The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide is looking for feedback.

[Flee-Marquette]

The only two back issue dealers who really compile data are Metropolis and Mile High. And as much as each uses their Market reports to market themselves make those same market reports useless in gaging the actual market.

 

Doug Sulipa's market report is very thorough, and by far the most extensive of all of them (it's also the report I usually read first, fwiw). Not sure he compiles data, but the impression I get is that his info is more than anecdotal...

 

Did some quick scanning of this year's Guide's Market Report and out of about 54 pages and 41 entries, Sulipa's single entry takes up more than 10 pages--or about 20% of the entire report! Talk about thorough--his might indeed be more than anecdotal (the busy work I just did, by the way, is a good temporary antidote to the stress of the end of the semester)...

 

Despite the breathless, hurried way Sulipa writes, his report is reasonably balanced, and often goes against the grain. A worthwhile read, although I can't get through it in one go.

I definitely read Doug's report first and I echo a lot of the sentiment about the Big Little Books section being taken out.

[shiverbones]

I go right to Sulipa each time too. I wish more people put his level of effort into it!

[The Troll King]

I dont mind the Big Little Books being in there... I mind them a heck of a lot less than "Platinum Age". Give me a break.... Platinum age is not even "books" half the time but just artwork out of newspapers and such... what's next? We going to include Garfield and Family Circus strips from the daily paper?

[Mac Man]

Many of my thoughts echo those provided earlier. If nothing else though, perhaps this will reinforce the need for these suggestions...

 

First, regarding adding and subtracting material, I like the idea of removing the Big Little Books. I wonder if Independents might not make a better substitute? I'm not a fan of splitting GA/SA and BA/CA/M however. I collecting SA-CA so that would force me to buy both books to get the info I want. Chances are pretty good I would not be a regular buyer if this were the case. I wonder if anyone else feels the same?

 

I wonder if it would work to begin having quarterly online updates? For publishing purposes, I can see how it might not be cost effective to make print copies, but in having more regular updates, it could address the issue of moderns or other issues that suddenly jump/drop in value.

 

Bedrock brings up a good point about taking Market Reports with a grain of salt, but they do make for an interesting reading. If there ever was a move towards online quarterly updates, maybe we could move many of the reports here keeping only some of the more established sellers for the annual copy? I think it would be WELL worth the time contacting certain boardmembers (i.e. Cyclegirl) who have put together some truly fantastic data with regards to the sales of specific type of comics by company, title, grade, etc. I felt this way since seeing her reports, and suggest you give them a look if you haven't already.

 

And on a final note, it would DEFINITELY make the OSPG a more valuable tool for users if the books did reflect more accurate pricing with regards to moderns.

[rodan57]

Simple...go on-line with the guide and have quarterly/monthly updates paid for via yearly subscription.

 

Going the hardcopy route with the Guide and various updates isn't going to work in today's digital environment. The hardcopy rational went out with "pin and ink" changes at least a decade ago...

 

Jim

 

With respect, I'd like to disagree somewhat on this topic. I love computers and do a lot of video work but turning on a computer and accessing the Internet is not easier than pulling a book off of a shelf.

Book marks let me flip back and forth easily and highlighted entries focus my referencing. Having that second or third window open on my computer desktop just strikes me as cumbersome.

 

Having a digital copy might allow me to print the pages I most frequent but then I'm back to paper copies anyway.

 

IF digital is to replace paper, then the Guide would need to be a web-based version (not .pdf) that is updated on a very frequent basis ---- valuable, not because it is digital, BUT because it is always current.

 

My 12¢

Dennis

[innocuous]

Another vote for a digital version. It should be a download of the database and not the crappy pdf file. This way, you can make notations beside your have's and want's.

 

Build a web service API to connect to it so that dealers can list prices automatically. Or, so that you can automatically place the value in your Ebay auction. I might pay for this so that I can improve potential bids.

 

[skypinkblu]

I agree with the comment about the pricing on many of the golden age books being way off. The two lines I'm most familiar with, are Timely's and Wonder Woman...Timelys consistently go above "guide", where some Wonder Woman's go WAY over guide, multiples of guide, yet the guide prices never increase.

 

Ebay is the biggest sales venue that can be tracked, if you just downloaded the sales of GA books from Ebay into a data base, you would see that there are trends. Books previously listed as "Scarce" ...(I had about 10 copies of Tom Terrific 5 and 6) were no longer scarce after warehouse finds. There are Katy Keene's that are so scarce, there are no copies on the GCD yet there is no notation...No one but Paper doll collectors might want them, but they are Scarce.

 

There needs to be some kind of real time data for GA, reports from dealers are wonderful, but I agree, most people can only report about what they have been selling personally.

