RockMyAmadeus

Oh, and welcome to 1993.

The price on the cover of the Batman #17 I just lost on eBay is ten cents. It ended at $381. Does that cover price let consumers know they are overpaying...? "That's different!" No, it's not. It's the exact same thing. It's supply and demand at work. The consumer and the vendor both have to agree on the price...the consumer doesn't get to dictate the price. You're conflating the two. Supply and demand is the only system that works. Frustrating, but true. And perfectly ethical. And, by the way, having laws against price gouging is just another tentacle of socialism. "It's not FAIR!!!" is why those laws exist, never bothering to ask important questions like "why didn't you have your own supply already ready...?"

+1

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Spawn-1-and-9-KEYS-see-8-pics-Image-Comic-181-129-300-/152877341539?hash=item2398331b63%3Ag%3AGv8AAOSwLUpaZsIG&nma=true&si=h27Eu9oQBRIusaPpA0bWMZnhXas%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Why not just be a decent human being and not keyword spam?

So you were spamming your auction titles. My friendly suggestion is to realize you were violating ebay policy, and you're a lot more likely to get blocked by boardies than stupidman. keyword spamming is universally hated around here. This has been discussed at length on Voldemort's board, so this isn't a new issue. There's a contingent there (as there has been at times here) that don't think the rules apply to them, and don't really give two shots about it. And if you say anything about it, you are the jerk for not minding your own business. There are 1,349 listings, as of this moment, that are "like CGC" (or Voldermort/The other guy), which means that someone looking for the other is going to have to wade through items they weren't searching for to find the ones they are. Keyword spamming hurts every seller who plays by the rules. It clogs up listings with irrelevant results, and frustrates buyers. I don't bother with reporting much on eBay, because eBay doesn't generally give a damn, as evidenced by the massive amount of keyword spammed listings, but that doesn't mean it doesn't do damage. The keyword spammers are like those who park in handicapped parking spots without a tag. Is it a serious crime? No, of course not. But does it represent a Cartman style "I do what I want!" attitude that makes life just that much less pleasant? Yup. They don't see the problem with it, and it helps them, so why do you have a problem with it, huh...?

People throwing out "print run" numbers is tough to ignore. I tried, but it got a touch ridiculous, as it always does. Back to lurk mode.

There is a chasm of difference...which I know you know...between a desire to learn and educate oneself, and presenting misinformation as fact. "This had a print run of 600 copies." <----comment, stated as fact, made by an ignorant idiot who wants to impress people with his/her "knowledge", on whatever level. "I heard this had a print run of 600 copies. Is that true...?" <---comment made by someone who wants to educate themselves. And I staunchly disagree with your contention that most people on these boards are trying to educate themselves. I think most people...the most active people...either A. are looking to make $$$$ in comics, or B. are the "old guard" who talk about what we've talked about for over a decade. As you know...print run information is very hard to come by, and as was proven true (for the 10,000,000th time), the store owner had to come out and clarify what he actually meant. He bears some responsibility in this. And personally, I don't like uniformed customers. What do they think this is, a parade....?

Although, to be fair, the guy's name is Simon Payne. If that doesn't scream Bond villain, I don't know what does...

They get that idea because idiots who can't be bothered to think critically make assumptions they ought not be making, or, in some cases, just make things up out of whole cloth. The error gets repeated over and over and over and over again, by other idiots who also can't be bothered to think critically, or even be a LITTLE bit of a skeptic, and we end up with bad information circulating throughout the hobby for years, and sometimes even decades (like "30 and 35 cent variants were "discovered" by Jon McClure" in 1997-1998, when they had been appearing in the OPG for nearly 20 years at that point, starting with Star Wars #1. The only thing McClure "discovered" was the extent. That's like saying Columbus "discovered" the Americas...sure, if you ignore the people who'd been living there for a couple thousand years, and Leif Ericson and his Viking settlers...then yes, Columbus "discovered" the Americas. And yet, irresponsible bloggers like Benjamin Nobel present themselves as "knowledgeable experts", when all they really are are people with uninformed opinions propagating misinformation that harms people in the long run. But if you challenge them, they will attempt to silence you by accusing you of being a "cyber bully", and, sadly, they succeed.) And if anyone thinks the "tone" of this post is angry, you're damn right it is. Too many people make up too much nonsense, and invariably get INCREDIBLY offended that anyone would DARE question them, when it is THEY who should be asking the questions in the first place. And people make financial decisions based on erroneous information, and they get hurt. No two ways about it. Ask questions. Verify. Be persistent. Be curious. Accept no one's "word" for anything (including mine.) Everyone can be wrong, and frequently are. Get independent verification. And, where you can't get independent verification, come up with reasonable theories, but NEVER, EVER wed yourself to those theories, and ALWAYS be ready and willing to discard those theories...no matter how much your ego might protest...if new information comes to light which invalidates them. Don't become a victim of people who parrot bad information. And above all, keep an open mind. Genuine scholars aren't afraid to be proven wrong. Genuine scholars welcome being proven wrong, because it means everyone else gets to be more correct. And that should be everyone's goal.

This will change, because the market is requiring it. CGC doesn't have a choice.

Frankly, a lot less truculence and pomposity, replaced with introspection, would go a long way around here.

You wear what kind of lipstick now...?

We have some breaking news, Jim...we're waiting for confirmation on the ground, but it appears as if the pot has just called the kettle "black." We're not sure if "safe spaces" will be invoked, but it appears that's where events might be unfolding. We'll bring you more as it occurs. Back to you in the studio.