RockMyAmadeus

Instead of getting angry, frustrated, annoyed, and falsely accusing other people of being trolls, why don't you step back and analyze yourself and your posts? You have been given substantive, rational, reasonable responses, yet you continue to post as if this is 8th grade, and the most clever response wins. That's not how rational debate works. You said "all people have are claims and opinions", and then immediately ask why CBSI isn't an authority. The answer to the second is in the first: Comic Book SPECULATION & Investing is a website that 1. is concerned solely with flipping, rather than collecting, comic books, and 2. is generally just a couple of guys' opinions. And if I can head you off at the pass: there's nothing wrong with flipping, but you need to understand the basic concept of the conflict of interest. People with a vested interest are going to say what will benefit them...not you. If you happen to benefit, great, but that's not their goal. And when that goal conflicts with the truth, you have a conflict of interest, and everything said should be rationally analyzed in that light. To the specific issue: there is no data. That's the problem. This information is not information that the publishers release, so no one...meaning NO ONE...except the publisher and printer knows how many were actually made. Therefore, any and all numbers not released by the publisher are, AT BEST, shot in the dark guesses. That means that your guess is just as good...or bad....as anyone else's. Those who say differently are trying to sell you something. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow...but they ARE trying to sell you something. You may not see it that way, but people are trying to genuinely help you, and you're treating them like they're your enemies. Or would you prefer everyone just make things up out of thin air, but act as if they have real information...?

You say that like you think all opinions are equal. Opinions that are not informed and rational are utterly worthless. It's not negative to criticize people who deserve it. It is extremely negative to lie and mislead people. Well, some people like to actually know what they're talking about when they post. You should try it sometime. Everyone would prefer actual information, but the correct response in the absence of information is not to make up garbage, but to not say anything. Unfortunately, far too many people now seem to think others want to be exposed to their irrelevant guesses, which are presented as fact. Stop spreading negativity with your criticism. You are the real troll.

Because that doesn't protect their investments. They need to keep repeating the same old B.S. and shouting down any rational arguments against their made-up numbers.

Read the whole thread. Then, read this thread: This cannot be overstated: your entire premise is flawed. Top to bottom, beginning to end. You are propagating misinformation. Don't be offended; rather, desire to know the truth.

That means a lot to me, Dan, but you know I can't. I'm doing my own research, though, and maybe someday there will be a platform to share it.

No. Just passing through. I don't mind misinformation as much as the (thus far successful) attempts to silence criticism by accusing critics of "bullying" him, while laughably "offering" to "listen" to "legitimate" criticism. That's not the work of a scholar who is interested in the truth. That's the work of someone who is only interested in his own opinions. And what do we call people who have no use for the truth? Actions speak louder than words, as always. Silencing voices is the purview of despots and ideologues.

That is a very inaccurate article, filled with misinformation, written by someone who isn't at all interested in having an accurate record. The very first sentence is false (the Direct market began in '73-'74, not 1979, and "distinct" copies were first produced with Feb. 1977 cover dates), and it just goes downhill from there. These assumptions are not educated ones. They're just guesses. Accurate information about the Direct market isn't at all hard to find, it just takes a bit of hustle to find it. Here's a good article about the actual origins of the Direct market: http://classic.tcj.com/history/a-comics-journal-history-of-the-direct-market-part-one/ I would hate to see people make financial decisions based on such grossly inaccurate fan blogs.

c

This is not true.

On Voldemort's board, there are people who think it's perfectly acceptable to "lock in" a purchase by hitting a BIN, THEN doing their due diligence and backing out of the transaction if everything is not to their liking. And if you say anything, no matter how politely, YOU are the a-hole, YOU are the jerk...not the guy who screwed with someone else's listing. The comics industry is filled with addicts who behave atrociously, and viciously attack anyone who dares challenge them.