Where do the dealers come up with their prices ???

[blazingbob]

There are two! I have met them both so I know they exist. Of course I always call them by the wrong name and watch their reaction. It's always fun to watch when one buys a book from me that the other wanted but hey, that's what brothers do!

 

 

[drbanner]

Naming me in the post and then not mentioning that I sold you that GL #76 9.2 for $500 which you sold for $810 is something I have a bit of an issue with.

 

This thread is getting even more hilarious - thanks Bob! Are you telling me it's the same book that Metro has listed for $1,200??

 

I don't think cgcfan has any room to gripe...after buying from a "dealer" (who of course always set exhorbitant asking prices) and then flipping on ebay for 60% profit? Even more hilarious is Metro's story about the X-men 4. I guess this all means that when you're buying, everyone's out to ream your for every penny you're worth, but when you're selling, everyone's a bunch of cheapskates. In reality, we are fortunate to live in a free market where every seller can ask whatever they want for a product, and every buyer can exercise their own free will and accept or decline the price. And in a perfect world, we would all be able to buy and sell on ebay with $1 starting bids and no reserves...

[blazingbob]

In defense of my $850 FF #49 price. Yes I won't budge on the copy with offwhite to white pages, I will budge on the copy with cream to offwhite pages.

 

[blazingbob]

I have no idea if the 9.2 copy Metropolis has is the same copy.

[metropoliscomics]

IT WAS NOT THE SAME COPY! BOB'S COPY WAS A OVERGRADED CGC 9.2 WHERE MY COPY IS AN UNDERGRADED 9.2

[aardvark88]

Retail priced determined by mkt demand & initial cost of stocking the paper collectible. More bidders for bronze/silver Marvel compared to bronze/silver DC even though DCs may be scarcer compared to more heavily backstocked Marvels. Lots of Marvel movies being released in 2003 (DD, X-men 2, Hulk, Punisher). When is the next DC major motion picture?

[metropoliscomics]

Bob

 

Why won't you budge on the nicer FF#49? If you have not been able to sell it, it must mean you have priced it too high.

Listen up people! No one buy from Bob, email Bob or even talk to talk until he comes to his senses. This is what you call tough love. This madness has to stop!!!!

 

Steve

 

 

 

[fantastic_four]

YEA, YEA, REALLY, what's his malfunction.

 

Did I mention FF 49 is my second-favorite Fantastic Four cover behind #82, and that I don't own a single copy?!?!? What kind of a monster would quash my hopes of owning such a fabulous Galactus cover?!?!

 

Maybe it's just because I wouldn't sell him that Fantastic Four #52 CGC 9.6 I lucked out on from with a $750 buy-it-now price from EBay...high grade guys hold grudges longer than they hold their comics!

[chrisco37]

Didn't a GL #76 9.2 hit somewhere in the $1200 neighborhood on eBay last summer? I think we've talked about it before. If it did, then Metro is just setting it at the "current market value". Try and find this book raw in anything better than VF. It's a super-key, a dark cover, etc.... Don't knock Metro for asking that price. Someone will pay it, and they'll be real happy about it. JMO.

 

Chris

[Guest]

Yeah, it's not such an out of control price. The 9.4 at heritage in October went for 1800+, so 1200 for a 9.2, isn't the craziest thing I've ever heard of.

[Kevin76]

If this thread doesn't make my brother Michael popular...nothing will. Kevin

[Bugaboo-migration]

Listen up people! No one buy from Bob, email Bob or even talk to talk until he comes to his senses. This is what you call tough love. This madness has to stop!!!!

Uhhh......Steve......heh heh.......I wouldn't joke around with Bob.........he either doesn't like jokes......or doesn't get them.

 

I should know. I've still got the teeth marks from the chewing I received to prove it.

[greggy]

Perhaps you could negotiate with Josh with his copy! He's had it for around 7 months so maybe he may budge on it!

[fantastic_four]

Nah, I know what he paid, and I'm not even willing to go as high as he did on that 9.6; if I was, I would've bought it the first time. I noticed he listed it last week unsuccessfully for $1000 to $1200 more than what he bought if from you at.

