THE AMAZING FANTASY #15 CLUB 39 39

[Spiderturtle]

I'm married with 4 kids and have owned 100s of af15

 

It's all relative. But it is generally a BAD idea to debt fund a comic purchase.

 

I agree. I own all my books, no debt involved. Higher chance of profit if you can hold the af15 for at least 6-12 months and then flip it.

[lou_fine]

I'm married with 4 kids and have owned 100s of af15

 

It's all relative. But it is generally a BAD idea to debt fund a comic purchase.

 

I agree. I own all my books, no debt involved. Higher chance of profit if you can hold the af15 for at least 6-12 months and then flip it.

 

Well, if the book goes up, then that means your percentage profit would have been substantially higher if you funded the purchase with some debt.

 

The power of leverage as you would benefited from the entire increase in value while only having to pay a portion of the cost. Of course, it only works if you sell the book as opposed to keeping it in your collection long-term.

[piper]

I opted to thin out my collection and use the proceeds towards an AF 15. As mentioned previously, it's a lot easier to pick up $500 books later on...

[G.A.tor]

I'm married with 4 kids and have owned 100s of af15

 

It's all relative. But it is generally a BAD idea to debt fund a comic purchase.

 

I agree. I own all my books, no debt involved. Higher chance of profit if you can hold the af15 for at least 6-12 months and then flip it.

 

Well, if the book goes up, then that means your percentage profit would have been substantially higher if you funded the purchase with some debt.

 

The power of leverage as you would benefited from the entire increase in value while only having to pay a portion of the cost. Of course, it only works if you sell the book as opposed to keeping it in your collection long-term.

 

I think folks that debt finance for advantageous reasons are possibly ok (as in they could buy outright, but opp costs of existing cash exceeds the cost of the debt)...

 

however, as a general rule, if the average person is trying to fund comic(s) with debt because they don't have the liquidity to purchase outright, imo, is generally a bad idea and potentially dangerous path to go down

[Sqeggs]

I'm married with 4 kids and have owned 100s of af15

 

It's all relative. But it is generally a BAD idea to debt fund a comic purchase.

 

I agree. I own all my books, no debt involved. Higher chance of profit if you can hold the af15 for at least 6-12 months and then flip it.

 

Well, if the book goes up, then that means your percentage profit would have been substantially higher if you funded the purchase with some debt.

 

The power of leverage as you would benefited from the entire increase in value while only having to pay a portion of the cost. Of course, it only works if you sell the book as opposed to keeping it in your collection long-term.

 

I think folks that debt finance for advantageous reasons are possibly ok (as in they could buy outright, but opp costs of existing cash exceeds the cost of the debt)...

 

however, as a general rule, if the average person is trying to fund comic(s) with debt because they don't have the liquidity to purchase outright, imo, is generally a bad idea and potentially dangerous path to go down

 

Absolutely. Where exactly is the OP going to borrow money to finance comic flipping? Credit cards? An unsecured personal loan from a bank? The interest rates on those loans are very high and add substantially to the transactions costs in flipping books.

 

And if the books decline in value, you're screwed. Leverage magnifies gains when prices rise, but it also magnifies losses when prices fall.

 

Borrowing money to finance flipping comics is the dumbest idea ever. (Of course, I'm not referring here to comic dealers borrowing to finance their inventories.)

[AL Comics]

Very interesting to read all the back and forth about this book.

 

Still working on picking up my first copy!

[ickwinzs]

This is an interesting Thread, I was lucky enough to get mine back in 05.

[makeminemego]

I think debt is fine IF you don't really "need" it. I use 0 interest credit quite a bit for large purchases, but probably have 90% of the funds on hand should I need to pay it off quickly.

 

To each his own. Just don't get yourself underwater on anything and show some common sense.

 

And I think liquidating and downsizing to generate the funds for a large purchase is a great idea.

I went from thousands of books in my personal collection to less than a hundred a couple of years ago. Liberating and takes up very little space.

[peewee22]

I think debt is fine IF you don't really "need" it. I use 0 interest credit quite a bit for large purchases, but probably have 90% of the funds on hand should I need to pay it off quickly.

 

To each his own. Just don't get yourself underwater on anything and show some common sense.

 

And I think liquidating and downsizing to generate the funds for a large purchase is a great idea.

