Do you still use ebay?

[RockMyAmadeus]

If you're a buyer, and can cope with the 50-75% overgrading rate, then yes, it's a great place to buy. As .5 said, the vast, vast majority of my collection would not exist without it.

 

If you're a seller and want to quickly rid yourself of everything you own, with no consideration for price, it's a great place to sell.

 

If you want reasonable prices for your stuff, it's an ok place to sell. Not great, because everyone wants to pay lowest price always (which drives the whole market down), but not horrible, and the worldwide exposure cannot be beat.

 

Sadly...it's eBay.

[Mr. Zipper]

I've been getting some outstanding deals on ebay as of late. Not major books, but well graded bronze for essentially wholesale pricing. If you play your cards right and know what to look for, you can usually avoid significantly overgraded books.

[lizards2]

If you're a buyer, and can cope with the 50-75% overgrading rate, then yes, it's a great place to buy. As .5 said, the vast, vast majority of my collection would not exist without it.

 

If you're a seller and want to quickly rid yourself of everything you own, with no consideration for price, it's a great place to sell.

 

If you want reasonable prices for your stuff, it's an ok place to sell. Not great, because everyone wants to pay lowest price always (which drives the whole market down), but not horrible, and the worldwide exposure cannot be beat.

 

Sadly...it's eBay.

 

Are you saying that 50-75% of the CGC slabs I buy on eBay are overgraded...., ?? :think:

 

I would have only estimated about 50% max.....,

[RockMyAmadeus]

I've been getting some outstanding deals on ebay as of late. Not major books, but well graded bronze for essentially wholesale pricing. If you play your cards right and know what to look for, you can usually avoid significantly overgraded books.

 

I actually had one of the biggest scores of my life on eBay recently. Raw book, described by an obvious non-collector as "mint condition, in plastic" or something to that effect....

 

...came back a 9.8. And it's a major, major Modern key.

 

Also had a Punisher mini lot graded "NM+", but was shipped badly in a flat rate envelope. #2 would have been fine, but got smacked pretty bad...#3-5 left the seller's hands no better than F/VF originally.

 

The #1, which had been triple bagged and multi boarded, somehow escaped shipping damage...and came back a 9.8.

 

So absolutely, there are tremendous deals to be had...but there's still tons of overgraded drek. I just got a Premiere lot that was graded VG+/F...and one of the books was water damaged along the spine, with mold on the inside covers and pages.

[taro90]

Very little, maybe a reasonably priced slab or a original art priced accordingly. But unlike a few years ago where everything I brought was from ebay. I've just got tired of buying overgraded raw books and sometimes overpriced slabs and original art. I was able to pick up similar types of items from CL and Heritage for about 30% less.

[Mr. Zipper]

I've just got tired of buying overgraded raw books and sometimes overpriced slabs and original art. I was able to pick up similar types of items from CL and Heritage for about 30% less.

 

You can occasionally get a great deal on a slab on ebay, but often it's like New Year's Eve. All the amateurs come out, pay way too much and act like drunken fools.

[Jeffro.]

I still use ebay but sparingly. I stick only to very high feedback sellers and sellers who are board members I've dealt with before.

[ciorac]

Just wondering, with all of the comic auctions around, do you still consider ebay a viable place to buy and sell comics?

 

— Rick

 

Yes, frequently

[comicwiz]

Just wondering, with all of the comic auctions around, do you still consider ebay a viable place to buy and sell comics?

 

— Rick

 

Sure. It seems to be bouncing back after everybody left for a while.

 

(thumbs u

 

I agree. Though, the most of trouble I've experienced, especially in recent months, has been with eBay policy. They are on the brink of irretrievably losing their grip on reality (and my fear is it will translate into pushing away more of the good sellers rather than the rotten) with their nitpicking and enforcement. Most recently, they ended one of my auctions because I indicated that I don't accept eChecks in the description. I've placed that restriction already in PayPal, and while my reasons might not agreeable to everyone, I thought it would make sense to avoid an altercation or waste any buyers time.

 

I modified the listing (removing the eCheck restriction from the description) and a few days later got a warning about my About Me page. I hadn't touched that page in a good 5-6 years. Apparently I had an external link to my online store (something I'm pretty sure was acceptable at one time, perhaps in the earlier days of eBay) and they were requesting the link be removed. It just seems like it's the kind of vigilance that is misdirected, and should be used instead to rid the real nonsense that goes on.

[comicwiz]

I've been getting some outstanding deals on ebay as of late. Not major books, but well graded bronze for essentially wholesale pricing. If you play your cards right and know what to look for, you can usually avoid significantly overgraded books.

 

I actually had one of the biggest scores of my life on eBay recently. Raw book, described by an obvious non-collector as "mint condition, in plastic" or something to that effect....

 

...came back a 9.8. And it's a major, major Modern key.

