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First Convention Question

Started by The Amazing Chump,

61 posts in this topic

seank

seank

Posted
Posted
Thanks, all, this is exactly the kind of thing I was asking about. You mentioned bringing the guide. Maybe you all can tell me if my guess is right (from watching on here). Seems like guide is a pretty rough approximation at best. Below 9.0, probably 20-75% of guide is reasonable but above it's more accurate (or it matters less than how much you want the book-in which case it's more about what you'll pay and how much $$ you've got).

 

Sound reasonable? (This is more for my future- tomorrow's more about wandering than buying for me).

 

If you have a good idea of the price range for the books you want, bringing the guide just adds extra weight and most dealers have a guide with them. If the dealer won't let you look up the book in Overstreet, you don't want to buy from him.

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furystorm

furystorm

Posted
Posted

Great thread, and answers some of my own nagging questions.

 

So I'm saving for a low FF in the 7.0 CGC range to maybe find at SDCC this year. How much haggle can I hope to accomplish? Think I'll have about $2500, not that I want to blow it all on one book. Say if something is marked $2000, how much could I expect the dealer to possibly drop? Any ideas? Are cons extravagantly pricier than eBay and here, etc?

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KEY ISSUES Comics

KEY ISSUES Comics

Posted
Posted
If the dealer won't let you look up the book in Overstreet, you don't want to buy from him.

That reminds of a LCS that wouldn't let me open up and refer to WIZARD, although they sold WIZARD in-store. Guess what. The store closed down shortly after...

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DR.X

DR.X

Posted
Posted
If you have a good idea of the price range for the books you want, bringing the guide just adds extra weight and most dealers have a guide with them. If the dealer won't let you look up the book in Overstreet, you don't want to buy from him.

 

+1

 

You dont want to be lugging around heavy stuff all day. I always have a luggage type office bag for carrying books I buy and some cardboard to protect my purchases.

As for the guide, just jot down in your notebook the price ranges of books your after. Saves the weight of dragging the guide around.

 

DR.X

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Scrooge

Scrooge

Posted
Posted

Yup. Nothing heavy and confy shoes with snacks brought along go a long way to ease the con experience.

 

Re: the nothing heavy. While I go to shows for vintage back issues, there are always TPB deals too good to pass up or series too interesting not to pick up that I generally always end up with a heavy load to lug around so I don't need the extra weight.

 

Plus, at a larger show esp., you'd better have an idea of what you want to spend on any given book you're interested in. After years of collecting, you should know what you want to spend. I haven't bought a guide in years.

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DR.X

DR.X

Posted
Posted
.Re: the nothing heavy.

 

Another thing I do is avoid the heavy stuff till I'm headed out the door. That's when I pick up my Hot Flips supplies. There is also usually a dealer at Wizard Chicago that has a nice discounted selection of Masterworks. I hit that one to when I'm headed for the exit.

If you know a dealer or two at the show, they may let you leave some stuff at they're booth while you walk around also. And make sure you buy something from them if you do. :makepoint:

 

DR.X

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seank

seank

Posted
Posted
Great thread, and answers some of my own nagging questions.

 

So I'm saving for a low FF in the 7.0 CGC range to maybe find at SDCC this year. How much haggle can I hope to accomplish? Think I'll have about $2500, not that I want to blow it all on one book. Say if something is marked $2000, how much could I expect the dealer to possibly drop? Any ideas? Are cons extravagantly pricier than eBay and here, etc?

 

Do your research before hand so you know what the price range is. Unless the book is rare, hot, or high grade, most dealers will give you some discount as long as you don't lowball them. I lke to back up my offers with something to justify them such as, "You have this book marked for $2000, but the GPA average is $1800. Would you be willing to accept that?"

 

Also, if you buy a few books, many dealers will give you a deal on the lot.

 

When you are trying to get a deal, don't be a jerk about it. If the dealer rejects your offer or won't go as low as you want, just say "Thank you" and move on.

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seank

seank

Posted
Posted

And if you're buying a pricey book, ASK the dealer if you can look through it. Some want to take it out of the bag for you, which is safe for you because if the book is damaged at that point, it's not your fault. If you do remove the book, remove the tape ENTIRELY. I usually stick it to the bottom of the bag. Depending on the condition of the book, I will sometimes ask the dealer to put it back in the bag.

 

Count the pages. It lets you know the book is complete and lets you get a look at the condition of the interior.

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Tempus Fugit

Tempus Fugit

Posted
Posted
Great thread, and answers some of my own nagging questions.

 

So I'm saving for a low FF in the 7.0 CGC range to maybe find at SDCC this year. How much haggle can I hope to accomplish? Think I'll have about $2500, not that I want to blow it all on one book. Say if something is marked $2000, how much could I expect the dealer to possibly drop? Any ideas? Are cons extravagantly pricier than eBay and here, etc?

 

Do your research before hand so you know what the price range is. Unless the book is rare, hot, or high grade, most dealers will give you some discount as long as you don't lowball them. I lke to back up my offers with something to justify them such as, "You have this book marked for $2000, but the GPA average is $1800. Would you be willing to accept that?"

 

Also, if you buy a few books, many dealers will give you a deal on the lot.

 

When you are trying to get a deal, don't be a jerk about it. If the dealer rejects your offer or won't go as low as you want, just say "Thank you" and move on.

 

+1

I regularly get 20-35% off asking prices at local shows. Some dealers mark up books just so they have room to negotiate. Another good strategy is to find the dealer who has the highest volume of books you want and put together a stack of them. Dealers (myself included) have a hard passing up a big sale, even at a deep discount. You have to remember that they pay 25% guide in a lot of cases. If they can sell a pile of them at 65-70%, a lot of times that's good enough.

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KirbyJack

KirbyJack

Posted
Posted
I've never run into a dealer that didn't have a guide, or that wouldn't let me look at it.

 

It happens to me all the time at smaller shows. I've been at shows so small that mine was the only Overstreet in the room. I like having a guide with me. Maybe leave it in the car and go get it if you're worried about the weight.

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Speedy-D

Speedy-D

Posted
Posted
I've never run into a dealer that didn't have a guide, or that wouldn't let me look at it.

 

It happens to me all the time at smaller shows. I've been at shows so small that mine was the only Overstreet in the room. I like having a guide with me. Maybe leave it in the car and go get it if you're worried about the weight.

Interesting. I've only been to the bigger shows.

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Doc Joe

Doc Joe

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remember if you actually wear deodorant they will know you have not been to a show for a while, also you may have more trouble muscling into the long boxes.

 

Maybe bring some deodorant just in case, but wearing it... (shrug)

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Speedy-D

Speedy-D

Posted
Posted
remember if you actually wear deodorant they will know you have not been to a show for a while, also you may have more trouble muscling into the long boxes.

 

Maybe bring some deodorant just in case, but wearing it... (shrug)

:roflmao:

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sl4ppy

sl4ppy

Posted
Posted

comicspriceguide.com + GPAnalysis.com + smart/iPhone.

 

Sure the pricing isn't the greatest on CPG.com, but it's a good ballpark!

 

Book mark the titles your after and it's a breeze.

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