Hudson

Thanks, Sharon. I know your advice is wise. If I did this more often, my collection would likely be a lot nicer than it is, however, I just find it difficult. Thus, I often miss out on some nice books. Even when abseller ask for "offers", I rarely will PM them. Just doesn't seem to be in my nature. Frustrating. Of course I like your sales threads, as things always seem fairly priced (perhaps even a little below FMV).

Price is everything. There may be a LOT of people putting books up for sale (fishing), but not really motivated to sell. People who figure if they can get a good price they will sell, but if not they will hold onto what they have. When things are priced differently, the "take it" seems to get posted quick as lightning. Last night a book was posted and before I could read the description and type "take it", 3 other board members had already said "take it". That is what happens when a book is priced to sell. I know there is a 4 figure book up for sale right now that I am hoping gets discounted. I suppose I could PM the seller, but I don't like to negotiate. Price is everything!

Exactly, Roy. As I said, I don't buy nearly as many comics at conventions as I did in the past. Hunting for books is fun. Finding one I want is more fun. Negotiating is NOT fun and I don't enjoy it. I understand dealers feel as if they have to price things high so buyers will feel they "got a deal" after they haggle, but that is not for me. I just want someone to give me a fair and honest price. One where the dealer is making a "fair" profit and I am not paying way over FMV.

Back off topic. Does anyone know why the "grading company" (and I use the term loosely) quoted above can be mentioned here, but when I copied and pasted something the other day, that had some other initials in it, my post was "hidden"? It took me awhile to figure out the problem, as I had not really even noticed those "letters" in what I had copied and pasted. When I reread everything I had copied and pasted, I noticed the "offending" matter and corrected the issue. I am in no way complaining about the policy not to mention "that company", I just thought it strange that the one quoted above is apparently okay. Again, this is the CGC board and I believe they have EVERY right to set WHATEVER rules and restrictions they deem appropriate. Then again if the company mentioned above is so far off on their grading that a 9.6 AF15 can only garner $25K, then perhaps that answers my question...

Perhaps this is just ONE more reason I don't buy a ton of books at conventions, like I did in the past. I really prefer to just do business with dealers I trust. I prefer those who I can trust to give me a fair and honest opinion of a grade and to openly disclose any restoration. I REALLY prefer those who will give me a "fair" price without me having to "negotiate", however I know that is a LOT to ask for. I think MOST dealers who know me well, know that I understand their need to make a profit (and I want them to make a profit, because that keeps them coming back with more books). I want them to make a "fair" profit when selling me a book, but I don't want to have to fight to keep from being charged WAY over FMV. Since I hate negotiations and feeling like I am at a car dealership, I will usually just walk away if the first price I am quoted is not pretty close to what I think the book is worth (in the grade that I see it being).

Back on topic. AF15 is simply awesome! Not only do a "boat load" of collectors desire to own this book, I would hazard to guess that many of them would like to own multiple copies (thus adding further to "demand". Is AF15 common? I don't know. Compared to what? Compared to AC1, heck yeah it is "common". Compared to many modern books, it would be considered "rare". Compared to other silver age books made the same month; I have no clue. It really does not matter. The real question seems to be "FMV". FMV is what a willing buyer is willing to pay a willing seller and what a wiling seller is willing to accept from a willing buyer, for the item in question. With this in mind, I would contend that whether or not AF15 is "common" is not relevant. What is relevant, is that current supply seems to outweigh current demand at the current price point. I probably just lost a lot of "likes" with that sentence, but I believe it to be the truth, as seen by perhaps one of the best examples of a "free market"; eBay. There are currently 33 complete copies of AF15 on eBay that any willing buyer can purchase. These vary in condition and price, however, this is a general breakdown. 3 Copies for $100K or more 3 Copies for $50K - $99,999.99 7 Copies for $25K - $49,999.99 12 Copies for $15K - $24,999.99 8 Copies for $7,900 - $14,999.99 That is 33 complete copies readily available to anyone that wants them. There are also 3 coverless copies that can be had for under $5K If these prices were FMV (in other words where supply meets demand), then the number of available copies would be zero. In conclusion, AF15 is awesome and highly desirable. but in the free market world of eBay, the supply of AF15(s) clearly outweighs the current demand. This is NOT to say there are NOT nearly countless people who would like to own a copy of AF15 IF the price were lower, however, at the price being what it is, those people do not seem to REALLY be in the market. I say this with all respect to AF15, Spider-Man, and collectors everywhere, so please do not stone me.

