Would you pay a premium to a 9.6/9/8 "agent"?

[RockMyAmadeus]

(Yes, already posted in Modern, with poll...go vote there. Not trying to Spam, it just crosses into both eras.)

 

http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=3357874#Post3357874

 

So, as has been discussed in both Copper and Modern, 9.8 and lower examples of these books are not rare. Most of the time, they're not worth slabbing.

 

But...the collector will run into a problem, because they either don't have the resources available to slab books themselves, or they can't find the book they want already slabbed on the open market.

 

The question then becomes this: would YOU be willing to pay an "agent" a premium to find books you want that otherwise carry little to no value, but which you would like to own in 9.6/9.8 condition?

 

Examples: Warlord #107, Justice League of America #252, gen 13 #29, Spawn #47, Uncanny X-Men #437.

 

[Mr 9.8]

Yes.

[Shootydog]

Yes

[COI]

How would it work? I assume I'd have to pay all the grading fees that would come with trying to find 9.8s, not to mention paying for the books themselves that don't make the cut. I would think that all the trial and error which could potentially be involved in, let's say, a 10 issue run of books, could get very expensive.

 

I would pay someone to do it, as there are some "worthless" books I'd like to have in 9.8 for sentimental reasons, but this "agent" better have their mess together.

[RockMyAmadeus]

How would it work? I assume I'd have to pay all the grading fees that would come with trying to find 9.8s, not to mention paying for the books themselves that don't make the cut. I would think that all the trial and error which could potentially be involved in, let's say, a 10 issue run of books, could get very expensive.

 

I would pay someone to do it, as there are some "worthless" books I'd like to have in 9.8 for sentimental reasons, but this "agent" better have their mess together.

Flat fee.

 

50% Non-refundable down.

 

50% upon receipt of "book graded in grade desired" status received from CGC.

 

Books would be 9.6 or 9.8 ONLY, white pages ONLY.

 

Buyer picks time frame in which to locate said books. Minimum 3 months, maximum up to buyer and agent.

 

"open market" values not in consideration. If agent accepts particular issue to locate, flat fee is all the buyer pays.

 

If agent cannot locate book(s) in specificed time period, Deposit is fully refunded.

 

If buyer wanted a 9.6, and agent gets a 9.8, buyer has option to pay upgrade fee, or have Deposit refunded.

 

And yes, it would get rather expensive. After all, the agent not only has to locate said books, obtain them, pre-screen them (no small matter, as agent may have to go through MANY books before finding any of suitable quality), send them to CGC, have CGC pre-screen them, absorb the pre-screen reject costs, pay the grading costs, as well as shipping to and from, it gets rather spendy.

 

But....

 

The buyer does none of that. They order a book in a specified grade. They pay for it. They receive it. End of story.

 

Due to labor intensity, such an endeavor would likely carry a $50 price tag for 9.6s, and $75-$80 for 9.8s. But think of the work and effort the buyer would save: no need to learn the intricacies of 9.6/9.8 grades. No need to comb through hundreds, maybe thousands of books to find "the one" copy that will work for them. No need to deal with CGC. After all, if they were to send 1-10 books to CGC themselves, it would cost roughly $25-$30 PLUS the value of the book to do it themselves, and then there's no guarantee they'd get the book in the grade they wanted because they haven't benefit of the pre-screen.

 

Yes, the buyer could find such slabs on the open market. But I imagine that's going to dry up any moment now, if it hasn't already. As noted before, people can't make a business of selling slabs for $5 plus shipping.

 

[RockMyAmadeus]

Of course, key books that are easily available and have a GPA in those grades above the flat fee would not be offerable, and it would be limited to books that the buyer just cannot find him/herself or don't want to take the time to. Any slabs that would currently be available on ebay or the like for at or less than the fee, the buyer would be directed there.

