uchiha101

OPEN LETTER TO UCHIHA101 TO GET YOUR mess TOGETHER

 

Dear Gabe,

 

You are (nearly) 24 years old. Time to grow up. This comic thing is not working for you. That's a fact.

 

You lack basic life skills and currently have little hope of becoming a responsible and independent adult based on your current trajectory. You have a bad habit of making superficial acknowledgements of your own failures. You always have plenty of excuses and seem to quit anything that is not “fun” (example: “don’t give many any of that hard work bull”) or feel you are not “respected”. This needs to change.

 

With your employment track record and only having high school (one year of a two year video game art diploma program means squat) and no trade skills and/or other skill sets to draw from, what kind of work do you hope to get?

 

To make a million dollars selling “bomics” is not realistic for you. The fact is it is not realistic for most people to make a comfortable living selling comics. You are $1100 in the hole after nearly 3 years of doing this and you would be even worse off had it not been for that generous boardie giving you a sweet “finder’s fee. You are now onto your next blunder, throwing good money after another bad decsion (ASM #129) that you will be lucky to break even on. Imagine if you had to maintain a roof over your own head, pay your own rent (yes, I know you pay rent now) but also utilities, groceries, transportation and everything else that comes with being independent? You simply could not in your current situation. Your parents are “subsidizing” you and you do not have a viable plan for the future. This is not a good path to success.

 

I highly recommend that you seek out professional help. As some have suggested, a professional life coach/mentor or and possibly other therapist, like a psychologist or even psychiatrist to help you address your learning and other issues. You need professional help and you need to listen and act on that advice.

 

I believe you are in the Niagara area. Try contacting the Learning Disabilities Association of Niagara Region. Apparently they also provide support to adults. At the very least it would be a starting point. If you are not in Niagara area, there is going to be something similar in nearly every region. Actively seek out help and resources. They are out there and no one is saying it will be easy, but you have to at least try.

 

You don’t have to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Start small. Focus on the basics of things you can change within yourself. Work on your attitude. Hygiene. Resilience. Work Ethic.

 

Finally, genuinely look for other real work. There is absolutely no reason a relatively healthy young man can’t work a 40 hour week. Leave that chip on your shoulder at home. If finding regular work is not going well, look into volunteering somewhere to make contacts and show employers you can stick to something and hopefully gain a positive reference. Volunteering may even lead to paid work.

 

Sidebar: You need to clean up your digital footprint. Not to get “political” but your constant postings of right-wing pro Trump memes/propaganda (you do realize you are Canadian and can’t vote for Trump right?) and anime heavy posts on Facebook should be scaled back. Your YouTube is a bit of a joke. There is a video where you can verbally hear you scoffing at a family member. Change the name of Your YouTube channel as someone else has suggested. Delete the voice acting . Also, fix up or take down your LinkedIn profile. It is a mess. Many employers and even volunteer administrators “Google” those who submit an application and you would likely get a big fat “pass” based on what they can easily find out about you online.

 

You flat out lack the experience, skill set and resources at this time to buy and sell comics successfully (barring some “miracle” ) so just stop before “dealing” in comics buries you. You can still collect, buy the odd smaller book, enjoy comics for the fun of it but genuinely focus on something that is real and achievable for you. Please don’t squander all the good advice you have received - You have received far more than you deserve to be honest – Or I fear that you are going to end up just another “lost soul”.

 

I know I have given you a hard time. I know I am probably coming across as a sanctimonious person_who_is_obnoxiously_self-impressed, but I do hope you listen and act on the advice here and from any professional advice you may receive, but you probably won't so I leave you with a quote.

 

 

Godspeed.

 

I like quotes and yes I do realize I can't vote for Trump but I don't want politics messing with my journal. I'm getting help from a life coach and a psychiatrist and as for comics I just need to be smarter with what I do because I do learn from them whether you believe it or not I night make them two or three times but I do learn.

One thing I found success in was taking advantage of shops who didn't keep up on the latest movie hype or used guide. It's much safer to dig for deals because you aren't wasting money speculating. The market already exists.

 

For instance in the last two years, here's a few:

 

Strange adv 187 two copies ($8 each) sold one for $130 one for $80 - one was lower grade

 

Batman 251 - 2 copies for a total of $20. Sold for $250-300 total - both mid grade well presenting

 

Iron man 55 - $25 - mid grade copy - traded for jla 1

 

Iron fist 14 - mid grade - $35

Xmen 101 - mid grade - $35

 

Those are just off the top of my head.

I do that from time to time but what I mostly go for is comics sites with old pricing

I'd go work in a comic shop or work for a dealer at a convention to learn about the biz

 

good advice, I'd put the over/under on 25 times someone has suggested that in this thread.

 

Pretty sure there's a huge conspiracy in Canada, that comic stores won't pay such a motivated, business savvy, hygienic, non-temperamental, knowledgeable, experienced gentleman to stock comics and run a cashier at a comic book store.

 

G(abe): Hi, I'd like to work at your comic book store.

 

O(wner): Thanks for coming in, what books do you read?

 

G: Mostly ASM 129 and Batman Adventures 12

 

O: No I mean what series are you reading now?

 

G: Well I know Harley Quinn is hot. She's in a movie.

 

O: Have you read the series?

