. Anyways, amongst his huge scores, he was also buying the following books in multiple:
New Teen Titans #21 (1st Brother Blood) [previously mentioned in thread]
Marvel Age #6
Power Pack #1 (1st Power Pack appearance)
New Mutants #25 (1st page of Legion)
X-Force #2 (2nd Deadpool appearance) [previously mentioned in thread]
yes, and...?
I was suggesting these books could be potentially undervalued long/mid-term. See thread title
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I was reading a thread started by ygogolak on another message board in which he posts pictures of his back issue hauls. While he does not have as many views per video as a MERCENAUT, his Yanni Gogolak YouTube channel does have over 150 subscribers. Anyways, amongst his huge scores, he was also buying the following books in multiple:
New Teen Titans #21 (1st Brother Blood) [previously mentioned in thread]
Marvel Age #6
Power Pack #1 (1st Power Pack appearance)
New Mutants #25 (1st page of Legion)
X-Force #2 (2nd Deadpool appearance) [previously mentioned in thread]
Copper's Heating/Selling Well on Ebay
in Copper Age Comic Books
Posted
The issue everyone is discussing (we are talking about Marvel Age #100, right?) is almost certainly just another pump-and-dump book.
I have not noticed any movement among books on my personal 25 most important issues of Marvel Age list. Someone (or group) was buying up Marvel Age #10 on Dec. 16 on eBay, but I have not seen a hype move nor increased prices.
Having said that, I love Marvel Age and also believe many issues are currently undervalued.