HooDeeDoo vs Motor City Comics

[g-man]

bob,

how was the NY show in your opinion? attendance good even over the holiday weekend? any noteable sales/pick ups and such?

[blazingbob]

All right I didn't finish my college degree

 

What is a ingenues?

[OldSchoolTerry]

Almost all collectors are this board are dealers in disguise. Buying and selling is what dealers do, many of you do the same, therefore you are "dealers".

 

You're right, but I don't think I ever met a high grade collector who didn't fit this definition to some degree.

 

If you want a true collector, look for the guy showing you his coin slot while rummaging through the dollar bin, scouring for G/VG copies of Tales of Suspense # 97.

 

Why didn't you tell me my coin slot was showing? I'll have to pull up my tighty whiteys up better next time rummaging through that bargain bin.....

[deathlok]

As for the definition of dealer, I'm simply going to paraphrase something that Bob said to me at an NYC show in 1999 regarding dealers who have ND labels on their books. A dealer is someone who DEALS. In other words, is open to negotiation. Admittedly, as far as major shows are concerned, a "deal" would have to involve a decent amount of cash.

 

So if a seller doesn't make "deals" then he is not a dealer?

 

Under English law (I can't speak for the U.S.) the moment you sell anything for a profit, you are a seller, or a vendor, and thus open to taxation. The word "dealer" per se denotes some level of profession, whether it be part time or otherwise.

 

A comic book dealer is a profession, one in which a person makes aliving from. In Bob's case, does he claim his earnings from selling books? Just because a person sells comic books does not automatically make them a dealer. Just because someone sells books on E-bay does not make them a dealer.

[OldSchoolTerry]

You can ask that same question about anyone that sells on ebay. Is someone who sells their old videotapes necessarily a dealer, or the person who sells their wedding dress on there, because presumably, they won't ever need it again?

[dam60]

Three out of those four definitions had the word dealer in them. Splitting hairs but if you are selling books to "make money to buy more books" you are a dealer.

 

I sell books to buy more books, I am a dealer.

 

There now repeat after me people, I sell books to buy more books. I AM A DEALER.

 

Since you're a collecting dealer, I really don't understand why you'd argue to blur the lines between you and us. I trust collecting dealers more than I trust dealing collectors because they've got more experience at what they're doing. I'm not sure how good the grading or selling policies on most people on ebay or these forums are, but I know you've got a lot of experience with both of those...are you saying it doesn't matter who you buy from, that a dealer is a dealer? You're effectively arguing that there's no value in choosing to buy from someone like yourself!

 

FF - I think this is ridiculous. To use your own previous examples of Bob (who has a personal collection) and Comgeek (who does not) I would feel very comfortable buying a book from EITHER one of them. You can't make a blanket statement like that, you should use a case by case basis. To think that Comgeek doesn't have ample experience because he doesn't have a personal collection baffles me.

 

DAM

[goldust40]

All right I didn't finish my college degree

 

What is a ingenues?

 

You're just feigning ignorance Bob, you know exactly what that word means, you're just too ashamed to admit it. And I don't believe that claptrap about not finishing your degree, college boy.

 

However if you really don't know what "ingenue" means (or care), it's a term taken from the French that means "inexperienced newcomer" or "arrogant illiterate bozo with Gramps' comic collection who can't grade but is about to make a killing due to established ebayers' credulity". I should have just put in "newbie".

[Rip]

[blazingbob]

Yes, I do care and the response you gave me was better than the english dictionary version.

 

[drbanner]

It's all about the Queen's English Andy...why don't you just "ring" Bob and see if he wants to "muck about" before the next big show to explain it to him!!

[goldust40]

As for the definition of dealer, I'm simply going to paraphrase something that Bob said to me at an NYC show in 1999 regarding dealers who have ND labels on their books. A dealer is someone who DEALS. In other words, is open to negotiation. Admittedly, as far as major shows are concerned, a "deal" would have to involve a decent amount of cash.

 

So if a seller doesn't make "deals" then he is not a dealer?

 

 

 

 

 

A seller who doesn't make deals is either Chuck Rozanski, a RETAILER, or broke. Or possibly (in Chuck's case) all three.

 

The exception: the dealers at the very very top of the food chain, e.g. Fishler, Parrino, etc. Whoever has the gold, well you know the rest.

[JiveTurkeyMoFo]

There now repeat after me people, I sell books to buy more books. I AM A DEALER.

 

From my local DA meeting:

 

Hello. My name is George, and I am a dealer. I haven't flipped a book in three hours.

 

 

Three hours? If that's the case, we can expect withdrawal symptoms any moment now:

 

"...must...bump...marketplace...post..."

 

Speaking of which....

[goldust40]

It's all about the Queen's English Andy...why don't you just "ring" Bob and see if he wants to "muck about" before the next big show to explain it to him!!

 

Exactly! Last time I saw Bob at a big show he looked a bit disconsolate so I told him to "keep his pecker up" and asked him if he wanted a [!@#%^&^]. I then had to bugger off to the khazi to point percy at the porcelain!

