Moderns that are heating up on ebay! 71 71

[the blob]

I actually ran into this in a back issue scenario at a show. Carbonaro (now Neatstuff) had a long box of late 50s/60s charltons he had just picked up. they were warehouse copies or something as he had lots of multiples. I believe he had them at $2 each. This was 15 years ago, so $2 for some of those late/mid 60's Charlton war books was not that scintilating if they weren't sharp, but he had a bunch of 10 cent cover price Romance and War books in there in really nice shape too, so, needless to say, I grabbed all the 10 cent cover price books and a smattering of the better 12 cent ones. He went through my stack when I was going to pay and got ticked off I had grabbed mostly 10 centers and put half of them back and grabbed a bunch of 12 centers to replace them. I'm kind of thinking "but they're all $2 according to you, why not just make the 10 centers more"......anyway, under the guise of examining the 12 centers he had shoved in my stack I took my time, he got distracted and wandered off. His father (very nice guy) who had lured me to the box in the first place said something along the lines of "don't worry about him" and let me switch them back and gave me a discount for buying in bulk (and let me pay by check...honestly, I have no idea if that check was ever deposited!).

[helionaut]

I've scooped up large quantities of books, and am probably one of the reasons why the shop I go to started to limit quantities (yes, I'll take these 15 copies of YTLM #1). One smart thing they stopped doing is putting a sign on limited books. The owner explained to me if you put a sign on a book, everyone buys it whether they were looking for it or not. If someone tries to buy 10 copies, they are quitely told they can't. But everyone who really wants one likely can get one. That seems fair and it's better to annoy the profit-scrounger than the 'true collectors.'

 

I think about a book like Captain America #25, the death thereof. It got mainstream media attention, and when I got to the shop that week there was a line of at least a dozen people to check out at 6pm and they all had a copy of it. On the shelf, there was a sign stating 1 copy per customer. At that time, it was already selling on ebay for $20 or whatever, and the shop was selling it for cover price. Obviously, without a limit, one person could have walked in at 9 am, bought all 600 copies or whatever they had (this shop is well-capitalized and informed and very rarely gets caught flat-footed, especially on a high-profile item) and flipped them for huge profit. Who benefits? The one guy with $1800. Who gets annoyed, irritated, and speaks badly about the shop? The other 599 people with $3. Those 600 copies sold out, probably to a large number of people who only knew to buy it because it came up on their Google news page. And if they gained a couple regular customers from it, it was more than worth it for the shop.

 

 

 

[Schmakt]

This happens all the time when I'm buying rare or hard-to-find beer as well... I don't see any problem with it. It's annoying, sure, but I understand. Much better to make 15 people happy with 1 copy (or bottle) than make 1 guy really happy with 15 and 14 others get the shaft.

 

Limit 1 would, seemingly, also have the potential to help out the book in question... If a lot of people can come in and pick something up off the shelf, perhaps they'll grab issue 2 as well. (Even if they don't buy it from the same shop) Doubtful that the guy who wants 15 copies of #1 is going to keep the sales up by buying 15 copies of #2 as well.

 

I totally understand how annoying it is to be told that you can't buy something... but it does make complete sense, IMHO.

[Mike's Rack]

I guess that is the moral of the story - LCS owner makes the call and lives with the results. Sell out to one buyer and potentially anger others vs. limit purchases and potentially end up with unsold stock and anger a high roller. That's the business...

[BeerThirty]

I guess my issue is that I've gotten weird looks for buying 3-4 issues on a Tuesday and a lecture on the economics of comic book supply for buying two copies (one to collect, one to read) of an ongoing issue on a Wednesday. Needless to say, I avoid that comic book shop.

 

I get the whole limits on a Wednesday, as long as they are reasonable (i.e. can I please buy 2 issues?). I have no idea why a LCS would care if I bought them out or even just bought a bunch on a Tuesday.

 

Then again, mldynes nailed it: if the LCS wants to me off by not selling me 2 copies or enjoys lecturing me for buying two copies of an issue when I drop by because I am not near my regular LCS, then that LCS owner can live with the results of me purposely avoiding that shop unless I just can't find something somewhere else.

[sakaridis]

It's been an interesting,

 

I took our son to a LCS to check out some Simpson and Muppet comics. While I was browsing I ran into a small stack of Fatale #1 2nd prints and a stack of Fatale # 2s. So I grabbed both stacks but when it came time to check out, the dealer told me I could only buy one of each? Is this standard LCS practice?

 

Now for the rest of the story,

 

The above wasn't my normal LCS I like to visit, it was just more convient at the time. Well after I was denyed buying those books. I decided I would go ask my usual crack dealer. So I walk in the store and first thing I asked the owner, do you have a limit on books, the owner's reply, yes, what ever you see on the shelves. So I asked, if say you just got a stack of Batmans for example, I could buy them all, his reply was yes. So I proceeded to see if he had any Fatale's on hand and there they was, two complete sets of first prints I grabbed all four plus a couple Fatale # 2s and headed for the door. The dealer never blinked once about it.

