Is it time for CGC board marketplace sales to be reported to GPA?

[CAP Freak]

:shrug:

[Murph]

I'm sure the ppl of other forums feel their community is just as great as this one.

If they're dealers, why aren't they reporting to GPA as dealers then?

 

It may be the majority but it certainly isn't all of the sales. I've seen plenty of brand new posters either purchase with their first couple of posts or via PM. Should these then be excluded? What if two ppl on this forum, that know each other REALLY well, exchange a book via PM.. should this be reported then too?

 

Wasn't GPA started as a way to track auction sales and then later dealer sales as well? I guess to answer either of those questions you'd have to ask why they chose to use Heritage and eBay in the first place.. seems to me like they deemed the data to be valuable and others agreed.

 

To your comment that ppl don't shill or create fake sales on here. Why would they? What would the benefit be? People don't create eBay/CL/Heritage/whoever auctions and then quote "last CGC forum sale of XXX". So of course it doesn't happen now.

[fantastic_four]

I have emailed sales data from my site to George in the past, and that is how I would do it for any sales made here.

 

Does he accept these submissions from anyone? How did you know you could do this?

[VintageComics]

Murph, if you read the thread we proposed a screening system using post count/time here, references from within the forum and references from outside the forum (such as Ebay feedback) to *allow* people to qualify to submit forum transactions to GPA.

 

Then we proposed (and keep in mind this is a very new and unproven idea) that all *qualified* contributors post sales with sales details such as CGC cert #'s, prices, time and parties involved into a specific GPA thread.

 

So no anonymous sales and also any shilled (or fake) sales would increase the likelyhood of being caught as a book can be tracked by CGC cert # if it pops up for sale elsewhere.

 

To me this is a much more transparent data source than just catching all Ebay CGC sales or *blind* auction sales.

 

Again, this is just an idea (albeit a good one IMO) but I definitely would not want to throw out the baby with the bathwater.

 

R.

 

[Murph]

Shrug. Still seems like a bad idea to me and leaves GPA open to having to add other msg boards. Either way, why create an ulterior motive for ppl to shill and create fake sales? Leave well enough alone would be a good motto.

I didn't like GPA pulling CL focused sales either.. but that's apparently just me.

[DrWatson]

I'm sure the ppl of other forums feel their community is just as great as this one.

If they're dealers, why aren't they reporting to GPA as dealers then?

 

It may be the majority but it certainly isn't all of the sales. I've seen plenty of brand new posters either purchase with their first couple of posts or via PM. Should these then be excluded? What if two ppl on this forum, that know each other REALLY well, exchange a book via PM.. should this be reported then too?

 

Wasn't GPA started as a way to track auction sales and then later dealer sales as well? I guess to answer either of those questions you'd have to ask why they chose to use Heritage and eBay in the first place.. seems to me like they deemed the data to be valuable and others agreed.

 

To your comment that ppl don't shill or create fake sales on here. Why would they? What would the benefit be? People don't create eBay/CL/Heritage/whoever auctions and then quote "last CGC forum sale of XXX". So of course it doesn't happen now.

Exactly. People moan and groan all the time how the forum is becoming more and more like eBay. I believe that involving GPA would only begin to push farther in that direction. Anyone who thinks differently has blinders on. It will no longer be an arena for friends and acquaintances to buy and sell, but it will become a full blown marketing tool.

[VintageComics]

Shrug. Still seems like a bad idea to me and leaves GPA open to having to add other msg boards. Either way, why create an ulterior motive for ppl to shill and create fake sales? Leave well enough alone would be a good motto.

I didn't like GPA pulling CL focused sales either.. but that's apparently just me.

 

I guess I don't see that as a very good argument NOT to record forum sales. My point is that EVERY sales venue will create an opportunity for fake sales.

 

Hakes was just charged with shilling auctions.

Heritage allows *employees* to bid on their own items.

Ebay has people shill bidding their own stuff all the time.

People have friends shill bid their items on consignment sites all the time.

