Call me old fashion, but when buying a raw book at a Con ...

[shiverbones]

I check the insides, but I bought a trimmed ASM101 at the Chicago show Didn't think to check for that. It was a $29 reader, so I am not that upset, but geez, I should have known better.

[tigers comics]

I just got back into collecting comics a few years ago and found a store in the

 

town i just moved to. After a couple of months from buying there the owner said

 

he just got a hulk 181 VF/VF+ for $800. Well I got the comic and helded on to it

 

for a couple of months, found a store in OKC that send books to CGC he grade's

 

them before he send's them in and it turns out the MVS was

 

missing

[comicalgems]

I just got back into collecting comics a few years ago and found a store in the

 

town i just moved to. After a couple of months from buying there the owner said

 

he just got a hulk 181 VF/VF+ for $800. Well I got the comic and helded on to it

 

for a couple of months, found a store in OKC that send books to CGC he grade's

 

them before he send's them in and it turns out the MVS was

 

missing

No Way you bought a 181 without checking for the MVS! No Way!!!

[capt_comics]

ALWAYS check PQ, check for clipped coupons/pages, and count the number of pages ............Just common sense

 

Most dealers can not check every book in inventory

 

 

You also can't check for resto unless you look at the book out of the bag

 

 

 

[Spider-Variant]

I always inspect the book. Cut coupons and pulled staples are the enemy.

 

Whereas I always cut coupons and remove staples after purchasing. Hmm, it would seem sir that you and I are at opposing ends of the spectrum.

 

You my fine sir, have just crossed the line. May your Marvel Value Stamps always remain lacking.

[dicjones]

I bought a Daredevil 131(bullseye's first appearance) when I was a teenager, the book is in incredible shape, at least a 9.4. Opened it up to read it, got halfway through and someone had cut out a coupon...arrggghhhhh!!! This was back in the mid to late eighties and the book was going for something like 5 dollars at the time, but even so, I had limited funds and couldn't afford to plop down any more money for a replacement, there were so many other back issues to buy.

 

I wish I would have now...sigh.

[Escaflown4]

I'm surprised to hear so many folks don't bother checking their books before dropping down a large sum of $$ on them. Even if you trust the dealers you're buying from, that doesn't mean they can catch every defect and restoration associated with the book. You don't know how many times I caught color touching, trimming, missing centerfold pages, etc that the dealers missed. I'm talking about well known dealers that's been in the hobby for decades. I don't blame them considering the amount of books they have to grade. Mistakes do happen and usually they would fix it by notating the problem on the mylar and adjusting the price. However, I am wary of some dealers that would acknowledge it and just put the book back for sale at the next show without any mention of the things I catch. Either way, the bottom line is if you're planning to drop a huge sum of $$ on a book, make sure you inspect it first to avoid any potential drama.

[tigers comics]

At the time I didn't know what a MVS was , I went back to the store that same

 

day and asked the owner about the comic and he said he never opened the comic

 

to check if the MVS was there or not. The store doesn't have a lot of books I think

 

he just goes by the covers. But he did make it up to me by giving me $700 store

 

credit which I got a GSX #1, X-Men #94, and a Showcase #8 and I checked the

 

comic's before I bought them this time.

[3319comics]

Everytime I buy a slab from a con I ask them to crack it so I can check out the inside pages... :shrug:

[the blob]

i admit that i was sloppy about this early on.

 

but definitely, anything over $10 I take a look at inside out. If you don't take it out of the bag you don't see the back cover most of the time! Heck, half the time back covers kill the deal or are grounds for further negotiation. That's where half your water stains will show up. Honestly, I regret it on some sub-$10 books too, but there's a limit I suppose.

[capt_comics]

I saw a guy at a show last weekend tell someone with whom he had no experience, "I don't need to take it out, I trust you."

 

Ridiculous.

 

I don't think it's ridiculous at all. I was the buyer, the seller was someone who I have been told is reputable, or at least he looked reputable. Plus, almost all of the comics he had for sale were in plastic, so I know they are well taken care of.

 

It was a really rare book, one I have hardly ever seen, since it was from the Copper Age, so I didn't want to offend the seller. Next time I might see that same seller, and he'll remember me and offer me a great deal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not.

 

 

 

 

[DarkKnightReturns]

A lot of people judge it by the cover

[letsgrumble]

It goes without saying a lot of people buy raw books online without inspecting the book. Buyers will put up big $$$ for "virtual" raw books if a dealer is reputable and if they've had good experiences from that seller in the past. Reputation and experience builds trust. Likewise, if you're at a con and have had nothing but positive experiences when buying books from a specific dealer in the past, then I don't see the problem purchasing one or more raw books - that aren't too expensive - on faith. If the dealer has any credibility, he/she will return your money if there was an undisclosed flaw with the book.

 

Having said that, as a rule I usually do inspect books if I'm putting up good money for it.

[Hawkman]

don't you ask to see the inside of the comic? I was at the Toronto Fan Expo on Sunday and witnessed a fair bit of buying -- good for the dealers. But was I the only one to ask to see inside the books before making a purchasing decision?

 

I particular, I saw one enthusiastic fan plop down $75 for a nice Steranko cover (X-Men I think) that the dealer pulled from behind his table. Instant sale, added to the pile. Now this buyer might already know this particular book but I got the impression of an instant purchase.

 

Does no one worry about the sinking feeling of buyer's regret when that great looking book is missing a coupon, has rusted staples or smells like old cigarettes?

 

 

i bought conan #8 from a dealer at san diego a few years ago. i didn't take the book out, since it looked nice as far as i could see, but when i got home and went to read the book, a small part of the back of the book had been cut out! luckily, i only paid about $10-15 for the book, but ever since then, if i can't look at the book, i'm not buying it.