Foolkiller's C2E2 2011 Report (Pics and Scans)

[g-man]

it is part of the deal with going to shows....when you see dealers still not set up but instead are at a new guy's table...you know what is going on. As Jive said, there is still a chance to grab a few things but usually they have been picked over several times.

 

Sometimes dealers will not sell to other dealers but when the $ is out, how can u turn it down?

 

When you see the stack behind the dealers table and ask "any other books not put out yet?" and they say no....you know they are off to FLA or will be on the rack tomorrow.

[Annihilus]

Dealers with deep pockets can afford to buy and hold these and hold out for higher prices when they sell them.

Every sale to collectors that they prevent keeps eventual sale prices high and sustains prices and profit in the market and them in the business for you and I to still find them at future shows. Your only choice is to haggle and try to pay less than the next collector or buy at their price to block the next hungry collector before he sees it at your show or the next show the dealer goes to.

Dealer to dealer sales also serve the purpose of spreading books they buy to areas where the books are not in great supply in other places they sell that the dealer they bought them from doesn't travel to. That helps collectors see a greater variety of rare issues.

 

Plus, in this particular case, Brian is always having kick-azz sales threads where he passes some of these awesome books along to us at prices so crazy that you have about half a second to 1.) rack your brain to see if you need the book and 2.) hit the or the book is gone. Trickle down comicnomics in action!

 

I can still dream of having access to some boxes like that one day where I can afford one book. But hey, it'd be a killer book

[ComicConnoisseur]

Dave invited his "dealer friends" for the opportunity to preview the collection on Thursday between 3 and 4 PM. I've read in Roy's thread some of the complaints of how it doesn't give collectors a fair shot. 70% of all of Dave's business comes from dealers. They buy more -- and when the collection was open to the public on Friday, Dave told me he only had one or two guys buy anything significant and only a few others show more interest. Collectors just don't give him the same level of attention as dealers. The reality is, there were PLENTY of great books left Friday morning and afternoon, yet the collecting base was not snapping up this stuff. As a collector had I seen the "leftovers" I would have been thrilled.

 

I don't really care either way, but why not let collectors get first crack, and sell to the dealers at the end of the show? If collectors don't buy much, so what? The dealers will still buy what they would have bought at the beginning of the show. And if the collectors do buy stuff, then Dave doesn't have to sell at the reduced rate. Given how all the dealers seem to have been salivating over the comics, it sounds like they would have been willing to do their buying a day or two later.

 

This is why I rarely buy books at conventions... it's simply not a level playing field for collectors. Have a lot of fun walking around and checking out the overpriced books that have already traded hands though!

 

I don't think there is anything wrong with this. While it might not be a perfect analogy, to me, it is similar to sell books here on the board or sell books on Ebay.

 

I can choose to waste hours listing hundreds of books on Ebay and make a little more or sell them in bulk/lots here to board members at a cheaper rate for faster sale with less time and hassle.

 

simply bird in a hand, 2 in the bush. The people that buy my books can re sell those books on Ebay or keep them, doesn't matter one bit to me. The only thing that mattered is I got rid of the books at a price I wanted and the buyers are happy.

 

sure Dave can make more selling to the public but he probably made more money in those few hours than all weekend long...and the rest of the convention is more about fun than trying to watch like a hawk over the boxes and haggle with hundreds of people.

(thumbs u

[Ares]

Most Cons Need Volunteers.

If you volunteer at one you get in early and you can scout the floor before the general and you can get yourself some deals from dealers before doors open.

 

I found three Green Lanterns books I was looking for in excellent condition.

[EastEnd]

Dave invited his "dealer friends" for the opportunity to preview the collection on Thursday between 3 and 4 PM. I've read in Roy's thread some of the complaints of how it doesn't give collectors a fair shot. 70% of all of Dave's business comes from dealers. They buy more -- and when the collection was open to the public on Friday, Dave told me he only had one or two guys buy anything significant and only a few others show more interest. Collectors just don't give him the same level of attention as dealers. The reality is, there were PLENTY of great books left Friday morning and afternoon, yet the collecting base was not snapping up this stuff. As a collector had I seen the "leftovers" I would have been thrilled.

