jhm

Oh boy... it seems like there may be some misunderstandings about the information on GoCollect. If you're not paying a monthly subscription to GoCollect, you're not getting anywhere near the amount of information you could be.

Email help@gocollect.com and tell them Jeff said he was willing to give anyone that doesn't have a membership a free 30 days to try it. Feel free to point back to this thread. And if they give you any grief at all... just tell me and I'll have each and every one of them strung up by their toe nails!!!! But seriously... the folks that handle support are awesome and are always willing to give you a look behind the curtain if you reach out to them 

@Math Teacher and @valiantman you would probably both enjoy our valuation modeling tools. Here's the one for the ASM #300 for instance: https://comics.gocollect.com/guide/comicValueModels/gcin/150744 Click the "About" button to get a sense of how these work, how you can generate multiple for any comic, and how you can share your models with other account holders.

I would encourage everyone to read my comments from similar posts in the past. My most recent one was written when I was feeling super grumpy, but I laid out some things pretty straight there:

On 2/25/2020 at 8:39 AM, thunsicker said:

@jhm Speaking of changing in 4 years...

Can you let us know what sources of data GoCollect uses now?  You may have in other threads, but I don’t remember seeing it, and couldn’t find it on your site.  Above he says three major auction houses.  Which I assume would be Heritage, Comiclink, and Comicconnect, do you have unfettered access to the Comiclink data?  Or is it the cherry picked data they offered George?

We track eBay, Heritage, ComicConnect, Hake's. We also provide links to known ComicLink auctions, but many of them lead to dead pages once they decide to disable viewing them (note - the links still work if you bid within the auction). I've tried for years to get CL to go public with their data, but "the main man" over there continues to refuse... too much to hide? I have no idea. I've actually personally stopped buying/selling there due to my dealings with him over the past year.

GPA allows private dealers to submit sales without needing to provide public-facing proof of the sale. GoCollect requires full transparency by the seller to participate in our sale listings areas. That's done by providing a link to the sale that is expected to remain active after the sale/auction has ended. We are happy to add any reputable seller that agrees to follow the transparency guidelines.

On 2/26/2020 at 4:14 AM, Gaard said:

I can only comment on my experience. GC is great for SA thru MA, if looking up a book that isn't too uncommon. If needing sales data on GA (or uncommon books) it's kind of hit-n-miss.

I do think it's very beneficial that GC supplies pictures ... make things a lot easier for me.

I'm personally a heavy GA collector and originally created GoCollect to support my multi-million dollar addiction. We may be missing a small handful of GA sales that are reported to GPA, but that's likely because the seller doesn't conform to our transparency guidelines. Sales in your GoCollect account list not only the sold price, but all of the pertinent sale information and a link to the original sale. But MOST IMPORTANTLY (for me anyhow) we also provide a picture of the actual comic sold. For a GA collector, this is crucial to truly understand the value of a book you're bidding on. Not only does it help to better understand why the grade was assigned, it also help to detect when a book was cracked and re-slabbed... often times with an added press and a grade bump. When I drop anything more than $1,000 on a comic book I'm seeing it as an investment. And I like as much info as possible when I invest

On 2/27/2020 at 2:02 AM, Aman619 said:

good resource for matching comics by using the pics... but too many modern books have no FMV.  they should fill these gaps if they want to run a price guide!

Bear in mind that the FMV's are provided as a "number crunch" of the sales we've tracked. It is not speculative pricing like a typical guide would use. We strongly recommend diving into a subscriber account to get a true sense of the data we provide. Just because an FMV is missing, the subscriber account is still able to see all of the sales that we tracked on that comic... helping you to determine the best price to pay.

9 hours ago, lou_fine said:

Nothing for CL on this particular go round, it would appears as it looks like a 50:50 split between HA and CC.  

Based upon your past experiences with selling, are the results from both HA and CC pretty much the same after you factor back out all of the relevant fees?  

Or is it really more on an individual book by book basis?  

BTW: Congrats on that huge $500K Nintendo games sale and best of luck to you on your upcoming CC consignments.  

