Pedigree Auction Sales and Relistings. Legit?

[sborock]

I've been very passive the last few years -- but I think it's sad when the "leaders" of the hobby -- have no concern or care about the overall health of our hobby long term. They become so insular and selfish. I think there are people who are long standing "leaders" who stand for values and integrity -- and if we continue to allow the status quo -- then we'll simply get what we deserve.

 

 

Some leaders do care and speak up.

 

I'm not suggesting that you don't, but frankly Brent, you're not at the same level as a lot of the long standing guys. I think it's great you are speaking out -- but it's the larger than life guys like Berk, Borock, Veryzl, Evans, Zurzolo etc. and have national recognition that you hope will speak out. I think a lot of people here know who you are, but I'm looking for some of the legends to speak out.

 

That being said, it's probably incumbent on all of us who care to try and make a change.

 

Brian-

 

What would you like me to do?

 

I work with Heritage and treat all my consigners & bidders very well. I have not seen any SHILL bidding at HA and HA all reports high and low sales. HA leaves up archives. You might not agree with everything HA does, but, you know me pretty well, and, I hope, you know that I do the best for everyone, even people who are not clients. This is my hobby and community.

 

I work with Heritage because it's as open as an auction house can be without giving the names of the bidders and consigners. Auctions have always been protective of their clients, they are also, here to stay.

 

BTW, before I go on, just to address this single other issue.... before I worked at HA, I won some art way under my max bid and lost many way above my max bid. I am sure that there are many here on the boards that can tell you the same.

 

I am not going to go around on the internet and make usumptions about what people are doing within their business, when I do not know all the inner workings. What can I do about Doug's, Josh's, Vinnie/Steve's, Brent's business (auctions) when I don't know what's going on. Do you just want me to assume? Everthing, until there is proof, is hearsay. You know that.

 

I think I speak up plenty, when I have [font:Arial Black]facts[/font]. In the JE thread, I asked for proof, [font:Arial Black]no one[/font] would give it to me. Many said it's there, but can't show me. If you were my lawyer, what would you tell me to do? I can only work with what I have. I have spoken out against crooks that I have proof of and have saved many collectors thousands and thousands of dollars doing so.

 

I have been talking with many about resto/grading classes so collectors can buy raw from the "good" sellers. This is about my hobby, not my biz.

 

I also believe that George does a great job with GPA. I also believe that he should make it mandatory that, if you give him sales data, it should be 100% of your sales, if he were to find out they do not, they should not be allowed to give price data. I believe this is what George asks and that's why it would suck for people to leave off any sales if they are GPA partners.

 

So, once again, I ask you, what else can I do?

[EastEnd]

As Richard said, some of you are throwing the baby out with the bathwater. George (Jive) brings up issues of poor customer service, lack of good results and a generally non-caring attitude.

 

Auction companies provide a service. Some only have the almighty dollar in their heads and don't care if 10 copies of a big key in the same grade are in the same auction even if that bastardizes the prices acheived on that book. Not all auction houses are created equal and not all auction houses treat their customers the same.

 

It's nice to expand on Pedigree's shady dealings and say let's boycott auctions, or let's boycott consigning, or let's form our own auction house, but I think that the reaction is misplaced. Pedigree Comics should be the target of your boycotts, not Comiclink or Heritage or Comic Connect or us for that matter. If any of those other companies have also done these same things, then maybe those auction houses should be boycotted.

 

Somehow Auction houses have become a dirty word. And I'm not sure why. Quality Comix charges 7% for any CGC certified book. That is lower than any other legitimate auction house. We spend a great deal of money on advertising and building the Quality Comix brand. We have a professional shipping department. We have generally responsive customer service. We have a professional looking, easy to use website that we are constantly updating. All of these things cost money. We also disclose any work that has been done to a comic that we sell and we request our consignors do the same.

 

I believe that there are quite a few auction web sites that boardies are currently using that you guys could take over and make big, if that is your choice. And I think they don't charge much.

 

You will run into problems when you have an auction and the book is not "in house". Someone wins the book for less than what they want and the book is never shipped out or "sold" somewhere else. Shilling will take place. Friends will buy books back for their friends. Non-disclosure will happen and so on. Auction Nirvana won't happen with your own auctions either, but maybe it will be a better venture than what is currently in the marketplace.

 

Well said, I agree competely... if anything should be done it should be focused on the seller at hand who appears to have a history of shenanigans and just doesn't seem to get it.

[MrBedrock]

I will always vote with my wallet, but I'm suggesting we can also tell the various auction houses what they can do (assuming they aren't doing it already) to keep us as customers going forward.

I vote with my wallet when I buy stuff.

But in the case of trying to resolve an issue of customer service, policy or some other problem I just think a phone call is preferable to rounding up a posse.

