Question for those who attend conventions.....

[hockey&comicsguy]

For those of you that do attend them, are you able to find many of the books you're looking for that you just simply don't see on the internet?

 

I've scoured every GA dealer who has a website. I check ebay every day. I watch all of the CLink and Heritage auctions. I check the selling thread on the boards. It just seems hard to find certain books or even titles sometimes just using the web.

 

I guess I'm just wondering if I need to make more of an effort to attend cons as they might be better places for me to find the books I'm looking for. I haven't been to one in 20 years I suppose.

 

And no, Timely's and Tec's aren't a problem. But I do have a heck of a time finding many high grade Rangers books. And early on in trying to put my Mary Marvel run together I had a real hard time finding many books that were 7.5 or better. They just didn't seem to come up all that often. Either they are relatively unpopular or I'm just not looking in the right places.

 

I'm sure cons are worth attending for many different reasons. Does that include a better chance of finding what you're looking for?

 

Can you recommend which ones seem to have the best GA selections? The only one near me is Mid-Ohio and I missed it last year.

 

 

PS: Thanks in advance for your input

 

Mike

[nearmint]

I'm sure cons are worth attending for many different reasons. Does that include a better chance of finding what you're looking for?

 

I go for the other stuff. Last Summer in San Diego, I bought nothing. The year before, I think I bought 1 book.

[comicparadox]

I have had good success (both as buyer and seller) in the WTB section of this Board. If there's a specific issue or issues of interest, just post your "want to buy". Although the audience is smaller than Heritage or Comiclink or Pedigree, it's a very focussed audience. Boardies' pockets may not always be deep, but their interest and collections are!

[Scrooge]

I'm sure cons are worth attending for many different reasons. Does that include a better chance of finding what you're looking for?

 

I go for the other stuff. Last Summer in San Diego, I bought nothing. The year before, I think I bought 1 book.

 

Get a longer want list

[G.A.tor]

yeah, except for the smaller dealers that might not have a large internet or ebay presence, nothing of consequence you will likely find at a con that you can't find online...

go for the social aspect and the other wonderful events

[VintageComics]

I spoke to several dealers about this. Con stock and store stock are two different things. It's hit and miss no matter what you do. I think Dale Roberts had some nice rangers books in detroit...you should send him a PM.

 

R.

 

 

[JazzMan]

I could not find the books I was looking for at the last con I attended. It looked to me that there were too many booths dedicated to comics related stuff, like toys, demos, schools, and graphics that should have been filled by dealers. I was disapointed.

[nearmint]

I'm sure cons are worth attending for many different reasons. Does that include a better chance of finding what you're looking for?

 

I go for the other stuff. Last Summer in San Diego, I bought nothing. The year before, I think I bought 1 book.

 

Get a longer want list

 

Now that you mention it, my want list will be longer for SD this year, as I've added classic Fawcett war covers, and I'm upgrading some 80 Page Giants.

[hockey&comicsguy]

Thanks for the tip Roy!

[Scrooge]

I'm sure cons are worth attending for many different reasons. Does that include a better chance of finding what you're looking for?

 

I go for the other stuff. Last Summer in San Diego, I bought nothing. The year before, I think I bought 1 book.

 

Get a longer want list

 

Now that you mention it, my want list will be longer for SD this year, as I've added classic Fawcett war covers, and I'm upgrading some 80 Page Giants.

 

See. That's something to look forward to ... except that with Chicago coming before SD, this time around, WE get to buy all the cool books

 

Kidding aside, when my want list was 300 deep, I had no trouble finding books to buy ... now ... I buy whatever strikes my fancy at the time.

[hockey&comicsguy]

yeah, except for the smaller dealers that might not have a large internet or ebay presence, nothing of consequence you will likely find at a con that you can't find online...

go for the social aspect and the other wonderful events

 

 

I always wondered if there were far more dealers out there that just didn't have a website. Or if they kept a certain stockpile of books just for cons.

[hockey&comicsguy]

I'm sure cons are worth attending for many different reasons. Does that include a better chance of finding what you're looking for?

 

I go for the other stuff. Last Summer in San Diego, I bought nothing. The year before, I think I bought 1 book.

 

Get a longer want list

 

[143ksk]

The answer really depends on the books you are looking for. A lot of the oddball books I buy are much cheaper at shows (assuming you can find them) than on ebay, etc.

