RonS2112

19 hours ago, divad said:

This is not a problem. This is short-sightedness and frankly, the sense of entitlement on the buyer's side. The only case in which this may be appropriate is when the seller does it on a brand-spanking new book right off the presses. If this is what you are referring to, my apologies. A smart seller should be rewarded for his (or her) efforts.

So then, to be clear, you think the following scenario is OK....say a seller has a CGC-graded copy of Eternals #1 in 9.8.  Today, FMV for that book is about $1300.  Now that the movie has been announced, it is reasonable to expect that this book could reach $2000 by the time the movie comes out.  You're OK paying that price because of what the movie might do?

9 hours ago, fastballspecial said:

You are right. The rush to slab books has made people slowly realize that the slab market is a smaller, but growing area of the hobby. The problem is there are too many speculators in a market that cant support them currently. Economic Darwinism will weed many out of the next couple of years. They will choke on their inventory when they cant sell it.

Disney may save some, but those chasing big dollars in the indy area will get hurt as well. Spreading out your risk is highly important. This isn't the first time I have seen this.
Its actually the 3rd time. The market in the 90s, the hobbyist during the housing bubble and next who knows.

 

 

 

 

The new problem I'm seeing is that some sellers are starting to demand slabbed prices for raw books.  "Well it could sell for X more dollars, so that's what I'm going to charge."  Likewise for potential key issues -- because a book could figure into the MCU, charge more now, because the book could appreciate years from now.  Have actually run into this thinking at my LCS.

On ‎7‎/‎26‎/‎2019 at 1:46 PM, wiparker824 said:

Okay but you’re comparing apples and oranges. The horrible spider-man show from the 70’s was just that - a horrible show. The movies in the MCU are not horrible, in fact they are so popular that they are breaking all kinds of box office records. Are you really trying to say you expected the same price bump to AF15 from that 70’s Spider-Man show as you saw from the first Spider-Man MCU movies bump?

No......the AF15 bump didn't correlate with the McGuire SM movies.  It happened before that.  Likewise, there wasn't an appreciable bump with either Hulk movie.  What I'm trying to say is that the bumps associated with the MCU are a recent phenom, confined to the last 7 or 8 years.

On ‎7‎/‎26‎/‎2019 at 1:08 PM, kevhtx said:

Collecting in general has changed though over these past 30 years. Not just comics. For plentiful books, you may be right, but the core superheroes and villains are pretty safe bets. First appearances and keys. I think pretty cover art books and many moderns may fall into the fads category with a few exceptions. Thus, why this thread is popular for flipping.

The business has definitely changed, but what the MCU (DC to a certain extent as well) has done is create many, many new fans. So, as certain first appearances and keys hibernate in many collector's PCs, they will mostly rise over time (with maybe some slight dips along the way).

Since Hollywood figured out the cash cow of these worlds and characters, they will continue to find ways to get these successful characters into movies, TV and other consumer media/products. Some may go dormant for brief periods, but you can be sure they will always reappear at some point.

Certainly some new fans, but also a lot of new speculators,  One can argue that these are a temporary blip on the radar, but when I go to a con and see booths stocked with $100 slabbed copies of Venom: Lethal Protector #1, something is wrong.

On ‎7‎/‎24‎/‎2019 at 8:16 PM, kevhtx said:

Millions of people going and seeing a great/successful movie (or watching a TV show) adds focus to the character, adds the perception that the character's value is going up and adds new fans who are just now experiencing the character and want to connect to it somehow by spending money. Black Panther is probably one of the best recent examples.

I think this is mostly correct, but there's a "consumer sheep mentality" that has to feed into this as well, specifically the notion among speculators that if they wanted, they could sell the comic book in question for more than they bought it.  I think this mentality is flawed and this most recent example (Mighty Thor (2014) #1) may also be the fastest bubble to burst.  The 1978 Hulk TV show didn't cause Hulk back issues to inflate in value, neither did the horrible 70's Spider-Man TV show.  Amazing Fantasy #15 spiked years before any of the successful movies came out (to include the Tobey McGuire run).

