Candid VCC Discussion - Post your Opinions.

[Buzzetta]

Finally, I don't understand the allure. Stuff's posted everyday. There's no incentive to look/wait for the VCC. If I have stuff to sell, I would make a post. If I want to buy something I can look at seller's posts.

 

I agree with this.

 

I participate as both buyer and seller in VCC to try and help make the concept fly, but when you get right down to it, the concept doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

 

Exactly.

 

For me I have additional reasons:

Anything I miss in the VCC would eventually be listed in a FS thread.

I do not like the whole purchasing concept of PMs. I prefer the in the virtual world

 

 

[THE_BEYONDER]

I do not like the whole purchasing concept of PMs. I prefer the in the virtual world

 

 

This

[gyro-1]

advertising definitely

And could it be possible to have a Cut and paste HTML that anyone could use to make it super easy and fast to post a booth ?

I think both of theses things slow down the VCC

 

[Ghost Town]

Any thoughts?

I've bought a few books at the VCC since they've been happening. And I appreciate the work that Shin and Dan put into it. But they haven't been can't miss events for me.

 

As far as buying, I find it's hard to wade through all the posts in the thread to find the stuff I'm looking for. Maybe instead of one long thread with everything, there are separate threads for Gold, Silver, Bronze, dollar books, etc.

 

And I understand the reason for the thumbnails, but I don't think it's the best way to catch someone's eye. It's kind of like people who make really long posts and don't use paragraphs. It's tough to get through.

 

As far as selling, I only tend to start sales threads when my job or life allow. And it's rare that the VCC dates coincide with that. As others have mentioned, we kind of have a 24/7/365 VCC in sales forum anyhow. So there's not much incentive in waiting for the VCC if you have stuff you want to sell. If there's a benefit in waiting, I can't think of it.

 

Maybe there can be some kind of game or competition component to the VCC. Given all the attention the Locked Thread Point Challenge gets, it might get more people involved. What that could be, I don't know.

 

Or maybe there's a charity component to it. American Cancer Society, Juvenile Diabetes, etc. There's no shortage of worthwhile causes.

[THE_BEYONDER]

Or maybe there's a charity component to it. American Cancer Society, Juvenile Diabetes, etc. There's no shortage of worthwhile causes.

 

And this. (thumbs u

[FlyingDonut]

The next VCC is November 8-9. I hope that everyone in this thread decides to participate.

 

While we can't - and frankly, shouldn't - close the sales forum down, I urge anyone who is selling something for that weekend only try the VCC. It isn't that hard, and the rules - such as they are - are designed to make it easier for sellers, not harder.

 

I'm happy to talk with people either in PMs or elsewhere about it. Come to the Cards, Comics, and Collectibles booth this weekend in Baltimore and hit me up.

[fastballspecial]

My immediate thoughts are that some "small" collector's/seller's (for lack of a better term) rely on last moment sales for emergency funds or to supplement income. Shutting down the FS forums for the weekend can potentially hurt them.

 

I feel more advertising is a better idea, though I have no suggestions as to how

 

 

I disagree and say shut it down for the weekend. They can adjust their schedules 3 times a year or so.

 

I have participated in the last 2 VCCs and I think I have done around 4 of them or so. I cant do everyone because its take ALOT of planning, scanning and advertising for it. If you do it right you will do very well monetarily. I try to sell right in the middle I don't offer much discounts unless its large purchases either. Any seller on here can do well in the VCC with proper planning.

 

[Ryan.]

What advantage does the VCC provide that the marketplace does not?

[lizards2]

I love the VCCs, and have bought a ton, and sold a bunch - either at the VCC, or as a result of doing all the work to ready the sales thread. The sales thread I ran in Mixed (AKA "the dustbowl") last weekend was 90% a product of past VCCs.

 

Unfortunately Mixed is about the same as the VCC as far as lack of traffic. I prefer the thumbnail organization as someone else already mentioned. It's neat to look at a ton of books and zero in on the ones you want at the click of a button.

 

I don't understand why the VCC isn't more popular, or doesn't do more business, or why people don't support it, or buy there - it is awesome as far as I'm concerned.

 

However, I do live in remote area, and don't really have access to live conventions - not that I have any desire to go to another live convention in my lifetime again. My strongest memories of live conventions involve the strong odor of Fanboy, and the headache of having to wade through endless boxes of carp, in person. Parking/travel is also headache, and the fees are outrageous. No one knows the concept of @ss-rapin' your bro better than organizers of comic conventions - table fees, entry fees, fee fees - you can keep your filthy conventions - I'll stay home.

[MR SigS]

My immediate thoughts are that some "small" collector's/seller's (for lack of a better term) rely on last moment sales for emergency funds or to supplement income. Shutting down the FS forums for the weekend can potentially hurt them.

 

I feel more advertising is a better idea, though I have no suggestions as to how

 

 

I disagree and say shut it down for the weekend. They can adjust their schedules 3 times a year or so.