 

I don't mind Big LIttle books...not that I collect them, but I DO miss a decent index...and I think leaving the cover priice in the books for totally worthless modern books is terribly misleading for a lot of people, I see them visit the Ebay chatboard all the time...and they go out and buy an Overstreet and think they are rich.

[jools&jim]

My guess is that adding Big Little Books, "Platinum Age" comics and the like in recent years have been editorial decisions designed to expand readership and possibly bolster flagging sales. I'd also speculate that selling as many copies of the Guide as possible has a lot to do with unrealistic values being assigned to generally worthless comics, and the more general trend for prices to increase rather than decrease over time. The bottom line is that Gemstone is in business to sell as many units of the their publications as possible. And providing hobbyists with accurate, real-time access to up-to-the-minute comics values may not necessarily be the most cost-effective way to do that.

 

If I were Overstreet, I'd get out of the "pricing" business altogether (leave that to eBay, GPA, etc.), and re-brand the entire book as a TRUE user's Guide to the hobby, with encapsulated series reviews, annual "collectibility" ratings (1 star for the entire run of some early '90s Image drek; 4-5 stars for "Amazing Spider-Man #1 - 122"), and--yes--market reports from top dealers, collectors, and fans, which would carry more weight (anecdotal or not) if they were not pegged to dubious pricing data. Another possibility would be to do as Sharon suggests, and for Overstreet to somehow partner with eBay and lend their name and imprimatur to an annual statistical survey of eBay sales figures for comics sold by known (and reputable) sellers (dealers and dealer-collectors alike). This would go a long way towards eliminating folklore from the pricing equation altogether, and make Overstreet look more proactive than ever before.

 

I know I b!tched about elements of the Guide for years when I was still more active in the hobby...but I still bought it, each and every year, too. How many of us are guilty of looking up our best comics every year to see how much their value has changed (as if printing a number makes it so), even though we know in some cases at least that the Guide price from five years ago is still not in synch with market realities? If we really want to send a message to a publisher, buying something we don't care for or believe in is the first thing that needs to change...

[chrisco37]

Cut out BLB and Platinum sections.

 

More accurate pricing on books that are obvious over-under values: GL #76, for example, is vastly under valued still (9.2 guide is what? $500? I could sell my 8.5 in the blink of an eye for more than that), Miracleman #23, 24 should be increased as well.

 

Agree also with the idea of lowering prices to below cover on common 90's fodder. And, as Donut has said for many years, lower prices on mid-grade common Silver books. Does anyone ever get full guide for F copies of non-keys?

[moonlite]

Well, I would like to have the copy for the computer personally. I think they could do it this way. Put a scratch off card with each copy of the book..and that card has a code on it to use to download the guide. Yes barnes and noble might not like it but the LCS would be able to protect it a little better. Might be more of a lure to buy the guide if you could get the digital/bound at the same time without having to double up on price.

 

 

[jools&jim]

 

Agree also with the idea of lowering prices to below cover on common 90's fodder. And, as Donut has said for many years, lower prices on mid-grade common Silver books. Does anyone ever get full guide for F copies of non-keys?

 

True, but why would anyone thumbing through the new Guide at Barnes and Noble--or even a noob down at the LCS--want to pay $25 for a book that tells them that at least some of their comics are basically worthless?

[Weird Paper]

I dont mind the Big Little Books being in there... I mind them a heck of a lot less than "Platinum Age". Give me a break.... Platinum age is not even "books" half the time but just artwork out of newspapers and such... what's next? We going to include Garfield and Family Circus strips from the daily paper?

 

Hey, show a little respect for history here. Whether you have any personal interest in them or not, you have to acknowledge that the cartoon reprint books of the early 20th century were part of the natural evolution of the medium. I personally have no interest in pre-platinum era books, but I understand that they are part of the lineage.

 

...

 

And straying back to the topic at hand... I don't think the folks at the price guide have any interest in information/data from anybody other than their tight-knit group. I have sent them legitimate information on unlisted books repeatedly, only to be ignored. Not sales information, mind you, but data on comics not listed. I eventually just said "spoon" it. It doesn't matter to me if it's in there or not. I just thought the concept was that an open exchange of information only makes your final data more complete.

 

Still, they are a more legit source for value data than Wizard or CBG. I don't even know what CBG is thinking putting pre-1960 or even pre-1980 books in their waste-of-paper price guide each month. The values seem arbitrary. The data is often dead wrong. Key issues in a run are lumped in with the others to a much greater extent than in Overstreet.

[chrisco37]

 

Agree also with the idea of lowering prices to below cover on common 90's fodder. And, as Donut has said for many years, lower prices on mid-grade common Silver books. Does anyone ever get full guide for F copies of non-keys?

 

True, but why would anyone thumbing through the new Guide at Barnes and Noble--or even a noob down at the LCS--want to pay $25 for a book that tells them that at least some of their comics are basically worthless?