Thor (2014) #1 was not well-received by readers, and I don't know that movie success will change that in the long term.  Ultimately, anyone who just spent $60 on a copy is going to have to find a longer-term collector willing to pay that much or more down the road for the price to be sustained.

In short, the whole MCU == greater prices for source material is a new phenomenon, and I'm not completely willing to bet that it will last in the long run.

Not going to screencap, but the most recent SOLD eBay auction for Thor (2014) #1 was for $58 + $4 shipping.  This among a bunch of $40 to $50 sales.  Those seem inflated to me.

13 hours ago, wiparker824 said:

No offense and maybe I’m wrong but isn’t this the thread to discuss the value rather than the content? Isn’t it the moderns heating up on eBay thread specifically to talk about which books are the most valuable? I don’t mind hearing your take on the cameo/appearance debate, but perhaps this may be why people didn’t understand your intent in this specific thread.

I don't think you can separate the two, ESPECIALLY since in the current market, the folks speculating aren't necessarily the most educated on the actual contents of the hot books.  Thor (2014) #1 does have the familiar cover, but I'm seeing more inflated prices for GoT #25 as the market catches it's breath for a second and says "hey, wait a minute."

11 hours ago, Bighaley21 said:

Are the only new people to the boards just those looking to flip books or those looking to sell? I see very few people that come in and actually add anything of value to the community right away.. 

Kinda like the community itself right now.  Thor (2014) #1 hitting $55 and more on eBay on news of a movie coming out in 2 years strikes me as the latest jump-the-shark moment for this hobby.  Signal-to-noise ratio is pretty low at the moment.

Second your nomination of Gene Carpenter as a VA Comicon favorite.  I've had the pleasure of recently meeting him and talking to him at several of the (almost) monthly comic & card shows in Annandale.  His collection of GA, SA, and especially 50's pre-code horror books in unrivaled.  He was kind enough to let me look at a pristine copy of Journey into Mystery #5, which I almost didn't even want to touch because it's in such great shape.  My kids are fascinated by his collection -- so much great stuff in such amazing condition.

Also had the pleasure of meeting Guy Rose at last month's Annandale con.  He sold me some beautiful SA ASMs for about 40% of Guide value.  Kicking myself for not raiding his bins more.......

2 minutes ago, Blastaar said:

Didn't realize it was that cheap. Don't know why but I thought it was closer to $20 a month. 

To be more accurate than my previous post: if you go month-to-month, it's $9.99 per month.  If you go yearly, it's (or was -- the may have slightly increased lately) $5.83 per month.  Can't beat it.

Marvel Unlimited is like $6 per month.  Access to MOST of what they've published for less than the price of two new comics per month.  Can you really complain about that?

18 hours ago, Getoutandstayout said:

Of course, the question facing me now is - if I squeeze $4K out of my collection to spend, do I get a high grade tier 2 book like, say, Silver Surfer #1 or #4? Or a 3.0 - 4.0 tier 1 book like, oh, Strange Tales #110 or Fantastic Four #4? What's the buying market like? People going after a good book in high grade, or a blue-chip book in a lower grade? The average Joe buyer will never be able to afford the first appearance of a major character unless it's at the low end, so I think those 3.0 copies will sell pretty well, IMHO. But those high-grade comics are sure easy on the eyes.

One of the biggest trends being reported in places such as Overstreet over the last five years or so, is the "movement" of more folks looking to invest in reader-grade copies of SA books.  So its driving up the value of books in 2.0-6.0 condition.  Not sure if it's just me, but it does seem like this has leveled off a bit this year.

But you're asking a somewhat personally-directed question.  This whole thread makes me sad, because I love thumbing through long runs of popular titles (one of my recently completed personal goals was to have every issue of the Fantastic Four published in my lifetime -- that count has recently started increasing by one again each month...).

But unless it's purely a search for the book that you think: a) has the potential to increase the most over the next X years and B) you can afford by consolidating the rest of your collection, then what you like is still going to play a factor.  Otherwise, approach it as you would investing in stocks, where you use the resources available to maximize your profit over time.