 

I guess I should thank the first LCS, if I had been allowed to buy his 2nd prints, I wouldn't have looked else where and never found the 1st prints.

 

I've had similar things happen. The only thing that it's done is the same thing that your experience did for you: I basically now shop almost exclusively at my old LCS (Lee's comics in Mountain View). Even though it's a 45 minute drive from my home, I tend to be in the area every week anyway for work, so it's not a big deal. Still, I find it baffling when LCS' don't want to sell their products to customers. Comic shops that are serious about making sure that their customers get their books offer really flexible and easy subscription programs.

 

Yes sir, instead he turned down about 20.00-30.00 in sales.

 

I ran into the same thing with toys-r-us with hot wheels and Star Wars. They actually had signs posted limited one! I would go bankrupt if I turned customers away.

 

 

 

If a store has a specific sign that says "limited to 1 per customer" or something like that, then I'm OK with it. It's their stock and they can choose how to market and sell it.

 

But, if they don't make it clear from the beginning and let me get to the register and only THEN point out that they can sell me only one copy, we'd probably have to do some serious talking.

[fastballspecial]

Alright I broke down and bought both covers of 1 1st prints. I only needed one to read, but I couldnt pass up the beauty cover. I payed $5.25 each + shipping. They still can be found cheap.

 

depends on where you are, No sure there's many online stores that's selling the 1st prints close to cover price right now. They're all sold out. Even the 2nd printing is sold out. I'm sure there's some online store somewhere that has them but not many.

 

At $5.25 a pop i would have bought them all.

 

Bought another Beauty Cover today for $5.25 online. That two in two days both online. Some sellers are just slow to get their books out to sell or dont watch the market much. Im not even looking hard. Wonder who was the lucky dog that got one on ebay for $3 today.

 

 

 

[krighton]

i got a Beast cover for $2.99 earlier on ebay. Problem is people don't know how to post the books...they leave out information that makes it easier to find, i stumbled over the beast one.

 

I must be looking at the wrong sites for the Beauty then...i checked out every site on the 1st 6 pages of google searching for online comic stores.

Edited February 8, 2012 by krighton

[troydivision1]

To put this thread back on track...

 

Adventure Time #1 Variants are selling very well right now.

[jonjesper]

Everyone, everyone calm down...

You are all buying the wrong books anyways. You should be happy the LCS owner is saving you money on investment books

kidding...

 

I have to say though, baffled at the Fatale interest from many of you. Great book, yes. But for those that have read Criminal and Sleeper, this is the same type of book and writer/artist. Both are critically acclaimed, and did not explode on the market. The trend shows me this is a great read, but from an investment point not going to make me a profit beyond the short term (which is how the market has been working on many books from Image especially beyond Walking Dead, Chew and Nonplayer as a fringe book). If you think doubling your money or making $5 over cover is a good return, then we are not in the same ballpark as to what I consider a return on my investment (to each their own).

I would be happy to sell anyone my 9.8 #1 which is coming home to papa very soon. This doesn't pass my test, but does as a good read.

The ever lovin blue eyed JJ

 

 

PS I bought a book today that I think could be a decent investment book, but didn't go crazy on it, not Thief of Thieves either, although I think that could do well. Who can guess it right? Pirate's post doesn't count.

[krighton]

i think the difference with Fatale is the horror aspect...it's that touch of flavor that their other books didn't have. jmo.

[jonjesper]

i think the difference with Fatale is the horror aspect...it's that touch of flavor that their other books didn't have. jmo.

 

Absolutely could be! I could be wrong and it will be interesting to see that is for sure. To me that is part of the hobby I enjoy and it helps to hone the skills for future investment books.

I have missed on a few and done well on many and those that I missed on...I never saw coming

[krighton]

I have missed on a few and done well on many and those that I missed on...I never saw coming

 

ugh, please don't remind me of my case of MTG alpha decks, or my 200 New Mutant 98's that i couldn't give away......etc, etc.

 

whatever the case, it's tons of fun trying to guess what will happen.

Edited February 9, 2012 by krighton

[N/A]

i think the difference with Fatale is the horror aspect...it's that touch of flavor that their other books didn't have. jmo.

 

Absolutely could be! I could be wrong and it will be interesting to see that is for sure. To me that is part of the hobby I enjoy and it helps to hone the skills for future investment books.

I have missed on a few and done well on many and those that I missed on...I never saw coming

 

I agree with your analysis of Fatale. And I'd tend to add Morning Glories to your list of WD and Chew although not past # 1.

[N/A]

Severed #7?

[jonjesper]

Severed #7?

 

Nope, but I love me some Severed!

[wolf_2099]

Severed #7?

 

Nope, but I love me some Severed!

 

Please don't tell me it's Conan.

[MadGenius]

Severed #7?

 

Nope, but I love me some Severed!

 

Either Ninjettes or Kevin Keller.

[krighton]

i couldn't even find Conan at 2 LCS.

[FIREFLY]

 

PS I bought a book today that I think could be a decent investment book, but didn't go crazy on it, not Thief of Thieves either, although I think that could do well. Who can guess it right? Pirate's post doesn't count.

 

A JJ lead...