 

I don't really care either way, but why not let collectors get first crack, and sell to the dealers at the end of the show? If collectors don't buy much, so what? The dealers will still buy what they would have bought at the beginning of the show. And if the collectors do buy stuff, then Dave doesn't have to sell at the reduced rate. Given how all the dealers seem to have been salivating over the comics, it sounds like they would have been willing to do their buying a day or two later.

 

This is why I rarely buy books at conventions... it's simply not a level playing field for collectors. Have a lot of fun walking around and checking out the overpriced books that have already traded hands though!

 

I've been to plenty of shows were there was still tons of good stuff left on Sunday, three days after dealer set-up and two days after the general public has been going through it. Yes, it pays to get there early, but if you are willing to put in the work, you can still find gems even after the dealers get theirs.

 

 

Spent years doing that route... too much work and time consumption for too little return. I'm not going looking to buy anything that looks good. I'm looking to buy specfic books I want (generally to complete runs). And while I occassionally find some books to fill holes that fit my criteria, most books I find I can get cheaper elsewhere. Also, the big conventions have too much other fun stuff going on for me to spend hours pouring through boxes and getting hit by backpacks hoping to fill a need at a reasonable price. Now if a large collection came in that wasn't picked through by dealers when I first got access to the hall, well then I'd likely buy a whole lot of stuff (again assuming the dealer is givng me a reasonable deal that's as good or better than I can get elsewhere). But that's not easy to find since a lot of the new quality books have been marked up to account for the trading that has already happened before I was let in.

[EastEnd]

Dave invited his "dealer friends" for the opportunity to preview the collection on Thursday between 3 and 4 PM. I've read in Roy's thread some of the complaints of how it doesn't give collectors a fair shot. 70% of all of Dave's business comes from dealers. They buy more -- and when the collection was open to the public on Friday, Dave told me he only had one or two guys buy anything significant and only a few others show more interest. Collectors just don't give him the same level of attention as dealers. The reality is, there were PLENTY of great books left Friday morning and afternoon, yet the collecting base was not snapping up this stuff. As a collector had I seen the "leftovers" I would have been thrilled.

 

I don't really care either way, but why not let collectors get first crack, and sell to the dealers at the end of the show? If collectors don't buy much, so what? The dealers will still buy what they would have bought at the beginning of the show. And if the collectors do buy stuff, then Dave doesn't have to sell at the reduced rate. Given how all the dealers seem to have been salivating over the comics, it sounds like they would have been willing to do their buying a day or two later.

 

This is why I rarely buy books at conventions... it's simply not a level playing field for collectors. Have a lot of fun walking around and checking out the overpriced books that have already traded hands though!

 

I don't think there is anything wrong with this. While it might not be a perfect analogy, to me, it is similar to sell books here on the board or sell books on Ebay.

 

I can choose to waste hours listing hundreds of books on Ebay and make a little more or sell them in bulk/lots here to board members at a cheaper rate for faster sale with less time and hassle.

 

simply bird in a hand, 2 in the bush. The people that buy my books can re sell those books on Ebay or keep them, doesn't matter one bit to me. The only thing that mattered is I got rid of the books at a price I wanted and the buyers are happy.

 

sure Dave can make more selling to the public but he probably made more money in those few hours than all weekend long...and the rest of the convention is more about fun than trying to watch like a hawk over the boxes and haggle with hundreds of people.

 

I never said there was anything wrong with this... a dealer can sell his wares however he sees fit. I'm just saying that as a collector, I rarely find myself buying at conventions and it's principally due to this sort of pre-opening activity.

[Ghost Town]

I've read in Roy's thread some of the complaints of how it doesn't give collectors a fair shot. 70% of all of Dave's business comes from dealers. They buy more -- and when the collection was open to the public on Friday, Dave told me he only had one or two guys buy anything significant and only a few others show more interest. Collectors just don't give him the same level of attention as dealers. The reality is, there were PLENTY of great books left Friday morning and afternoon, yet the collecting base was not snapping up this stuff. As a collector had I seen the "leftovers" I would have been thrilled.

