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The law of unintended consequences and this board re: Hulk #377 3rd

Started by RockMyAmadeus,

263 posts in this topic

RockMyAmadeus

RockMyAmadeus

Posted
Posted

So, a while back, we discussed the Hulk #377 3rd print. Tough book to find, but not a book that lots and lots of people are clamoring for. (yes, I'm leaving that as is.)

 

Then, and I have little doubt this is completely true, because of that very discussion a Hulk #377 3rd print showed up on eBay, here:

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=310249889863&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:US:1123

 

Bin was $44.95 for a VF copy (I don't know how to do the screen save thingie, so if someone else does, please feel free.)

 

We discussed it, and there were quite a few people interested in it, myself included. I noted that if it was $20, it would have been mine, simply because I don't have a copy (and I'm notoriously cheap when buying; I wouldn't pay more than $1 for a solid 9.8 copy of the first or second, and nothing for lesser copies.) I did not dispute there was interest, but I did voice my objection to the price. Some people thought my objection was ill-founded, that it was indeed worth that price. I countered with "welllll....it's still available for sale. ;) " If it had been worth $45 (or more) it would have sold for that, especially after it was made known to interested parties.

 

The end result, of course, is that it sold for $30. I think that's right about what it's worth, and a fair price for both the seller and the buyer. It is, after all, a very tough book to find.

 

Then, this crops up for sale:

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190456048448&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:US:1123

 

meh

 

13+ times the price of the last one to sell? A copy that met total resistance at $45?

 

This illustrates, again, the double-edged sword that expressing interest in just about anything on this board is. These are, to my knowledge, the first copies to show up on eBay by themselves, at least in a very long time. But when they show up, they show up with price tags far outweighing the actual demand for these items.

 

I see this happening more and more and more on eBay. No longer is it a flea market, where people list things for very little, and then see where the market takes them. eBay has now become just like Amazon...which I imagine was their goal....where items are listed for extreme prices in the hopes that buyers may cough up more money in a Best Offer scenario. And it's everything, not just the genuinely rare items. People are trying to get $16 for ARAK #22!

 

:screwy:

 

(I'm certainly not immune to such practices either, but at least I price things that are relatively common within reason. I would rather not sell something than sell it for what the market dictates it's worth right now.)

 

I do not doubt that the first copy was a direct result of our discussion, and the second copy was either directly or indirectly the same.

 

No wonder most people want to play close to the vest with what they wish to purchase. It's sad, but true, if someone expresses even the slightest interest, all of a sudden the price goes up....sometimes quite dramatically.

 

What a shame.

 

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Comicopolis

Comicopolis

Posted
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Interesting stuff - I had no idea this even existed so if I'm repeating already asked questions just ignore me.

 

What are the differences between the variants? I'm sure my copy looks exactly the same as the ones that RMA posted in the links but I'm assuming they are all that green cover with slight differences.

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cheetah

cheetah

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I've bought from that seller before. They are way overpriced but accepted a reasonable offer on what I bought. $400 for a 3rd print, though, there is no reasonable offer to make. Just move on and let them come to their senses.

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RockMyAmadeus

RockMyAmadeus

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Of course, the GOOD part of the law of unintended consequences is that listings like this tend to draw out other copies ("someone's asking WHAT for that book? I've got ike 30 of 'em!"), and, depending on how rare the book actually is, this will serve as a means to bring the price to reasomable levels.

 

So, while awareness initially leads to silliness like this, and lowers the chance of finding one "in the wild" for $1 or so, it also serves to establish a market for the book based on actual supply and demand, and is made much more available to that niche that desires it.

 

Then, when the demand for that niche is exhausted, as it most certainly will be, prices will plummet, and us cheapos can swoop in and pick them up for a song....

 

A la X-O Manowar 1/2 Gold (once a $150+ book, now $20-$30) and the 30 and 35 cent price variants (with some exception.) At one time, nobody knew about the 30s and 35s except a handful of people (despite being listed in the OPG several times in the late 80's!) so when people first realized they were "collectible", the prices were obscene (and, indeed, those completists paid through the nose to get them.) Now that those sets have been, for the most part, completed, or folks have realized they can NEVER complete a set, and so given up, prices have come down, down, down. Except for Star Wars #1.

 

Double edged sword indeed...

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seanfingh

seanfingh

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(I'm certainly not immune to such practices either, but at least I price things that are relatively common within reason. I would rather not sell something than sell it for what the market dictates it's worth right now.)

 

 

This should be your custom title.

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RockMyAmadeus

RockMyAmadeus

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(I'm certainly not immune to such practices either, but at least I price things that are relatively common within reason. I would rather not sell something than sell it for what the market dictates it's worth right now.)

 

 

This should be your custom title.

 

I need nothing so fragile-ego-boosting as a "custom title." They are for lesser men than I.

 

:sumo:

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Gatsby77

Gatsby77

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Nice analysis re. the $.30 and $.35 variants.

 

In either this or last year's OSPG, Doug Sulipa noted that, had the market recognized the Iron Fist 14 $.35 variants for nearly as long as it had the Star Wars # 1, it would--by far--be the most valuable Bronze comic. Incredibly rare relative to the Star Wars 1, and arguably (unlike some of the rarer Bronze variants) key.

 

But no--the market had stood with Star Wars 1 $.35 for so long that the book achieved an entrenched mythology, so much so that Iron Fist 14 $.35 will likely never catch it.

 

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Comicopolis

Comicopolis

Posted
Posted
377-3rd-print-001.jpg

 

Here's all three. The second is a reverse negative, and the third is the first, but without the neon ink.

 

Thanks (thumbs u

 

Now I'll have to dig through loads of boxes so see which one I have. Not that I intend to sell but I'm just curious now.

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Jeffreykli

Jeffreykli

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Yes, I agree that these types of threads bring more attention to this type of book. I, for example, had a copy lying in a random longbox of books, so I sold it to a boardie at a fair price (less than what the one on eBay went for). So it works both ways. One of the benefits of this community is that boardies tend to look out for other boardies.

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