[qualitycomix]

As Richard said, some of you are throwing the baby out with the bathwater. George (Jive) brings up issues of poor customer service, lack of good results and a generally non-caring attitude.

 

Auction companies provide a service. Some only have the almighty dollar in their heads and don't care if 10 copies of a big key in the same grade are in the same auction even if that bastardizes the prices acheived on that book. Not all auction houses are created equal and not all auction houses treat their customers the same.

 

It's nice to expand on Pedigree's shady dealings and say let's boycott auctions, or let's boycott consigning, or let's form our own auction house, but I think that the reaction is misplaced. Pedigree Comics should be the target of your boycotts, not Comiclink or Heritage or Comic Connect or us for that matter. If any of those other companies have also done these same things, then maybe those auction houses should be boycotted.

 

Somehow Auction houses have become a dirty word. And I'm not sure why. Quality Comix charges 7% for any CGC certified book. That is lower than any other legitimate auction house. We spend a great deal of money on advertising and building the Quality Comix brand. We have a professional shipping department. We have generally responsive customer service. We have a professional looking, easy to use website that we are constantly updating. All of these things cost money. We also disclose any work that has been done to a comic that we sell and we request our consignors do the same.

 

I believe that there are quite a few auction web sites that boardies are currently using that you guys could take over and make big, if that is your choice. And I think they don't charge much.

 

You will run into problems when you have an auction and the book is not "in house". Someone wins the book for less than what they want and the book is never shipped out or "sold" somewhere else. Shilling will take place. Friends will buy books back for their friends. Non-disclosure will happen and so on. Auction Nirvana won't happen with your own auctions either, but maybe it will be a better venture than what is currently in the marketplace.

 

Pressing will "happen" too Brent, but some people have chosen to Disclose it, while others do not. You of all people should know this.

 

Shilling will happen too, but an auction house can proactively say they have done this, this, and this to try and disuade the practice.

 

I'm not trying to take cheap shots at anyone, but there is room for improvement with most of the major auction houses. However, if one steps forward and voluntarily and proactively "raises the standard", that would only be a good thing.

 

 

 

We already have, but I'm not sure what good that does unless you either a) trust the auction company or b) have a third party verify things.

 

For instance, we record IP addresses on bids to minimize shilling. Of course, there is IP masking etc. but it is a step in the right direction.

 

All of our auctions go into our auction archive.

 

Bidding history is available for those who bid on that lot.

[Dale Roberts]

As Richard said, some of you are throwing the baby out with the bathwater. George (Jive) brings up issues of poor customer service, lack of good results and a generally non-caring attitude.

 

Auction companies provide a service. Some only have the almighty dollar in their heads and don't care if 10 copies of a big key in the same grade are in the same auction even if that bastardizes the prices acheived on that book. Not all auction houses are created equal and not all auction houses treat their customers the same.

 

It's nice to expand on Pedigree's shady dealings and say let's boycott auctions, or let's boycott consigning, or let's form our own auction house, but I think that the reaction is misplaced. Pedigree Comics should be the target of your boycotts, not Comiclink or Heritage or Comic Connect or us for that matter. If any of those other companies have also done these same things, then maybe those auction houses should be boycotted.

 

Somehow Auction houses have become a dirty word. And I'm not sure why. Quality Comix charges 7% for any CGC certified book. That is lower than any other legitimate auction house. We spend a great deal of money on advertising and building the Quality Comix brand. We have a professional shipping department. We have generally responsive customer service. We have a professional looking, easy to use website that we are constantly updating. All of these things cost money. We also disclose any work that has been done to a comic that we sell and we request our consignors do the same.

 

I believe that there are quite a few auction web sites that boardies are currently using that you guys could take over and make big, if that is your choice. And I think they don't charge much.

 

You will run into problems when you have an auction and the book is not "in house". Someone wins the book for less than what they want and the book is never shipped out or "sold" somewhere else. Shilling will take place. Friends will buy books back for their friends. Non-disclosure will happen and so on. Auction Nirvana won't happen with your own auctions either, but maybe it will be a better venture than what is currently in the marketplace.

 

The reason auction houses have a bad name is because of greed. Greed by the auction house ( in which they feel the need to constantly run more auctions than the market can handle, and list multiple books in the same grade as George mentioned), and greed by the sellers who shill up there own books.

 

Doesn't matter to the auction house, 7-10% of someone else's money is great. Very little overhead, just flip and move, and the more auctions you run, the more money pours into your pockets, and who cares what happens to the market. I mean, seriously, does the auction house care if my book only brings $100, instead of $150. It is still money going into their pockets and if they don't get enough, they will run 2 auctions next month instead of just one.

 

And EVERY auction house is a victim of shilling. It is the nature of the beast and it can't be stopped. So every auction is potentially manipulated, whether it is by the auction house owner(as some have accused), or the seller of the book.