[seanfingh]

 

I would also pay a premium for your pre-screened 9.6s and 9.8s that I could use for Sig Series. I would love to have Flaming Carrot 15 and 16 in raw 9.8 for Sig Series. I have nice 9.4 copies that I will do, but I would gladly pay $40-50 raw for super nice copies. I looked for years for 9.8 copies of DHP 10 and 24 and would have paid a fortune for them as well. There are tons more Copper and Modern like this for me.

[joe_collector]

Instead of this "Agent" idea, why not just do it yourself, and try to find HTF CA issues and then auction off the 9.8's on EBay. That's what 99% of people would ask for anyway, and I don't foresee much demand in the 9.6 area.

[seanfingh]

 

I can't tell who this is directed at, Joe. If it's directed at me, I don't have the time or the access to books to do it. If it's directed at RMA, I suspect the answer is because your scenario retains the basic risk that no one really wants the book, whereas the agent scenario ensures that you have a willing premium-paying buyer on the hook.

[RockMyAmadeus]

Keep in mind...this would be for books that command NO premium of any kind, so keys like DHP #10 and #24 would be out of the mix.

 

Think DHP #68 or somesuch.

[seanfingh]

Keep in mind...this would be for books that command NO premium of any kind, so keys like DHP #10 and #24 would be out of the mix.

 

Think DHP #68 or somesuch.

 

Same thing as I said in the other thread, you are the boss of the thing, but two reasonable people should be able to make it work. It either makes sense for you financially or it doesn't.

[Bronty]

Instead of this "Agent" idea, why not just do it yourself, and try to find HTF CA issues and then auction off the 9.8's on EBay. That's what 99% of people would ask for anyway, and I don't foresee much demand in the 9.6 area.

 

presumably because this is the type of book that could potentially sell for less than the grading fees in an open auction. This is the sort of situation where one person might be willing to pay $100 but the underbidder might only pay $15

 

The whole agency thing is just to get a guaranteed sale at a price the seller can live with; likely above the open auction price but hopefully below the buyer's max. Agent makes a little money; buyer pays a premium but gets the book he wants.

 

Too much hassle to be worthwhile if you ask me

[joe_collector]

Too much hassle to be worthwhile if you ask me

 

Exactly my point, as if you wanted to do the legwork that this "business" would entail, then you can easily make more $$$ doing it the other way.

 

This kind of enterprise sounds like a "Touched By a Comic Angel' deal, where someone does this out of the goodness of their heart, or to build karma.

[TMNT]

I'd definitely be willing to pay. I simply don't have the time or the access to have these books that I desire and I know there is little to no market for them so under most circumstances, they wouldnt be worht the trouble of grading.

[RockMyAmadeus]

Too much hassle to be worthwhile if you ask me

 

Exactly my point, as if you wanted to do the legwork that this "business" would entail, then you can easily make more $$$ doing it the other way.

 

This kind of enterprise sounds like a "Touched By a Comic Angel' deal, where someone does this out of the goodness of their heart, or to build karma.

 

No, actually, you cannot. 9.6s, unless they are keys, sell for less than the cost of slabbing.

 

9.8s are making there way to that point, too.

 

I watched two Unity #1s, a gold and a platinum, sell for $11 and $17 respectively.

 

They were 9.8s.

 

So, no, you cannot "easily make more $$$ doing it the other way", and you're not understanding the point of the service.

 

NO KEYS.

 

Common books ONLY.

 

Made-to-order ONLY.

[joe_collector]

So, no, you cannot "easily make more $$$ doing it the other way", and you're not understanding the point of the service.

 

Please repeat "doing it the OTHER way" ten times.

 

What you're offering sounds like a charity, as you're going to get deluged with requests for 9.8 copies of incredibly hard-to-find CA commons, when with MUCH LESS legwork and effort, you could just try for 9.8 copies of semi-keys/commons that you ALREADY KNOW will be worth your while and have access to.

 

You probably envision people asking for 9.6 copies of some easily-found late-run MA book, when in reality you will get a TON of 9.8 requests for rare/low-print CA books that you've probably never even seen in NM.

