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What An "Educated Buyer" must know and understand...

Started by Davenport,

198 posts in this topic

RockMyAmadeus

RockMyAmadeus

Posted
Posted

READ.

 

READ.

 

READ some more.

 

Read everything you can get your hands on. Even Wizard has its value, in a warped sort of way.

 

This does't always apply to message boards, because even the uneducated spout opinions, and there is no editor, but stlcomics.com is populated by people who DO know what they're talking about, so that's a good place to start. Not that there aren't brilliant people here, but there's far too much clutter that's just plain incorrect.

 

Read old Overstreets, CBGs, Comic Book Marketplace, any industry trade magazine and publication you can get your hands on.

 

Sign up for a FREE Heritage account, and read their auction write-ups.

 

That's the only way you can learn.

 

And if someone comes along and tells you that "their experience" (read: questionable memory) trumps documentation that was written at the time the topic happened, laugh in their faces. In court, as well in life, nothing trumps contemporary documentation from reliable sources, ESPECIALLY someone's "memory" which may or may not have degraded over time, and may not even have been accurate when the event happened!

 

Read...there's no substitute.

 

(thumbs u

 

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jools&jim

jools&jim

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Read...there's no substitute...

 

 

...except maybe for DO DO DO DO! You learn a lot of doo-doo by simply buying and selling, and taking some hard knocks along the way. Another great educational experience is volunteering/working part time for a dealer at shows if you can...

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VintageComics

VintageComics

Posted
Posted

 

Read...there's no substitute...

 

 

...except maybe for DO DO DO DO! You learn a lot of doo-doo by simply buying and selling, and taking some hard knocks along the way. Another great educational experience is volunteering/working part time for a dealer at shows if you can...

 

I agree, very few things teach somebody as quickly as a strong life lesson.

 

(thumbs u

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RockMyAmadeus

RockMyAmadeus

Posted
Posted

 

Read...there's no substitute...

 

 

...except maybe for DO DO DO DO! You learn a lot of doo-doo by simply buying and selling, and taking some hard knocks along the way. Another great educational experience is volunteering/working part time for a dealer at shows if you can...

 

I've avoided a lot of grief in life by reading about OTHER people's experiences, both good and bad, and incorporating that into my "what to do and not do" philosophy of life.

 

;)

 

Experience is a brilliant teacher, granted granted granted...but....why is it necessary for everyone to reinvent the wheel? Why not build on successes and failures of the past, instead of repeating the same mistakes?

 

After all, there are spectacular NEW mistakes that one can make!

 

lol

 

Besides, not everyone can "do". I cannot research Edgar Church copies, because I don't have access to those books (to name but one example.) I can, however, read every scrap of information I can from those who DO have such access.

 

Experience will teach you what works in your life...but reading teaches you what happened, why it happened, how it happened, and what worked and didn't in everyone ELSE'S life.

 

(thumbs u

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jools&jim

jools&jim

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Yeah...reading about stuff is good, too. I spent 4 years doing just that in college, and another 2 in graduate school. None of it prepared me for the working world, raising children, or fixing my house and car...but I'm a whiz at cocktail parties! :grin:

 

Seriously...yeah, agreed, doing your homework is good. But what I'm saying is don't let any of that stop you from getting out there and getting your hands dirty. Getting duped, ripped off, fleeced, and shafted once or twice will teach you more about this hobby than anything you'll ever read in Overstreet or here on these boards...

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RockMyAmadeus

RockMyAmadeus

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Yeah...reading about stuff is good, too. I spent 4 years doing just that in college, and another 2 in graduate school. None of it prepared me for the working world, raising children, or fixing my house and car...but I'm a whiz at cocktail parties! :grin:

 

1. I don't believe that for a second, and 2. I'm not talking about college. College is nothing but a glorified sorting system.

 

Doctors do not get to operate on anyone without doing a whollllllle lot of reading FIRST. Lawyers don't get to practice law, either. etc etc etc. Read FIRST, THEN experience.

 

People who try to experience first, THEN go back and find out what they should have known often make fantastic mistakes....sometimes mistakes they cannot recover from.

 

Seriously...yeah, agreed, doing your homework is good. But what I'm saying is don't let any of that stop you from getting out there and getting your hands dirty. Getting duped, ripped off, fleeced, and shafted once or twice will teach you more about this hobby than anything you'll ever read in Overstreet or here on these boards...

 

I don't agree at all, but you'll notice, I didn't confine reading to "Overstreet", and I especially mentioned avoiding message boards.

 

There's no need to "get shafted" unnecessarily. And getting shafted doesn't prevent future shaftings.

 

I know it's such not a guy thing to do, but maybe, if we all learned how to read the directions first, we might be more successful as a society.