 

If you need a translation, I'll be only too happy to oblige. However Drbanner, I may be a cad but I'm certainly not a queen!

[dam60]

As for the definition of dealer, I'm simply going to paraphrase something that Bob said to me at an NYC show in 1999 regarding dealers who have ND labels on their books. A dealer is someone who DEALS. In other words, is open to negotiation. Admittedly, as far as major shows are concerned, a "deal" would have to involve a decent amount of cash.

 

So if a seller doesn't make "deals" then he is not a dealer?

 

A seller who doesn't make deals is either Chuck Rozanski, a RETAILER, or broke. Or possibly (in Chuck's case) all three.

 

The exception: the dealers at the very very top of the food chain, e.g. Fishler, Parrino, etc. Whoever has the gold, well you know the rest.

 

Here's a little bit of color on that last post from my observations - at the NYC National this weekend Metro (Fishler) and Parrino (the mint) set up but didn't have any long boxes to go through. Strictly "wall" books. Metro had literally 9 Batman #1s (I wonder if they would cut me a deal if I bought all nine ) and Parrino had a Detective 27 cgc 3.0 blue label. Good thing I brought my American Express

 

It's good to be the king . . .

 

DAM

[JohnBull]

It's all about the Queen's English Andy...why don't you just "ring" Bob and see if he wants to "muck about" before the next big show to explain it to him!!

 

Is 'muck about' a double entendre over here ? Boy, am I embarrassed

[goldust40]

I'm not sure. I forgot that "gaf" spelt backwards (the word that was deleted in my previous post) is a far more non-PC term in the U.S. than the U.K. For the non-Brits, it's (innocent) slang for cigarettes.

[goldust40]

 

 

It's good to be the king . . .

 

DAM

 

Exactly.

[HooDeeDoo]

What is an ingenue?

 

It's a pretty 16yo girl wearing a tight low-cut cashmere sweater, who, when she approaches your booth, bends over onto your boxes, brings her elbows together and clasps her hands, and then, while looking up at you and batting her eyes, says to you in her most Catholic schoolgirl voice: "Hello. I know very little about comic books, but Reed Richard's super power intrigues me. After the show is over, could we go somewhere so you can explain to me how he does that?"

 

[Foolkiller]

what the?! I go to lunch and the thread went off about the "collector/dealer" whatever...

 

Just for the record... I don't agree with Bob that if you ever sell books, that puts you in the "dealer" category:

 

I consider myself a collector, especially now, in that I am buying books I hope to buy only once. If I upgrade, so be it, I'll sell my undercopy, but I'm looking for books with good eye appeal and page quality (not necessarily even 9.0s or better) that I'm happy to keep in my collection... flaws and all. But occassionally I will sell a book... it happens: I get tired of it, change my patterns in collecting... that puts me in the "dealer" category... I don't see that.

 

I shouldn't say this cause it makes me look like an insufficiently_thoughtful_person but... there are times when taking a loss on a book isn't a big deal to me... I bought the book originally for entertainment purposes... I enjoyed owning it, but now, since the book isn't a 9.4 or anything, I want to sell... and often have taken an overall loss. To be quite honest it doesn't matter to me... I don't want to take a loss, but I believe in selling the books reasonably so the dealer gets a fair shake too, and can reasonably turn the book around. Since I sell the books this way, a couple of guys will take books from me that they ordinarily wouldn't, pay a little bit more, cause I'm not trying to bilk them on the high grade as well, and then when I want to dump some books that aren't as good... they still will take them.

 

But am I dealer... ? It rarely comes to that, and since I'm not looking to resell at all... I just don't see it that way or define a dealer that way... so I disagree with Bob's underlying definition... if you ever sell a book, then you're a dealer. I don't think I ever bought a book from Bob, Ted or anyone else in the last three years hoping for to slab it and turn it around... and I hope I'm in the majority of collectors.

 

But for those disagreeing with Bob's side of the table regarding dealers and their mentality regarding pricing and discounts, i think Bob's emminently fair... if you think he's off with his comments, throw some dealers out there who you think are so different and that much the better with their stock? I wonder...

 

I haven't been spending big bucks with Bob and I'm still being treated fairly...

[goldust40]

I shouldn't say this cause it makes me look like an insufficiently_thoughtful_person but... there are times when taking a loss on a book isn't a big deal to me... I bought the book originally for entertainment purposes... I enjoyed owning it, but now, since the book isn't a 9.4 or anything, I want to sell... and often have taken an overall loss. To be quite honest it doesn't matter to me... I don't want to take a loss, but I believe in selling the books reasonably so the dealer gets a fair shake too, and can reasonably turn the book around.

 

But am I dealer... ?

 

You definitely answered your own question there. Athough you've got the hunters' need to find more books, profit is not the prime directive, or any directive. You don't have the competitive mindset of a dealer, and don't feel shame when you take a loss on a book. You're not a dealer.