THE AMAZING FANTASY #15 CLUB 39 39

[peewee22]

I'd be uneasy about any AF15 for sale from any "unknown" sellers on ebay. Most collectors are aware of the major auction houses and the higher prices they can bring. 

Edited July 12, 2017 by peewee22

[blazingbob]

42 minutes ago, comicquant said:

Same deal here.  I'm almost positive this is fraudulent.  Only two transactions in the past year and if you look at their feedback they sold decals which doesn't line up.  In this type of situation, at the very least I would ask for up close pics of the staples just to make sure they even have the book.  But for me its just way too shady.  Its been a popular scheme for awhile now and it seems there's a couple new listings per week.  If you're willing to spend $11k on a 2.0 then pay the extra $2k to buy one from a reputable dealer and remove any risk.  Bob Storms ( www.highgradecomics.com ) almost always has one or more for sale at any given time and if he doesn't he can probably find you one in whatever grade you want.  In fact I think he just listed a 6.0 yesterday.  A good rule of thumb for eBay is if the seller isn't slightly above market, its probably a BS listing.  At least this is true for the AF15.

Thank you for the plug.  My 2.5 sold very recently.  I just sold a 5.0 2 days ago and a higher grade in the last 3 weeks.  Currently I have a 6.0, Qualified 5.5 and a 4.0.  

[Gotham Kid]

Seems that some of these books keep bouncing around. The 5.5Q belonged to a boardie (who I think bought it off ebay), was offered here but then sold at auction on CC earlier this year and now is back up for sale. Don't people hold on to their books !? Sheesh. Flip till you drop seems to be the motto.

Edited July 12, 2017 by Gotham Kid

[comicquant]

6 minutes ago, Gotham Kid said:

Seems that some of these books keep bouncing around. The 5.5Q belonged to a boardie (who I think bought it off ebay), was offered here but then sold at auction on CC earlier this year and now is back up for sale. Don't people hold on to their books ? Sheesh. Flip till you drop seems to be the motto.

In discussion I hear of owners wanting to trading up right now or non-owners wanting to buy into the lower grades.  It seems the general consensus is the 3.5 and down will be the next strata to lift.  If I had a 5.5Q I would try to move it in order to get a nice 3.5.  I don't have either so I'd be perfectly happy with a bag/board one use to be in just to take and smell every once in awhile.

[comicquant]

11 minutes ago, CashMoney said:

I respectfully disagree with anyone that thinks this is a fraud.  

First, the sale is right in line with GPA numbers, so nothing suspicious about the price - despite what many on this board might believe this comic is worth (e.g., similar to the speculative pricing of tulips during Tulip Mania of the Dutch golden Age). 

Second, though many here may disagree, $14,000 is A LOT OF MONEY to pay for a comic book, especially one that is only graded a 3.0.  Regardless of what you may want to believe it is worth, is it really that improbable that someone (other than those who share the same Kool-Aid on this board) sold the comic for what he/she thought the fair market value was based on publicly available sales statistics on GPA?  No need to conjure up conspiracy theories about every sale that doesn't meet your expectations.  

Third, this seller actually left positive feedback for the buyer on this purchase.  If one planned to skip town after a sale, why leave positive feedback?

Finally, if you sold anything on eBay recently (as I have) as a new seller (or dormant seller), then you would know that if a seller doesn't have a minimum number of successful sales over the past 12 months, then PayPal will hold the sale proceeds until all is clear - which can take up to 1 month after the transaction is completed based on whether the buyer is satisfied with the transaction, as reflected in positive feedback left for the seller.  In other words, if you don't have a successful track record on eBay, you just can't take off with the money after the sale.  If you think that PayPal, a company with a $68B market cap, or eBay, a company with a $39B market cap, each don't have a full-time army of risk and theft prevention associates figuring out how to prevent scams exponentially more complicated than this, then you are truly disconnected from reality. 

In short, hate to break this to you guys, but the sale is 100% legitimate.  If you're in the right place, at the right time -- there are still good deals to be had on eBay.          

Go for it!  If you get a box full of wadded up paper good luck getting your money back.  You're relatively new to the boards (as am I) but there are countless threads about this scheme much less nefarious looking than this one.  

Edited July 12, 2017 by comicquant

[Gotham Kid]

5 minutes ago, comicquant said:

17 minutes ago, Gotham Kid said:

Seems that some of these books keep bouncing around. The 5.5Q belonged to a boardie (who I think bought it off ebay), was offered here but then sold at auction on CC earlier this year and now is back up for sale. Don't people hold on to their books ? Sheesh. Flip till you drop seems to be the motto.

In discussion I hear of owners wanting to trading up right now or non-owners wanting to buy into the lower grades.  It seems the general consensus is the 3.5 and down will be the next strata to lift.  If I had a 5.5Q I would try to move it in order to get a nice 3.5.  I don't have either so I'd be perfectly happy with a bag/board one use to be in just to take and smell every once in awhile.