[MrBedrock]

As Richard said, some of you are throwing the baby out with the bathwater. George (Jive) brings up issues of poor customer service, lack of good results and a generally non-caring attitude.

 

Auction companies provide a service. Some only have the almighty dollar in their heads and don't care if 10 copies of a big key in the same grade are in the same auction even if that bastardizes the prices acheived on that book. Not all auction houses are created equal and not all auction houses treat their customers the same.

 

It's nice to expand on Pedigree's shady dealings and say let's boycott auctions, or let's boycott consigning, or let's form our own auction house, but I think that the reaction is misplaced. Pedigree Comics should be the target of your boycotts, not Comiclink or Heritage or Comic Connect or us for that matter. If any of those other companies have also done these same things, then maybe those auction houses should be boycotted.

 

Somehow Auction houses have become a dirty word. And I'm not sure why. Quality Comix charges 7% for any CGC certified book. That is lower than any other legitimate auction house. We spend a great deal of money on advertising and building the Quality Comix brand. We have a professional shipping department. We have generally responsive customer service. We have a professional looking, easy to use website that we are constantly updating. All of these things cost money. We also disclose any work that has been done to a comic that we sell and we request our consignors do the same.

 

I believe that there are quite a few auction web sites that boardies are currently using that you guys could take over and make big, if that is your choice. And I think they don't charge much.

 

You will run into problems when you have an auction and the book is not "in house". Someone wins the book for less than what they want and the book is never shipped out or "sold" somewhere else. Shilling will take place. Friends will buy books back for their friends. Non-disclosure will happen and so on. Auction Nirvana won't happen with your own auctions either, but maybe it will be a better venture than what is currently in the marketplace.

 

The reason auction houses have a bad name is because of greed. Greed by the auction house ( in which they feel the need to constantly run more auctions than the market can handle, and list multiple books in the same grade as George mentioned), and greed by the sellers who shill up there own books.

 

Doesn't matter to the auction house, 7-10% of someone else's money is great. Very little overhead, just flip and move, and the more auctions you run, the more money pours into your pockets, and who cares what happens to the market. I mean, seriously, does the auction house care if my book only brings $100, instead of $150. It is still money going into their pockets and if they don't get enough, they will run 2 auctions next month instead of just one.

 

And EVERY auction house is a victim of shilling. It is the nature of the beast and it can't be stopped. So every auction is potentially manipulated, whether it is by the auction house owner(as some have accused), or the seller of the book.

On the flip side...how many of us have called a friend and said "Hey, I'm going to bid on such-and-such book. Will you please lay off of that one?" I've done it. I admit it.

 

Isn't that manipulative? Isn't that unfair to consignors, the auction house and the hobby as a whole?

 

I think I just might have to boycott myself as an unethical bidder!

[Dale Roberts]

As Richard said, some of you are throwing the baby out with the bathwater. George (Jive) brings up issues of poor customer service, lack of good results and a generally non-caring attitude.

 

Auction companies provide a service. Some only have the almighty dollar in their heads and don't care if 10 copies of a big key in the same grade are in the same auction even if that bastardizes the prices acheived on that book. Not all auction houses are created equal and not all auction houses treat their customers the same.

 

It's nice to expand on Pedigree's shady dealings and say let's boycott auctions, or let's boycott consigning, or let's form our own auction house, but I think that the reaction is misplaced. Pedigree Comics should be the target of your boycotts, not Comiclink or Heritage or Comic Connect or us for that matter. If any of those other companies have also done these same things, then maybe those auction houses should be boycotted.

 

Somehow Auction houses have become a dirty word. And I'm not sure why. Quality Comix charges 7% for any CGC certified book. That is lower than any other legitimate auction house. We spend a great deal of money on advertising and building the Quality Comix brand. We have a professional shipping department. We have generally responsive customer service. We have a professional looking, easy to use website that we are constantly updating. All of these things cost money. We also disclose any work that has been done to a comic that we sell and we request our consignors do the same.

 

I believe that there are quite a few auction web sites that boardies are currently using that you guys could take over and make big, if that is your choice. And I think they don't charge much.

 

You will run into problems when you have an auction and the book is not "in house". Someone wins the book for less than what they want and the book is never shipped out or "sold" somewhere else. Shilling will take place. Friends will buy books back for their friends. Non-disclosure will happen and so on. Auction Nirvana won't happen with your own auctions either, but maybe it will be a better venture than what is currently in the marketplace.

 

The reason auction houses have a bad name is because of greed. Greed by the auction house ( in which they feel the need to constantly run more auctions than the market can handle, and list multiple books in the same grade as George mentioned), and greed by the sellers who shill up there own books.