 

G: Not yet, I need to make some money before I can buy new comics.

 

O: Well what are your hobbies?

 

G: I like to buy hot comics and flip them for profit. I've been doing it for about 3 years.

 

O: Well how much money have you made?

 

G: -$1,100.

 

O: Why do you have money to burn on old comics, but don't read new comics? What's the last full run or series you read? Graphic Novels are free at the library.

 

G: I don't really like reading. Please buy my ASM 129 for 20% over market. And pay me $10 per hour to carry boxes and sort comics until I get tired, then pay me to rest for a few hours.

 

 

I'm developing or rather have developed a strange addiction/attraction for this thread......can't stop watching the posts.....

Because it's a train-wreck right?

I'd go work in a comic shop or work for a dealer at a convention to learn about the biz

 

This is a great idea. Get a part time job at a comic shop. Learn to ride a tricycle before you try and ride a Harley.

I'm looking to apply at some.

I'd go work in a comic shop or work for a dealer at a convention to learn about the biz

 

good advice, I'd put the over/under on 25 times someone has suggested that in this thread.

 

Pretty sure there's a huge conspiracy in Canada, that comic stores won't pay such a motivated, business savvy, hygienic, non-temperamental, knowledgeable, experienced gentleman to stock comics and run a cashier at a comic book store.

 

G(abe): Hi, I'd like to work at your comic book store.

 

O(wner): Thanks for coming in, what books do you read?

 

G: Mostly ASM 129 and Batman Adventures 12

 

O: No I mean what series are you reading now?

 

G: Well I know Harley Quinn is hot. She's in a movie.

 

O: Have you read the series?

 

G: Not yet, I need to make some money before I can buy new comics.

 

O: Well what are your hobbies?

 

G: I like to buy hot comics and flip them for profit. I've been doing it for about 3 years.

 

O: Well how much money have you made?

 

G: -$1,100.

 

O: Why do you have money to burn on old comics, but don't read new comics? What's the last full run or series you read? Graphic Novels are free at the library.

 

G: I don't really like reading. Please buy my ASM 129 for 20% over market. And pay me $10 per hour to carry boxes and sort comics until I get tired, then pay me to rest for a few hours.

 

Haha that's not what I would say and flipping comics isn't my only hobby.

I'd go work in a comic shop or work for a dealer at a convention to learn about the biz

Yup I'll be applying to a few

I hope that ASM129 comes back 9.0 then what will everyone say

 

That would be a good thing, but what if it comes back a 7.5? You know as well as anyone else who flips that you need to have that margin for error built into your business model.

 

What is the margin of error percentage?

 

 

The margin of error is lets say you're buying a book for $100 and you submit it thinking it has a good shot at a 9.8 which will then be worth $300. Look up what that book goes for in 9.6 or potentially 9.4. Maybe at 9.6 you break even and at 9.4 it will be a small loss. If you've subbed enough books you start to get a general idea of what CGC is looking for in certain grades, so you have to develop your grading eye so you have some sort of confidence that a book will come back in the grade range you believe it to be.

 

There's nothing wrong with taking a gamble now and then as long as you can afford to do so, but you should always try to mitigate your losses, especially now as you're trying to build up your cash.

 

I like the way you laid it out and I do think that way sometimes but not often.

 

You need to think that way all the time right now. Grind it out, build your cash up and eventually you will be able to take risks on bigger books. Always think about building your cash up, you will take some losses, that happens to everyone, but you want to minimize them as much as possible.

 

To be honest I don't know how to begin with finding 100 dollar comics I remember the comics that I do because they are key issues and in mist cases easier to flip.

 

On this forum alone there are threads discussing "hot" books in both the Copper and Bronze sections. Take some of that information and start looking on eBay, other web retailers or scour the local LCS's. Most of the guys I personally know have to hustle a little to find books, they're not just going to drop out of the sky.

 

To be successful at this you're going to have to work at it. I think there are a lot of people here who are willing to share information and knowledge, but no one wants to hold your hand. Do your research, do your work, build slowly within your means.

 

I checked and I was overwhelmed by how much info there was do you how any tips?

 

If you can't/won't/don't read that stuff and try and decipher the info on these boards, then either:

 

-You're lazy and you really don't want it bad enough

 

or

 

Well, that's it.

 

Look...everyone is looking for that "one big score". Last year, I got really lucky and had it (and lucky for me, I had the funds to make it happen at the time). A friend and I went in on a collection together and did really, really well. I know guys that have been doing this longer than me and are still waiting for it. It may never happen.

 

You cannot count on it. In fact, you may have already hit your "big score" with the generous finders fee on the JLA book.

 

I'm not a big time seller, but I've made some money on books over the years (but I've spent alot more). Most of my "big" profits on particular books have been books that I bought years ago that heated up well after the purchase. You're going to have a near impossible task buying "key" books at/over FMV and trying to flip them quickly.

 

But, you keep doing what you're doing. Only $1K in the hole after a few years. That should tell you something.

 

I'm not lazy part of my learning disability is to be easily overwhelmed and when I see 50-200 new posts on the hot comics section I don't read it because I don't know what to follow. I find comics to flip them quickly and as much as I love big scores I try to get consistency as big scores are always a nice bonus.