[Tomega]

I was going to write a similar post, I just cannot see why some dealers charge what they do. Many of those dealers belong to this forum and , I do not mean to offend any of them, sometimes their prices are so out of line that I think it is counter productive and bad business. For instance, at shows there are some dealers I do not even bother going to because I know their prices and I can get the same thing elsewhere for 1/2 the cost ( and not just on eBay.) Perhaps they would have something I buy from them but I just pass them by because of past experience. Do I miss some good deals- probably; but more to the point is they lost a customer and I wonder how many other potential buyers may be doing the same thing. I think they miss the point of good business practice-

(1) offer good customer service with (2) good quality in demand products (3)for a fair price.

Most of the high profile dealers are good at 1 and 2 but poor at number 3. Some of it is greed, some is negotiating tactic, and some is seeing what the market can hold. I personally think they do not know always what the market price should be. I wonder if some dealers set high prices to distinguise themselves from the every day dealer. Over priced items do not make a good dealer - just look at Mile High.

When their prices are questioned the usual answer is that " they know the market and eBay does not set the market prices." In reality, I am not so sure that they are in touch with the market and yes, in part, eBay does set some prices. For instance, one website ( and at shows) of a well known dealer will have common issues that are CGC'd at ridiculous prices. Why would I ever spend $175 for an ASM 300? Yes it is a later prime issue but there are thousands of 9.4's or better out there? I bought 50 issues of it when it came out, bagged them , and set them aside. I am sure that the bulk of them will pull a 9.4 or above. Or how about a ASM 177 9.6 for $150 - twelve times guide. I can get that for $40 on eBay. How do those prices reflect market conditions? The answer is they do not. I could go on about X-men 9.4's in issues 60's and 70's for $450 to $800 or later , over issue 110 , unslabbed for 2 or 3 times guide. Granted they are in great shape but it is over twice what I normally I can get them for. It is almost like going to a car dealer to have your car fixed, I can get the same job elsewhere for the same thing for half the cost.

I realize that there are many factors that come into play when setting prices - overhead, misc expenses, personnel. But a lot of these dealers are one or two men shows with little overhead. Perhaps instead of trying to sell a slabbed issue for $450 and sitting on it for year they could sell 5 of them at $300. Earlier, people mentioned a FF 49 for $850. About 2.5 times guide, not too bad but not too sellable. Now, and this is the only time I'll mention the dealer, Bob has two of them listed on his site. If he cut the price to $600 or $650 he would probably move both of them.

Now I am sure I am going to get my share of criticism from some members of the forum but bare in mind that I am mainly a buyer ( albeit experienced) and from that perspective, these are legitimate observations from the other side of the table.

And there is my two cents,

Tom

[ubiquiti]

boy...

You're asking for it!

[fantastic_four]

Yea, can't wait for a dealer to rip him a new one!!!

[aardvark88]

Sometimes u need to pay a little bit more for QUALITY. In the long run, u hopefully won't regret it. PCE used to get complaints about selling ultra-higrade silver ASM for 2-3x OS. Now they are bargains w/ the advent of Cgc (2 yrs later) & 9.4, 9.6, 9.8 inflated pricing structure.

[supapimp]

that's why they're called dealers, i like dealers, i try to base my prices around what the dealers are asking for. it's a symbiotic relationship, if you sell books on ebay for lower prices than the dealers, you'll have a much quicker sale. the only negative is that you don't get the national exposure as the dealers. i mean, i'd rather sell a book to someone willing to pay $600, than somebody else's offer of $150.....and yes, it has happened to me.

[duncan36]

I was going to write a similar post, I just cannot see why some dealers charge what they do. Many of those dealers belong to this forum and , I do not mean to offend any of them, sometimes their prices are so out of line that I think it is counter productive and bad business.

 

Its called dealer constipation, another year like last year and dealer constipation will turn into dealer diarhhea as they unload stock. Not that I wish anyone badly but I do have less sympathy for people who made their money by systematically scrooging people. You'll find that dealers who are fair up and down the food chain weather storms better.