Still comes back to the low hanging fruit. Pick up what no one else is looking at. When you have to climb higher or spend more you simply move on to the next tree and pick what hanging low.
I just don't see it that way. To me, it's about enjoying the hobby, and spending more on a book than I feel it's worth takes the joy out of it. If I feel a book is worth the $, I'll pay it. But, if I feel what the market currently dictates is too high, I'm more than happy with another era or genre. I collect high grade Looney Tunes 1-100, and will shell out a couple hundred bucks for super nice books. I feel they're undervalued. I will probably never own a Hulk 181, because I feel they're incredibly common and overpriced.
Like JC, I'm glad that I'm just as psyched to find a NM BA copy of Betty and Veronica as I am to find a JLA or Avengers or Weird Wonder Tales. It gives me options, but doesn't make it any easier.
And it's not about laziness, low-hanging fruit, or easy-pickings. I think I dig through boxes as much as you do. I just pull out different stuff. Ask Greggy how hard it is to find HG BA romance books. Then add my criteria. It becomes even tougher (not the best example, since I will pay for HG BA romance). That doesn't mean I stop looking for the superhero stuff, either. I just wait for the right price and pass on lots of super-nice copies that are too expensive. Finding the right HG copy at the right price is certainly not "low-hanging fruit". And some of the stuff I look for is probably the hardest BA material in grade.
Now, Joey, let me tell you about the braciole I made last weekend. How's the food in FL treating you?
braciole