 

 

ok, so you've done a full analysis of the costs involved with pressing, including shipping back and forth, grading, insurance, translation fees, any custom or border fees.

 

And OF course you've calculated some EDUCATED estimated probabilities of receiving a 8.5, 8.0, and 7.5.

 

And OF course you've calculated some CONSERVATIVE expected realized values per grade upon selling, after selling fees, translation, shipping, insurance, customs duties, and taxes.

 

 

 

And with this information, you've OBVIOUSLY used the probabilities and expected values to calculated a reasonable conservative expected value of return WITH PRESSING, and one WITHOUT PRESSING. And obviously, you've determined that its more worth it through all this math that PRESSING and RESUB is worth it.

 

 

Not that you owe an explanation to anyone, but IF you could do this calculation and show your work and estimates and assumptions, I think most of us would be much more supportive. And if you don't know what I'm talking about or can't do the math, there is literally ZERO chance YOU will ever be successful in buying and selling comics, and certainly not with this comic. (Which is not to say every successful dealer can do this kind of math, but those dealers are at least smart enough to buy with such obviously large margins that the math is somewhat moot.)

 

to add -- some dealers may not go through this level of math - but successful ones - can use their own experience to evaluate deals....

 

this is what revat is describing -

 

total investment is what you paid - plus all pressing fees

 

Left side - is the estimate as to what will happen when regraded - I think I am being generous since 80% of the pressers you spoke with do not want to touch the book for fear of damage.

 

sales price is based on GPA - the good thing about this book is that there are enough data points that I can snag 30 day average and year high/low and have a reasonable expectation of accuracy. The percentages in this area are the calculation values - 90% of the time the book will sell for average. 5% high. 5% low.

 

 

The weighted profit or loss - takes into account the % you will see this book at that grade after CPR. The final number - is a sum of these and represents the average profit or loss from this transaction.

 

 

 

 

 

So - not taking into account fees (ebay, paypal, HA - whatever) - OR OUTBOUND SHIPPING - trying to CPR this book will cost you an extra $100.

 

Take the project sale price of 8 - remove the extra 110 for CPR --- and you are $100 better trying to sell raw.

 

 

not including seller fees

not including shipping of the sale

 

 

 

 

Awesome chart but how did you get the occurrence percentage and how much I should get value wise? I don't get that complex with my decisions in buying.

 

 

Bare estimate on what the CPR will yield. Based on my experience with identifying pressable books and seeing the outcome first hand. This is a skill that has to be developed over time and HUNDREDS of books ( or more). One that is constantly tested - and refined ( and one that MANY other boardies are better than me at)........

 

 

That staple tear - is a huge risk so it is very doubtful that you get any bump - so the low "improvement" numbers. I believe I was kind with the drop numbers - as 4/5 pressers did not want to touch the book for fear of the tear.

 

 

Seriously - keep the book - hand onto it for a year. Think of it as a keeper not any form of investment. Hopefully the book will continue to increase in value and you can sell in 12 months for a slight loss or gain.

 

 

 

the issue is barely what the 'odds' are or aren't, or even whether or not a profit or loss is still possible. The issue that you are/were willing to the pressing/regrade WITHOUT KNOWING THE ODDS OR DOING THE ANALYSIS, and DO NOT HAVE THE RELEVANT SKILLS TO DO THE MATH OR JUDGE THE PRESSABILITY of the comic.

The odds? I knew that if I found the right presser I can bump it up to at least a 8.5 and I did the basic calculations of what to expect.

 

 

ok, so you've done a full analysis of the costs involved with pressing, including shipping back and forth, grading, insurance, translation fees, any custom or border fees.

 

And OF course you've calculated some EDUCATED estimated probabilities of receiving a 8.5, 8.0, and 7.5.

 

And OF course you've calculated some CONSERVATIVE expected realized values per grade upon selling, after selling fees, translation, shipping, insurance, customs duties, and taxes.

 

 

 

And with this information, you've OBVIOUSLY used the probabilities and expected values to calculated a reasonable conservative expected value of return WITH PRESSING, and one WITHOUT PRESSING. And obviously, you've determined that its more worth it through all this math that PRESSING and RESUB is worth it.

 

 

Not that you owe an explanation to anyone, but IF you could do this calculation and show your work and estimates and assumptions, I think most of us would be much more supportive. And if you don't know what I'm talking about or can't do the math, there is literally ZERO chance YOU will ever be successful in buying and selling comics, and certainly not with this comic. (Which is not to say every successful dealer can do this kind of math, but those dealers are at least smart enough to buy with such obviously large margins that the math is somewhat moot.)

 

to add -- some dealers may not go through this level of math - but successful ones - can use their own experience to evaluate deals....

 

this is what revat is describing -

 

total investment is what you paid - plus all pressing fees

 

Left side - is the estimate as to what will happen when regraded - I think I am being generous since 80% of the pressers you spoke with do not want to touch the book for fear of damage.

 

sales price is based on GPA - the good thing about this book is that there are enough data points that I can snag 30 day average and year high/low and have a reasonable expectation of accuracy. The percentages in this area are the calculation values - 90% of the time the book will sell for average. 5% high. 5% low.

 

 

The weighted profit or loss - takes into account the % you will see this book at that grade after CPR. The final number - is a sum of these and represents the average profit or loss from this transaction.