I went from thousands of books in my personal collection to less than a hundred a couple of years ago. Liberating and takes up very little space.

 

[Spiderphill]

Im not made for comic debt. I never want to square up with my credit card and just purchase more books. Lmao

[BarryAllen]

I use a credit card to make comic purchases, get the points and payoff the balance before the cycle ends. It also provides an extra layer of protection against fraud that is not there for check or money orders. Works for me. :shrug:

[ThothAmon]

I use a credit card to make comic purchases, get the points and payoff the balance before the cycle ends. It also provides an extra layer of protection against fraud that is not there for check or money orders. Works for me. :shrug:

[Sam I am]

Same here!

[roulette44]

I use a credit card to make comic purchases, get the points and payoff the balance before the cycle ends. It also provides an extra layer of protection against fraud that is not there for check or money orders. Works for me. :shrug:

 

Couldn't have said this better - and practice the same strategy.

 

Using leverage is tricky, but can be wise - but one has to understand the level of risk they're willing/prepared/able to handle, and seek a modest/appropriate rate return moving forward.

 

 

[cloudofwit]

I think debt is fine IF you don't really "need" it. I use 0 interest credit quite a bit for large purchases, but probably have 90% of the funds on hand should I need to pay it off quickly.

 

To each his own. Just don't get yourself underwater on anything and show some common sense.

 

And I think liquidating and downsizing to generate the funds for a large purchase is a great idea.

I went from thousands of books in my personal collection to less than a hundred a couple of years ago. Liberating and takes up very little space.

 

Your 2nd and 3rd paragraphs make total sense. I am utterly intrigued, though, by the first sentence of your first paragraph--"I think debt is fine IF you don't really 'need' it."

 

So if you don't need to go into debt, you might as well because you have 90% of the funds on hand anyway? And then so debt is fine if someone "needs" it? I guess it boils down to how we define "fine" and what constitutes "need". :: Who needs debt? Many of us have a lot of it, no doubt, but it's an interesting paradigm, that sentence of yours.

 

Kudos to all of you disciplined folk who pay off the ol' credit card after every cycle with no interest involved. You are among a super tiny minority. :hail: PayPal, Discover, American Express, Visa, Master Card, etc. wouldn't have a prayer in hell if this was even REMOTELY typical consumer behavior.

 

"Make memories today. Pay in the future"--that was a recent slogan featured on the homepage of PayPal. It's deceptively simple. What if debt was the most aggressively marketed product today? :think: Folks with great marketing skills have had great success with we consumers....

 

Veering quickly off the AF #15 Club thread focus, admittedly.

Edited February 29, 2016 by cloudofwit

[BarryAllen]

I think debt is fine IF you don't really "need" it. I use 0 interest credit quite a bit for large purchases, but probably have 90% of the funds on hand should I need to pay it off quickly.

 

To each his own. Just don't get yourself underwater on anything and show some common sense.

 

And I think liquidating and downsizing to generate the funds for a large purchase is a great idea.

I went from thousands of books in my personal collection to less than a hundred a couple of years ago. Liberating and takes up very little space.

 

Your 2nd and 3rd paragraphs make total sense. I am utterly intrigued, though, by the first sentence of your first paragraph--"I think debt is fine IF you don't really 'need' it."

 

So if you don't need to go into debt, you might as well because you have 90% of the funds on hand anyway? And then so debt is fine if someone "needs" it? I guess it boils down to how we define "fine" and what constitutes "need". :: Who needs debt? Many of us have a lot of it, no doubt, but it's an interesting paradigm, that sentence of yours.

 

Kudos to all of you disciplined folk who pay off the ol' credit card after every cycle with no interest involved. You are among a super tiny minority. :hail: PayPal, Discover, American Express, Visa, Master Card, etc. wouldn't have a prayer in hell if this was even REMOTELY typical consumer behavior.

 

"Make memories today. Pay in the future"--that was a recent slogan featured on the homepage of PayPal. It's deceptively simple. What if debt was the most aggressively marketed product today? :think: Folks with great marketing skills have had great success with we consumers....

 

Veering quickly off the AF #15 Club thread focus, admittedly.

 

Oh we went off the rails some time ago on this one... At least it has been civil!

[chrisco37]

Hey guys, been lurking the site for a while, made my account a few months ago, but this is my first post on the site - I apologize if this is being posted in the wrong place.