 

I have participated in the last 2 VCCs and I think I have done around 4 of them or so. I cant do everyone because its take ALOT of planning, scanning and advertising for it. If you do it right you will do very well monetarily. I try to sell right in the middle I don't offer much discounts unless its large purchases either. Any seller on here can do well in the VCC with proper planning.

 

Hard to schedule for last moment emergencies, though.

 

I realize emergencies don't happen every weekend, but they happen. I'd hate to hear it if just one boardie lost a pet hit by a car, or got evicted, or [pick a scenario] because they couldn't get the funds. Just my .

[slym2none]

 

I disagree and say shut it down for the weekend. They can adjust their schedules 3 times a year or so.

 

Or, you can let people decide what they want to do and when, and not put limitations on them. I don't think Kroger is going to shut down all the Harris Teeters when Kroger wants to run a big sale.

 

(thumbs u

 

 

 

-slym

[1Cool]

I think the benefit of closing down the sales boards for that weekend is to help people remember that the VCC is going on. I know FD and Shin post threads that the VCC is going on but I still think a ton of people would hop in for a quick look if they remembered it was going on.

 

And why couldn't people with an emergency post up their books at the VCC? If the sales threads are closed for the weekend then realistically about the same or even more people would be scanning the VCC for deals. It is very easy to post up a few emergency books - lots of work to put together a complete booth with graphics.

 

What advantages to the VCC compared to the usual sales thread? Not many if no one shows up truth be told. But "if" a ton of people scoped out the booths then theoretically you would have a chance to sell to a wide section of the boards. Golden Age mingling with Bronze Age mingling with crappy modern collectors. Heaven! I don't know if Greggy has ever put together a sales thread but I do know he sells thousands of dollars worth of books every time the VCC goes on. I know because he puts up a running total . . every time.

[1Cool]

 

I disagree and say shut it down for the weekend. They can adjust their schedules 3 times a year or so.

 

Or, you can let people decide what they want to do and when, and not put limitations on them. I don't think Kroger is going to shut down all the Harris Teeters when Kroger wants to run a big sale.

 

(thumbs u

 

 

 

-slym

 

I don't think the intent is to limit peoples ability to make choices but I'd hope people would respect the intent of the event and try to pitch in to make it better. I'd hope Harris Teeters and Krogers would close their doors if there was a grocery store festival going on right down the street rather than keep their stores open. I for one do not shop in other threads during that weekend and instead get shut out each year when the doors open to the event. There always are killer deals when the door open and I never get my BIN's in first I degress.

[Dale Roberts]

I've had good success selling at various VCCs and as much as I enjoy it, it's very time consuming. Photobucket doing away with being able to generate thumbnail pics quickly definitely has had an impact on recent selling. I've looked at several options but none that I've found works as well as Photobucket used to work.

 

Additionally, I have less time these days for the most time intensive activity, scanning.

 

Personally don't use photobucket, and don't especially like it. Format is a little tough to use as well. Just seems easier and much more convenient to run a sales thread, when I can list what I want in the way I want.

[Dale Roberts]

 

I disagree and say shut it down for the weekend. They can adjust their schedules 3 times a year or so.

 

Or, you can let people decide what they want to do and when, and not put limitations on them. I don't think Kroger is going to shut down all the Harris Teeters when Kroger wants to run a big sale.

 

(thumbs u

 

 

 

-slym

[Jeffro.]

I'd hope Harris Teeters and Krogers would close their doors if there was a grocery store festival going on right down the street rather than keep their stores open.

 

Yeah, not gonna happen.

 

 

[Jeffro.]

I understand why people don't want to set up a booth. As I, and others, have said, it's time consuming. However, I don't understand why some people won't buy. That just baffles me.

[lizards2]

I understand why people don't want to set up a booth. As I, and others, have said, it's time consuming. However, I don't understand why some people won't buy. That just baffles me.

 

I can probably think of a couple reasons:

 

a) as several have stated before, they hate the thumbnail format, and won't look at books or buy from threads that are in that format.

 

b) historically, many have used the week before a VCC to run sale threads in the GA/SA/BA sales threads, blowing out tons of books, and drying up available funds that could be spent at the VCC.

[lscomics]

I've taken part in a couple of VCCs as a seller and IMO have found it to be far less work than running a sales thread. At least a good one anyway. I've always found re-caps for a thread to be more work than setting up and maintaining a booth for the VCC.

[1Cool]

I understand why people don't want to set up a booth. As I, and others, have said, it's time consuming. However, I don't understand why some people won't buy. That just baffles me.

 

My only complain from a buyer stand point is the prices at the VCC seem to tend toward the high price side. I realize it takes some time to post up books but it seems to be a waste to spend all that time to just list a ton of slabs at GPA 90 day average and then have almost none of them sell. It seems to me a better option to price the books 10 - 15% lower than GPA since there are almost no fees involved and watch the books fly off the shelves. Waiting until Sunday to offer a 10% may work in a actual convention but at that point all the buying has taken place and it would probably be better to just throw up a sales thread on Monday morning.