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New Rankings for Dealers

Started by Foolkiller,

195 posts in this topic

Foolkiller

Foolkiller

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Now over three years ago, I decided to do my own "ranking of the dealers". I decided to find the old thread and read my old comments. After reading through bits and pieces of that thread, I thought it was time to do a new ranking and see what others thought. It's interesting to revisit this from time to time because, as you can see, my thoughts at least have changed. Here's a link to the old thread.

 

http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=695540&page=0&fpart=1

 

I took into consideration a number of factors including quality of material offered, overall customer service, volume of material offered, accuracy of grading, and how much time they spend as "active" dealers. For instance, as I indicated in the first go around, people like "the dentist" and John Veryzl have impressive collections and do some dealing, but I would not consider them full time dealers the way some of the others are who are on the list.

 

In an effort to be honest, I am portraying the pros and cons of every dealer and explaining why I am putting them on the list. When I made my list of dealers I've dealt with or know their reputations very well.

 

10) Mile High Comics: The last time I put the list together, Mile High ranked as second on the rankings, but in evaluating them this time, it's hard to justify them any higher than number 10. Mile High is now the Walmart of comic book dealers except their prices are exceptionally high on vintage books. But if you look at them in terms of new items, trades, etc., they are the Walmart of our hobby. They offer items at extremely deep discounts and make their profit on volume. When you see Chuck coming in at a show, he is like a big vacuum just sucking books up for his inventory. But do not underestimate some aspects of Chuck's business mind. He's more savvy than I believe people give him credit for and he's built a large network of stores. He has a huge volume of back issues priced very high, but seems to have a healthy network and ability to move the books. He does not seem to have much of a presence in high grade keys or large quantities of vintage high grade books. His newsletters often read like the ramblings of a madman. Still, Chuck is still a force in the hobby and he is an important contributor.

 

9) Pedigree Comics: In just a few short years, high grade Marvel collector Doug Schmell has built a consignment site that continues to gain recognition and is one of the best places anywhere to obtain high grade Marvels. Doug's personality helps to draw customers in as he is regarded as friendly and helpful in his service. One of the big drawbacks is that it is primarily a Marvel site and while they have not only exclusively sold Marvels, DCs and other non Marvel titles of high quality are few and far between. Unfortunately, without that balance, it makes it hard to look at Doug as a balanced site. Additionally, the site only caters to CGC graded books, so it makes it very much a niche site. However, it is probably considered one of, if not the best, single place for a collector to find top graded and high grade Silver and Bronze age Marvels.

 

8) Dave Kapelka: This is my own personal choice here where I can tell you that there is probably some significant favorable bias, but it is based on what I see go on at shows and personal transactions. When you consistently see a feeding frenzy at a dealer's booth show after show, you know he must be doing something right. Dave has uncovered the Cleveland collection and several other collections such that many other dealers (some of whom are on this list) go to Dave at the shows to buy books. Again this year in New York, Dave once again did $100k in sales just to other dealers before the doors even opened. His strict grading and track record of picking up high grade collections have made Dave to me, one of the more important dealers on the floor and somebody I feel I have to look for at every single convenstion I go to. Dave isn't always gregarious but I like him very much and find him easy to deal with. He's very friendly to his customers and treats them with respect. Even his 7.0s and 8.0s are very tightly graded and present very well. The bottom line on Dave is this: the source for other dealers' high grade has to make a list like this to me. Other board members who have bought from Dave would certainly back me up on this I'm sure.

 

7) Bob Storms: I think the only dealer who has not changed position from three years ago is Storms. Running his high grade website highgradecomics.com and setting up at shows with a significant inventory of, you guessed it, high grade books, has made Bob a consistent force. Having sold some major high grade keys like Hulk 1, White Mountain AF 15 etc. over the years plus consistently and aggressively buying high grade collections has given Bob a relatively high profile. Bob is known for his strict grading on raw books and maintains a large inventory beyond just having slabs. Still, Bob's inventory is lighter on DCs and tends to lean towards Marvels. While I like Bob very much, I'd be remiss not to express that many others do not understand Bob's rather... crusty, stoic demeanor at shows. Still, every personality is different. He is very honest, does well at spotting restoration and pays fairly when you sell him books. If other dealers were able to maintain this level of character and integrity, I think most would be able to accept if the dealer weren't as friendly as say, Ted VanLiew. If you had to pick just one quality, you'd go for honest, straight shooter (by the way, that's not to imply Ted isn't honest) and Bob has that in spades.

 

6) Harley Yee: Is Harley the hardest working man in comics? Can Harley really be in two places at the same time? Is he the fastest man in comics? Well, if you talk to other dealers and make some observations at shows, you can usually find Harley at every show, going to other dealers booths buying up books. It seems he is everywhere all at once, stacks reserved at every dealers' booth. He also has a large network of clients nationally and internationally. While not cheap, he does have an excellent reputation for grading and finding difficult key books. His inventory is very diverse carrying both obscure titles, tough DCs as well as Marvels and mainstream keys. Harley is generally relatively friendly and easy to deal with.

 

 

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Foolkiller

Foolkiller

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5) Steve Ritter/Matt Nelson: I'm not sure either one would make the list on their own, but recently I have been seeing them set up at shows, and at least in part, Matt and he are partners in the World Wide Comics website. While Matt may be one of the most controversial figures here on the boards, he has constant attention at conventions from people seeking his knowledge on restoration and more information on pressing. Steve Ritter has recently unveiled his private collection which consists of a huge volume of slabbed books, some rare in high grade and many pedigrees. In addition, Steve is generally regarded to be one of the nicest and honset dealers out there. His grading on raw books is generally exceptional and very tight. Plus, while he has many high grade silver age books, he's one of the few dealers with a big inventory spanning all eras including golden age, silver age, bronze age and even copper age books. As is well known, he and Nelson are also working on a Pedigree book. Both dealers offer something unique, Ritter his inventory and grading, and Nelson, one of the preeminent restoration experts in the hobby -- and when you put them working together, you have one of the most unique and esteemed dealer tandoms anywhere.