 

I absolutely understand why they are listed at what they are listed at. I realize this is a change that would probably never be implemented. But, how many people but the OS that are just casual fans and would plunk down $25 based on a thumb thru?

 

I've got alot of that wothless junk. I buy the OS to check on "real value books" (not the best term, I know) and to read the reports and articles, not to see if my Cap #320 or Xmen #175 reader has gone up in price. I know how much those are "worth". I can sell them on the boards for 50-cents a piece (if I'm "lucky").

[jools&jim]

But, how many people buy the OS that are just casual fans and would plunk down $25 based on a thumb thru?

 

I see your point, but the fact that the Guide is carried by mainstream retailers indicates that Overstreet's booktrade publisher/distributor has an interest in making sure that some customers do precisely that.

 

And really, does a casual, clueless noob buying it to "value" the drek his grandmother bought him on the Home Shopping Network back in 1993 make any less sense than copies being habitually bought, year after year, by more seasoned collectors, even though they clearly have some serious reservations about its accuracy and usefulness?

 

 

[chrisco37]

 

And really, does a casual, clueless noob buying it to "value" the drek his grandmother bought him on the Home Shopping Network back in 1993 make any less sense than copies being habitually bought, year after year, by more seasoned collectors, even though they clearly have some serious reservations about its accuracy and usefulness?

 

 

Touche!

 

Guilty as charged.

[shiverbones]

My guess is that adding Big Little Books, "Platinum Age" comics and the like in recent years have been editorial decisions designed to expand readership and possibly bolster flagging sales. I'd also speculate that selling as many copies of the Guide as possible has a lot to do with unrealistic values being assigned to generally worthless comics, and the more general trend for prices to increase rather than decrease over time. The bottom line is that Gemstone is in business to sell as many units of the their publications as possible. And providing hobbyists with accurate, real-time access to up-to-the-minute comics values may not necessarily be the most cost-effective way to do that.

 

If I were Overstreet, I'd get out of the "pricing" business altogether (leave that to eBay, GPA, etc.), and re-brand the entire book as a TRUE user's Guide to the hobby, with encapsulated series reviews, annual "collectibility" ratings (1 star for the entire run of some early '90s Image drek; 4-5 stars for "Amazing Spider-Man #1 - 122"), and--yes--market reports from top dealers, collectors, and fans, which would carry more weight (anecdotal or not) if they were not pegged to dubious pricing data. Another possibility would be to do as Sharon suggests, and for Overstreet to somehow partner with eBay and lend their name and imprimatur to an annual statistical survey of eBay sales figures for comics sold by known (and reputable) sellers (dealers and dealer-collectors alike). This would go a long way towards eliminating folklore from the pricing equation altogether, and make Overstreet look more proactive than ever before.

 

I know I b!tched about elements of the Guide for years when I was still more active in the hobby...but I still bought it, each and every year, too. How many of us are guilty of looking up our best comics every year to see how much their value has changed (as if printing a number makes it so), even though we know in some cases at least that the Guide price from five years ago is still not in synch with market realities? If we really want to send a message to a publisher, buying something we don't care for or believe in is the first thing that needs to change...

 

some good ideas in there.

[cloudofwit]

 

And really, does a casual, clueless noob buying it to "value" the drek his grandmother bought him on the Home Shopping Network back in 1993 make any less sense than copies being habitually bought, year after year, by more seasoned collectors, even though they clearly have some serious reservations about its accuracy and usefulness?

 

 

Touche!

 

Guilty as charged.

 

Im curious, does anyone know of any published pieces that deal with those "reservations about Overstreet's accuracy and usefulness"?

[jools&jim]

 

And really, does a casual, clueless noob buying it to "value" the drek his grandmother bought him on the Home Shopping Network back in 1993 make any less sense than copies being habitually bought, year after year, by more seasoned collectors, even though they clearly have some serious reservations about its accuracy and usefulness?

 

 

Touche!

 

Guilty as charged.

 

Im curious, does anyone know of any published pieces that deal with those "reservations about Overstreet's accuracy and usefulness"?

 

Does this entire thread count?

[piper]

I like hard copies of the stuff. I like it to be portable, bendable, readable anywhere AND a break from staring at a computer screen.

 

(thumbs u I always need a little great reading for the plane. I like your idea of a $10 cover price with focus on GA/SA/BA collecting.

[cloudofwit]

 

And really, does a casual, clueless noob buying it to "value" the drek his grandmother bought him on the Home Shopping Network back in 1993 make any less sense than copies being habitually bought, year after year, by more seasoned collectors, even though they clearly have some serious reservations about its accuracy and usefulness?

 

 

Touche!

 

Guilty as charged.

 

Im curious, does anyone know of any published pieces that deal with those "reservations about Overstreet's accuracy and usefulness"?

 

Does this entire thread count?

 

Now that you mention it, good point...although I was wondering about any magazines or books out there.