 

A little about myself. I'm a 27 year old graduate student, been collecting ASM for about the past 15 years (although in a more serious mode for the past 10 years). Started off by picking up basically any issue, then started to move onto the more valuable stuff, and as the years went by I began to focus more and more on the lower number issues. Currently, my 'top' issue would be a 6.0 ASM 5, though I am proud to own a nearly complete issue 12-450 run.

 

The reason I am posting in this thread, is to seek advice from the members of the club I hope to someday be a part of. For about the past 5 years, AF15 has become more and more an obsession for me - while at the same time appearing further and further out of grasp. Between soon to be kicking in student loans, a wedding in the next year, and moving onto my PhD, the day that I have a spare $7,000-10,000 to pick up a copy is looking far away.

 

As of late, I have been contemplating if it would be wise to cash out a majority of my collection (or trade), for an AF15. While it would be hard to part with certain issues, I feel that financially it might be the best option. Any suggestions if this would be a wise move on my part?

 

The other, more crazy idea, that I have been contemplating is attempting to take out a personal investment loan, attempting to grab a copy for a good price, and flip for a small markup (then repeat the process, until I am able to repay the loan + purchase a book). Has anyone gone about getting into high end books like this?

 

Ending my long post, I am just looking for suggestions on what might be some reasonable ways to obtain this Holy Grail, given my situation.

 

Thanks for any suggestions,

Joseph

 

Sell the other books to fund the AF15. I wouldn't recommend a loan or buying on CC.

 

Someone else said it, get the big book and replace the easier books down the road. Chances are, they aren't going to jump as much as AF15 continues to do.

 

Just no idea when it's going to cool off. It has to, right? But it hasn't yet. I think it finally levels off for a bit when the entry level price point is 10K for total beater copy.

 

 

 

 

[Spiderturtle]

Still can get a nice 3.0 for $11-12k

[AL Comics]

Anyone know of any .5 copies for sale?

[makeminemego]

I think debt is fine IF you don't really "need" it. I use 0 interest credit quite a bit for large purchases, but probably have 90% of the funds on hand should I need to pay it off quickly.

 

To each his own. Just don't get yourself underwater on anything and show some common sense.

 

And I think liquidating and downsizing to generate the funds for a large purchase is a great idea.

I went from thousands of books in my personal collection to less than a hundred a couple of years ago. Liberating and takes up very little space.

 

Your 2nd and 3rd paragraphs make total sense. I am utterly intrigued, though, by the first sentence of your first paragraph--"I think debt is fine IF you don't really 'need' it."

 

So if you don't need to go into debt, you might as well because you have 90% of the funds on hand anyway? And then so debt is fine if someone "needs" it? I guess it boils down to how we define "fine" and what constitutes "need". :: Who needs debt? Many of us have a lot of it, no doubt, but it's an interesting paradigm, that sentence of yours.

 

Kudos to all of you disciplined folk who pay off the ol' credit card after every cycle with no interest involved. You are among a super tiny minority. :hail: PayPal, Discover, American Express, Visa, Master Card, etc. wouldn't have a prayer in hell if this was even REMOTELY typical consumer behavior.

 

"Make memories today. Pay in the future"--that was a recent slogan featured on the homepage of PayPal. It's deceptively simple. What if debt was the most aggressively marketed product today? :think: Folks with great marketing skills have had great success with we consumers....

 

Veering quickly off the AF #15 Club thread focus, admittedly.

 

Sorry for being unclear. My use of the term "need" was to differentiate the four letter word from NEED, as in people NEED jobs, food, or if they are bound and determined to make an ill-advised purchase that they have no business making, they would NEED financing to do so.

 

My point was that if I've got $1K in my comic book spending account, I don't "need" to finance a $1000 purchase, but will do so if the terms/rewards are suitable to my needs. I'll pay it off in the span of a couple of months, but will have the $1K my account on hand to pay down immediately if need be. Those are just number for example. It's pretty rare that I spend that much on a book.

 

Anyhow, that's just me. Long story short, I'll finance if it's worth it on some level, but never more than I can pay immediately if I needed to in a pinch. Just my way of doing things. Following my example has historically led to everything from unexpected pregnancies to jail time, so steer clear.

 

Hope that clears my stance a little bit.

Edited March 1, 2016 by makeminemego