 

In case it's not clear to some, I own GoCollect. Both Heritage and ComicConnect have been a joy to work with on the sales data side of things. I appreciate each of their unique visions for the future of the hobby. I also appreciate the transparency they each offer, which is why I sold through them. I did initially sell the first batch of sealed Carolina Collection games with CL, but ultimately decided to go a different route for personal reasons. There are still a couple thousand more games in the Carolina Collection and I'm not prepared to exclude any sales direction just yet... including a potential, longer-term hold.

Up to this point, I've rarely sold much. I buy far more than I can seem to part with  So I don't have much seller history to speak to. That said, I do a ton of data analysis and both of these companies do a stellar job of maintaining consistent results. If you've got some good stuff to offer, bring them to both companies (and your other favorites) to see how much negotiation there may be available on those fees  But do yourself and your potential sellers a favor by being transparent with them that you're shopping around. Ask each of them when the next auction will be and what else they expect to be included. Then start your data digging. Timing and overall offerings always seem to play a role.

And...thanks for the congrats and well wishes!

Just now, tth2 said:

Sorry, just to make sure I understand your post, are you saying that you were ready to shill your own lot?

No - I was ready to hold ownership. My goal (if I would have bid) was not to increase the overall bid, but to buy back at a price that I would have paid had I not been the consignor. It is the only copy that I know to exist. I've been told of 2 others, but have never seen any proof that they exist.

I'm pissed that I don't have it anymore. And I would gladly purchase it back if the new owner wants to quick flip it. It was sold as part of a very large collection that I had already agreed to sell in that historic event. I'm an emotional collector...  and I don't mind admitting that.

I appreciate you asking. This is what I pulled as a good description of shill bidding:

On 11/23/2019 at 3:49 AM, lou_fine said:

Don't know anything at all about collectible video games, but it looks like this one here sold for a pretty hefty price:

Managed to hit $75K which seems like quite a bit, but if I remember correctly, the consignor was apparently saying they wouldn't be happy if this one failed to hit 6-figures at the minimum.  

If so, I imagine somebody's not totally happy, although I am not sure how the rest of his Carolina Collection fared in the end.  

 

I was disappointed with this single sale. But overall, I sold about 300 nintendo games for nearly $500,000.

I'm pretty sure I shot myself in the foot on this Mega Man. I told everyone I knew that I would be the high bidder if it went for under $100k. Before the auction began I was kindly asked to trust the system and not bid on it (it would have been the only game I bid on). I agreed not to bid and whomever the new owner is did EXTREMELY well on this purchase. Time will prove that hands down. I have no idea who won it.  Had I not ran my mouth about bidding before-hand I likely wouldn't have scared away a few of the bigger bidders. Lesson learned!

On 11/24/2019 at 4:42 PM, lou_fine said:

Although the old traditional GGA cover books have been super red hot in this current marketplace, it looks like the new wave of GGA cover books must be even hotter wne a book like this with the much dreaded and usual absolute price killer of having Slightly BRITTLE Pages can still managed to fetch $12K or close to 15X condition guide:      

I never ever knew that GGA (i.e. Good Guy Art ) cover art was so super red hot!!!  

Looks like the Seven Seas 4 girl is going to have to do a bit of fast swimming to catch up to this rather dapper looking gent here.  

This was the single book I was winning at all costs in the auction. I was shocked I had to pay as much as I did, but it's the first decent copy that's crossed my path. If a nicer copy is offered to me I'll likely buy it and push this one back to the masses (and likely take a loss).

On 11/24/2019 at 3:00 PM, lou_fine said:

Being a long term collector myself, I've never quite understood the mentality for buyers to put some of their books back out to market so soon after paying what most likely amounts to top dollar for their book:

Especially when the chance of losing money is quite high after paying top of market like this Wings 90 which sold on one of the CC Event Auctions last year for $4K, but only able to fetch $3K on this go round with Heritage.  

Okay, in this day and age of CPR and flipping, I guess an entire year must seem like a lifetime, but still.  

On 11/24/2019 at 3:27 PM, Cat-Man_America said:

Completely agree with this.  Flipping has the unseemly look of day-trading, and it’s anathema to collecting.

