Does seller's reputation sell the book or does the book sell itself?

[FlyingDonut]

Her sales are slow because her prices are way too high. Overstreet Guide pricing on those books in that kind of grade is a joke. She needs to drop her price significantly on all of those books because they're never going to sell at those price points.

 

Go on eBay and look and see what those books in those kind of grades are selling for, and that's what she should be pricing the books at, not a percentage of Guide. Late 70s Bronze Age material in mid-grade is EVERYWHERE, and there simply isn't a market for it in mid-grade.

[Foolkiller]

Her sales are slow because her prices are way too high. Overstreet Guide pricing on those books in that kind of grade is a joke. She needs to drop her price significantly on all of those books because they're never going to sell at those price points.

 

Go on eBay and look and see what those books in those kind of grades are selling for, and that's what she should be pricing the books at, not a percentage of Guide. Late 70s Bronze Age material in mid-grade is EVERYWHERE, and there simply isn't a market for it in mid-grade.

 

There you have it. It's all about the books and the prices.

 

If newbie comes on with lots of high grade for reasonable prices, they'll be all over it like flies on s--t (and presuming some track record, but even if not much of one).

 

This is the reality.

[Annihilus]

Seriously though, does she really need to drop these books dirt cheap to move 'em? Some of those X-Men would make decent back up copies, and some of the books (like Byrne's first work for Marvel, some Wrightson House of Mystery and the first Miller Daredevils) have to be somewhat desireable?!?

 

If they're low to mid-grade? Yeah, probably.

 

Until recently, I've mostly collected low to mid-grade and won't even sniff around a thread unless they're about half guide. Of course, that's just me and I can't speak for anyone else. But as a seller, I notice a big difference from when I list low/mid-grade stuff at 25% off guide than I do when I list it at 50% off guide. Really, when you're selling lower dollar items, that extra 20-25% doesn't make a whole lot of difference $$ wise. I've very rarely listed anything low-midgrade for less than a 50% OSPG discount.

 

Plus, selling my drek to board members that I know will enjoy the books is a lot more enjoyable than selling them to faceless folks on eBay. For me, buying and selling here is not really about the $$ (though the $$ helps when buying more stuff from folks here!)

[Foolkiller]

These days, there's a lot of common 70s high grade I'm happy to blow out at 50% off guide. It really is about price. Rare, early high grade, that's a premium. Keys, same thing. Anything else, really depends.

[MCMiles]

As a rule I don't buy from

 

a) People that only post in the Marketplace (and the please-grade-my-book-for-me-so-I-can-sell-it forum)

 

b) Sellers that have just joined and have everything thing to prove.

 

c) People that commit douchebaggery in the other forums.

 

d) Sellers who "finetune" their scanners so colours appear more vivid or stress lines become hard to spot

 

e) People who are conveying a message that all their books would get a grade bump if pressed.

 

Sure I miss out on a lot, but I sleep very well at night.

 

All very good reasons not to buy. Sadly many put the acquisitions before principles (especially if the price is right). Some folks will still buy from, associate with, and take chances on the biggest douches in the world if it is beneficial to them some how.

[Flaming_Telepath]

As a rule I don't buy from

 

a) People that only post in the Marketplace (and the please-grade-my-book-for-me-so-I-can-sell-it forum)

 

b) Sellers that have just joined and have everything thing to prove.

 

c) People that commit douchebaggery in the other forums.

 

d) Sellers who "finetune" their scanners so colours appear more vivid or stress lines become hard to spot

 

e) People who are conveying a message that all their books would get a grade bump if pressed.

 

Sure I miss out on a lot, but I sleep very well at night.

 

All very good reasons not to buy. Sadly many put the acquisitions before principles (especially if the price is right). Some folks will still buy from, associate with, and take chances on the biggest douches in the world if it is beneficial to them some how.

 

 

Nail. On. Head. (thumbs u

[Shark]

No offense intended but you are new to the forum and so is Mary so it's strange to me that you both know each other. I find it even weirder that you are the one posting this and not her. If you truly have nothing vested in her sales, why are you interested?

 

Now for the books themselves, they were never bagged and boarded. Most of them have spine rolls. I question the paper quality and smell factor. She has confessed to knowing nothing about comics but has no problem selling books with grades and at high prices. Hmmm. I would rather take my changes on ebay grading.

 

Not trying to start an argument but just stating how it looks to me.

 

I completely agree with everything you just said. (thumbs u

[Shark]

One thing that I've noticed here on the boards is that some sellers (I'd prefer to keep this nameless), sell a lot more quickly than others. This factors in things like variety and price. Does anyone else feel this is true? I think having a good rep on here is a very big plus in peddling your wares, but is it the end-all?