 

 

 

 

 

So - not taking into account fees (ebay, paypal, HA - whatever) - OR OUTBOUND SHIPPING - trying to CPR this book will cost you an extra $100.

 

Take the project sale price of 8 - remove the extra 110 for CPR --- and you are $100 better trying to sell raw.

 

 

not including seller fees

not including shipping of the sale

 

 

 

 

Awesome chart but how did you get the occurrence percentage and how much I should get value wise? I don't get that complex with my decisions in buying.

 

 

Bare estimate on what the CPR will yield. Based on my experience with identifying pressable books and seeing the outcome first hand. This is a skill that has to be developed over time and HUNDREDS of books ( or more). One that is constantly tested - and refined ( and one that MANY other boardies are better than me at)........

 

 

That staple tear - is a huge risk so it is very doubtful that you get any bump - so the low "improvement" numbers. I believe I was kind with the drop numbers - as 4/5 pressers did not want to touch the book for fear of the tear.

 

 

Seriously - keep the book - hand onto it for a year. Think of it as a keeper not any form of investment. Hopefully the book will continue to increase in value and you can sell in 12 months for a slight loss or gain.

 

 

Thanks for explaining it and since I bought the comic I want to sell it just as quickly not hold onto it as that's a lot of my money being tied up.

I agree. There is a lot of information in the other threads, both good information and some misinformation. It will serve the OP some good if he spent more time appreciating the hobby and reading up on it some more before trying to prove to himself that he can be successful in something. Unfortunately, his impatience will continue to hurt him.

What should I read up on?

Details are a big part of this business.

 

If you cannot be bothered with them or don't have the time for them, therein lies the problem

 

This is not a good business for you. Sorry but that's the truth

 

 

I think we can all agree that if you WANT something bad enough, you don't need anything else, even if you don't have the right talent, knowledge, experience, education, work ethic, resources, geographic location, family, and/or related skill set. The only thing you need is the willingness to blindly throw money at the situation without doing math or research and the ability to ignore the well-meaning advice of literally every single person who is more successful than you at your desired activity.

 

I think in business school they taught us that Warren Buffet made all his money that way. Same with Wayne Gretzky or Sidney Crosby (Candians!). They came out of the womb, sat around for 20 years playing video games, watching hockey and thinking they'd be voice actors, but since they saw how much money other people made playing hockey and how much fun other hockey players were having, they decided to go to be NHL superstars instead. They didn't even need to take time to learn to skate forwards and backwards or stop, they just figured they'd learn from the best at the NHL level by trial and error. In fact, I think that's how most hockey legends get their start, they just start scoring NHL goals even though they can't skate with a stick.

 

You should be learning to skate, but instead you're getting blasted in the face by the Sedin twins (not as fun as it sounds).

 

And make no mistake, if you're buying $1,000 comic books, you're in the top elite level of comic people. I know it seems like there's tons of people who do that based on what you see here on the boards and auction sites, but the truth is that people who are WILLING and ABLE to buy $1,000 comics are actually quite rare. I would bet that the vast majority of people in the larger world comic community who make more than $100,000 per year at a stable job have not bought more than a $1K comic in their lifetime. It is a lot to spend on a hobby, even one where there is occasionally some money to be made. You're not ready for it.

 

Another thing, it sounds like you're getting 'easy comic to sell' confused with 'easy comic to SELL FOR LARGE PROFIT'. Yes 'hot' comics should be easier to sell, but they're also much less likely to be bought for a price where there's profit to be made. Do you actually see the distinction?

 

 

Would you rather buy? ten $1 comics you can sell for $10 each?

 

Or one $900 comic you can sell for $1,000?

 

Which one and why? Feel free to show your work.

 

Or take a business class. Or take multiple business classes. You said you took one already, did you master it? Why do people even take them anyways? I bet Darth Vader never took a business class and he was second in command of the whole Empire.

 

I'm not sure if this advice is for me or Gabe

 

 

It's obviously me. You are smart.

 

Or an abstract of the thread so that it's a quicker read. Making money is really difficult so some quick one-liners or bullet points would be great. Don't really have time for stuff like details...

 

 

I will give you an abstract:

 

24 year-old lives at home with his parents. He claims to have a learning disability and health issues. He collects government assistance. He can't hold a job bagging groceries and blames it on the aforementioned problems with mind and body. He also apparently struggles with even the most basic forms of hygiene, such as trimming nails and facial hair. He can't seem to form even a basic grasp of the comic business, yet insists upon spending what little money he has on bad deals. To make things worse, he has recently gotten a credit card. He makes the most convoluted, ridiculous deals that you can imagine and always seems to screw things up. People here have given top-notch advice over the last several months (or more) and he continues to ignore everyone. He is the single-most helpless SOB that I've ever encountered. At first, it was easy to feel sorry for him. But not anymore. You can lead a horse to the water, but you can't force one to drink.

Awesome.

Now how about one about one for the "Moderns that are heating up" thread or the threads about "hot" Copper and Bronze books, because the OP doesn't have time to read up on that due to how overwhelming it is.

Actually, it totally can be overwhelming, and its good to acknowledge how vast and diverse the market is, and how much information one needs to sift through. BUT most rational people, upon such acknowledgement, would pull back and try to learn about a more manageable (informationally and financially) comic area. Of course, its clear now we're not dealing with 'most' rational people.