For one thing, when the same books immediately reappear in subsequent auctions it leaves the impression of desperation or chasing money.  OTOH, it’s reasonable when a book does much better than expected for other copies in higher and/or lower grade to follow, owners of those books hoping for a big payday in the wake of a trend setting sale.

I don't flip books. I decided to prune and refine my comic collection a bit. I have an 8.5 that's just a nicer looking copy. I'm a big fan of vibrant color and this copy was lacking that. I admittedly overbid on it initially.

I had about 50 books in the HA auction and another 50+ in the upcoming ComicConnect auction. Those who know me know I'm a big fan of transparency. So if anyone is ever wondering what my motivations for selling (or buying) any comic (or the countless other collecting obsessions I have) is welcome to send me an email: jeff@gocollect.com

On 11/2/2019 at 8:50 AM, szav said:

Man you guys are gonna have a hard time with this one then... as someone who has paid what most would consider a ridiculous amount of money for collectibles with zero intrinsic value (never yet exceeding 4 figures), I try not to get critical of others who do the same but I guess video games are the next thing...

https://comics.ha.com/itm/video-games/mega-man-dr-wright-first-release-carolina-collection-wata-94-a-sealed-nes-capcom-1987-usa/a/7212-93030.s?ic4=ListView-Thumbnail-071515

Thanks for the plug 

The Carolina Collection that's being featured are mine and I've only released the sealed stuff. Buying that collection from Dain sent me into a tailspin for collecting and introduced me to a ton of new types of collectors. It pulled me away from GA books for awhile and helped me to realize I needed to purge about 100 GA books to continue exploring my other collecting interests, while holding onto my super-heavy-hitter prize books (according to me at least). I don't even want to say what I've spent so far this year on movie posters, concert posters, albums, old books, ..... sheesh.

The game you linked there is definitely a special one (made the cover of the catalog for the collection). I'm told there's at least one other sealed copy that's known to exist in like a 4.0 grade, but I've yet to see proof. If this doesn't hit six figures, I will likely rebuy my own damn game!

On 11/3/2019 at 2:10 PM, comicjack said:

I have my doubts that really is a 7.0 

It's definitely a 7.0. I had it in an old holder and then resubbed it in hopes it might get that 0.5 bump to highest graded. Very solid structure and looks nice in hand. The reds from theHA pic look slightly amped, but not the yellows. I put a pic of it on our Instagram in the old holder: 

CLINK actually doesn't pull ALL of their sales down. If you were a bidder on any item, you can still access the sale details on their site. Also, many of their sales never get disabled...it just depends on the auction and the lot.

My suggestion to find those prices would be to talk with someone that may have bid on it/them. For example, I bid on a lot of the golden age stuff and/or save final prices in a personal spreadsheet for many of the books on my radar.

Good luck in your hunt!

17 hours ago, David Hardy said:

I'll be there Friday at opening.  I hunt down Fiction Comics. Will you have any for sale?

Fiction House? Yea, I'll have some... but only if you like classic and bondage covers 

These will be with me (and more that I don't have pics of)

I had good luck buying here last year (Charlotte is my new home town). @G.A.tor even cut me a deal on a nice mid-grade copy of a Centaur I needed - Keen Detective Funnies #20 I've loved that cover ever since seeing it on the Gerber book jacket.

Is anyone hosting a Thursday night buy/sell/trade event? I'd really enjoy meeting anyone from this GA forum if you're attending. My real name is Jeff and I look like I lost my razor and the desire to buy a new one:

I'll also have a couple booths there to promote GoCollect (1010 for comics and 719 for video games). Comics booth will be books from my personal collection... apologies in advance for my asking prices  as I do far more buying than selling. Oh, and if anyone reading this likes swag, ask one of the people working the booth for the good stuff and mention this thread... don't get too excited, just some higher quality t-shirts that cost too much to hand out willy-nilly... but they're super cozy 

Did someone out here win this one? I got sidetracked and missed the end of the auction. If you took it down, I can offer you an instant profit  It's one of those covers that leaves a nasty pit in my stomach... so it fits well into the "WTF were they thinking" area of my collection.

