Friendship vs. Collecting

[shadroch]

Boy,Are you going to feel small when he gives you your housewarming gift.

[THE_BEYONDER]

Boy,Are you going to feel small when he gives you your housewarming gift.

 

[lighthouse]

I told him I had to step away for a minute to ..... get my checkbook (my fiance had it in her purse).

 

You know... if I wasn't such a nice guy, I would crack a joke here about what else your fiancee carries in her purse...

 

But I'm a nice guy... so I won't...

[nik]

Real friends should always come first, period. The sad reality is, when there is $$$ involved, it has desolved alot of good friendships , but on the bright side, those people were never truly your Friends.

[JohnBull]

[chrisco37]

I met this guy through a collectibles Yahoo email group about 5 years ago. We chatted through email, did some trades, I bought some stuff from him. Eventually we started chatting on the phone once every couple of weeks about the hobby, and all kinds of stuff. We'd meet up when there was a show we were both going to and grab lunch or dinner. So, I considered him a "friend."

 

 

Sounds like me and chrisco37... I can't wait to find his FF's with early Doom appearances, show them to him, buy it in front of him then try to flip it to him for twice my cost!

 

[tilleycs]

Sorry your acquaintance has turned out to be such a jerk, but like others have said, at least you now know his true colors. I hope he's never able to sell it and it just collects dust on his shelf.

 

I've had several people do very nice things for me (since I'm getting married in November and have very little money to spend on comics), and I'm always on the lookout for "trading fodder" for the guys I trade with when I make the occasional trip to a LCS. The good you do DOES come back around, just like the bad you do. Wise men stack the deck...

[PovertyRow]

I've been ponderng this a bit because it really IS an important question. Now it is not my intention to make a jerk of myself (I do that enough unintentionally) but there is something in your initial post that still puzzles me. You said given his track record, I'd be a fool to think this item will not be re-sold soon.

 

To what track record are you referring? Taken at face value it SOUNDS like your acquaintance has done similar things before to your knowledge?

[Aman619]

you also said it got you mad that he bought this piece since he already had a few more.... seems like hed be interested in selling one. I know its hard to try to tell a story without writing a long thesis, but sometimes inconsistencies make it hard for us to understand the whole picture. ANyway, sccruuu him! and dont ever think of a dealer as a friend ever again!!

[SharpComics.com]

There is nothing wrong with helping a friend fill in holes for their collection, just don't screw yourself over in the process. Friendship is just that,....friendship....but, BUSINESS......IS BUSINESS. My 2 cents.

 

K

[Mr. Zipper]

something in your initial post that still puzzles me. You said given his track record, I'd be a fool to think this item will not be re-sold soon.

 

To what track record are you referring? Taken at face value it SOUNDS like your acquaintance has done similar things before to your knowledge?

 

He is a collector/dealer and the line between the two gets very fuzzy sometimes. 90% of my interaction with him was as 2 collectors chatting about the hobby as well as politics, sports, etc. Occasionally I'd buy from him, and because I liked him I always referred other collectors his way if they needed something I knew he had.

 

POV, regarding the "track record," this guy has a sketchy history of taking whichever side of the collector/dealer line that best suits him at the moment. I've never personally experienced it, but I'd heard stories of him getting sweetheart deals in a "friend" trade because it was something he "needed for his collection", then flipping the item for a hefty markup soonafter. (See, FLIPPERS are everywhere.) Secondly, this guy only keeps UNpersonalized items for his own collection... there is no way he really wants an item that is personalized "To Steve." It's like a guy that only collects NM or better buying a 6.0 and telling you it's for his own collection.... you just know it's not. I could list more examples, but you get the point. He is a VERY knowledgable guy about the hobby and has done some good things such as forgery detection, so I always gave him the benefit of the doubt and figured every story has 2 sides. Now, I became one of the sides in one of his stories.

[Mr. Zipper]

you also said it got you mad that he bought this piece since he already had a few more.... seems like hed be interested in selling one.

 

First, that's how I know he didn't need it for his personal collection is that he already has multiples of this item. And, I'm sure he would be happy to sell me one -- or the one he snatched up at the show -- at full price ($500 - $600).

 

But that's the whole point of the story... if he was more friend than dealer, he would have called me over and said, "Hey, I know you need one of these... here's one at a great price... it's all yours if you want it." That's what I would do for even a casual aquaintance.