Hey Brian:

You're probably referring to my posts in Roy's thread. I thought I was very careful not to cast any blame about it. And I don't blame Dave or any of the dealers buying his stuff. I was just saying it's far more fun and fruitful to get to a collection before dealers have gone through it. I'm sure dealers feel the same way if a collection has been picked through before they get to it.

[sl4ppy]

Most Cons Need Volunteers.

If you volunteer at one you get in early and you can scout the floor before the general and you can get yourself some deals from dealers before doors open.

 

I found three Green Lanterns books I was looking for in excellent condition.

 

 

ding, ding, ding!

[cheetah]

I wasn't there for the Thursday night feeding frenzy but did manage to get in early on Thursday. While the $1 fodder was minimal, the quality of the SA and GA books was really high and I didn't feel things were picked over. I bought more stuff than I brought money for and had to come home and drop checks in the mail to three vendors. I even left with standing offers for more books that I had to put off till later. Given what sold out of Kapelka's boxes, I still didn't feel slighted on quality. I even bought one of his slabs that I thought was undergraded for a reasonable price.

 

[sl4ppy]

I've often wondered why dealers (at the cons I've been too) list books at such bizarrely inflated prices. 9 times out of 10 the post-it note on the nice book on the rack I'm interested in is SO far out of whack in price, I don't even bother attempting to bargain the price down and just walk away.

 

TBH, I'm truly shocked dealers sell ANYTHING at all at cons given the ease of entrance to places like this forum, ComicLink, etc. and the availability of resources like GPAnalysis, etc.

 

I'm a small time collector; well less than 1k books and maybe a total value of $7k... Yet I wouldn't even consider buying a book without checking here, GPA, etc.

[Foolkiller]

I've read in Roy's thread some of the complaints of how it doesn't give collectors a fair shot. 70% of all of Dave's business comes from dealers. They buy more -- and when the collection was open to the public on Friday, Dave told me he only had one or two guys buy anything significant and only a few others show more interest. Collectors just don't give him the same level of attention as dealers. The reality is, there were PLENTY of great books left Friday morning and afternoon, yet the collecting base was not snapping up this stuff. As a collector had I seen the "leftovers" I would have been thrilled.

Hey Brian:

You're probably referring to my posts in Roy's thread. I thought I was very careful not to cast any blame about it. And I don't blame Dave or any of the dealers buying his stuff. I was just saying it's far more fun and fruitful to get to a collection before dealers have gone through it. I'm sure dealers feel the same way if a collection has been picked through before they get to it.

 

Going to just address a few points before posting more stuff. I'm not sure who it was Barton, but regardless, my only point is that people give up too easily when they see a collection has been gone through. There is always stuff missed and books that you can acquire even after dealers go through a collection. That being said, you have to play the hand your dealt.

 

The only reason I got into Kapelka's "list" was that for years I spent money with him even after the big boys would go in and spend their dollars. I was trailing behind but still finding good buys. After a little bit, Dave graciously invited me to participate in his next collection. I spent a nice chunk, but certainly not even close to the "most" of the dealers.

 

That being said, I understand your point and it's obviously correct.

[Foolkiller]

Dave invited his "dealer friends" for the opportunity to preview the collection on Thursday between 3 and 4 PM. I've read in Roy's thread some of the complaints of how it doesn't give collectors a fair shot. 70% of all of Dave's business comes from dealers. They buy more -- and when the collection was open to the public on Friday, Dave told me he only had one or two guys buy anything significant and only a few others show more interest. Collectors just don't give him the same level of attention as dealers. The reality is, there were PLENTY of great books left Friday morning and afternoon, yet the collecting base was not snapping up this stuff. As a collector had I seen the "leftovers" I would have been thrilled.

 

I don't really care either way, but why not let collectors get first crack, and sell to the dealers at the end of the show? If collectors don't buy much, so what? The dealers will still buy what they would have bought at the beginning of the show. And if the collectors do buy stuff, then Dave doesn't have to sell at the reduced rate. Given how all the dealers seem to have been salivating over the comics, it sounds like they would have been willing to do their buying a day or two later.

 

This is why I rarely buy books at conventions... it's simply not a level playing field for collectors. Have a lot of fun walking around and checking out the overpriced books that have already traded hands though!

