RobAnybody

Just wanted to share the end(?) of my experience with MCS Consignments (spoiler alert: it was awesome). About 8 months ago I sent in a little fewer than 100 CGC graded comics on consignment to be listed on MCS. Had no idea what I was doing, had never sold a single comic online before (had bought many, of course). The staff was extremely helpful in letting me know what to do, how to send things in, what to include, etc. It took a little longer than I had hoped (about two weeks) from when they showed as "received" to when I could set the prices for them, but I admit I was over-anxious to get started & that's really not a big deal in hindsight. I made some rookie mistakes, like not immediately noticing super-obvious helpful features like being able to see recent sales, when my book would get listed for Auction if I went that way. Just dumb stuff on my part (so, maybe, in hindsight, a "Rookie Seller FAQ" link on the page where you can see your comics might be a suggestion? ). I wound up using a spreadsheet to track them & went through recent sales on ebay to get an idea of where I should start my prices (all BIN at first). I had a wide range of grades but most were at least "keys" or "semi-keys", stuff like ASM 194 in various grades, ASM 300 5.0 , Iron Fist 14 5.5, New Mutants 98 9.6, X-Men 4 (Omega Red) 7.0 & 8.5, Flash 92 (1st Impulse) 8.5 - so you can see, quite a wide range of "desirability", but no real drek IMO. This all started off great with a bunch of books selling quickly & suggests I maybe should have even added a premium to all my initial prices (that could go in the FAQ - it's better to start off a little on the high side & then gradually decrease prices, which brings me to...). Every couple weeks, I would decease prices on all the remaining books by 5% (doing so gets your book listed in the "New Releases" on MCS, so more publicity). After that initial large rush of sales, this tactic worked really well over the next several months & resulted steady, but lower volume/week, sales.. As mentioned, my books were a wide range of grades, so some were easy to move & high value, while others were... less so. As these lesser value books kept sitting (not all did - a lot would sell when I eventually hit the ~$40-$50 range, which might take several 5% drops to get there), once they were about to dip into to the <$40-ish range using my "-5% every couple weeks" method, I eventually started using the Auction feature. Just a few at a time. That was fun - just watching them. Some, maybe overall 25% of my Auctions, actually went for above where I had given up on BIN even! Maybe another 25% were right around my last BIN or within 10% (keep in mind these are already at ~$40, so we're still talking high $30's). About half went for less than I had hoped, but not like super cheap numbers - maybe the high $20's/low $30's, so meh, no big deal - these were mostly ones from my own collection I had sent in to CGC & came back with slightly lower grades than I was hoping for, so no real surprise there. I eventually got down to about 15 books. I decided to just let them sit for about a month & a half. Roughly half of them slowly sold over that time, then I put all the rest into Auction, & a few weeks later was done! It was immensely enjoyable (& profitable) experience - I highly recommend using MCS consignment, at least for CGC graded comics (which admittedly is all I can speak to).

I don't think it's being twisted. The Writers didn't get a per sub addition to their deal. The Directors didn't get a per sub addition to their deal. This is something unique the actors requested.

From what I've read, the actors had a deal commensurate with what the Writers got, & what the Directors (very quietly) got, on the table. Like, done deal. But then they tacked on this stupid 0.57 per subscriber (what currency is that even in?) thing, & sabotaged it all. So dumb.

Part of the reason for that statistic is that every bit part actor is a member. So the couple chatting at the beginning of Law & Order who stumble upon the body are members. The barista who takes Sheldon's order on TBBT & exchanges a few lines of dialogue is a member. The Red Shirt on Star Trek who has a few lines, beams down with the main characters, & promptly gets killed is a member. That's what skews that statistic - for most actors, acting is at best a part-time job. No one should expect full-time pay for part-time work.

I had heard of One Piece but didn't know the first thing about it. Didn't know it was pirate-themed; couldn't have even told you what "One Piece" was referring to ("is it a show about bathing suits, maybe?"). But I wound up really enjoying it. The characters are all incredibly deep, interesting, & just plain fun! The world-building is also deep & engaging. The fight scenes, while naturally a good deal over the top & exaggerated, are well-choreographed & you can actually see what's going on - no close up, quick cut chaos with very accommodating stunt people like we see in too many other shows today. Obviously I'm avoiding mentioning any specific spoilers & being very general in my praise, but I recommend it to anyone who enjoys more typical "comic book movies " even if you're not big into Manga.