 

Get it? "Other way" = finding 9.8 copies of semi-key issues that are still under the radar, but sell for a nice profit. You're the boss, as opposed to being an errand boy.

 

Of course, I am assuming you actually want to make money at this, and if it's a "goodness of your heart" charity you're looking at, then please disregard this.

[RockMyAmadeus]

So, no, you cannot "easily make more $$$ doing it the other way", and you're not understanding the point of the service.

 

Please repeat "doing it the OTHER way" ten times.

 

What you're offering sounds like a charity, as you're going to get deluged with requests for 9.8 copies of incredibly hard-to-find CA commons, when with MUCH LESS legwork and effort, you could just try for 9.8 copies of semi-keys/commons that you ALREADY KNOW will be worth your while and have access to.

 

You probably envision people asking for 9.6 copies of some easily-found late-run MA book, when in reality you will get a TON of 9.8 requests for rare/low-print CA books that you've probably never even seen in NM.

 

Get it? "Other way" = finding 9.8 copies of semi-key issues that are still under the radar, but sell for a nice profit. You're the boss, as opposed to being an errand boy.

 

Of course, I am assuming you actually want to make money at this, and if it's a "goodness of your heart" charity you're looking at, then please disregard this.

 

You clearly don't understand how this works, you aren't a mind reader, and you have no idea what someone else has seen or not seen "in NM." There are few people I've met in life with the balls-to-the-wall chutzpah that you display. And I mean that in Hebrew.

 

(thumbs u

 

And I thought you were going to be ignoring me, maniac that I am...?

[Gatsby77]

So this would be similar to that modern subscription service offered the past few years? The one where you prepay for a year's subscription to a dozen soon-to-released CGC 9.8 books at $29.99 per?

 

If that company made money doing it (esp. when some of the Ultimate books shipped with printing defects that made 9.8s super-tough), then the business model should hold for back issues.

 

I'm sure there's someone out there who would pay $70 for a 9.8 Jon Sable # 16 in 9.8.

 

And I believe Renold Jay offered precisely this service for years with his freeze dried "time capsule" runs of 1978-1992 books. IIRC, the keys got picked over fairly quickly, but he was _the_ go-to source for HTF non-key Copper that no one else either had in grade or wanted to slab, hence his claim to dozens of "highest-graded" issues.

 

http://biccomix.com/

 

His site claims that "70% of MINT pre-1990 comics come from his collection."

[RockMyAmadeus]

So this would be similar to that modern subscription service offered the past few years? The one where you prepay for a year's subscription to a dozen soon-to-released CGC 9.8 books at $29.99 per?

 

If that company made money doing it (esp. when some of the Ultimate books shipped with printing defects that made 9.8s super-tough), then the business model should hold for back issues.

 

I'm sure there's someone out there who would pay $70 for a 9.8 Jon Sable # 16 in 9.8.

 

And I believe Renold Jay offered precisely this service for years with his freeze dried "time capsule" runs of 1978-1992 books. IIRC, the keys got picked over fairly quickly, but he was _the_ go-to source for HTF non-key Copper that no one else either had in grade or wanted to slab, hence his claim to dozens of "highest-graded" issues.

 

http://biccomix.com/

 

His site claims that "70% of MINT pre-1990 comics come from his collection."

 

Renold Jay and his "time capsule" nonsense aside, that's along the lines of what I was thinking. Just back issues, and nothing with a GPA (or OPG) value over the cost of the service.

 

Did I read that right? RJ thinks 70% of ALL pre-1990 comics come from him, and him alone?

[joe_collector]

You clearly don't understand how this works, you aren't a mind reader, and you have no idea what someone else has seen or not seen "in NM."

 

Yes, clearly you're the business genius and I'm jealous, right?

 

The only way this would ever have a chance of working is if you have a MH2-like stash of CA books in NM+ condition, with reams of multiples across all titles to pick through for the 9.8 copies.

 

But if you have to do all the legwork finding, grading, etc. on requested books, then it's a big waste of time, as you could use that same comic-book legwork and effort in much more lucrative ways.