comicinvestor-migration

How many Strawberry Shortcakes would it take to equal the Guide value of an Origin #1? If you've got the SS supply, I'll do the trade just for kicks.

Hey Darth, character origins are worth squat in the long run, while first appearances are where the bucks are. As a long-term investment, I'd take the 1st App. of Strawberry Shortcake over a copy of Origin.

Yeah Darth, that fool should have put his $4500 into two CGC 10.0 Origins right? I want everyone to equate it in those terms: a one-of-a-kind (at this point) Silver Age key in CGC 9.8 condition, compared to two 10.0 off-the-shelf Modern copies of a book that's already tanking bad in both demand and price. I have to hit the hay; that comparison is giving me a headache.

In 5-10 years you may be on here complaining about sellng this, as the hardcore CGC 9.8 ASM collectors go into a bidding frenzy and the book clocks in at $30K. I'll never offer any derogatory remarks towards someone paying top dollar for an older, key, ultra-high-grade comic. Those are all the ingredients of future growth.

Anyways, MTU #1 is tough to get in high grade...I'd bet it has a pretty low print run for it's era. Nah, there's tons of copies out there, and the book was incredibly popular off the stands. The problem is, that serious Gold and Silver collectors thought the book was a joke and it was not actively collected by anyone other than kids and actual comic readers. MTU #1 took a long time to gain any respect from collectors, and coupled with the black cover, that's why you find so many F-VF copies and virtually no NM ones.

Canada is a real backwater for comics. Full of hillbillies & bankrupt comicshop store stock. Damn straight and I can't name a show I went to in Ontario where there wasn't at least one table with some wild surprises on it. Just lie flat on the floor and scan for the sellers wearing hip-waders.

Hey, I know the deal about EBay, determining bid prices and having an eye for scans, and I've come out extremely well in my transactions. This isn't sour grapes, but I sense a quantum shift in market emphasis away from the shows and towards EBay. This has been underway for a long time now, but is now becoming extremely obvious. I adhere to the "buy where they ain't" doctrine be it comics or places of business, and I think a lot of smart money has already shifted gears a long while ago.

Hey, I used to feel the exact same way about EBay and championed its cause for a long time. I simply feel that the pendulum may have swung a bit too far in favor of the online world, and I continue to shake my head at the deals I passed up at some of the summer shows. I always used to think "there's no way a con has better deals than EBay", but of late, I'm starting to rethink that statement. BTW, I'm a collector who usually is satisfied with VF/NM comics. At a con, these are usually priced reasonably and when you take into consideration that an EBay NM is usually a VF and an EBay NM+ is usually a VF/NM or NM, you get a lot of saps who bid ultra-high on EBay, hoping to flip the book for a profit. At a show, you can actually see the book in question and buy (or not) based on what grade you feel it is, rather than paying NM prices for a VF comic.

Hey Scottish, go in a wheelchair and do a Samuel L. Jackson routine at the Modern comic rack. Now that would be divine retribution to someone like Darth. "CGC 9.8, 9,6, 9.4... uncollectible.. aiiee the inhumanity!"

There are also very inexpensive ways to ship comics, and when I'm mailing lower-cost, mid-grade books I use the following, ultra-low cost method: Each comic goes into a bag and with board, sealed with one small piece of transparent tape. I place the comics facing in, with the backboard out and then add two older, crapola boards (that I replaced long ago) on the outside of the comic/comics. Use a small piece of transparent tape on the sides to insure the individual books don't move. Replace this with stiffer cardboard for more expensive books. I then fold up four other old, crapola backer boards, two length-ways and two width-ways and place them on the top, bottom and both sides, letting the naturalal, angle-pressure build a buffer zone between the folded backer boards and the edges of the comics. Then tape snugly together and place into a padded envelope and mail. I tested this format out with some Modern comics and I tossed the package around, dropped it, etc and the books came out with nary a scratch. Disappointed (since they're Moderns) I ripped them up anyway, but it did prove a point. Even if you're selling lower to mid-grade books for a few bucks, there are easy, inexpensive and relatively safe methods of doing so, using items that most collectors have in abundance.

It's too bad everyone doesn't pack like you CI. The package could be dropped from a frickin' airplane and not suffer nary a scratch! Hey, I don't expect everyone to live up to my standards, but this "loose, used-to-be-VF/NM comics in a manilla envelope" seems to be growing as more unknowledgeable sellers feel the comics hype and come online with grandpa's old collection. If I buy anymore of those winners, I'll start tossing my money onto the road and watch kids dodge cars to get it. Much more entertaining and a better value for my money.

Just to clear it up, here are my reasons in order of importance: 1) Shipping damage, improper packaging and cost. 2) Insane Price Spikes and Drops (NM DD 131 - $40 at shows, and $500 online). 3) Over-Grading compared to Seeing the Comic Personally. 4) Price Resistance to "Comic Show Book Flippers". 5) Scammers (vast majority can be avoided).