So the fact that earlier this year, at auction (fmv's true determinant), it ended at around 13K and a few months later has a 20K price tag is perfectly healthy and normal. Next guy to buy it will be wanting at least 25K for it. And the next 30. And all this will probably happen before the year comes to an end.

Awesome.

Edited July 12, 2017 by Gotham Kid

[comicquant]

Just now, Gotham Kid said:

So the fact that earlier this year, at auction, it ended at around 13K and a few months later has a 20K price tag is perfectly healthy and normal. Next guy to buy it will be wanting at least 25K for it. And the next 30. And all this will probably happen before the year comes to an end.

Awesome.

I know what you mean though.  I have seen many of the same books resurface.  Even just a few weeks later.  

[comicquant]

42 minutes ago, CashMoney said:

I respectfully disagree with anyone that thinks this is a fraud.  

First, the sale is right in line with GPA numbers, so nothing suspicious about the price - despite what many on this board might believe this comic is worth (e.g., similar to the speculative pricing of tulips during Tulip Mania of the Dutch golden Age). 

Second, though many here may disagree, $14,000 is A LOT OF MONEY to pay for a comic book, especially one that is only graded a 3.0.  Regardless of what you may want to believe it is worth, is it really that improbable that someone (other than those who share the same Kool-Aid on this board) sold the comic for what he/she thought the fair market value was based on publicly available sales statistics on GPA?  No need to conjure up conspiracy theories about every sale that doesn't meet your expectations.  

Third, this seller actually left positive feedback for the buyer on this purchase.  If one planned to skip town after a sale, why leave positive feedback?

Finally, if you sold anything on eBay recently (as I have) as a new seller (or dormant seller), then you would know that if a seller doesn't have a minimum number of successful sales over the past 12 months, then PayPal will hold the sale proceeds until all is clear - which can take up to 1 month after the transaction is completed based on whether the buyer is satisfied with the transaction, as reflected in positive feedback left for the seller.  In other words, if you don't have a successful track record on eBay, you just can't take off with the money after the sale.  If you think that PayPal, a company with a $68B market cap, or eBay, a company with a $39B market cap, each don't have a full-time army of risk and theft prevention associates figuring out how to prevent scams exponentially more complicated than this, then you are truly disconnected from reality. 

In short, hate to break this to you guys, but the sale is 100% legitimate.  If you're in the right place, at the right time -- there are still good deals to be had on eBay.          

By your logic the listing below for an AF15 that sold July 3rd 2017 for $7500 ($19k below GPA) is a legitimate sale?  Their feedback is quite active (Click Here For Feedback); 2 in the last month, 10 in the last 6 months, 276 total feedback.  Hackers take over the account and switch the paypal information.  As safe as you think all of this is, its not and there will be those who find a way to commit fraud no matter what precautions are taken.  Those who are careful and err on the side of caution don't get scammed but there are plenty of those searching for unicorns.  Good luck finding yours.

Amazing Fantasy 15 4.5 Sold for $7500 on 07/03/2017

Update:

Amazing Fantasy 15 5.5 Sold for $9250 on 06/27/2017

Edited July 12, 2017 by comicquant

[Kevin76]

3 hours ago, CashMoney said:

I don't question how other people spend their money, but even at $14,000, I would personally pass.  That is a lot of money to pay for a mass-produced piece of paper, especially one that is only graded a 3.0.  I only buy what I love - I don't chase comics to flip them.  That's why I know that when the music stops, I will still have a chair, while others may be chairless, regretting certain life choices they made chasing comics during a bubble.         

I only buy what I love too and I love me some AF 15   

Edited July 12, 2017 by Kevin76

[Kevin76]

3 hours ago, comicquant said:

By your logic the listing below for an AF15 that sold July 3rd 2017 for $7500 ($19k below GPA) is a legitimate sale?  Their feedback is quite active (Click Here For Feedback); 2 in the last month, 10 in the last 6 months, 276 total feedback.  Hackers take over the account and switch the paypal information.  As safe as you think all of this is, its not and there will be those who find a way to commit fraud no matter what precautions are taken.  Those who are careful and err on the side of caution don't get scammed but there are plenty of those searching for unicorns.  Good luck finding yours.

Amazing Fantasy 15 4.5 Sold for $7500 on 07/03/2017

Update:

Amazing Fantasy 15 5.5 Sold for $9250 on 06/27/2017

Well either way, you can't do anything about it.  No point in worrying about it.  