I'm going to assume though that you want to end up with a comic you like in the end, so if it was ME, I would use the funds available to buy the highest grade SA Fantastic Four or Spider-man key I could,,,,say in 8.5 to 9.4 condition. 

For $4K, you get get an FF #12 slabbed in 6.5 condition, and a FF #25 in 8.5 condition.  Both look awesome in those grades, and are almost sure to appreciate in value over the years.

41 minutes ago, Brewcrewfan77 said:

X-Men #4.  Bought it around '92-'94 in about a 4.0 condition for like $60 or so.  Gave up comics for quite a while and for the life of me I have no idea where it is if I sold it, if it's in my parents storage facility or if I sold it.  Kills me. 

My story is very similar, except that it was X-Men #5.  Tried my first collection sell-off when I thought I was done with comics, and sold it along with some SA FF's in early '98.  Ny a month later I regretted it, but it was too late.

21 minutes ago, revat said:

There's nothing wrong with being new, or asking a comics related question when you don't know the answer.  BUT I would say its a tough look when you somehow are internet savvy enough to get to this forum and create an account and start a thread, but don't do the BAREST modicum of effort to run a google search or make an effort to think through your question or what potentially would help other people help you.   And it might lead to people dunking on you in sarcastic or creative ways.

 The OP is essentially asking internet strangers to share their experience and time and knowledge with another stranger for free, and not making it easy for them to do so.  Especially when they clearly have the capability of searching for the answer themselves FIRST, but have either chosen not to do so or haven't even bothered to think it through that far (but have somehow thought it through enough to create a thread on some esoteric comic forum).  That all seems like entitlement and inconsiderate behavior and should be frowned upon.

And you're right to say that we were all newbies at some point, and certainly might have made mistakes or asked dumb questions.  Its true.  And when that happens, its honestly fine to get dunked on.  Its the internet.  No one is making personal attacks or telling anyone to jump off of cliffs, just some little sarcasm and telling someone to think it through and ask better questions.  Which is almost certainly good advice for the OP (and the rest of us) in general, not just related to comics.

Not being a smartass, but I'm going to point out that in the time it took you to type this, a short answer could have been provided to the OPs question, with links to where he could learn more.

4 minutes ago, awakeintheashes said:

I guess your awe at my elevated intellect precluded you from fully understanding the point I was making. 

Carry on. 

What point? That because you knew TWO WHOLE DAYS before some others that Kirkman was pulling a switcheroo, you are somehow more in the know than people who do this for a living?  There's a reason this story made national news -- and again, in this case Monday vs. Wednesday doesn't make a difference in the number of books they would have ordered.

Got it now?

4 minutes ago, awakeintheashes said:

I guess it was a surprise to you on Wednesday, unlike many on this forum who knew Monday or Tuesday.

 

 

Monday vs. Wednesday doesn't make a difference, genius.  The LCSs orders would have gone in up to 2 months ago.

4 hours ago, slg343 said:

Advice in 3 steps

 

Step 1:  Before you make another purchase for profit you need to know comic books.  If you can't look at a collection in person and make a quick judgement on your max price and reasonable expectation on both profit and time to move the books then you are not ready to jump in yet.  You can still give it a go but you will be paying tuition in the form of lost profit.  

Step 2:  Stay away from hot modern books because if they are already hot then by the time you get them and resell them they will be cold.  Some book however are easy to speculate and at worst break even, book like Thor 337.

Step 3: Most of the people making a livable profit are doing one of or both of these.  Finding collections cheap and flipping them by using their knowledge of what they are worth.  Buying bigger books at a discount and already have a large buyer base to sell that book to.  Finding collections is your best bet but honestly with a full time job and lack of knowledge the pros are going to beat you to it.

My own personal beer money and comic upgrade method is buying collection very CHEAP.  I then remove the big books, press and slab ($300 plus value).  I take the $5-$100 books and just run facebook auctions to move them quickly ( I make less money but books move fast).  I take all the drek and either donate it or sell it in large bundles cheap.  I basically just do this to buy overpriced Silver age marvel keys and would never do it to make a living because it is a grind.