 

There are also some very good GA dealers that don't have much of an internet presence, so going to a show may be helpful.

 

I would recommend the Chicago Comicon (aka Wizard World) as a show that has a lot of neat comics and is not too far from Ohio.

 

From your list, I recall seeing a number of HG Rangers books at last year's Chicago show. I didn't see much in the way of Mary Marvel, but wasn't really looking either. I would have thought that between the Crowley and Crippen books those wouldn't be too hard to find, but...

[hockey&comicsguy]

The answer really depends on the books you are looking for. A lot of the oddball books I buy are much cheaper at shows (assuming you can find them) than on ebay, etc.

 

There are also some very good GA dealers that don't have much of an internet presence, so going to a show may be helpful.

 

I would recommend the Chicago Comicon (aka Wizard World) as a show that has a lot of neat comics and is not too far from Ohio.

 

From your list, I recall seeing a number of HG Rangers books at last year's Chicago show. I didn't see much in the way of Mary Marvel, but wasn't really looking either. I would have thought that between the Crowley and Crippen books those wouldn't be too hard to find, but...

 

There seemed to be alot of Wow issues readily available, many coming from Crippen and Crowley. I got my hands on quite a few of them. But then I'd hit dry spells where I couldn't find a book, any book, for months.

[Scrooge]

yeah, except for the smaller dealers that might not have a large internet or ebay presence, nothing of consequence you will likely find at a con that you can't find online...

go for the social aspect and the other wonderful events

 

 

I always wondered if there were far more dealers out there that just didn't have a website. Or if they kept a certain stockpile of books just for cons.

 

Rick is correct. I go to cons for those smaller dealers that have cool books: John Hauser, Jeff (?) Weaver, Nelson Dodds, the headband guy from Minnesota, John Haines, Tony (?) from Canada, Big Ed, ... the list goes on - you name them but most of these guys don't have everything they've got online. Heck I even found a nice Atomic Age book last year at a trades and moderns only booth!

[Paratrooper]

I had pretty good success in finding books at cons (granted I've only been to two, the 06 & 07 Mid-Ohio) But I did find a nice Terrific #4 and a National Comics #18. Although not a single dealer had any HG early DC War books.

[thedude]

Mid-Ohio is a smaller con so it's very hit or miss, but thankfully we will have a newer con (Ohio comic con) along with the newly ran Mid-Ohio, so both of those might be worth checking out, also both have websites.

 

http://www.ohiocomiccon.net/

 

http://www.midohiocon.com/

[Guest]

It is hit and miss. Generally, the internet is where you can find anything there is out there. But, it has its inherent problems.

 

The Cons are fun. Like an amusement park atmosphere, but they seem to be really geared towards all of the stuff surrounding comic books and not so much the books themselves nowadays.

 

I always buy something at them. More because I just feel that I have to, than they have what I was looking for. I have went to some and not purchased anything and it sucked going home without another treasure.

 

The dealers buy and sell with each other prior to "us" being allowed in, thus limiting the really good deals. I have been a dealer at these shows before and I had my stuff priced low. For the couple of hours proceeding the customers being allowed in, dealers were swarming through my stuff and buying a lot of it. Then they would have theose books to sell at their stands just minutes later, at higher prices.

 

For example, I had stacks of Amazing Spiderman #300 and Iron Fist #14 (and many other hot books), priced under 20 bucks, Granted this was a while back, but none made it to the opening of the doors for the attendees. The other dealers all scarfed them up. Yes, I sold low and generally a "dealer" will give another "dealer" a dealer discount, but it was still many times what I paid for them. They were all purchased at cover price and unread. Amazingly, I had a trimmed AF#15 that I was asking 800 (dealer discount, regular asking price was 900) bucks for it and although a bunch of dealers looked at it, none pulled the trigger. I then had it CGC'd (4.5 slight trim top and side), and sold it for 2500 or thereabouts, on Ebay.

 

Kinda wish I had them all back, but then, don't we always say that, after they are gone?

 

Bottom line. Find'em where they are.

[Paratrooper]

Are there any conventions in Colorado?

[snitzer]

Are there any conventions in Colorado?

 

hey 'Trooper. There's a big void in this area for a Comic con. We have Majesticon and that's really it.