Fixed that for you, KAV.

If Jimbo is bringing his comics, I am in. He has a good eye for books, that I would love to read.

Is that an invite for us ALL to come over and visit?

NEXT WEEK??????

This is a well thought out and well written post. It provides the writer's opinion in a logical manner, without insulting anyone else. Well done (regardless of whether one agrees or disagrees with the conclusions made).

Hey, Peter Pretty BIG mistake given the amount of restoration on that one!

Can anyone tell me why under "Degree Of Restoration" it says, "Unrestored"? Publisher: DC Page Quality: Off-White to White Pages Type of Holder: Restored Degree Of Restoration: Unrestored Census Highlight: SINGLE HIGHEST GRADED! CGC/XXXX Grading Comments: Professional restoration includes: extensive color touch to cover, pieces added to cover & interior, cover & interior reinforced, spine splits sealed, tear seals, cover & staples cleaned, interior lightened Auction Start Date: 8/30/2017 8:00:00 PM

I think the first ethical problem we have here is the guy moving in on the collection, after simply being asked for advice. If the guy had no personal knowledge of the collection until asked for advice from a potential buyer, then IMO he should not have moved in on the collection. Maybe not everyone has these same ethics. I don't know. I know it is not the same thing, however, I was at a recent comic convention, looking through a dealer's books, when a guy came up and asked the dealer if he was interested in buying some books. The seller did not have all the books with him, however, from what I overheard, I knew I might be interested in the some of the books not present. I could have just jumped in and offered to buy the books, however, I didn't think that was ethical. I waited while the two talked and when a deal was not made, I said that I might be interested in some of the books, but ONLY if the deal included either going through the dealer (at a profit to him) OR a simple finder's fee for the dealer (since I was at his table when I learned of the books). I also remember another time when a dealer (owner of a LCS) told me about a single digit Action Comics that was for sale. I ended up purchasing the book and although the dealer did not ask for anything, I went to him and gave him what I thought was a fair "finder's fee". I know not everyone will think the same way about these types of things. Everyone's view of ethics is different. Everyone's view of what is "fair" is different (and regrettably often changes depending on what side of the table they are on). I just think that money is easy to come by and reputations are not. Money is a cheap commodity, whereas there is only one person that I have to face in the mirror every day.

Now, there is a name from the past. I remember traveling to NY in the late 80's to visit his store "Fantazia". He certainly had an awesome selection of books. Of course then there is, as Paul Harvey would say, "The rest of the story..."

My "Max Bid" was obviously much higher than anyone else was willing to pay (or at least anyone who showed up on eBay to bid). I did not want to throw in a "Big" bid early and then have somebody sit there and just keep inching their bid higher in order to see what my max was (be it a seller who shill bids or just some other eBay user who likes to throw in bids they have no intention of winning with - and I think we all know that both these types individuals exist on eBay). In hind sight, I wished I had at least bid 15 or 20 seconds before the end, instead of trying to snipe with less than 10 seconds to go. With a few more seconds, I could have logged in again and got my bid in on time. Oh well, live and learn. This was a costly mistake and all I can do is hope that another copy surfaces in the future. I am also thankful for the info on the "snipe services", provided by Crowzilla and Batman_Fan. Although I don't see myself using a snipe service too often, they could come in handy for times when I am working, traveling, or for some other reason, unable to bid at auction end.

Thank you, sir.

Thank you, sir.

I don't know how to do that. Besides, I was sitting right there at my computer, so I thought I was "good to go" Somehow, eBay logged me out. When I placed my bid eBay said I needed to log in again and I was not quick enough. My stomach hit the floor............

Welcome to the boards. This is a great place to be and there are lots of wonderful people here.

As Gotham Kid said, sometimes you just miss the auction. Recently I was waiting to snipe an eBay auction. In the last few seconds, as I attempted to bid, eBay told me I was not signed in (even though I had successfully bid on another book 2 minutes earlier). My max bid was almost 5 times what the winning bid was. I felt sick about this for days, knowing I would have gladly paid 5 times what the winner had paid (probably more). If eBay had a "Make An Offer to Owner" feature like Heritage does, I would have gladly made the lucky winner a substantial offer. *To be fair, I was not buying a $50K book in the above example, however, it was a GA book I had been searching for and in the condition I was looking for, so I was willing to pay the price. Now I am feeling sick again, just thinking about it. lol.