Still working on my rational side.

Details are a big part of this business.

 

If you cannot be bothered with them or don't have the time for them, therein lies the problem

 

This is not a good business for you. Sorry but that's the truth

 

I think we can all agree that if you WANT something bad enough, you don't need anything else, even if you don't have the right talent, knowledge, experience, education, work ethic, resources, geographic location, family, and/or related skill set. The only thing you need is the willingness to blindly throw money at the situation without doing math or research and the ability to ignore the well-meaning advice of literally every single person who is more successful than you at your desired activity.

 

I think in business school they taught us that Warren Buffet made all his money that way. Same with Wayne Gretzky or Sidney Crosby (Candians!). They came out of the womb, sat around for 20 years playing video games, watching hockey and thinking they'd be voice actors, but since they saw how much money other people made playing hockey and how much fun other hockey players were having, they decided to go to be NHL superstars instead. They didn't even need to take time to learn to skate forwards and backwards or stop, they just figured they'd learn from the best at the NHL level by trial and error. In fact, I think that's how most hockey legends get their start, they just start scoring NHL goals even though they can't skate with a stick.

 

You should be learning to skate, but instead you're getting blasted in the face by the Sedin twins (not as fun as it sounds).

 

And make no mistake, if you're buying $1,000 comic books, you're in the top elite level of comic people. I know it seems like there's tons of people who do that based on what you see here on the boards and auction sites, but the truth is that people who are WILLING and ABLE to buy $1,000 comics are actually quite rare. I would bet that the vast majority of people in the larger world comic community who make more than $100,000 per year at a stable job have not bought more than a $1K comic in their lifetime. It is a lot to spend on a hobby, even one where there is occasionally some money to be made. You're not ready for it.

 

Another thing, it sounds like you're getting 'easy comic to sell' confused with 'easy comic to SELL FOR LARGE PROFIT'. Yes 'hot' comics should be easier to sell, but they're also much less likely to be bought for a price where there's profit to be made. Do you actually see the distinction?

 

 

Would you rather buy? ten $1 comics you can sell for $10 each?

 

Or one $900 comic you can sell for $1,000?

 

Which one and why? Feel free to show your work.

 

Or take a business class. Or take multiple business classes. You said you took one already, did you master it? Why do people even take them anyways? I bet Darth Vader never took a business class and he was second in command of the whole Empire.

I never said I don't have to work towards my goal and I didn't realize buying a 1k book meant that much I'm so used to people buying high end stuff I didn't even realize that. When I think of a easy to sell comic I think of a key issue people are willing to buy quickly and a hot comic is something people are willing to buy for speculation reasons and sell it quickly or slowly depending on the situation.

 

Or an abstract of the thread so that it's a quicker read. Making money is really difficult so some quick one-liners or bullet points would be great. Don't really have time for stuff like details...

 

I will give you an abstract:

24 year-old lives at home with his parents. He claims to have a learning disability and health issues. He collects government assistance. He can't hold a job bagging groceries and blames it on the aforementioned problems with mind and body. He also apparently struggles with even the most basic forms of hygiene, such as trimming nails and facial hair. He can't seem to form even a basic grasp of the comic business, yet insists upon spending what little money he has on bad deals. To make things worse, he has recently gotten a credit card. He makes the most convoluted, ridiculous deals that you can imagine and always seems to screw things up. People here have given top-notch advice over the last several months (or more) and he continues to ignore everyone. He is the single-most helpless SOB that I've ever encountered. At first, it was easy to feel sorry for him. But not anymore. You can lead a horse to the water, but you can't force one to drink.

Awesome.

Now how about one about one for the "Moderns that are heating up" thread or the threads about "hot" Copper and Bronze books, because the OP doesn't have time to read up on that due to how overwhelming it is.

I never said I don't have time to read it I said that it overwhelms me as that's part of my learning disability. If you think you can memorize over 200 different posts go for it but I know I can't.

Or an abstract of the thread so that it's a quicker read. Making money is really difficult so some quick one-liners or bullet points would be great. Don't really have time for stuff like details...

I will give you an abstract:

24 year-old lives at home with his parents. He claims to have a learning disability and health issues. He collects government assistance. He can't hold a job bagging groceries and blames it on the aforementioned problems with mind and body. He also apparently struggles with even the most basic forms of hygiene, such as trimming nails and facial hair. He can't seem to form even a basic grasp of the comic business, yet insists upon spending what little money he has on bad deals. To make things worse, he has recently gotten a credit card. He makes the most convoluted, ridiculous deals that you can imagine and always seems to screw things up. People here have given top-notch advice over the last several months (or more) and he continues to ignore everyone. He is the single-most helpless SOB that I've ever encountered. At first, it was easy to feel sorry for him. But not anymore. You can lead a horse to the water, but you can't force one to drink.

First off I do have a learning disability and health problems, Second I'm not on assistance anymore how many times do I need to say that? Yes I make lots of mistakes and whether you believe I'm learning from them is up to you. If you really think I'm this terrible why are you still here?

On this forum alone there are threads discussing "hot" books in both the Copper and Bronze sections. Take some of that information and start looking on eBay, other web retailers or scour the local LCS's. Most of the guys I personally know have to hustle a little to find books, they're not just going to drop out of the sky.