 

Doesn't matter to the auction house, 7-10% of someone else's money is great. Very little overhead, just flip and move, and the more auctions you run, the more money pours into your pockets, and who cares what happens to the market. I mean, seriously, does the auction house care if my book only brings $100, instead of $150. It is still money going into their pockets and if they don't get enough, they will run 2 auctions next month instead of just one.

 

And EVERY auction house is a victim of shilling. It is the nature of the beast and it can't be stopped. So every auction is potentially manipulated, whether it is by the auction house owner(as some have accused), or the seller of the book.

On the flip side...how many of us have called a friend and said "Hey, I'm going to bid on such-and-such book. Will you please lay off of that one?" I've done it. I admit it.

 

Isn't that manipulative? Isn't that unfair to consignors, the auction house and the hobby as a whole?

 

I think I just might have to boycott myself as an unethical bidder!

 

you are a fool, but I wouldn't call you unethical

[qualitycomix]

As Richard said, some of you are throwing the baby out with the bathwater. George (Jive) brings up issues of poor customer service, lack of good results and a generally non-caring attitude.

 

Auction companies provide a service. Some only have the almighty dollar in their heads and don't care if 10 copies of a big key in the same grade are in the same auction even if that bastardizes the prices acheived on that book. Not all auction houses are created equal and not all auction houses treat their customers the same.

 

It's nice to expand on Pedigree's shady dealings and say let's boycott auctions, or let's boycott consigning, or let's form our own auction house, but I think that the reaction is misplaced. Pedigree Comics should be the target of your boycotts, not Comiclink or Heritage or Comic Connect or us for that matter. If any of those other companies have also done these same things, then maybe those auction houses should be boycotted.

 

Somehow Auction houses have become a dirty word. And I'm not sure why. Quality Comix charges 7% for any CGC certified book. That is lower than any other legitimate auction house. We spend a great deal of money on advertising and building the Quality Comix brand. We have a professional shipping department. We have generally responsive customer service. We have a professional looking, easy to use website that we are constantly updating. All of these things cost money. We also disclose any work that has been done to a comic that we sell and we request our consignors do the same.

 

I believe that there are quite a few auction web sites that boardies are currently using that you guys could take over and make big, if that is your choice. And I think they don't charge much.

 

You will run into problems when you have an auction and the book is not "in house". Someone wins the book for less than what they want and the book is never shipped out or "sold" somewhere else. Shilling will take place. Friends will buy books back for their friends. Non-disclosure will happen and so on. Auction Nirvana won't happen with your own auctions either, but maybe it will be a better venture than what is currently in the marketplace.

 

The reason auction houses have a bad name is because of greed. Greed by the auction house ( in which they feel the need to constantly run more auctions than the market can handle, and list multiple books in the same grade as George mentioned), and greed by the sellers who shill up there own books.

 

Doesn't matter to the auction house, 7-10% of someone else's money is great. Very little overhead, just flip and move, and the more auctions you run, the more money pours into your pockets, and who cares what happens to the market. I mean, seriously, does the auction house care if my book only brings $100, instead of $150. It is still money going into their pockets and if they don't get enough, they will run 2 auctions next month instead of just one.

 

And EVERY auction house is a victim of shilling. It is the nature of the beast and it can't be stopped. So every auction is potentially manipulated, whether it is by the auction house owner(as some have accused), or the seller of the book.

 

Yes, and in this economic environment, a book's sale price is more random. That's why on more expensive books, we allow reasonable reserves. Many auction houses (1 in particular) do not do this because they don't make their commission if they allow reserves.

 

We would rather the consignor not sell the book if it's far under what he's comfortable selling the book for because if he's not happy with the results he won't be selling in auctions anytime soon.

 

That is evidenced by what Jive has said and I think you've been hurt some too Dale on your books at auction. The competition when there's 4,000 books that you're competing for bidders dollars with is fierce. There's just not enough money to go around and stuffing auctions with as many books as possible is just not the way to go, is irresponsible and very short sighted. But that will shake itself out when consignors don't get the numbers they are looking for and stop consigning.

 

And yes, QC cares if your book is a $150 book and only brings $100. Doesn't change the fact the book brings what it brings in this economic environment, but in talking with the consignor, there may be ways we can better describe, better market and achieve higher prices for similar books in the future. We are constantly building a better mousetrap and looking at the bigger picture rather than short term gains will eventually lead to a better auction for both consignors and bidders.

[Dale Roberts]

As Richard said, some of you are throwing the baby out with the bathwater. George (Jive) brings up issues of poor customer service, lack of good results and a generally non-caring attitude.

 

Auction companies provide a service. Some only have the almighty dollar in their heads and don't care if 10 copies of a big key in the same grade are in the same auction even if that bastardizes the prices acheived on that book. Not all auction houses are created equal and not all auction houses treat their customers the same.