 

I've been to plenty of shows were there was still tons of good stuff left on Sunday, three days after dealer set-up and two days after the general public has been going through it. Yes, it pays to get there early, but if you are willing to put in the work, you can still find gems even after the dealers get theirs.

 

 

Spent years doing that route... too much work and time consumption for too little return. I'm not going looking to buy anything that looks good. I'm looking to buy specfic books I want (generally to complete runs). And while I occassionally find some books to fill holes that fit my criteria, most books I find I can get cheaper elsewhere. Also, the big conventions have too much other fun stuff going on for me to spend hours pouring through boxes and getting hit by backpacks hoping to fill a need at a reasonable price. Now if a large collection came in that wasn't picked through by dealers when I first got access to the hall, well then I'd likely buy a whole lot of stuff (again assuming the dealer is givng me a reasonable deal that's as good or better than I can get elsewhere). But that's not easy to find since a lot of the new quality books have been marked up to account for the trading that has already happened before I was let in.

 

Generally, most dealers let other dealers have access to the new collection because they're going to be a guaranteed sale of material in large chunks. What Dave used to say to me is, well, these guys are generally spending $10k+ at a clip, and I said, well, unless you give me the chance to do that, how will you know I won't? In Dave's case, the dealers and public got the same discount, so in effect, he wasn't going to do any better with the dealers than with the collectors. What's his incentive to hold out for collectors when most were still passing him by despite there being some awesome books on the wall.

 

And that's really the rub. Dave probably is the type of guy who would sell to collectors -- if more bought from him over the years. His experience, having had several new collections of exceptional quality, is that he always does better with the dealers.

[Ghost Town]

I should add that I've bought a bunch of books from Dave over the years and it has always been a great experience. He's a first-class dealer who has a knack for acquiring nice collections.

[comicdonna]

Last year at Chicago, Dave scored some nice, OO books at the con. Sharon spotted an Action #94 with white pages. It was the only book I needed to fill the hole between #71 and #101 She gave me his number, and I was able to work out a deal with him over the phone. He seemed like a really nice guy.

[MutantKeys]

BK thread with no sandals = disappointment

[Foolkiller]

Friday was my favorite day at the show:

 

On thursday night, my friend Mary Ann and I went to Il Mulino and had a very nice meal, came back and crashed around 11 PM or so.

 

Got up early Friday morning to meet Blazing Bobby for breakfast at a place called Yolk. Fine looking waitresses and staff in there, food was good, a very nice meal.

 

Picture of the blazing one and I chatting during the con...

 

 

Headed over to the show and got there at 8:15 AM or so, which was super early. Enjoyed wandering around. There was a $2/$5 guy set up there with just tons of stuff. In fact, this was one of my favorite booths. There was just tons of great stuff in the $5 stock. In fact, I pulled this little beauty out of there... I was a little surprised so much so that I actually did a page count and spent a few minutes going over the book, surprisingly, it all checked out...

 

 

these were some of the small sampling of other books I pulled out of there...

 

looks like a 9.6 on the one DD book, others are nice too...

 

 

 

 

As I continued to wander the floor, I went to several dealers in search of new stuff...

 

Here's Frank at Metro:

 

 

Dale hard at work...

 

 

Terry's Comics (terry not pictured)

 

 

Worldwide

 

 

JHV (Roy and Jim McCallum are also in this pic)

 

 

Harley Yee

 

 

Al Stoltz and Jeff Weaver

 

 

Ted VanLiew

 

 

Dave Kapelka

 

 

Bob Storms as I was like the shirpa bringing him lunch

 

 

Continued to wander around. Don't have a picture of my buddy Greg Reece here with his wife as they were set up to wheel and deal. He had a fantastic set up and did me a huge favor.

 

Early Friday I found a terrific copy of Batman 227 -- at the Chicago Comics booth. It was priced at a bargain, but I thought I see if they could do anything, especially if I could pick more out. The kid behind the booth told me that he couldn't, but to come back in an hour and that the owners could. He says, I'll hold it for you and take the book down. I come back in an hour and the kid is gone, but the owners are there. I ask them about the Batman 227 -- and they are like, we just sold it. Had no idea why the book was down there, just someone came and looked and we sold it. I was irate. They were apologetic, but their helper obviously hadn't told them why the book was in there.