 

 

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jools&jim

jools&jim

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I like to read. Really. I even read this once:

 

----------------------------------------------

 

The Tables Turned

by William Wordsworth

 

Up! up! my friend, and quit your books,

Or surely you'll grow double.

Up! up! my friend, and clear your looks;

Why all this toil and trouble. . . .

 

Books! 'tis a dull and endless trifle:

Come, hear the woodland linnet,

How sweet his music! on my life,

There's more of wisdom in it. . . .

 

One impulse from a vernal wood

May teach you more of man,

Of moral evil and of good,

Than all the sages can.

 

Sweet is the lore which Nature brings;

Our meddling intellect

Misshapes the beauteous forms of things--

We murder to dissect.

 

Enough of Science and of Art,

Close up those barren leaves;

Come forth, and bring with you a heart

That watches and receives.

 

----------------------------------------------

 

I don't really disagree with you, man: book learnin' and elbow grease both have their place, and are educationally complementary. I'm just having some fun on a stormy Tuesday afternoon!

 

(thumbs u

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RockMyAmadeus

RockMyAmadeus

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I don't really disagree with you, man: book learnin' and elbow grease both have their place, and are educationally complementary. I'm just having some fun on a stormy Tuesday afternoon!

 

(thumbs u

 

I love storms.

 

It's one of the things I absolutely despise about SoCal. Our worst storms are light spring showers in other places. It just doesn't rain that much here.

 

Blah blah blah, sunny SoCal, blah blah.

 

Not everyone loves the sun, especially this pasty German/English/Portuguese... ;)

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User 01001010

User 01001010

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"Over? Did you say "over"? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!

And it ain't over now. 'Cause when the goin' gets tough...

[thinks hard]

the tough get goin'! Who's with me? Let's go!

[runs out, alone; then returns]

What the happened to the Delta I used to know? Where's the spirit? Where's the guts, huh? This could be the greatest night of our lives, but you're gonna let it be the worst. "Ooh, we're afraid to go with you Bluto, we might get in trouble." Well just kiss my from now on! Not me! I'm not gonna take this. Wormer, he's a dead man! Marmalard, dead! Niedermeyer...

 

just saying no matter how many there are in the world, if you love the books, stick with it.

j

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thehumantorch

thehumantorch

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"Over? Did you say "over"? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!

And it ain't over now. 'Cause when the goin' gets tough...

[thinks hard]

the tough get goin'! Who's with me? Let's go!

[runs out, alone; then returns]

What the happened to the Delta I used to know? Where's the spirit? Where's the guts, huh? This could be the greatest night of our lives, but you're gonna let it be the worst. "Ooh, we're afraid to go with you Bluto, we might get in trouble." Well just kiss my from now on! Not me! I'm not gonna take this. Wormer, he's a dead man! Marmalard, dead! Niedermeyer...

 

just saying no matter how many there are in the world, if you love the books, stick with it.

j

 

The Germans bombed Pearl? I want a refund from my Pearl Harbor DVD rental. :wishluck:

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gaz973

gaz973

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I don't really disagree with you, man: book learnin' and elbow grease both have their place, and are educationally complementary.

 

(worship)

This is an excellent post. The man who does both of these will learn far, far more than the man who only does one of them.

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Davenport

Davenport

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Scattered through the bazillion threads on 'The Game' and it's impact you see sentiments that "buyer's should be educated" before they spend. Here's a recent example quote:

 

I really don't think of it as buyer beware, but buyer be educated.

 

It seems reasonable for shoppers to do. But what makes an "educated" shopper?

 

So starting from the point of now, today, where encapsulation has evolved into what it is, all the fee-based services are what they are, and auction and selling venues are plentiful...

 

Exactly what does the noob, returning collector, excited fan, or casual collector HAVE to know and understand before reaching for their wallet? (And where do they get all facts and details?)

 

Maybe slowly this thread will build a thoughtful and serious list someone can use. :wishluck:

So knowing what you know, put yourself in the position of someone new wandering into the marketplace excited to begin a collection. What must they know and be aware of to stay safe while shopping?

 

Thanks for all of the replies so far. :foryou: While there are gems scattered through out, this thread could use more focus. :wishluck: I've quoted the opening post (if that helps).

 

Maybe I can ask another way...

 

Imagine there's a friend or relative you really care about ("care about" is key). They're a fan of comics and have decided to get serious about collecting slabbed examples, or they're coming back in after leaving during the 90's exodus, long before encapsulation arrived.

 

They've saved up some money and are excited to start shopping...

 

Imagine you really don't want them getting hurt or discouraged right out of the starting gate. You know they'll form opinions, but you want them armed with facts. So what would you insist they understand about buying encapsulated comics before spending a single dime?

 

Have your friend's back and tell them... What? (shrug)

What will get them "educated" (being able to identify what they truly want out in the marketplace, and to not overpay or be fooled)??