 

It's nice to expand on Pedigree's shady dealings and say let's boycott auctions, or let's boycott consigning, or let's form our own auction house, but I think that the reaction is misplaced. Pedigree Comics should be the target of your boycotts, not Comiclink or Heritage or Comic Connect or us for that matter. If any of those other companies have also done these same things, then maybe those auction houses should be boycotted.

 

Somehow Auction houses have become a dirty word. And I'm not sure why. Quality Comix charges 7% for any CGC certified book. That is lower than any other legitimate auction house. We spend a great deal of money on advertising and building the Quality Comix brand. We have a professional shipping department. We have generally responsive customer service. We have a professional looking, easy to use website that we are constantly updating. All of these things cost money. We also disclose any work that has been done to a comic that we sell and we request our consignors do the same.

I believe that there are quite a few auction web sites that boardies are currently using that you guys could take over and make big, if that is your choice. And I think they don't charge much.

 

You will run into problems when you have an auction and the book is not "in house". Someone wins the book for less than what they want and the book is never shipped out or "sold" somewhere else. Shilling will take place. Friends will buy books back for their friends. Non-disclosure will happen and so on. Auction Nirvana won't happen with your own auctions either, but maybe it will be a better venture than what is currently in the marketplace.

 

Anyone else notice how Brent worked in a nice little Quality Comics advertising there. I think you have been spending too much time with Zaid.

[qualitycomix]

As Richard said, some of you are throwing the baby out with the bathwater. George (Jive) brings up issues of poor customer service, lack of good results and a generally non-caring attitude.

 

Auction companies provide a service. Some only have the almighty dollar in their heads and don't care if 10 copies of a big key in the same grade are in the same auction even if that bastardizes the prices acheived on that book. Not all auction houses are created equal and not all auction houses treat their customers the same.

 

It's nice to expand on Pedigree's shady dealings and say let's boycott auctions, or let's boycott consigning, or let's form our own auction house, but I think that the reaction is misplaced. Pedigree Comics should be the target of your boycotts, not Comiclink or Heritage or Comic Connect or us for that matter. If any of those other companies have also done these same things, then maybe those auction houses should be boycotted.

 

Somehow Auction houses have become a dirty word. And I'm not sure why. Quality Comix charges 7% for any CGC certified book. That is lower than any other legitimate auction house. We spend a great deal of money on advertising and building the Quality Comix brand. We have a professional shipping department. We have generally responsive customer service. We have a professional looking, easy to use website that we are constantly updating. All of these things cost money. We also disclose any work that has been done to a comic that we sell and we request our consignors do the same.

I believe that there are quite a few auction web sites that boardies are currently using that you guys could take over and make big, if that is your choice. And I think they don't charge much.

 

You will run into problems when you have an auction and the book is not "in house". Someone wins the book for less than what they want and the book is never shipped out or "sold" somewhere else. Shilling will take place. Friends will buy books back for their friends. Non-disclosure will happen and so on. Auction Nirvana won't happen with your own auctions either, but maybe it will be a better venture than what is currently in the marketplace.

 

Anyone else notice how Brent worked in a nice little Quality Comics advertising there. I think you have been spending too much time with Zaid.

 

Since all auction houses were being disparaged and they were discussing boycotting them for various reasons, I felt it necessary to describe what we have done to address these issues ALREADY.

 

Maybe Zaid has some pointers for me?

[MCMiles]

sad to say, but it looks like eBay is the way to go.

(thumbs u

 

If sellers establish themselves there and bring the right books then the customers and bids will come also. The fees are less than 10% after about $150 too.

 

The biggest problems there are deadbeat bidders.

 

Obviously people can, and will, still shill there, but as Cheetah said, at least they don't "allow" it, and try to prevent it. That also comes down to trusting who you are buying from.

 

One thing for sure, at least there is no way at all the seller can see your max bid and use it against you.

 

 

 

 

 

[Dale Roberts]

As Richard said, some of you are throwing the baby out with the bathwater. George (Jive) brings up issues of poor customer service, lack of good results and a generally non-caring attitude.

 

Auction companies provide a service. Some only have the almighty dollar in their heads and don't care if 10 copies of a big key in the same grade are in the same auction even if that bastardizes the prices acheived on that book. Not all auction houses are created equal and not all auction houses treat their customers the same.

 

It's nice to expand on Pedigree's shady dealings and say let's boycott auctions, or let's boycott consigning, or let's form our own auction house, but I think that the reaction is misplaced. Pedigree Comics should be the target of your boycotts, not Comiclink or Heritage or Comic Connect or us for that matter. If any of those other companies have also done these same things, then maybe those auction houses should be boycotted.