 

To be successful at this you're going to have to work at it. I think there are a lot of people here who are willing to share information and knowledge, but no one wants to hold your hand. Do your research, do your work, build slowly within your means.

 

I checked and I was overwhelmed by how much info there was do you how any tips?

 

Wow... Either you didn't read what was written or you are just really lazy.

 

 

Don't give him any of that "hard work n stuff" bull !!

 

Can't you just give him $1200 for his ASM129 8.5 and quit overwhelming him with advice?

 

Geez.

 

No I can sell this comic myself and the advice isn't overwhelming me.

Details are a big part of this business.

 

If you cannot be bothered with them or don't have the time for them, therein lies the problem

 

This is not a good business for you. Sorry but that's the truth

Yeah I admit missing the taxes part before I bought the comic was stupid I'll be more careful next time.

 

All the comic buying/selling/trading shenanigans aside, here's one part I can't get past.

 

The OP keeps saying that he wants to get a job that offers more hours, yet he has a job.

 

When I managed a restaurant, I never gave hours to anyone...employees earned their hours.

 

My superstars...the ones that went above and beyond by either covering a last minute call-off, cleaning in between other jobs, or just having great attitudes were the ones I took care of. I always made sure they had the hours they were looking for. I couldn't do my job well without them.

 

Even the people a step down from my superstars...the people that were always on time for their shift, who followed directions well, and had good attitudes were sure to get 30-40 hours a week depending on their needs. I'd work with them because they made my life easier.

 

But the bums...the ones that showed up late for shifts, never covered a shift outside of their schedule, people with bad attitudes who obviously took no pride in what they did, these people would generally get 15 hours or less. Even the people who were good at a specific job but had poor attitudes, they are bums to me. I'd take an unskilled hard-worker over a skilled diva with a poor attitude any day.

 

What I'm saying to the OP is that if you're not getting enough hours at work, it's nobody's fault but yours.

 

Do a self-assessment:

 

• Are you there early every day? No exceptions? Remember, if you're "on-time", you're late. Be 5 minutes early for every shift.
• Is your uniform clean, nails clean and trimmed, hair washed, combed and out of the way? I don't care if you work in the back, you need to look presentable at work at all times.
• Check your attitude. When you're assigned a job, do you grumble and meander over to it, or is your response a peppy "sure thing!" with physical enthusiasm to match?
• What are you doing during slow times? If you're a dishwasher, what do you do between trays of dishes to be done? Is your station spotless? If not, clean it. If the area is perfect, grab something like a pot or a board and give it a deep cleaning. Make it like new again. Things like this is restaurants get dingy after time. A little elbow grease goes a long way.
• Are you smiling? I don't care if you hate the job. SMILE! It goes a LOOOOOONG way.
  

 

First off I don't smiled if I don't like something I don't fake my feelings. I was always there about 30 minutes early, my hygiene was so-so when I came to facial hair, I was eager to help others and I had a good attitude until you pissed me off. Everything was so busy there's not really anytime for anything else.

 

Smiling isn't a feeling. It's a physical expression. You can not like something and still smile. It's a skill, and a useful one if you want to move up in any job/career. I can't think of a single job out there where you're not going to have to put up with something/someone you don't especially like. It doesn't mean you have to grimace your way through it. If nothing else, consider it a form of training for voice acting. Your character's emotion won't always match up with your personal emotion. Despite what you're feeling inside, you need to be able to convey a positive outward appearance.

 

And having a good attitude "until you pissed me off"? Give me a break. A while back in this thread, before you found your current job, people were telling you that in an entry-level position you don't have the luxury of being "pissed off" if you want to succeed. You take your lumps and use your dissatisfaction with the job as motivation to improve to eventually EARN your way to a better position. Remember that bosses don't give more hours/promotions/raises...employees EARN them. When you stop trying to blame your boss and realize that you hold all the cards when it comes to improving yourself, you will vastly improve your station.

 

As far as it being so busy that you don't have time for anything else, make time! Go above and beyond. Tell yourself "I'm going to wash these dishes so fast that I'll have 10 minutes at the end of the night to deep scrub that pot until I can see myself in it". Wow your boss.

 

And if your hygiene was only "so-so" in any area and you work in a restaurant, that needs to be addressed IMMEDIATELY. In my experience, customers will give you a second chance if the service is bad or the food isn't perfect, but they will never come back if they think the restaurant or the people who worked it were dirty.

 

Re-read what I bulleted in my previous post. These aren't things where you can do them part-way. You're either doing them or you're not. Comics won't break the cycle of poverty you claim to be in, but your job might. It will take a lot of effort on your part, though.

 

 

Voice acting is something that I haven't fully done yet. Well my hygiene was really my fingers nail and facial hair and yeah that needs to improve. I had a couple times where I finished before I was supposed to and that felt good and I did that a few times and I tried to ask my boss for different hours and she cut them that was a nice thanks I got.

 

I'm not sure what you mean "haven't fully done yet".

 

If it's a passion of yours, you should be practicing constantly. If you like video games so much, try your best to imitate the voices in the games you hear. You don't need to be taught by a professional be to good at something. There are plenty of people who succeed because their passion carries them through endless practice. Don't wait for lessons. Just practice.