 

At any rate, what are you going to do, book is gone... however... a few minutes later I run into Greg Reece, and I tell him the story. Turns out he's the guy who bought it! He offers to basically sell it to me at cost (even though he knew it'd be a home run for him). That's a stand up guy.

 

Here's a copy of the book, a real beauty.

 

 

I'll do Friday afternoon and evening following a brief break...

[Foolkiller]

BK thread with no sandals = disappointment

 

I wore sandals until Saturday. I will explain in my next installment.

[VintageComics]

I've read in Roy's thread some of the complaints of how it doesn't give collectors a fair shot. 70% of all of Dave's business comes from dealers. They buy more -- and when the collection was open to the public on Friday, Dave told me he only had one or two guys buy anything significant and only a few others show more interest. Collectors just don't give him the same level of attention as dealers. The reality is, there were PLENTY of great books left Friday morning and afternoon, yet the collecting base was not snapping up this stuff. As a collector had I seen the "leftovers" I would have been thrilled.

Hey Brian:

You're probably referring to my posts in Roy's thread. I thought I was very careful not to cast any blame about it. And I don't blame Dave or any of the dealers buying his stuff. I was just saying it's far more fun and fruitful to get to a collection before dealers have gone through it. I'm sure dealers feel the same way if a collection has been picked through before they get to it.

 

Going to just address a few points before posting more stuff. I'm not sure who it was Barton, but regardless, my only point is that people give up too easily when they see a collection has been gone through. There is always stuff missed and books that you can acquire even after dealers go through a collection. That being said, you have to play the hand your dealt.

 

The only reason I got into Kapelka's "list" was that for years I spent money with him even after the big boys would go in and spend their dollars. I was trailing behind but still finding good buys. After a little bit, Dave graciously invited me to participate in his next collection. I spent a nice chunk, but certainly not even close to the "most" of the dealers.

 

That being said, I understand your point and it's obviously correct.

 

Hearing that a dealer has gone through a collection is akin to finding out that the Hulk #181 you just paid $1000 for was bought out of a dollar bin for $3. We're human and those emotions are natural. Unfortunately, not everyone can be there "first". There is always going to be a second, third place, etc. I spent nearly a decade of con going always coming late to the game. I went to cons for fun in the beginning, went out late in the evenings and would show up on the con floor in the afternoons. Most of my con going buddies will attest to this. I still always found great books, even late in the game.

 

Brian is right. To those that want to dig there is always quality material available. Nobody can glean everything. I can't tell you how many times I've gone through a box after Harley or Dale or any dealer only to pull out some fantastic material and turn to them and ask "why did you pass on this" only to get a

 

In fact, some of my best purchases (biggest flips) at cons have been on the last day during closing time.

 

One of my best pickups ever was on a Sunday at closing time. I was at my one of my first con (Detroit Comic Con in Novi in 2004 I believe). I was about to leave the room when I spotted what seemed to be a sharp X-men #101. I haggled on price and got it for $200 or so. I hoped it would grade a 9.6 and I could make a few books. Without even a press, it graded a CGC 9.8 and I sold it for $4750 a few weeks later. The book was so nice that one of the graders actually wrote "WOW" in the grading notes. That book sat out on an open wall all weekend with everybody walking past it. I tend to do my best buying at the end of the show.

 

To further illustrate my point, I got a phone call for a big key at 4 pm yesterday as we were getting ready to leave the hotel (car was packed, food was ordered and I was waiting for it to be done). Well, while my pizza was getting cooked I literally raced across the lawn, across the street and ran through the show to see if the book was still available. Sure enough, after sitting there all weekend long I nabbed a tough, high grade key for a client after it sat there in open sight all weekend long.

 

I think the perception is that all the good stuff is gone early. The reality is that dealers have clients and want lists and although lots of stuff sells early there is easily just as much stuff available at break down time.