 

Somehow Auction houses have become a dirty word. And I'm not sure why. Quality Comix charges 7% for any CGC certified book. That is lower than any other legitimate auction house. We spend a great deal of money on advertising and building the Quality Comix brand. We have a professional shipping department. We have generally responsive customer service. We have a professional looking, easy to use website that we are constantly updating. All of these things cost money. We also disclose any work that has been done to a comic that we sell and we request our consignors do the same.

 

I believe that there are quite a few auction web sites that boardies are currently using that you guys could take over and make big, if that is your choice. And I think they don't charge much.

 

You will run into problems when you have an auction and the book is not "in house". Someone wins the book for less than what they want and the book is never shipped out or "sold" somewhere else. Shilling will take place. Friends will buy books back for their friends. Non-disclosure will happen and so on. Auction Nirvana won't happen with your own auctions either, but maybe it will be a better venture than what is currently in the marketplace.

 

The reason auction houses have a bad name is because of greed. Greed by the auction house ( in which they feel the need to constantly run more auctions than the market can handle, and list multiple books in the same grade as George mentioned), and greed by the sellers who shill up there own books.

 

Doesn't matter to the auction house, 7-10% of someone else's money is great. Very little overhead, just flip and move, and the more auctions you run, the more money pours into your pockets, and who cares what happens to the market. I mean, seriously, does the auction house care if my book only brings $100, instead of $150. It is still money going into their pockets and if they don't get enough, they will run 2 auctions next month instead of just one.

 

And EVERY auction house is a victim of shilling. It is the nature of the beast and it can't be stopped. So every auction is potentially manipulated, whether it is by the auction house owner(as some have accused), or the seller of the book.

 

Yes, and in this economic environment, a book's sale price is more random. That's why on more expensive books, we allow reasonable reserves. Many auction houses (1 in particular) do not do this because they don't make their commission if they allow reserves.

 

We would rather the consignor not sell the book if it's far under what he's comfortable selling the book for because if he's not happy with the results he won't be selling in auctions anytime soon.

 

That is evidenced by what Jive has said and I think you've been hurt some too Dale on your books at auction. The competition when there's 4,000 books that you're competing for bidders dollars with is fierce. There's just not enough money to go around and stuffing auctions with as many books as possible is just not the way to go, is irresponsible and very short sighted. But that will shake itself out when consignors don't get the numbers they are looking for and stop consigning.

 

And yes, QC cares if your book is a $150 book and only brings $100. Doesn't change the fact the book brings what it brings in this economic environment, but in talking with the consignor, there may be ways we can better describe, better market and achieve higher prices for similar books in the future. We are constantly building a better mousetrap and looking at the bigger picture rather than short term gains will eventually lead to a better auction for both consignors and bidders.

 

I don't buy it Brent. If you have an auction and you get 4500 books consigned, you are not going to turn them away just because you think it is too many books for the auction. Am I wrong?

 

And I am not talking about any individual auction house. Look at November, Mound City, you, Comiclink, Comic Connect, Heritage runs auctions every week. How much is enough? What about right now? From the middle of January to the middle of February, how many millions of dollars of comic auctions are running? It is beyond conception.

 

And you know what is the worst, 90% of the books won't reach previous market value.

[Dale Roberts]

As Richard said, some of you are throwing the baby out with the bathwater. George (Jive) brings up issues of poor customer service, lack of good results and a generally non-caring attitude.

 

Auction companies provide a service. Some only have the almighty dollar in their heads and don't care if 10 copies of a big key in the same grade are in the same auction even if that bastardizes the prices acheived on that book. Not all auction houses are created equal and not all auction houses treat their customers the same.

 

It's nice to expand on Pedigree's shady dealings and say let's boycott auctions, or let's boycott consigning, or let's form our own auction house, but I think that the reaction is misplaced. Pedigree Comics should be the target of your boycotts, not Comiclink or Heritage or Comic Connect or us for that matter. If any of those other companies have also done these same things, then maybe those auction houses should be boycotted.

 

Somehow Auction houses have become a dirty word. And I'm not sure why. Quality Comix charges 7% for any CGC certified book. That is lower than any other legitimate auction house. We spend a great deal of money on advertising and building the Quality Comix brand. We have a professional shipping department. We have generally responsive customer service. We have a professional looking, easy to use website that we are constantly updating. All of these things cost money. We also disclose any work that has been done to a comic that we sell and we request our consignors do the same.

I believe that there are quite a few auction web sites that boardies are currently using that you guys could take over and make big, if that is your choice. And I think they don't charge much.

 

You will run into problems when you have an auction and the book is not "in house". Someone wins the book for less than what they want and the book is never shipped out or "sold" somewhere else. Shilling will take place. Friends will buy books back for their friends. Non-disclosure will happen and so on. Auction Nirvana won't happen with your own auctions either, but maybe it will be a better venture than what is currently in the marketplace.