I have a question on how/why things work like they do: If I assign something to an auction, & that auction is, like, a month from now, why not keep it on my Buy It Now list until that auction starts? It appears (from what I see) that it gets removed from my active listings & is just in limbo for a month. Just curious, what's the reasoning behind that? Wouldn't it be better to keep my Buy It Now listing active until the Auction starts?

I don't disagree, but either the writers have given us terrible writing recently or they're not to blame but are mostly uninvolved in the actual writing. Neither view enhances their value.

Then still, this shows the actual writers don't really matter. If the producers are running things, why pay the writers more money if they don't really contribute to the stories?

My brother hates Robin with a passion , so he collects "dead Robin" comic covers, even when it's just reprints. Like the obvious: But also: He has some others already, but... he has a birthday coming up. Any somewhat more obscure suggestions I could get for him?

Doesn't that kinda make the point that paying these writers *more* is a losing proposition? They are the ones who wrote the shows that lost them that money.

You understood the question. It was me simply missing something obvious. Thanks!

Hey @mycomicshop, two questions: 1)is there a better venue to suggest "improvement ideas" or ask "how does this work?" questions than here? I totally don't mind doing it here, & actually kind of like it, b/c I can get other people's feedback on if my ideas are stupid or would be appreciated so there's that, but is there a "suggestion box" on your site that I should use, just wondering. Also, 2)... ...my suggestion is: I'd like a way to know what date my comic would go up for auction if/when I click on "Submit To Auction" before I click it. As in, I get that I can withdraw the item after I've clicked it, & I can see what other similar issues are going to come up for auction that might influence that date. But, I don't know what you consider "similar". So, for example, if I see in your list when I click on My Book CGC 9.4 that I have on consignment & am considering putting it in an auction, what I see is: The following items are already scheduled for auction: My Book CGC 9.8 Starts [next week] My Book CGC 9.0 Starts [next week] My Book CGC SS 9.4 [starts in two weeks] My Book VF [starts in two weeks] My Book CGC 9.2 [starts in three weeks] Is there a way for me to know, if I do assign My 9.4 Book to Auction, which week it would show up before actually assigning it? Like, would it go into the [next week] auction since there's not already a 9.4 in there? Would it go into the "starts in two weeks" b/c mine is not SS? Would it have to wait until four weeks, when all the existing have got their turn? Not a pressing, super important question. Just curious. And if there's a FAQ for stuff like this, my bad, just point me there please.

Interesting - does that mean you think it's a scam?

Looks like there's a 9.8 auction going on ebay, ending Sunday morning EST. Any bets where it ends up? https://www.ebay.com/itm/355027785025

How strange... no Mera in that?

I concur, as someone who loved pre-Unity Valiant storytelling. It's never gonna be "collectible" again. There are not a lot of us that even remember those... what? 2-3 years tops? I wouldn't discourage anyone who just simply wants them in their personal collection, but I agree that "Valiant Keys" is not gonna be a thing, in the near or long-term future. Unfortunately.

George Clooney was an "extra" on The Facts of Life way back when. Do you think he would have said "naaah... I'll pass on this minor role. I'm gonna be George Clooney in like 20 years"? EDIT: fwiw: that was more directed @fantastic_four, rather than @Eclipse

$47 million is what the WGA says it would cost. I don't believe that number any more than I would if the studios said it would cost $8.7 trillion. How would you even calculate the "cost" of something like "no using AI" anyway?

Then I guess it's a good thing that was never my point. My point was: don't intentionally give audiences what they don't want by presenting different or very obscure versions of characters they already know. We've seen how that works out. The first time we saw Hulk it wasn't Red Hulk. The first time we saw Steve Rogers it wasn't as Nomad. Sony didn't start us off with Cosmic Spider-Man. Just because an obscure variant of a character exists in a comic somewhere doesn't mean "hey, let's start with that".