 

Also had a Punisher mini lot graded "NM+", but was shipped badly in a flat rate envelope. #2 would have been fine, but got smacked pretty bad...#3-5 left the seller's hands no better than F/VF originally.

 

The #1, which had been triple bagged and multi boarded, somehow escaped shipping damage...and came back a 9.8.

 

So absolutely, there are tremendous deals to be had...but there's still tons of overgraded drek. I just got a Premiere lot that was graded VG+/F...and one of the books was water damaged along the spine, with mold on the inside covers and pages.

 

Is the Punisher #1 the $1.50 cover price?

[scottish]

I sold my collection last year on eBay. Went very well or I should say better than I expected. Some deadbeat bidders, but a minuscule percentage versus volume sold.

 

I certainly learned that my grading and storage skills need some serious work in the raw department, but the CGC sales on the whole went without a hitch. A few damaged slabs thanks to the USPS.

 

As to shipping I eventually went with free shipping on all my auctions (within the USA). I mentioned in my auctions that I would work with buyers to find the lowest price to their location. I shipped a number of slabs to our frozen neighbors to the North and some shipped as cheaply as 9.00 or so and all reached their recipients.

 

I haven't bought anything in a while since I'm still looking for work, but it's still a good place to go for some good deals (on just about anything).

[batmiesta]

I find myself a lot more selective when using ebay, due to past bad buys, but you can still find the odd bargain now and again.

[Senormac]

Yea I do. The main thing I like about it is being able to seach for what I want and immediately get the auctions for that book, where as buying from the sellers board here takes WAY too long. I have to click on the thread......"Sam's Golden Age Good Stuff Sale".....(or whatever).......and hope I see something I want.....

then that I can afford......

then that hasn't been yet.

If this place had a way to search only for books I'm looking for......

 

Ebay still satisfies my mid-grade needs

[asteroid-comix]

Only to sell or buy slabs

[unmovedmover]

I've started up again (selling) trying to get rid of modern drek in bulk. I figure it's worth it to sell what i can for $.50-$1 in big lots before I dump what's left somewhere.

 

I'm amazed at how much usps shipping has gone up over the last few years though.

[lookwhoitis]

I am an Ebay Crackhead

[FlyingDonut]

I'll stay on eBay for all you guys - I'll be the one taking the bullet. How I suffer.

 

Seriously though - there is NO better marketplace to move books. None.

[JohnT]

I may give it a shot again. I have some books that I am having to part with in order to buy more GA. I just may throw them up tomorrow and see what happens.

 

— Rick

I wouldn't auction them. I would use a fixed price with the make an offer option. I would set a minimum offer you would take or you will be constantly getting g-man-ed.

 

Honestly, I peruse only Ebay auctions, not buy it nows..........

 

Yep. First thing I do is filter out the BINs.

[RockMyAmadeus]

I've been getting some outstanding deals on ebay as of late. Not major books, but well graded bronze for essentially wholesale pricing. If you play your cards right and know what to look for, you can usually avoid significantly overgraded books.

 

I actually had one of the biggest scores of my life on eBay recently. Raw book, described by an obvious non-collector as "mint condition, in plastic" or something to that effect....

 

...came back a 9.8. And it's a major, major Modern key.

 

Also had a Punisher mini lot graded "NM+", but was shipped badly in a flat rate envelope. #2 would have been fine, but got smacked pretty bad...#3-5 left the seller's hands no better than F/VF originally.

 

The #1, which had been triple bagged and multi boarded, somehow escaped shipping damage...and came back a 9.8.

 

So absolutely, there are tremendous deals to be had...but there's still tons of overgraded drek. I just got a Premiere lot that was graded VG+/F...and one of the books was water damaged along the spine, with mold on the inside covers and pages.

 

Is the Punisher #1 the $1.50 cover price?

 

No...I wish!

[JiveTurkeyMoFo]

I may give it a shot again. I have some books that I am having to part with in order to buy more GA. I just may throw them up tomorrow and see what happens.

 

— Rick

I wouldn't auction them. I would use a fixed price with the make an offer option. I would set a minimum offer you would take or you will be constantly getting g-man-ed.

 

Honestly, I peruse only Ebay auctions, not buy it nows..........

No problem there, but I've made some serious coin with the make an offer feature.

 

Buy it Now rules. There are still plenty of people out there who underprice their quality slabs, either because they don't have GPA or don't bother to use it.

 

Also, with ebay BIN's you can make use of all the various promotional discounts/cashbacks out there through affiliate sites (Bing.com, Bigcrumbs.com) as well as eBay Bucks and credit card cashback offers. I commonly can get another 12-14% off the BIN price when I stack my various cashbacks and discounts. On a $2,500 book, that could be $300+ easy....not shabby.

 

At the end of the day, eBay is still the home of the "average" collector, so while that will result in crappy grading and inadequate packing/shipping on the selling end of things, it also tends to result in a less savy, more impulsive sort of buyer who doesn't use GPA as a bible or frequent C-link or other comic sites with any regularity.