 

Anyone else notice how Brent worked in a nice little Quality Comics advertising there. I think you have been spending too much time with Zaid.

 

Since all auction houses were being disparaged and they were discussing boycotting them for various reasons, I felt it necessary to describe what we have done to address these issues ALREADY.

 

Maybe Zaid has some pointers for me?

 

Now that is a scary thought....

[MrBedrock]

Maybe Zaid has some pointers for me?

He does. Afterall...Zaid is a lawyer...

[Dale Roberts]

Maybe Zaid has some pointers for me?

He does. Afterall...Zaid is a lawyer...

 

and deals with National Security issues on a regular basis.

[qualitycomix]

Maybe Zaid has some pointers for me?

He does. Afterall...Zaid is a lawyer...

 

and deals with National Security issues on a regular basis.

 

[qualitycomix]

As Richard said, some of you are throwing the baby out with the bathwater. George (Jive) brings up issues of poor customer service, lack of good results and a generally non-caring attitude.

 

Auction companies provide a service. Some only have the almighty dollar in their heads and don't care if 10 copies of a big key in the same grade are in the same auction even if that bastardizes the prices acheived on that book. Not all auction houses are created equal and not all auction houses treat their customers the same.

 

It's nice to expand on Pedigree's shady dealings and say let's boycott auctions, or let's boycott consigning, or let's form our own auction house, but I think that the reaction is misplaced. Pedigree Comics should be the target of your boycotts, not Comiclink or Heritage or Comic Connect or us for that matter. If any of those other companies have also done these same things, then maybe those auction houses should be boycotted.

 

Somehow Auction houses have become a dirty word. And I'm not sure why. Quality Comix charges 7% for any CGC certified book. That is lower than any other legitimate auction house. We spend a great deal of money on advertising and building the Quality Comix brand. We have a professional shipping department. We have generally responsive customer service. We have a professional looking, easy to use website that we are constantly updating. All of these things cost money. We also disclose any work that has been done to a comic that we sell and we request our consignors do the same.

 

I believe that there are quite a few auction web sites that boardies are currently using that you guys could take over and make big, if that is your choice. And I think they don't charge much.

 

You will run into problems when you have an auction and the book is not "in house". Someone wins the book for less than what they want and the book is never shipped out or "sold" somewhere else. Shilling will take place. Friends will buy books back for their friends. Non-disclosure will happen and so on. Auction Nirvana won't happen with your own auctions either, but maybe it will be a better venture than what is currently in the marketplace.

 

The reason auction houses have a bad name is because of greed. Greed by the auction house ( in which they feel the need to constantly run more auctions than the market can handle, and list multiple books in the same grade as George mentioned), and greed by the sellers who shill up there own books.

 

Doesn't matter to the auction house, 7-10% of someone else's money is great. Very little overhead, just flip and move, and the more auctions you run, the more money pours into your pockets, and who cares what happens to the market. I mean, seriously, does the auction house care if my book only brings $100, instead of $150. It is still money going into their pockets and if they don't get enough, they will run 2 auctions next month instead of just one.

 

And EVERY auction house is a victim of shilling. It is the nature of the beast and it can't be stopped. So every auction is potentially manipulated, whether it is by the auction house owner(as some have accused), or the seller of the book.

 

Yes, and in this economic environment, a book's sale price is more random. That's why on more expensive books, we allow reasonable reserves. Many auction houses (1 in particular) do not do this because they don't make their commission if they allow reserves.

 

We would rather the consignor not sell the book if it's far under what he's comfortable selling the book for because if he's not happy with the results he won't be selling in auctions anytime soon.

 

That is evidenced by what Jive has said and I think you've been hurt some too Dale on your books at auction. The competition when there's 4,000 books that you're competing for bidders dollars with is fierce. There's just not enough money to go around and stuffing auctions with as many books as possible is just not the way to go, is irresponsible and very short sighted. But that will shake itself out when consignors don't get the numbers they are looking for and stop consigning.

 

And yes, QC cares if your book is a $150 book and only brings $100. Doesn't change the fact the book brings what it brings in this economic environment, but in talking with the consignor, there may be ways we can better describe, better market and achieve higher prices for similar books in the future. We are constantly building a better mousetrap and looking at the bigger picture rather than short term gains will eventually lead to a better auction for both consignors and bidders.

 

I don't buy it Brent. If you have an auction and you get 4500 books consigned, you are not going to turn them away just because you think it is too many books for the auction. Am I wrong?

 

And I am not talking about any individual auction house. Look at November, Mound City, you, Comiclink, Comic Connect, Heritage runs auctions every week. How much is enough? What about right now? From the middle of January to the middle of February, how many millions of dollars of comic auctions are running? It is beyond conception.

 

And you know what is the worst, 90% of the books won't reach previous market value.