 

But the dealer side was stronger, so he bought it himself rather than deferring to my personal collecting needs.

 

As many people have said, now I know where I stand. Lesson learned... at no great cost.

 

[DawgPhan]

First off: Sucks for you. What can I say.

 

Secondly: I cant believe the level of outrage at this guy's actions. I mean did we forget who we are dealing with. This entire hobby is based on screwing people over. It is a hobby with its roots in lying, cheating, deception, and thievery. I can not believe that people get outraged when someone screws them. I mean we hobby in the den of thieves. There is a reason that comic book dealers are often portrayed as scumbags....because most are. Of course there are some great guys who make their money dealing in comics, but those guys are few and far between. You made friends with a rabid dog and he bit you. Big surprise..

[Aces]

First off: Sucks for you. What can I say.

 

Secondly: I cant believe the level of outrage at this guy's actions. I mean did we forget who we are dealing with. This entire hobby is based on screwing people over. It is a hobby with its roots in lying, cheating, deception, and thievery. I can not believe that people get outraged when someone screws them. I mean we hobby in the den of thieves. There is a reason that comic book dealers are often portrayed as scumbags....because most are. Of course there are some great guys who make their money dealing in comics, but those guys are few and far between. You made friends with a rabid dog and he bit you. Big surprise..

 

Dang...

 

I better trade in my comics for Beanie Babies.

[DawgPhan]

First off: Sucks for you. What can I say.

 

Secondly: I cant believe the level of outrage at this guy's actions. I mean did we forget who we are dealing with. This entire hobby is based on screwing people over. It is a hobby with its roots in lying, cheating, deception, and thievery. I can not believe that people get outraged when someone screws them. I mean we hobby in the den of thieves. There is a reason that comic book dealers are often portrayed as scumbags....because most are. Of course there are some great guys who make their money dealing in comics, but those guys are few and far between. You made friends with a rabid dog and he bit you. Big surprise..

 

Dang...

 

I better trade in my comics for Beanie Babies.

 

Well dont do that...just dont trust too many people in this hobby to do what is best for you. Of course I would say that this is true in general. I like collecting comics and I have met a few decent people doing it. I am just saying that there are some people out there that would pull you close with one hand while stabbing you with the other...Plus comics rule and beanie babies suck...funny you mention them though since just yesterday I was looking for a Garcia the Bear(tye-dyed bear) yesterday and saw several that were going for $100s. I guess that there are still some people out there hoping for a comeback..

[FFB]

First off: Sucks for you. What can I say.

 

Secondly: I cant believe the level of outrage at this guy's actions. I mean did we forget who we are dealing with. This entire hobby is based on screwing people over. It is a hobby with its roots in lying, cheating, deception, and thievery. I can not believe that people get outraged when someone screws them. I mean we hobby in the den of thieves. There is a reason that comic book dealers are often portrayed as scumbags....because most are. Of course there are some great guys who make their money dealing in comics, but those guys are few and far between. You made friends with a rabid dog and he bit you. Big surprise..

 

You know, you're absolutely correct. What was I thinking? I am going to go bid on some Comic-Keys auctions RIGHT NOW.

[DawgPhan]

First off: Sucks for you. What can I say.

 

Secondly: I cant believe the level of outrage at this guy's actions. I mean did we forget who we are dealing with. This entire hobby is based on screwing people over. It is a hobby with its roots in lying, cheating, deception, and thievery. I can not believe that people get outraged when someone screws them. I mean we hobby in the den of thieves. There is a reason that comic book dealers are often portrayed as scumbags....because most are. Of course there are some great guys who make their money dealing in comics, but those guys are few and far between. You made friends with a rabid dog and he bit you. Big surprise..

 

You know, you're absolutely correct. What was I thinking? I am going to go bid on some Comic-Keys auctions RIGHT NOW.

 

I must admitt that I dont understand this post...I think that it is sarcasm, but sarcasm does not come across well on the internet...anyway please explain this...unless I am the only person that doesnt get it then I will just live in ignorance. Also I know that Comic-Keys often sells restored comics as unrestored and very recently sold a AF15 for like $117,000

 

*please note that this is not an attempt at sarcasm, but just an attempt to understand this post.*