[Spiderturtle]

17 minutes ago, Kevin76 said:

I only buy what I love too and I love me some AF 15   

+1 

[Spyderfan]

I see my first love was up for grabs on eBay.    I just noticed it earlier this evening and it had until tomorrow to close, then a few minutes ago, POOF....the auction abruptly ended early.  http://www.ebay.com/itm/Amazing-Fantasy-15-CGC-5-0-1st-Spider-Man-Auction-No-Reserve-/172778284322?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&nma=true&si=RGpmGP6qxIpV%2FxNq1eCRoi6Fdjc%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

 

[zhamlau]

Thats odd.

[Jaydogrules]

1 hour ago, Spyderfan said:

I see my first love was up for grabs on eBay.    I just noticed it earlier this evening and it had until tomorrow to close, then a few minutes ago, POOF....the auction abruptly ended early.  http://www.ebay.com/itm/Amazing-Fantasy-15-CGC-5-0-1st-Spider-Man-Auction-No-Reserve-/172778284322?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&nma=true&si=RGpmGP6qxIpV%2FxNq1eCRoi6Fdjc%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

 

Another fake auction.  That's an MCS scan with the water mark Photoshopped out.  

-J.

Edited July 13, 2017 by Jaydogrules

[da.amazing.spiderman]

46 minutes ago, Spyderfan said:

I see my first love was up for grabs on eBay.    I just noticed it earlier this evening and it had until tomorrow to close, then a few minutes ago, POOF....the auction abruptly ended early.  http://www.ebay.com/itm/Amazing-Fantasy-15-CGC-5-0-1st-Spider-Man-Auction-No-Reserve-/172778284322?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&nma=true&si=RGpmGP6qxIpV%2FxNq1eCRoi6Fdjc%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

 

Yeah...I was the high bidder on Ebay when the seller ended this auction +/-21 hours early on this AF #15 (CGC 5.0 ; OW Pages ; No Marvel Chipping).

I was even sent an Ebay invoice by the seller requesting payment.  

However, a few minutes later this transaction was cancelled by the seller.  His explanation for cancelling this transaction was that his wife was trying to install a "reserve" on this auction and accidentally ended the auction early.  

I told the seller once the bidding starts on an Ebay auction, you can't add a reserve.  Oh well, what do you expect from a seller with a low feedback rating of only (66).

Yes, for about (5) minutes the wild side of me was ecstatic that I had scored an AF #15 for +/-50% discount.  However, the rational / logical side of me knew there was no way this transaction was legitimate. 

 

 

 

[SECollector]

9 hours ago, blazingbob said:

Thank you for the plug.  My 2.5 sold very recently.  I just sold a 5.0 2 days ago and a higher grade in the last 3 weeks.  Currently I have a 6.0, Qualified 5.5 and a 4.0.  

Bob, that 5.0 on your site was a stunner. I bet the new owner is  .

[Spiderturtle]

29 minutes ago, zhamlau said:

Thats odd.

Not odd at all, i've had many old af15s pics that i took used on fake listings on ebay, pretty common practice

[blazingbob]

21 minutes ago, SECollector said:

Bob, that 5.0 on your site was a stunner. I bet the new owner is  .

Yes,  the owner of the book who is a very good customer of mine is very excited to own his first AF #15.  So that Peter can rest easy it was a collector who bought it.  I seriously doubt that this copy will be up for sale any time soon.

However since I'm not a auction house my sale price would not reflect Fair market value.

Edited July 13, 2017 by blazingbob

[Spiderturtle]

1 hour ago, CashMoney said:

You're lucky.  You were saved from the brain damage associated with trying to claw back your money.  This particular transaction REALLY was a scam (now I sound like the other conspiracy theorists on this board).  If you attempt to verify the serial number of the comic that was on sale on CGC's website, you'll see that this particular serial number doesn't exist.  That is an old picture of a comic that someone probably resubmitted, but it is definitely not a CGC-graded comic that exists in this particular embodiment anymore.  Plus, the auction was a 24-hour auction - no rational person would throw out any comic for a 24-hour auction, unless such person planned to skip town shortly thereafter.         

Very good, at one point a few years back I owned the resubmitted version of that book

[comicquant]

1 hour ago, CashMoney said:

You're lucky.  You were saved from the brain damage associated with trying to claw back your money.  This particular transaction REALLY was a scam (now I sound like the other conspiracy theorists on this board).  If you attempt to verify the serial number of the comic that was on sale on CGC's website, you'll see that this particular serial number doesn't exist.  That is an old picture of a comic that someone probably resubmitted, but it is definitely not a CGC-graded comic that exists in this particular embodiment anymore.  Plus, the auction was a 24-hour auction - no rational person would throw out any comic for a 24-hour auction, unless such person planned to skip town shortly thereafter.         

Well at least you've gone from "fraud doesn't exist on eBay" to "fraud on eBay is a conspiracy theory".  A few more concrete examples and we may get to "fraud is possible on eBay".