 

The coin market is primarily an auction market now. Sure there are small dealers, but the business model of selling retail is basically dead from my understanding.

 

The comic market will follow. The only difference is that it will happen FASTER due to the current economic climate.

 

[NewWorldOrder]

 

The comic market will follow. The only difference is that it will happen FASTER due to the current economic climate.

 

Disagree completely.

 

"raw' books will always sell much better in person.

 

There is nothing much different as far as on-line auctions as there was 5 years ago.

 

 

 

 

[Dale Roberts]

As Richard said, some of you are throwing the baby out with the bathwater. George (Jive) brings up issues of poor customer service, lack of good results and a generally non-caring attitude.

 

Auction companies provide a service. Some only have the almighty dollar in their heads and don't care if 10 copies of a big key in the same grade are in the same auction even if that bastardizes the prices acheived on that book. Not all auction houses are created equal and not all auction houses treat their customers the same.

 

It's nice to expand on Pedigree's shady dealings and say let's boycott auctions, or let's boycott consigning, or let's form our own auction house, but I think that the reaction is misplaced. Pedigree Comics should be the target of your boycotts, not Comiclink or Heritage or Comic Connect or us for that matter. If any of those other companies have also done these same things, then maybe those auction houses should be boycotted.

 

Somehow Auction houses have become a dirty word. And I'm not sure why. Quality Comix charges 7% for any CGC certified book. That is lower than any other legitimate auction house. We spend a great deal of money on advertising and building the Quality Comix brand. We have a professional shipping department. We have generally responsive customer service. We have a professional looking, easy to use website that we are constantly updating. All of these things cost money. We also disclose any work that has been done to a comic that we sell and we request our consignors do the same.

 

I believe that there are quite a few auction web sites that boardies are currently using that you guys could take over and make big, if that is your choice. And I think they don't charge much.

 

You will run into problems when you have an auction and the book is not "in house". Someone wins the book for less than what they want and the book is never shipped out or "sold" somewhere else. Shilling will take place. Friends will buy books back for their friends. Non-disclosure will happen and so on. Auction Nirvana won't happen with your own auctions either, but maybe it will be a better venture than what is currently in the marketplace.

 

The reason auction houses have a bad name is because of greed. Greed by the auction house ( in which they feel the need to constantly run more auctions than the market can handle, and list multiple books in the same grade as George mentioned), and greed by the sellers who shill up there own books.

 

Doesn't matter to the auction house, 7-10% of someone else's money is great. Very little overhead, just flip and move, and the more auctions you run, the more money pours into your pockets, and who cares what happens to the market. I mean, seriously, does the auction house care if my book only brings $100, instead of $150. It is still money going into their pockets and if they don't get enough, they will run 2 auctions next month instead of just one.

 

And EVERY auction house is a victim of shilling. It is the nature of the beast and it can't be stopped. So every auction is potentially manipulated, whether it is by the auction house owner(as some have accused), or the seller of the book.

 

Yes, and in this economic environment, a book's sale price is more random. That's why on more expensive books, we allow reasonable reserves. Many auction houses (1 in particular) do not do this because they don't make their commission if they allow reserves.

 

We would rather the consignor not sell the book if it's far under what he's comfortable selling the book for because if he's not happy with the results he won't be selling in auctions anytime soon.

 

That is evidenced by what Jive has said and I think you've been hurt some too Dale on your books at auction. The competition when there's 4,000 books that you're competing for bidders dollars with is fierce. There's just not enough money to go around and stuffing auctions with as many books as possible is just not the way to go, is irresponsible and very short sighted. But that will shake itself out when consignors don't get the numbers they are looking for and stop consigning.

 

And yes, QC cares if your book is a $150 book and only brings $100. Doesn't change the fact the book brings what it brings in this economic environment, but in talking with the consignor, there may be ways we can better describe, better market and achieve higher prices for similar books in the future. We are constantly building a better mousetrap and looking at the bigger picture rather than short term gains will eventually lead to a better auction for both consignors and bidders.

 

I don't buy it Brent. If you have an auction and you get 4500 books consigned, you are not going to turn them away just because you think it is too many books for the auction. Am I wrong?

 

And I am not talking about any individual auction house. Look at November, Mound City, you, Comiclink, Comic Connect, Heritage runs auctions every week. How much is enough? What about right now? From the middle of January to the middle of February, how many millions of dollars of comic auctions are running? It is beyond conception.

 

And you know what is the worst, 90% of the books won't reach previous market value.

 

The coin market is primarily an auction market now. Sure there are small dealers, but the business model of selling retail is basically dead from my understanding.

 

The comic market will follow. The only difference is that it will happen FASTER due to the current economic climate.

 

Wow, I don't even know what to say to this other than I can't express how wrong I think you are.

 

[qualitycomix]

What specifically am I wrong about?