This question comes to mind because Mary Jo (newbie) has had her books up for a while now, and after a few sales (Iron Fist #14, etc.) it's like a ghost town over there. She asked if her prices were too high or her grading poor. I told her I think the biggest factor was that quite a few guys on here prefer books in high grade, and that most of her stuff is mid-grade at best. Then I began to think about threads I've seen with low to mid-grade stuff that sells right away.

So that leads me to the question; If two of the same books were posted on here with comparable grades and prices, would you buy from the veteran over the newbie simply due to rep, even if the newbie had a slightly better deal? Discuss....

 

 

I wouldn't even bother to attempt to sell raw low to mid-grade comics on the boards. The only people on the boards who can sell these are the ones who know the lyrics of all of the old rock'n'roll songs.

 

I know by personal experience they just don't sell on here even if you list them at 30 to 50% of Overstreet guide value.

[Mac Man]

 

I wouldn't even bother to attempt to sell raw low to mid-grade comics on the boards. The only people on the boards who can sell these are the ones who know the lyrics of all of the old rock'n'roll songs.

 

I know by personal experience they just don't sell on here even if you list them at 30 to 50% of Overstreet guide value.

 

Yes... but my personal experience shows that I've spent hundreds of dollars every year (and that is, sadly, a low estimate...) here on the boards and very, very few of the books have been high grade. 50% off guide for low to mid grade books (depending on the issue and title) can still be a decent deal.

 

However, I also think Dan (Donut) is on the mark with his assessment of ballparking the prices on this range. Might want to point her to eBay to get some clearer ideas.

 

 

 

[500Club]

Her sales are slow because her prices are way too high. Overstreet Guide pricing on those books in that kind of grade is a joke. She needs to drop her price significantly on all of those books because they're never going to sell at those price points.

 

Go on eBay and look and see what those books in those kind of grades are selling for, and that's what she should be pricing the books at, not a percentage of Guide. Late 70s Bronze Age material in mid-grade is EVERYWHERE, and there simply isn't a market for it in mid-grade.

 

(thumbs u

[FlyingDonut]

Her sales are slow because her prices are way too high. Overstreet Guide pricing on those books in that kind of grade is a joke. She needs to drop her price significantly on all of those books because they're never going to sell at those price points.

 

Go on eBay and look and see what those books in those kind of grades are selling for, and that's what she should be pricing the books at, not a percentage of Guide. Late 70s Bronze Age material in mid-grade is EVERYWHERE, and there simply isn't a market for it in mid-grade.

 

(thumbs u

 

I need to amend this - there simply isn't a market for it in mid-grade at anything near Overstreet pricing. Everything will sell at a certain price point.

[Ogami]

Her sales are slow because her prices are way too high. Overstreet Guide pricing on those books in that kind of grade is a joke. She needs to drop her price significantly on all of those books because they're never going to sell at those price points.

 

Go on eBay and look and see what those books in those kind of grades are selling for, and that's what she should be pricing the books at, not a percentage of Guide. Late 70s Bronze Age material in mid-grade is EVERYWHERE, and there simply isn't a market for it in mid-grade.

 

(thumbs u

 

I need to amend this - there simply isn't a market for it in mid-grade at anything near Overstreet pricing. Everything will sell at a certain price point.

 

I was going to post a rebuttal, but your ammendment covers it.

 

The floor yields to the right honorable Flying Donut.

[Annihilus]

One thing that I've noticed here on the boards is that some sellers (I'd prefer to keep this nameless), sell a lot more quickly than others. This factors in things like variety and price. Does anyone else feel this is true? I think having a good rep on here is a very big plus in peddling your wares, but is it the end-all?

This question comes to mind because Mary Jo (newbie) has had her books up for a while now, and after a few sales (Iron Fist #14, etc.) it's like a ghost town over there. She asked if her prices were too high or her grading poor. I told her I think the biggest factor was that quite a few guys on here prefer books in high grade, and that most of her stuff is mid-grade at best. Then I began to think about threads I've seen with low to mid-grade stuff that sells right away.

So that leads me to the question; If two of the same books were posted on here with comparable grades and prices, would you buy from the veteran over the newbie simply due to rep, even if the newbie had a slightly better deal? Discuss....

 

 

I wouldn't even bother to attempt to sell raw low to mid-grade comics on the boards. The only people on the boards who can sell these are the ones who know the lyrics of all of the old rock'n'roll songs.

 

I know by personal experience they just don't sell on here even if you list them at 30 to 50% of Overstreet guide value.