 

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THE_BEYONDER

THE_BEYONDER

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Posted

Thanks for all of the replies so far. While there are gems scattered through out, this thread could use more focus. I've quoted the opening post (if that helps).

 

Maybe I can ask another way...

 

Imagine there's a friend or relative you really care about ("care about" is key). They're a fan of comics and have decided to get serious about collecting slabbed examples, or they're coming back in after leaving during the 90's exodus, long before encapsulation arrived.

 

They've saved up some money and are excited to start shopping...

 

Imagine you really don't want them getting hurt or discouraged right out of the starting gate. You know they'll form opinions, but you want them armed with facts. So what would you insist they understand about buying encapsulated comics before spending a single dime?

 

Have your friend's back and tell them... What? \(shrug\)

What will get them "educated" (being able to identify what they truly want out in the marketplace, and to not overpay or be fooled)??

 

 

My 1st question would be:

 

"Why are you interested in collecting slabs?"

 

 

How they answer that question would tell me what they NEED to know before getting started.

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Ze-man

Ze-man

Posted
Posted
Scattered through the bazillion threads on 'The Game' and it's impact you see sentiments that "buyer's should be educated" before they spend. Here's a recent example quote:

 

I really don't think of it as buyer beware, but buyer be educated.

 

It seems reasonable for shoppers to do. But what makes an "educated" shopper?

 

So starting from the point of now, today, where encapsulation has evolved into what it is, all the fee-based services are what they are, and auction and selling venues are plentiful...

 

Exactly what does the noob, returning collector, excited fan, or casual collector HAVE to know and understand before reaching for their wallet? (And where do they get all facts and details?)

 

Maybe slowly this thread will build a thoughtful and serious list someone can use. :wishluck:

So knowing what you know, put yourself in the position of someone new wandering into the marketplace excited to begin a collection. What must they know and be aware of to stay safe while shopping?

 

Thanks for all of the replies so far. :foryou: While there are gems scattered through out, this thread could use more focus. :wishluck: I've quoted the opening post (if that helps).

 

Maybe I can ask another way...

 

Imagine there's a friend or relative you really care about ("care about" is key). They're a fan of comics and have decided to get serious about collecting slabbed examples, or they're coming back in after leaving during the 90's exodus, long before encapsulation arrived.

 

They've saved up some money and are excited to start shopping...

 

Imagine you really don't want them getting hurt or discouraged right out of the starting gate. You know they'll form opinions, but you want them armed with facts. So what would you insist they understand about buying encapsulated comics before spending a single dime?

 

Have your friend's back and tell them... What? (shrug)

What will get them "educated" (being able to identify what they truly want out in the marketplace, and to not overpay or be fooled)??

 

Why aren't you telling us what you think they should know?

 

You're making us do all the work! :kidaround:

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Davenport

Davenport

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My 1st question would be:

 

"Why are you interested in collecting slabs?"

 

 

How they answer that question would tell me what they NEED to know before getting started.

OK. I can give an imaginary answer, for the sake of discussion. I'll base it on they're a fan of comics and it's their first-blush notice of encapsulation...

 

"What I've read says they'll make eBay safer and protect me from differences of opinion. Plus they look pretty cool being "certified", makes them seem important or official or something. You know? Like a rare coin or stock certificate."

 

Take it from there...

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RockMyAmadeus

RockMyAmadeus

Posted
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I don't really disagree with you, man: book learnin' and elbow grease both have their place, and are educationally complementary.

 

(worship)

This is an excellent post. The man who does both of these will learn far, far more than the man who only does one of them.

 

Agreed.

 

Learning without experience is hollow, living life vicariously.

 

Experience without learning is reckless and often dangeous.

 

But it is a process. FIRST you learn, THEN you experience. Doing it the other way around almost always leads to problems....some of them very expensive, and some of them fatal.

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THE_BEYONDER

THE_BEYONDER

Posted
Posted

 

 

"Why are you interested in collecting slabs?"

 

 

 

 

"What I've read says they'll make eBay safer and protect me from differences of opinion. Plus they look pretty cool being "certified", makes them seem important or official or something. You know? Like a rare coin or stock certificate."

 

.

 

"Are you looking at these as an investment?"

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Davenport

Davenport

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"Why are you interested in collecting slabs?"

 

 

 

 

"What I've read says they'll make eBay safer and protect me from differences of opinion. Plus they look pretty cool being "certified", makes them seem important or official or something. You know? Like a rare coin or stock certificate."

 

.

 

"Are you looking at these as an investment?"

"Well, I don't expect to retire from my comics. So, no. But it's fun flipping through your Overstreet and seeing all those prices and grades. It'll be nice to have books labeled and locked down so we can see what they do year after year. When's that next guide come out?"

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