 

And if you recognize your hygiene isn't where it needs to be to meet the minimum standards for your job, FIX IT!!! To clean and cut your fingernails takes, what, 2-3 minutes if you want to be thorough. And if your facial hair isn't neat and trimmed, you should be clean-shaven. ESPECIALLY if you're marketing yourself for future employment. I've had people with scraggily facial hair hand an application to me and ask if I'm interviewing. I would take their application, look them square in the eye and ask: "are you willing to shave your beard/mustache"? The question often catches people by surprise and I often get an honest look into who they really are instead of them being on their best behavior temporarily.

 

If they say yes without hesitating, I know they are serious and I give them an interview. If they say no, I tell them that we'll let them know if we have any openings. They don't get called back. To be clear, neat facial hair is fine.

 

Bottom line: hygiene is non-negotiable. If you are admitting that there are some basic things you need to do to improve, do them before you leave the house next. There is absolutely no excuse not to.

 

Regarding your hours, you should be thankful for every hour you get to be clocked in. If you finally got done ahead of schedule only to go over to your boss to ask for different hours, why would she do anything but cut them? What was wrong with the hours you were getting?

 

You should have been finishing early and then approaching your boss and asking if there was anything else she'd like you working on. Do that enough times and you'll find you'll have any hours you want. Guaranteed!

 

And for the last time, in your position, your paycheck is your thanks. Yes, a good manager will take the time to show appreciation for a job well done, but it's certainly not required. Stop expecting any type of thanks at your job. It seems to be a pattern.

 

To be frank, you seem to be a below-average employee (based solely on information gathered from this thread) with a lot of physical and emotional limitations and you expect your bosses to kiss your feet the second you do a single job well.

 

Do all your jobs well with clean nails, neat (or no) facial hair, and a smile on your face and the thanks you're looking for will come. Not sooner.

Voice acting is something I stopped doing because I don't have the equipment anymore and I was terrible at. My hygiene isn't the greatest this I know but it's something that I can improve and as for if you would ask me if I would shave my beard the answer would be yes if it would mean getting the job. The hours that I was getting were very late at night and I don't live in the safest neighborhood so I asked them to be change to a shift earlier and she cut my hours down. I know a paycheck is my thanks but I don't like to be treated like when I'm there.

I hope that ASM129 comes back 9.0 then what will everyone say

 

That would be a good thing, but what if it comes back a 7.5? You know as well as anyone else who flips that you need to have that margin for error built into your business model.

 

What is the margin of error percentage?

 

 

The margin of error is lets say you're buying a book for $100 and you submit it thinking it has a good shot at a 9.8 which will then be worth $300. Look up what that book goes for in 9.6 or potentially 9.4. Maybe at 9.6 you break even and at 9.4 it will be a small loss. If you've subbed enough books you start to get a general idea of what CGC is looking for in certain grades, so you have to develop your grading eye so you have some sort of confidence that a book will come back in the grade range you believe it to be.

 

There's nothing wrong with taking a gamble now and then as long as you can afford to do so, but you should always try to mitigate your losses, especially now as you're trying to build up your cash.

 

I like the way you laid it out and I do think that way sometimes but not often.

 

You need to think that way all the time right now. Grind it out, build your cash up and eventually you will be able to take risks on bigger books. Always think about building your cash up, you will take some losses, that happens to everyone, but you want to minimize them as much as possible.

 

To be honest I don't know how to begin with finding 100 dollar comics I remember the comics that I do because they are key issues and in mist cases easier to flip.

 

On this forum alone there are threads discussing "hot" books in both the Copper and Bronze sections. Take some of that information and start looking on eBay, other web retailers or scour the local LCS's. Most of the guys I personally know have to hustle a little to find books, they're not just going to drop out of the sky.

 

To be successful at this you're going to have to work at it. I think there are a lot of people here who are willing to share information and knowledge, but no one wants to hold your hand. Do your research, do your work, build slowly within your means.

 

I checked and I was overwhelmed by how much info there was do you how any tips?

 

Tips on what, books? Or tips on how to organize information?

How to organize information properly

I didn't think it was possible to lose $1,000 in selling books. You may not make a fortune but there are enough deals floating around the sales thread any given week you should be able to make money each week (as long as Hector is not around to grab them first)

For me it was because my mistakes were overpaying for these comics and the fact that I got scammed three times led me to the situation I'm in now but I'll keep my eyes on the sales threads.

I hope that ASM129 comes back 9.0 then what will everyone say

 

That would be a good thing, but what if it comes back a 7.5? You know as well as anyone else who flips that you need to have that margin for error built into your business model.

 

What is the margin of error percentage?

 

 

The margin of error is lets say you're buying a book for $100 and you submit it thinking it has a good shot at a 9.8 which will then be worth $300. Look up what that book goes for in 9.6 or potentially 9.4. Maybe at 9.6 you break even and at 9.4 it will be a small loss. If you've subbed enough books you start to get a general idea of what CGC is looking for in certain grades, so you have to develop your grading eye so you have some sort of confidence that a book will come back in the grade range you believe it to be.

 

There's nothing wrong with taking a gamble now and then as long as you can afford to do so, but you should always try to mitigate your losses, especially now as you're trying to build up your cash.