5 hours ago, Ricksneatstuff said:

Today’s wins. The Jungle I was loaded for bear to take down. The Phantom Lady was a deal I couldn’t pass up. 

Nicely done on all your scores! I bet that Jungle looks amazing in hand. You stole this Phantom Lady - great catch!

17 hours ago, szav said:

Don't know his story, but the mention of his arrival seems to coincide with HA really amping the colors on their scans lately.  There are worse examples but this one came to mind because I was interested in the book when it was up a few weeks back.  The first is a scan a previous owner gave me, the second obviously HA's seemingly juiced scan.

 

I won this book. Both scans show the reds deeper on my macbook pro screen than they are (especially the wings behind the logo). The blues are more vibrant than they show on the first scan, but don't have the aqua tint you see on the ha scan. The yellows are actually deeper and more vibrant than either scan shows. It's a gorgeous book in hand. All in all, I'd have to say the Heritage scan is closer to reality on this one.

I have received a couple from ha that I was a little disappointed in though... seems to be a pattern with the reds if memory serves.

Thanks a ton for the kind words everyone 

10 hours ago, Point Five said:

Anyone got figures for the other LB Cole Blue Bolts that sold?  (I don't seem to get those Comicconnect link emails anymore.)

 

https://www.comicconnect.com/bookDetail.php?id=803097

https://www.comicconnect.com/bookDetail.php?id=787092

https://www.comicconnect.com/bookDetail.php?id=785080

https://www.comicconnect.com/bookDetail.php?id=803099

2 hours ago, thunsicker said:

@jhm what does this list show?  Most sales?  Biggest price increase?  Something else?

Thanks for asking! It's the most actively sold graded comics. You can click into any book, then click into "All Recent" under the "Fair Market Value" section to see each of the logged recent sales in all grades. Or you can use the Analyzer to drill down deeper.

So with ASM 300 being on the top of the list, it has sold more copies in the same time frame than ASM 361.

5 hours ago, Buzzetta said:

The list is very skewed though as it seems to be based upon what is currently available.  For example I was surprised that Batman #9 is not on the list as it has an iconic cover as does Detective Comics 164 which is the Bat-Signal cover and both of which I own.  Then I realized that copies of those books are not usually available for sale and would not have a lot of movement which would not trigger 'popularity'.

Close, but that list represents books that were sold. 

-----------------------

This list isn't attempting to represent the most desirable comics (that one would be quite different IMHO). I'm personally into golden age books. It pains me to say that the list of GA books from that Most Popular area of the site is pretty worthless. The "good stuff" doesn't sell often enough to make this list.

That said, I'd be open to ideas on how we could assemble a desirability list. What factors would go into your list? Some of the data points we have available:

1. Total represented within user lists
2. Total represented in CGC census
3. Cert lookup activity (cert scan feature was just released for faster phone lookups using your camera) https://comics.gocollect.com/cgc-lookup
4. Total being actively "watched" by members
5. Individual book page visits
6. Etc

...and just about everything has historical references, so we can evaluate change too.

GoCollect has a large and active user base. So maybe some sort of social/voting system might be worth exploring?

Have a great weekend everyone!

17 hours ago, Bomber-Bob said:

Jeff, I apologize about the slight to your service. Though I remember trying it, I never followed through. In all honesty, I am not familiar with all it has to offer. Just being honest but I've never heard anyone endorse or recommend your service. The Boards seems to have embraced GPA as King, not much else seems to get recommended around here. I'll have to take another look. Sorry.

Wow - thank you Bob! You sir are obviously a fine gentleman. Sorry my passion spilled out and hopefully it wasn't taken as too aggressive.

And thanks to others that are enjoying the service and willing to speak out. We're going to release a new feature tied to CGC very soon that I think you'll enjoy for looking up your own slabs or doing quick lookups at cons or online auctions. Little hint... typing the the CGC cert number into the home page on GoCollect is a little tedious

BTW - I have an open offer to anyone on the CGC boards: if you'd like give GoCollect a try for free for 30 days, just shoot an email to help@gocollect.com with the email address that you use to sign into your free GoCollect account (and mention that you're a CGC board member). Our support staff will gladly hook you up!