 

Lots of good advice here.....I'll add that it doesn't need to be an all-or-nothing proposition.

Start by investing a small amount in books you intend to flip.  Keep track of when you bought it, the price you bought at, the price you sold at and how long it took to sell.  Take your initial capital plus profits and repeat.  Over time you're going to get an idea of whether you have a knack for making good investment judgements, and perhaps more important, how much profit you are capable of realizing per hour/week/month -- whatever.  Those numbers will ultimately be what convinces you (and your significant other) whether this is a good line of work for you.

Along the way, visit some local cons, make friends with the guys selling and ask how they do it.  Betting very few do 100% of their business from their homes, and most spend time travelling between a few states, hitting local conventions.  There's a lifestyle component to this whole thing, too.

4 minutes ago, 1p36DSA said:

nope, following walking dead, had it on previews order and subscribed to it (double upped). I had issues up through 200 on order, figured they were going to make a big deal out of another milestone issue.

It appears reading comprehension maybe a contributor to your problem.  A) I wasn't talking to you and B) as I said in my post, there was NEVER going to be an "issue 200," but only Robert Kirkman knew that.  Ending the series at issue 193 was a surprise to everyone until last Wednesday morning.

37 minutes ago, FSF said:

Agreed.  And I'm assuming with this book that there was no chance of an unforeseen publisher print shortage.  I'm still puzzled as to how this happened and would love to hear the detailed facts.  It's not like in the mid 1980s when I "reserved" Elflord, what was I thinking???, or TMNT and their print runs were only a few thousand which would make thing understandable.

 

Gonna assume that the author of this post (and many like it on this forum) doesn't follow TWD comic.  Kirkman pulled a surprise ending of the title, going so far as to issue fake solicits for issues 194 and 195.  I'm going to guess that MANY stores who order a near-constant number of this title from month to month were caught off-guard, when this issue LITERALLY became an instant collectors' item last week.

20 hours ago, Phil Boyle said:

Tracee,

Coliseum has been around for 37 years and thank you for being a customer for the past 7 of those.

As I told you in an e-mail, we can fix problems when they arise. We have some shortage replacements coming in on WD and those will go to regulars who missed out for one reason or another. At 3.99.

Every store has a known difficult customer. We still smile and do our best to make such folks happy. Sometimes it's a lost cause despite our efforts.

I'm sorry we disappointed you and I hope you find a store that can service your collecting needs in the future.

Be well,,

Phil Boyle
Coliseum of Comics

 

 

I was going to ask if the store offered to make good on the situation, given your long patronage.

This post answered my question and wins my nomination for Post of the Month.

6 minutes ago, TwoPiece said:

1. The question is too vague to correctly answer.

2. That is not the "real answer"...

Exactly what I'd expect from the biggest smart- on this thread.  Thanks for making my point for me.

You know, this is the Newbie section and the OP was asking a legitimate question.  Some of you guys need to remember that you were once new at this stuff, too.

Real answer: pressing is done in a machine very similar to what's used to press decals onto t-shirts.  Humidity of your local area plays a role.  

On ‎6‎/‎30‎/‎2019 at 6:01 PM, Callaway29 said:

Deals can be found at local comic book only conventions...or at least, that’s been my experience. Maybe I’m lucky...

The big ones? Forget about it...

This.  Stick with the smaller local cons, and you'll do well.  Bigger cons, not so much.

9 hours ago, MGsimba77 said:

Which network?

The El Rey Network is where I see it on Cox Cable in the DC Metro area.

13 hours ago, kav said:

agree to disagree then.  I say Stan wrote the stories.  I further bolster it by comparing the dialogue and plot from say an FF issue and a Devil Dinosaur issue.  Completely different writing styles.

This.  You can't struggle through the Eternals and even imagine that it's written by the same guy responsible for silver-age Marvel.  I'm sure Kirby had more than a little influence on the direction of the early Marvel superhero stories, but it was Stan doing the heavy lifting WRT the dialogue.