Wizard Magazine To Close Immediately

[PokerKid]

No.

 

Every price guide seems to have the desperate need to overvalue everything, with very few exceptions.

 

It is a tough business model. Underprice books and not only won't dealers sell your book, they won't use it making it useless. "Project" higher prices and it makes you somewhat useful.

 

The online price guide seemed like the best model for more accurate pricing, but clearly something is getting in the way of making it more accurate - staffing, concern for product, inaccurate reporting, etc.

 

Robert Overstreet inputs every single price every year. It is hard to imagine that a group of motivated entrepreneurial comic fans couldn't give him a good run for his money with information available today.

[Subliminal]

I've never bought a Wizard mag in my life so I'm happy to say I've helped dig its grave.

 

I'm still willing to give its conventions a try and I hope they survive.

 

[maloney414]

A simple search of overgraded completed Ebay sales is a good choice?

 

Not to me it's not.

 

Bob

 

Bob,

 

That comment was made in a paragraph about finding values of modern comics. Yes, I think it was a better choice than Wizard magazine. It's also a good idea of finding a modern books price range.

 

Of course when using eBay (and especially for expensive comics) a collector needs to know how to grade, examine the pictures of the book, sellers feedback, check for shills, etc... (thumbs u

 

Dave

 

[Menace]

Saw a new copy at my LCS. Wonder if it is the last one. I bet if they were not 6 bucks for a tiny little mag they might have one better. I bought one a few weeks ago, I was dissapointed. I found a box of old wizards from the 90's they were great to read and see the old stuff.

[lou_fine]

I think the point people here are trying to make is that Wizard was usually above those values.

 

Well, I believe we all know that Wizard was really nothing more than the big hype machine for the hot Modern books. The speculators love it because it was one of the main driving forces that was pushing the prices up.

 

Of course, the mag was totally useless as a price guide since it was always trying to lead the market, instead of lagging the market which is how a real price guide should work if it is reporting on prices realized. I always had a laugh when Wizard would sometimes jump too fast and show a huge jump in price for a hotly anticpated new release, when in actual fact, the book had not yet even been released due to late shipping.

[kidcolt]

Like all collectibles they are only worth what someone is willing to pay. After all it is just a guide but realistically between all the shows, comic shops, eBay and all the other auction sites how can someone do a sensible and average selling price....impossible. I use to buy Wizard for the articles, it was great bathroom reading. However it seemed like they changed and got a way from what I liked, seems like they were more interested in movies. I have not bought a Wizard in 5-6 years, guess I won't be buying any new ones.

[Ted Knight]

I find it somewhat ironic that this news was posted by PeasOfCrap.

 

On a serious note, it's another small signpost along the road to the end of the hobby. To me it's a bad sign that we can no longer support a monthly comics magazine.

 

CBG? Similar story. It's no more substantial than Wizard had been the last couple of years, its page count having diminished dramatically.

 

I really disagree. The web has provided so much more than those publications ever did. Personally, I've been waiting for Wizard magazine to go away since I first received the solicitation in 1991 for it while running a LCS. It was always all flash and no substance. At the time, I remember thinking it was just another vehicle for increased speculation and, indeed, eventually lead to the massive crash in the mid-90s. Glad it's gone. Sad it lasted as long as it did.