 

I've sold a ton of low/midgrade stuff here on the boards. I think the key is to list enough at one time (say several hundred) that people find a good chunk of books they want and it's worth their while to pull the trigger. A thread with 50 or so low to midgrade books probably isn't going to get much action.

[maryj0w]

I want to thank you all for your advice. And remind you all that you were the ones who pointed me in this direction in the first place. "Make a catalouge of your books, post a few on the spare a grade and get an idea on how to grade."

Just a reminder I posted a pic on my very first thread of all the books that were NOT bagged and boarded. And still got MANY PM's.

You also asked in my thread and in PM's to post a sales thread. Which I promised I would do. I started this to learn about the comics, and I could not have picked a better forum.

 

I have sold two books, and they were confirmed delivered, and have not heard of any problems. Also, I let them know if there was any ISSUES whatsoever, to please let me know, and I would return their money.

 

With that in mind, I am a clearance shopper as well, and I would prefer to sell here rather than ebay. So...I guess we will drop the prices and see where it goes.

 

Matt has been very helpful, and I have never even met the man. I had several PM's within my first post of offers to look at my books. (check out my first thread) Matt and I had a common intrest...we grew up in the same town. So I took him up on his offer.

 

Thanks again, and thanks to the almost 1000 people or retuning people for checking my thread everyday, thats a plus huh?

 

Mary

 

 

 

 

[500Club]

Thank you for listing books here first. (thumbs u

 

I hope you found the feedback helpful, and not too critical.

[Bruce1971]

Her sales are slow because her prices are way too high. Overstreet Guide pricing on those books in that kind of grade is a joke. She needs to drop her price significantly on all of those books because they're never going to sell at those price points.

 

Go on eBay and look and see what those books in those kind of grades are selling for, and that's what she should be pricing the books at, not a percentage of Guide. Late 70s Bronze Age material in mid-grade is EVERYWHERE, and there simply isn't a market for it in mid-grade.

 

(thumbs u

 

I need to amend this - there simply isn't a market for it in mid-grade at anything near Overstreet pricing. Everything will sell at a certain price point.

 

I agree with the Donut. When I am buying reader issues of many comics I want them cheap, I dont care what guide says. I am not paying $5 +shipping for some reader 70s book for 95% of books. For readers I am willing to pay $1-2 each on average + shipping, depending on the title and how early bronze age the book is. For low grade silver unless it is a key I wont touch it unless it is at least 50% off, even this stuff is everywhere.

 

Bruce

 

 

[COI]

Her sales are slow because her prices are way too high. Overstreet Guide pricing on those books in that kind of grade is a joke. She needs to drop her price significantly on all of those books because they're never going to sell at those price points.

 

Go on eBay and look and see what those books in those kind of grades are selling for, and that's what she should be pricing the books at, not a percentage of Guide. Late 70s Bronze Age material in mid-grade is EVERYWHERE, and there simply isn't a market for it in mid-grade.

 

There you have it. It's all about the books and the prices.

 

If newbie comes on with lots of high grade for reasonable prices, they'll be all over it like flies on s--t (and presuming some track record, but even if not much of one).

 

This is the reality.

 

"High grade for reasonable prices" sells itself, so I agree with you to some extent. But marketing is also a factor, and someone such as yourself, or Nik, or Nick(FT) starting a thread will always generate more excitement, and that additional buzz means that sellers like you may be able to sell the same books quicker, and perhaps even for substantially higher prices.

[JvR11]

I think another big factor is timing. It's difficult to sell a lot of things right now with the economy in bad shape. Yes, certain keys and high grades are doing well. But, for the most part, IMO I see some drops in mid-range comics. People are really thinking twice what to spend their money on even if they aren't laid off or in bad shape financially.

 

Good Luck with your sales Mary and don't drop them to levels you don't feel good about... just hold on to them and see what happens in a few months. You may even see what a dealer will give you for a bulk price. This could save you all the hassles of individual packaging and selling. You are fortunate to have someone to help you out determining values. This can be difficult with just having a price guide because they can be off in both directions.

[RockMyAmadeus]

c) People that commit douchebaggery in the other forums.

 

I guess I won't be shipping anything to the Netherlands anytime soon. Can I keep my subscription to your youtube channel?

 

 

Yeah, I wouldn't ship to the Netherlands either...bunch of weirdo's.

 

Especially weirdos trying to run down the queen....

[RockMyAmadeus]

If you have opinions (unrelated to buying and selling) that do not jive with the opinions of others, those others (hey, myself included, I'm only human) may choose not to do business with you, no matter how wonderful your product & customer service may be.

 

That's why you'll never know the opinions of the biggest and most successful retailers about anything unrelated to business.