[EastEnd]

Dave invited his "dealer friends" for the opportunity to preview the collection on Thursday between 3 and 4 PM. I've read in Roy's thread some of the complaints of how it doesn't give collectors a fair shot. 70% of all of Dave's business comes from dealers. They buy more -- and when the collection was open to the public on Friday, Dave told me he only had one or two guys buy anything significant and only a few others show more interest. Collectors just don't give him the same level of attention as dealers. The reality is, there were PLENTY of great books left Friday morning and afternoon, yet the collecting base was not snapping up this stuff. As a collector had I seen the "leftovers" I would have been thrilled.

 

I don't really care either way, but why not let collectors get first crack, and sell to the dealers at the end of the show? If collectors don't buy much, so what? The dealers will still buy what they would have bought at the beginning of the show. And if the collectors do buy stuff, then Dave doesn't have to sell at the reduced rate. Given how all the dealers seem to have been salivating over the comics, it sounds like they would have been willing to do their buying a day or two later.

 

This is why I rarely buy books at conventions... it's simply not a level playing field for collectors. Have a lot of fun walking around and checking out the overpriced books that have already traded hands though!

 

I've been to plenty of shows were there was still tons of good stuff left on Sunday, three days after dealer set-up and two days after the general public has been going through it. Yes, it pays to get there early, but if you are willing to put in the work, you can still find gems even after the dealers get theirs.

 

 

Spent years doing that route... too much work and time consumption for too little return. I'm not going looking to buy anything that looks good. I'm looking to buy specfic books I want (generally to complete runs). And while I occassionally find some books to fill holes that fit my criteria, most books I find I can get cheaper elsewhere. Also, the big conventions have too much other fun stuff going on for me to spend hours pouring through boxes and getting hit by backpacks hoping to fill a need at a reasonable price. Now if a large collection came in that wasn't picked through by dealers when I first got access to the hall, well then I'd likely buy a whole lot of stuff (again assuming the dealer is givng me a reasonable deal that's as good or better than I can get elsewhere). But that's not easy to find since a lot of the new quality books have been marked up to account for the trading that has already happened before I was let in.

 

Generally, most dealers let other dealers have access to the new collection because they're going to be a guaranteed sale of material in large chunks. What Dave used to say to me is, well, these guys are generally spending $10k+ at a clip, and I said, well, unless you give me the chance to do that, how will you know I won't? In Dave's case, the dealers and public got the same discount, so in effect, he wasn't going to do any better with the dealers than with the collectors. What's his incentive to hold out for collectors when most were still passing him by despite there being some awesome books on the wall.

 

And that's really the rub. Dave probably is the type of guy who would sell to collectors -- if more bought from him over the years. His experience, having had several new collections of exceptional quality, is that he always does better with the dealers.

 

I hear you. Dave is very pleasant to deal with and he's actually one of the few dealers I will spend some time with. And you're right that he has a knack for coming up with interesting new collections. Like I said, I don't begrudge how he or any other dealer chooses to sell their books at all. I'm just saying that the end result for me of all this pre-opening buying and selling is that I rarely buy books at conventions anymore... it's easier and cheaper for me to buy them elsewhere. No one really loses here... sounds like Dave sells his books, and I enjoy everything else that the big cons have to offer.

[white_pages-migration]

Cards were then drawn at 4 PM. The order was as follows:

 

1. Vincent Zurzolo (won tie breaker with Dale Roberts) - chose TOS 39 slab box

2. Dale Roberts (chose raw box with JIMs, TTA, TOS)

3. Doug Gillock (comiclink) (chose ASM 3 CGC 9.6 box)

4. Roy Delic (chose raw ASM box)

5. Al Stoltz (chose esoteric box)

6. Matt Nelson (won tie with me) (chose FF box)

7. Me (chose Avengers/DD box)

8. Bob Storms (chose lot of 5 boxes lot)

9. Harley Yee (chose X-Men box)

10. Tom Brulato (x-men slab box, which was what was left)

 

why wasn't Ted @ Superworld or Jamie Graham invited? Is there some beef there?

 

Also in the midst of one of this "unveiling" sprees have you ever seen a fight or cursing match break out over who gets what and the order in which the comics are dealt out? After all, a dealer's livelihood is at stake based on getting the comics he can most easily flip for the greatest margin.