 

I like the way you laid it out and I do think that way sometimes but not often.

 

You need to think that way all the time right now. Grind it out, build your cash up and eventually you will be able to take risks on bigger books. Always think about building your cash up, you will take some losses, that happens to everyone, but you want to minimize them as much as possible.

 

To be honest I don't know how to begin with finding 100 dollar comics I remember the comics that I do because they are key issues and in mist cases easier to flip.

 

On this forum alone there are threads discussing "hot" books in both the Copper and Bronze sections. Take some of that information and start looking on eBay, other web retailers or scour the local LCS's. Most of the guys I personally know have to hustle a little to find books, they're not just going to drop out of the sky.

 

To be successful at this you're going to have to work at it. I think there are a lot of people here who are willing to share information and knowledge, but no one wants to hold your hand. Do your research, do your work, build slowly within your means.

I'll take a look at it and see what's happening.

Listen Gabe, if you don't have the capital to be a dealer, then perhaps you can accommodate your life style preferences and love of comics by being a broker - a middleman - a matchmaker.

 

The cgc registry is a potential gift to anyone willing to work hard. Registry guys, those who go public with their holdings, are what salesmen call motivated buyers. They are telling you what they want, what they have, and what they like (in terms of grade). You can pull up targeted info on the biggest players like the top 100, or just the guys who collect particular titles. You can reach out and talk to them directly through the boards. In sales, this kind of information and direct access is pure gold and it is amazing that it can be had for almost nothing.

 

Find a need and fill it, Gabe. Locate the books people need and then ask them if they'd buy so and so at price X. If they say yes they would, get that book. If they say yes and you can't afford to buy the book, tell them where they can get it and mention you'd be very grateful for a 2% or 5% or whatever finder's fee. Or $50. Or whatever.

 

Nobody utilizes the registry in this way. When I have a book to sell, I check the registry first - my hit ratio is maybe 1 out of 4. Guys are amazed to hear from someone through the registry pm. They are usually grateful that someone is trying to help them accomplish their registry goals, even if they don't want what's being offered.

 

Live your life the way you want. Don't shave, don't bathe, let your fingernails grow like Fu Manchu - it doesn't matter. No girlfriend? Good. Just sit in front of the computer and search to connect the dots for people and their collections. You have a membership to CGC and internet access? Then all it takes is time and effort.

 

There are too many books out there - that's a problem today that didn't exist 10 years ago. I don't have the time every morning to check Ebay, ComicLink, ComicConnect, Worldwide's site, and all the other dealers who list their inventory for what's new. No one who has a life, has a job, has a family, has friends, has the time. But listen, kid - for better or worse, you don't really have these commitments. So turn that into an asset. Deal in information and see if you can make it pay.

 

Good luck, kid.

 

 

The Dr is a wise man. (And he has impeccable taste to boot)

Interesting I never thought of that I only thought of using heritage auctions and finding comics that people have been trying to sell for a while

General updates

I finally got my laptop so I'll be on later and catch up on all this and I'm not on any form of assistance anymore.

ASM 129 Plans

Sell it outright and if it doesn't sell in a month or two I'll try time payments and should that not work I'll get it pressed and regraded because I have a presser that assured me that he can do it but in that case something happens he'll pay for the comic.

I didn't think it was possible to lose $1,000 in selling books. You may not make a fortune but there are enough deals floating around the sales thread any given week you should be able to make money each week (as long as Hector is not around to grab them first)

The 1100 is me being scammed twice and what I overpaid in comics I paid off not too long ago except for the recent asm 129 mistake.

I hope that ASM129 comes back 9.0 then what will everyone say

 

That would be a good thing, but what if it comes back a 7.5? You know as well as anyone else who flips that you need to have that margin for error built into your business model.

 

What is the margin of error percentage?

 

 

The margin of error is lets say you're buying a book for $100 and you submit it thinking it has a good shot at a 9.8 which will then be worth $300. Look up what that book goes for in 9.6 or potentially 9.4. Maybe at 9.6 you break even and at 9.4 it will be a small loss. If you've subbed enough books you start to get a general idea of what CGC is looking for in certain grades, so you have to develop your grading eye so you have some sort of confidence that a book will come back in the grade range you believe it to be.

 

There's nothing wrong with taking a gamble now and then as long as you can afford to do so, but you should always try to mitigate your losses, especially now as you're trying to build up your cash.

 

I like the way you laid it out and I do think that way sometimes but not often.

 

You need to think that way all the time right now. Grind it out, build your cash up and eventually you will be able to take risks on bigger books. Always think about building your cash up, you will take some losses, that happens to everyone, but you want to minimize them as much as possible.

 

To be honest I don't know how to begin with finding 100 dollar comics I remember the comics that I do because they are key issues and in mist cases easier to flip.

 

On this forum alone there are threads discussing "hot" books in both the Copper and Bronze sections. Take some of that information and start looking on eBay, other web retailers or scour the local LCS's. Most of the guys I personally know have to hustle a little to find books, they're not just going to drop out of the sky.

 

To be successful at this you're going to have to work at it. I think there are a lot of people here who are willing to share information and knowledge, but no one wants to hold your hand. Do your research, do your work, build slowly within your means.

I checked and I was overwhelmed by how much info there was do you how any tips?