 

Just because it happens does not mean you can avoid every sales venue.

 

Like Aces said...nobody farts here without somebody noticing. That's the best thing about this place. It's so diverse it will always police itself.

 

Listen, I get heated and love a solid discussion (maybe too much) but I'm not going to be dogmatic about it. I'm pretty easy going in real life. I just think it'd be really cool...especially for those tough or obscure books that rarely change hands.

 

And Doc Watson, as for this place becoming more like Ebay? It only has one way to go...bigger. This place will never get smaller so we may as well make the best of it.

 

R.

 

 

 

 

[DrWatson]

Not all of us like McDonald's and some of us have no desire to be super-sized, Roy.

[VintageComics]

Not all of us like McDonald's and some of us have no desire to be super-sized, Roy.

 

Doc, honestly nor do I but how do you limit it?

 

Should we impose a restriction on who sells, or what sells, or what $$ amount is allowed to transact?

 

Growth is natural.

 

I would rather have the marketplace smaller with less new people here to "keep it safe" (and I have not advertised this place to one single person) but since it is not going to stay that way why not make it better rather than worry.

 

Keep it honest, keep it organized.

 

R.

 

 

[Flaming_Telepath]

And someone quoted the number of a $1/4 Mil in sales here. They do realize that the vast majority of that number, if correct, was raw comics?

 

Jim

 

I saw this assumed figure and initially I was

 

Then I thought about it a bit more and...I reckon it's woefully under-egged.

 

Over the last 20 months, I have personally sold through in excess of $4,600 per month. Of that figure, $1,300 per month has been CGC books.

 

Per annum, I alone am selling through over $55,000 worth of stuff with over $15,000 of it being slabbed items.

 

Consider then how many long-term, upstanding boarders also trade in the Marketplace and you have an absolute -load of unreported data.

 

When we're talking about data integrity, this cannot be ignored, surely?

[Flaming_Telepath]

Exactly. People moan and groan all the time how the forum is becoming more and more like eBay. I believe that involving GPA would only begin to push farther in that direction. Anyone who thinks differently has blinders on. It will no longer be an arena for friends and acquaintances to buy and sell, but it will become a full blown marketing tool.

 

And this is true, too. (thumbs u

[nearmint]

And someone quoted the number of a $1/4 Mil in sales here. They do realize that the vast majority of that number, if correct, was raw comics?

 

Jim

 

I saw this assumed figure and initially I was

 

Then I thought about it a bit more and...I reckon it's woefully under-egged.

 

Over the last 20 months, I have personally sold through in excess of $4,600 per month. Of that figure, $1,300 per month has been CGC books.

 

Per annum, I alone am selling through over $55,000 worth of stuff with over $15,000 of it being slabbed items.

 

Consider then how many long-term, upstanding boarders also trade in the Marketplace and you have an absolute -load of unreported data.

 

When we're talking about data integrity, this cannot be ignored, surely?

 

Not to mention all the transactions occurring via PM. I get PMs all the time from people with Nedors or Actions for sale(and lately copies of Batman #1. Quite often, a deal is made without anyone else on the board being aware of it. This is exactly the kind of transaction that could be listed in a GPA thread.

[nearmint]

The number of CGC comics sold here is a miniscule amount when you take in the other avenues GPA get their data from. And the number of sellers of those slabs are many and varied. The benefit vs. the heartache of using message board sales seems like a no-brainer to me. To not open that potential can of worms makes sense not only from a business standpoint but also from a database integrity standpoint as well.

 

As I said earlier, I have no doubt that there are more sales on this site daily than Mark has on esquirecomics.com, or Bill has on vintagecolletables, or Steve has on investment collectibles, or Rob has on Archangels. Describing the sales in the marketplace as "miniscule" is simply not accurate.

[nearmint]

what makes this forum's sales any more valid or reportable then any other comic book message board's out there?

 

What makes them less valid than any auction house, consignment site or individual dealer? Sales are sales.