I have NO connections to The Scene, but that would also be my bet. The Studios have 0 reason to cave. They can offer more $, but "more writers in the room" Why? "No AI" Why? "Most other (non-pay-related) demands" Why? They can just wait them out. Has anyone here seen the South Park episode where Canada went on strike (as an analogy to the last writer's strike)? I don't see a whole lot of difference here, except maybe that the writers have even less leverage 'cause, well, a whole lot of the public doesn't actually care if they come back, maybe even wishes they don't. I hope they enjoy their new Bennigan's coupons. Maybe they can get Applebee's this time?

I view this question similarly to how I view buying a new TV: "Always go slightly bigger". Basically, if you are buying a new TV, always go at least 1 size bigger. If you are looking at a 70" TV, just get a 75". You'll never regret it, but you *might* regret not getting the bigger one & kinda wish you did, 'cause you are gonna have it for a long time & you are stuck with your original choice. You never want to regret that original choice, Same with buying graded comics. When you are collecting (not flipping, not looking to sell), you will never regret buying the higher grade. Especially if they increase in price & you kinda even half pay attention to that that, even if you have no intention in selling it (because, if you're here, you probably do that). A personal example: Batman Adventures 12 (1st Harley Quinn). Many years ago, I didn't want to pay $400-500 for a 9.8, so I bought a 9.6 for roughly $150 by bidding on several auctions on ebay until I won one. I'm never gonna sell this comic. But I do enjoy tracking the price of it occasionally (recent ebay auctions: 9.6 @$851; 9.8 @2,469). It would've been more "fun" tracking the 9.8 if I'd bought it way back then, not to mention just seeing the 9.8 instead of the 9.6 in my collection. So, my advice is: No Ragrets (I mean assuming price isn't a financial issue). Buy the higher grade, every time. You will never regret it. You WILL occasionally regret NOT doing so.

Never said this. I just said Marvel managed to make Captain America of all people an interesting character that people liked. So it shows that it's not impossible to make "Boy Scout" characters (which DC has in abundance) connect with audiences. Yes, DC cannot afford any own goals. They were already so behind the 8-ball that they should have probably played it safe & avoided throwing into triple coverage. Just run it up the middle & sink the free throws. Yikes - I think I have exceeded my allowed sports metaphors for multiple years in this single paragraph. But my point is: we see where giving people "not my X" got them.

That's a great point, & probably why Aquaman was so successful. The DCEU characters are all basically "good gods", meaning they don't really have any flaws & are always just "the nicest person in the room" but also with god-like powers. It's kinda... boring to watch, but also why Batman stands out, 'cause he's not at all like that. And why the Jason Momoa version of Aquaman also stands out (plus, not to be shallow, but women love Jason Momoa). They tried to make Flash the Spider-Man of the DCEU, but that's not really his personality (the CW Flash show was a more accurate portrayal IMO). Marvel managed to make Captain America, the ultimate Boy Scout, interesting & fun. Which was honestly quite an accomplishment, but not something Warner ever managed with their characters.

Valiant during the Jim Shooter era was just amazing storytelling. I have almost all the runs from back then (ungraded, just in boxes). They kinda fell off a cliff after Unity though, which was unfortunate.

I recently watched this on (HBO) MAX. It was pretty bad. Keaton Batman was the highlight. The CGI was pretty awful, the plot was almost non-sensical, IMO. It butchered the Flashpoint storyline, which would have been great, if they'd just adapted that. The multiple-Ezra's trying to out-annoy me didn't help. But, what really irritates me is: I'm a huge Supergirl fan. Was so hoping for an accurate Supergirl, even in the dead DCEU. But this characterization missed on: the look, the costume, the name (it's "Care-Uh", not "Khar-ah" - I don't know when modern interpretations suddenly can't even pronounce her NAME right), but more importantly, the personality: she's a fish-out-of-water, came to Earth as a teenager, loves using her powers, hates having to use a secret identity but grudgingly accepts it 'cause Clark teaches her why, & is super-cheerful & optimistic. This film's version is just Supergirl-in-name-only. They just slapped the name on an entirely different character. Which, sure, it's an alternate universe (where she takes the Superman role from Flashpoint). But what really just sucks, IMO is that this movie essentially means I won't get a genuine big screen, proper Supergirl any time soon. *sigh*