Okay banner, at the last summer show up here, I saw a few NM (graded accurately) copies of Daredevil 131 for (US-equivalent) of $30-$50, along with other VF or VF/NM (or potentially NM from small fries) copies at much lower. I can't see how EBay would be a better deal at $400-$600 a shot. I know from an overall perspective, EBay is a better deal (I will still buy lower-demand books online) but those looking to compete in the "hot markets" of still-common books, would save a ton by just taking in a show every once in a while. Shipping is my real sore point, as more and more non-comics people start selling, the insane packing methods they employ are getting ludicrous. It used to be collectors/dealers selling amongst themselves, but since comics hit the big-time in 2001, every Tom, and Monkey are now hawking on EBay. Comics loose in a manilla envelope anyone? CGC book wrapped in kraft paper? Pay for Priority insured and it comes UPS Ground?

EBay used to be a great place to buy comics, with a healthy supply, a community environment, sellers who also collected (and knew how to SHIP!), and very few comics-based scammers. Now with the advent of CGC, the scammers abound, monkeys and chickens are apparently selling comics, prices on hot issues are out of whack, and I have little confidence bidding on many high-dollar comics. What I'm about to say is tantamount to heresy for this online advocate, but I'm about ready to start saving for the comic shows, cons, etc. instead of playing in the EBay minefield. Here are my reasons: 1) Other than really good resto or buyer indifference to over-grading, there is no chance of gettng scammed. This is especially true since I'm looking for Bronze semi-keys that aren't that prone to resto. You're probably thinking that it's easy to spot a scam, but read up on the 1000+ Feedback Sellers who suddenly went bad and skipped town after a big EBay score. 2) Price. Some may laugh, but I've seen raw issues that I wished I picked up from the last summer show, and even CGC issues were priced better than on EBay. In terms of high-demand books, EBay prices are outpacing those at shows or cons. 3) Selection: If you hit a big show and have the bucks, you can basically find most Silver and Bronze issues without the hassle of searching all night. 4) No shipping damage/loss/expense. When you factor the shipping cost and the potential for damage to that NM gem that a bonehead seller mailed in a manilla envelope (or a CGC slab loose in a box -CRACK-), picking up books personally starts to look quite inviting. 5) No EBay Spikes: Let's say you are looking for a semi-key (like Daredevil 131) and it suddenly spikes on EBay and starts heading for the hills. I guarantee that if there's a show next week, and you get there early, you'll be able to pick one up for standard prices. So I guess I'm thinking of going old-school like many of the sellers here already do, but instead of flipping the books to EBay specs, I'd rather save for con purchases to fill some holes, and pick up some books through smaller, regular shows, while maybe using EBay for some commons buys and for a bit of selling. EBay still has its uses, especially for buyers looking for common or low-demand books (can't beat the price) but that's about the limit as I see it now. I see the pendulum shifting away from EBay for raw semi-keys and higher-demand books that not only push insane prices, but bring with them the horrid spectre of shipping damage, outright scams, over-grading and other intangibles to the transaction. The key here is patience, as even the regular shows are only weekly, and it's a long wait for the big ones to show up next year.

Late last night a rustling was heard outside my window and a voice called down from above, intoning, "The Bronze Age works in mysterious ways." That was just Peeping Tom Pimpy hiding in the bushes.

That's bizarre, since I had the exact same conversation last night, and he stated: "Conan 1 be the start of the true Bronze Age, and let me smite any unwashed heathen who proclaimeth that Giant Size X-Men be the one!"

*cough* looks better in a CGC holder or comic bag *cough* "We're not creating readers, we're creating collectors"

Yep, ASM 50 is a special case, where the Kingpin's appearance is noted, but the comic also has a "Classic Cover" that many collect outside of the Kingpin attraction.

According to you, every new books that isn't Nova or Ms. Marvel is Silver.

In a nutshell, it looks like we're down to GL 76 (great choice), Conan 1 (solid choice), or Giant Size X-men 1 (whatever!!). I think this is a case similar to the Showcase 4/FF 1 situation in the Silver Age, where GL 76 definitely provided the push for DC, while Conan was the big guy for moving Marvel down the anti-hero Bronze road. Those are the two books I see starting both companies towards the true Bronze Age trends of 1970-1976 or so. I've offered enough iron-clad, irrefutable, "not unless Len Wein and Dave Cockrum owned a time machine" logic against Giant Size X-Men, so I'll leave that alone for now.

The seller has the right to make any guarantee he/she sees fit, as long as it's properly spelled out with no gray areas. For example, I hate when sellers offer a CGC guarantee, but leave out important parts like not refunding grading fees. They don't have to, but STATE THIS CLEARLY IN THE AUCTION. Otherwise, it's bordering on scamming, since you're withholding crucial information to make the auction more saleable.

If the larger percentage of the buyers never even read the comic, then why bother? Joe Q is just a smart businessman, and if cool cover poses get the fanboys to buy a stack for investment, then marvel makes more money. Not that I agree with it, but that's the way the cookie crumbles.

I find that the art and story mean very little in these CGC-days. I find the Trimpe are in Hulk 181 hard to look at, while Andru's ASM 129 work is pretty darn good. On another note, ASM 50 is an interesting case of a character intro (Kingpin) not having any of the basic requirements of a prime first app., but the Classic Cover definitely helps its cause.

Isn't FF 49 the first full appearance of Galactus? I've always felt that was a far more important book than 48, at least from my personal view of the Marvel Universe.

The cover to ASM 239 is what 238 should have been. Just by looking at it, you get a pretty good idea what the Hobby is all about, his powers, his glider, and that he's gunning for Spidey that issue.