[Ze-man]

Not to mention all the transactions occurring via PM. I get PMs all the time from people with Nedors or Actions for sale(and lately copies of Batman #1. Quite often, a deal is made without anyone else on the board being aware of it. This is exactly the kind of transaction that could be listed in a GPA thread.

 

 

This was exactly what I was thinking of Jeff as I read this thread, PM sales of books not even listed, that and marketplace sales threads with an anonymous buyer who wants to remain unknown for various reasons.

 

And as word of the VCC is spread more and more buyers who are not active members here will possibly be buying books.

 

How one gathers and submits all this info to GPA is beyond me, then again I never was good with numbers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[nearmint]

I'm sure the ppl of other forums feel their community is just as great as this one.

If they're dealers, why aren't they reporting to GPA as dealers then?

 

It may be the majority but it certainly isn't all of the sales. I've seen plenty of brand new posters either purchase with their first couple of posts or via PM. Should these then be excluded? What if two ppl on this forum, that know each other REALLY well, exchange a book via PM.. should this be reported then too?

 

Wasn't GPA started as a way to track auction sales and then later dealer sales as well? I guess to answer either of those questions you'd have to ask why they chose to use Heritage and eBay in the first place.. seems to me like they deemed the data to be valuable and others agreed.

 

To your comment that ppl don't shill or create fake sales on here. Why would they? What would the benefit be? People don't create eBay/CL/Heritage/whoever auctions and then quote "last CGC forum sale of XXX". So of course it doesn't happen now.

Exactly. People moan and groan all the time how the forum is becoming more and more like eBay. I believe that involving GPA would only begin to push farther in that direction. Anyone who thinks differently has blinders on. It will no longer be an arena for friends and acquaintances to buy and sell, but it will become a full blown marketing tool.

 

Not sure why that would happen. I don't think the atmosphere around here would change at all. We'd just have sales reported to GPA.

[awe4one]

The number of CGC comics sold here is a miniscule amount when you take in the other avenues GPA get their data from. And the number of sellers of those slabs are many and varied. The benefit vs. the heartache of using message board sales seems like a no-brainer to me. To not open that potential can of worms makes sense not only from a business standpoint but also from a database integrity standpoint as well.

 

As I said earlier, I have no doubt that there are more sales on this site daily than Mark has on esquirecomics.com, or Bill has on vintagecolletables, or Steve has on investment collectibles, or Rob has on Archangels. Describing the sales in the marketplace as "miniscule" is simply not accurate.

 

Add in Comiclink, eBay, Pedigree, and Heritage and it is a very small percentage making miniscule a very proper description.

 

Also, those you mentioned are long time dealers with a proven track record. What you're proposing is sales from collector/dealers...most with little to no record to speak of outside of this Board. Huge difference...

 

Jim

[nearmint]

This was exactly what I was thinking of Jeff as I read this thread, PM sales of books not even listed, that and marketplace sales threads with an anonymous buyer who wants to remain unknown for various reasons.

 

And as word of the VCC is spread more and more buyers who are not active members here will possibly be buying books.

 

How one gathers and submits all this info to GPA is beyond me, then again I never was good with numbers.

 

I think just having the thread devoted to sales that need to be reported to GPA would work. Roy, for example, could compile the data to submit to George.

[comicwiz]

I have emailed sales data from my site to George in the past, and that is how I would do it for any sales made here.

 

Does he accept these submissions from anyone? How did you know you could do this?

 

I think he does James. I met George at SDCC a few years back. A fantastic guy, and being both really keen on technology, we discussed side projects and comics. At the time, I was generating a very low amount of sales on my site, and I believe GPA was just looking to expand to include sales data from consignment sites and dealers. He offered to accept sales information from my site, and I emailed him a few times with some sales. It was also at this time that I helped with the newsletter - specifically writing about underground comix. Admittedly, communication has dropped off (mostly from my end) and I haven't had the opportunity to speak to George for quite some time now, but I imagine he would still be open to accepting sales information from me as he has in the past.

[Ze-man]

I second that,consider it a done deal.

 

Roy it is.