 

4) Doug Sulipa: One of the most frequently praised dealers anywhere is Doug Sulipa. Known for his incredibly vast inventory and extremely strict grading as well as his annual reports in the Overstreet guide make Doug one of the greatest and most important dealers. Doug does not just cater to high grade or low grade but has tremendous inventory to serve all his customers. He is responsive to customer needs and deals with them professionally. Not only does his inventory span all the eras, Doug is known for honesty and the ease in dealing with him in transactions. Of all the dealers on the list, I can't think of any detractors or anyone who has been a customer of his that has not had words of high praise for the experience. In today's world, that seems like a difficult and noteworthy accomplishment.

 

 

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Foolkiller

Foolkiller

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3) Heritage Comics: Some of the biggest books and highest values are still achieved by Heritage. After unveiling some major collections over the past couple of years, many focus on their record breaking prices and incredibly rare books that they have sold. But in their weekly auctions, it is still possible to find many good deals. Their customer service is generally solid and emails are responded to very quickly. There is no doubt that they continue to bring out the high quality material. Ed Jaster and Lon Allen do an excellent job being out in front for Heritage and most of the sales remain on their site. Additionally, Heritage's catalogs are treasures many times for pictures of the rare items they display. There are always questions surrounding Heritage surrounding some of their auctions and their ownership stake in CGC, but their auctions still gain an enormous amount of attention and as long as high quality material is still offered by Heritage, they remain near the top of the comic book dealer heap.

 

2) Metropolis Comics: Metropolis is still the 800lb gorilla of the hobby, but now a larger part of the market has shifted to auctions and consignment style sites where collectors can sell books directly to other collectors and maximize their profit, Metropolis has declined just slightly. Still, no one matches the breadth of their inventory and nobody runs an operation that is anywhere close to their scale. They obtain all the keys and no book is outside their reach. If you are looking for one stop shopping, Vincent Zurzolo and Steve Fishler have built the number one spot. Their pricing, while often criticized, is high, but not as outrageous as many portray it. They are very professional and friendly and while sometimes over anxious to close a deal, Metropolis' customer service is near the top of the hobby. There is no one on par with Metropolis in the dealer community for GA, SA and BA books. Metropolis recently expanded into an auction style site with Comic Connect... if that begins to gain some steam, you may well see Metropolis once again be the most powerful and important dealer in our hobby.

 

 

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Foolkiller

Foolkiller

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1) Comiclink: Josh Nathanson's Comiclink has taken off to new proportions over the last couple of years with their auctions. While always a site known for prolific consignments, Comiclink's recent auction prices and quality of material has, on a conistent basis, outpaced Heritage now. Comiclink's service is excellent for both sellers and buyers. Many of the early criticisms and questionable issues with credit card issues have been, at least facially, resolved. The collection of material is really rivaled in few other places. I'm sure many could come up with criticisms of Josh the person, but to me, Josh the businessman has taken his business to the top of the comic book heap. There are few places where you can see multiple AF 15s in multiple auctions or 9.8 ASMs. These are then mixed in with books of all types and grades so it isn't just about "the best". Will Comiclink be able to maintain this pace? It's hard to say... but as of right now, the listings on Comiclink in addition to their auctions make them the most impressive dealer in comics.

 

Honorable mentions to: Joe Verenault, Motor City Comics, Richard Evans, Brent Moeshlin, Dale Roberts and Ted VanLiew.

 

 

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TupennyConan

TupennyConan

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1) Comiclink: Josh Nathanson's Comiclink has taken off to new proportions over the last couple of years with their auctions. While always a site known for prolific consignments, Comiclink's recent auction prices and quality of material has, on a conistent basis, outpaced Heritage now. Comiclink's service is excellent for both sellers and buyers. Many of the early criticisms and questionable issues with credit card issues have been, at least facially, resolved. The collection of material is really rivaled in few other places. I'm sure many could come up with criticisms of Josh the person, but to me, Josh the businessman has taken his business to the top of the comic book heap. There are few places where you can see multiple AF 15s in multiple auctions or 9.8 ASMs. These are then mixed in with books of all types and grades so it isn't just about "the best". Will Comiclink be able to maintain this pace? It's hard to say... but as of right now, the listings on Comiclink in addition to their auctions make them the most impressive dealer in comics.

 

Honorable mentions to: Joe Verenault, Motor City Comics, Richard Evans, Brent Moeshlin, Dale Roberts and Ted VanLiew.

 

 

I tend to agree, though it is more or less a gut feeling, that you're correct here. CLink seems to have taken the lead away from Heritage's auctions.

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Mac Man

Mac Man

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FK, I like this idea a lot and I think it will have the added benefit of providing some great information to newer members/collectors looking for a reliable mail order/online comic dealer to work with! Just as a means of balancing this thread out, I added a poll with each named dealer to see how the rest of the boards' thought line up with yours!

 

Top Ten Dealer's Poll

 

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Rocketeer

Rocketeer

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...A very fair, well-thought out, and mostly accurate list,...I do disagree highly with only one of your selections, in which I shall leave nameless,....the business practices and integrity of one of your top choices never sat well with me, and for that reason alone I would preclude it from any standing on that list,....

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