Sqeggs Posted November 6, 2014 Share Posted November 6, 2014 Someone is selling a slew of Bakers at unreal prices on ebay. http://www.ebay.com/itm/CINDERELLA-LOVE-26-GD-VG-CLASSIC-MATT-BAKER-COVER-1955-ST-JOHN-GGA-GOOD-GIRL/361066956034?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D27538%26meid%3D7b3b2674f5db45d29e4924158a531da1%26pid%3D100005%26prg%3D11353%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D251662200907&rt=nc A few of those books, that seller originally won from my eBay auctions, over the past year or two. The Cinderella Love 26, which had been my first, one, and only copy of CL 26 for years, and which was not for sale at the time, he'd approached me outside of eBay and made me an offer I couldn't refuse. His Diary Secrets 26 is pretty nice, and a tough issue. If I still needed one, I wouldn't hesitate to spend that much on a copy like that. But the rest, I agree, are a little steep. He first posted them more than a month ago. I bought the GS 11 and DS 30, two books that I hadn't seen presentable copies of during the time I have been looking. So far as I can tell, he hasn't sold any of the other books. Either people aren't making offers or he's holding out for the pretty steep prices he's charging. Anyone interested in the other books might want to make him offers given that they have been sitting for a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29dukedog Posted November 6, 2014 Share Posted November 6, 2014 (edited) They have been there about a month, but he has dropped some of the prices during that time (a hundred bucks here, a hundred bucks there)... So, they started out even higher than they're priced now! At first, the CL 26 was something like 1100. or 1200. Edited November 6, 2014 by 29dukedog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sqeggs Posted November 6, 2014 Share Posted November 6, 2014 They have been there about a month, but he has dropped some of the prices during that time (a hundred bucks here, a hundred bucks there)... So, they started out even higher than they're priced now! Is that right? I didn't notice. Sounds like he might be receptive to offers if anyone needs these books. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sqeggs Posted November 6, 2014 Share Posted November 6, 2014 To indicate how variable pricing can be on these books, within the past two years I bought a VG copy of DS 27 for $23.26. His price for a copy that looks no better than mine: $499. It's a scarce book, though, with only two graded copies (highest 5.0), so it might well be worth it for someone who needs a copy. Moral, I guess, is that the market for Bakers is still pretty thin ... and as a seller, be sure to put the word Baker in the title of the listing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comicnoir Posted November 7, 2014 Share Posted November 7, 2014 It just makes me glad I got the majority of my copies back in the day. My DS 26, a similar looking copy to the one up now, I bought for $5.00, from a guy long dead. That's how long ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tri-Color Brian Posted November 9, 2014 Share Posted November 9, 2014 (edited) I just looked at an old Payette catalog from 1995 today, and he had a Cinderella Love 26 in VF+ for $20...(sigh)...missed that one... Edited November 9, 2014 by tricolorbrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sqeggs Posted November 9, 2014 Share Posted November 9, 2014 I just looked at an old Payette catalog from 1995 today, and he had a Cinderella Love 26 in VF+ for $20...(sigh)...missed that one... I wonder where that book is today? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sqeggs Posted November 9, 2014 Share Posted November 9, 2014 Step right up: GD+ copy with rusty staples for a mere $699.99 CL 15 listing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tri-Color Brian Posted November 9, 2014 Share Posted November 9, 2014 I can't take it anymore....arrrgggghhhhh....why do they still try to sell these low-grade books at those prices when nobody is buying them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29dukedog Posted November 9, 2014 Share Posted November 9, 2014 Step right up: GD+ copy with rusty staples for a mere $699.99 CL 15 listing My CGC 9.0 copy of CL 15 only set me back $380., about eight years ago, from an eBay seller. About two months ago, I finally relinquished my undercopy, a VG/F. I set up a no reserve eBay auction and just let it go to the highest bidder, for a little over $200. CL 15 is not an especially tough issue. In fact, it's probably the easiest issue of CL to find. I'd call it almost common. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comicnoir Posted November 9, 2014 Share Posted November 9, 2014 So much of these books' prices is based on rarity and condition. This seller has not learned this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eman13 Posted November 9, 2014 Share Posted November 9, 2014 So much of these books' prices is based on rarity and condition. This seller has not learned this. Agreed. Most buy the condition, not the book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tri-Color Brian Posted November 9, 2014 Share Posted November 9, 2014 (edited) I think a lot of them are just tossing out high prices on low-grade Baker to see what will happen. Maybe they hope someone will offer $200 less for a $699 book, and then they'll take the offer. I'm a collector first, and an investor second, so I just ignore books that I think are too expensive. Edited November 9, 2014 by tricolorbrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sqeggs Posted November 9, 2014 Share Posted November 9, 2014 I think a lot of them are just tossing out high prices on low-grade Baker to see what will happen. Maybe they hope someone will offer $200 less for a $699 book, and then they'll take the offer. I'm a collector first, and an investor second, so I just ignore books that I think are too expensive. I think you are right, but I don't think I would go above $75 on this book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tri-Color Brian Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 (edited) Exactly...maybe even $50... Edited November 10, 2014 by tricolorbrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MBFan Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 I've had experiences that lead me to believe that many dealers think they should be able to get big bucks for ANY Matt Baker book. A few months ago, a dealer out of Kentucky advertised a buying trip to my part of Oklahoma. I called him to find out what he was looking to buy, and if he would be willing to bring some books to sell. He said he wouldn't be selling due to a fear of violating Oklahoma sales tax laws, but we still had a nice conversation, until... I mentioned that I had been the under bidder on his recent eBay auction for a Matt Baker St. John book. (Sorry I don't recall the exact book now, but it wasn't one of the harder ones to find, and it didn't have one of those "Oh wow" covers.) The winning bidder had taken the comic for about $75, which was more than I was willing to pay, as desperate as I am for Baker material. The dealer suddenly got agitated. "You should have bid more," he said. "I should have got twice as much for that book! I wish I didn't even put it up for auction!" After our phone conversation, I investigated a bit to see if he was right and perhaps I was wrong. My research proved to me that the particular book he auctioned was not incredibly rare & desirable, and it certainly wasn't worth more than 75 bucks. Had it been a grail, several of us would have bid accordingly. I've had similar experiences with other dealers who refuse to budge on their too-high Baker prices. They usually say something to the effect that they've seen very few Baker books, and they will sit on their Baker stuff until the "right buyer" comes along. This in itself contributes to false scarcity, as dealers keep great books off the market while wishing for pie-in-the-sky income that may never arrive. My conclusion is that most dealers are focused on books with mass appeal (Marvel, DC, etc.), so all they know about Baker books is that they've seen SOME go for astronomical money. As a result, they wishfully think ALL Baker books should go for big money. Since they have a better education in Spider-Man than Teen-Age Romances, they find a Matt Baker book and say, "A Matt Baker book! I've seen Baker books sell for insane money, so all I've got to do is wait for an insane buyer!" They haven't taken the time to study the real market and realize that Baker books are just like all the others. There are different quantities of each issue, some covers are more desirable than others, and some books with Baker covers are filled with Baker stories while some have none. It's like thinking that just because Avengers #57 (1st Vision appearance) is worth $850 in NM-, all the earlier Avengers issues should be, too. The truth is, you have to go all the way back to Avengers #11 (Spider-Man appearance and cover) to find an issue valued at $850 or above. As I said to a dealer at Wizard World Tulsa this past weekend, "Yeah, some Matt Baker books are worth big bucks because a few of us are fighting over them. Once we each get a copy of what we want, regardless of what we paid, you may have to give your books away to get someone to take them." Anyone who's been collecting comics any length of time knows that, regardless of what the price guide says, a book (or any collectible, for that matter) is truly worth only what someone is willing to pay. Self-delusion appears in grading, as well. I very often see torn, stained, folded Baker books way over-graded AND with crazy-high asking prices that they wouldn't put on any other title in the same awful condition. Worst of all, though, are dealers who list a "Matt Baker book" with a sky high price...and the book is one with NO BAKER ART WHATSOEVER. I see that a lot. One eBay dealer continued to hype his "Baker book" for months after I irrefutably pointed out that it had NO Baker art at all. He didn't revise his listing, and he didn't lower his price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sqeggs Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 Mel, well put. I think it nicely sums up the state of things in Bakerdom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjpb Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 Part of the reason for dealer uncertainty is that the demand for a particular Baker book usually isn't driven by "classic cover" status, and the scarcity of some issues seems completely random if you aren't really familiar with the market. I don't collector Baker, but I enjoy this thread, and have minor awareness of what books are particularly scarce or in demand. If I were to come across a stash of St. John Baker books I would be clueless as to what to pay and what to sell for. So I can see why outside the auction format sellers would just start high and slowly drop their prices until they find FMV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comicnoir Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 Actually a lot of the demand for Baker books is their cover and the ones that are classic. CL 25 is an obvious example. The whole demand is driven by art, as there are no "first appearances" or story twists. Lately more attention has been given to covers, instead of interiors. OS determines desirability to some extent on the number of stories Baker did in a particular issue. That's not always the case. They're breaking away certain issues now, like Teen-age Romances 38 for its risque cover. This will continue to perplex dealers who have a hard time pricing these things. Many just overprice everything and hope for the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Love Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 The market is a perfect pricing mechanism? Especially given today's conditions - liquidity in capital transfer, access to information, the commoditization of the item. Seller's business practices, however, are not standard. Sqeggs - how does one assign a value to inventory carries? Opportunity cost + insurance + space rental? 1950's war comics 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
