My road to success (Moving Update 2) 8 8

[uchiha101]

Did you trade for it in person or was it more of an online trade like say, Facebook?

 

The ASM #129 was easily a $1000 USD in your pocket (going by GPA)...Last sale was $1600...Why bother to trade it at all? If movie hype is your thing, the Punisher is coming to Netflix in Daredevil and a always popular book is getting another shot in the arm...

 

If $$$ is important to you and your family, why did you not just sell it instead of dinking around? You could have sold that book and bought yourself a very nice graded Harley with $$$ to spare...

 

What was the reasoning for making such a trade? Do you have GPA?

 

Based on what a graded 9.0 BA #12 goes for, a CGC 9.0 Harley is around $500 - $600 if I'm looking at the right book in GPA...Using just the 90 day averages, you just "gave away" over $600...

 

In previous entries you posted this was a good thing to acquire but I think you should present the full story if the point of this journal is to get advice, at first it was "hey, cool 1st Harley" and now it is kind of

 

Uhmmm...How did the other party "blackmail" you?

 

My plan was to sell it at it's peak to make the most money like you said and this was a deal on facebook not in person. My reason for making that trade was black mail he said if I back out he would post in the facebook groups that I'm a scammer. I do have gpa which is why I wanted to keep and sell the asm 129 for a good profit.

 

The deal went down something like this because I posted that I bought a asm 129 and was excited

 

Him: "hey you have a asm 129 cgc 9.0 right?"

 

Me: "I don't have it yet but I bought one why?"

 

Him "I have a ba12 about a 9.4 raw"

 

Me: "ok show me pics"

 

(he showed me pics and I didn't agree with his grading so I asked if he wanted to do a cash plus trade deal and this was when gpa on the asm 129 was 1075)

 

Him "what do you think?"

 

Me: "I don't agree with your grading because your overgrading and over valuing the comic as it's raw"

 

Him "ok how about this? the ba12 plus 300 cash?"

 

Me: "that's sounds fair when I get it I'll let you know"

 

Him: "cool"

 

(the comic now arrived)

 

Me: "ok I got the comic and since the value of asm 129 went up would you add 100 bucks? because if not I'd like to keep it since it will go up in value"

 

Him: are you backing out of the deal? you said you agreed and now your backing out of it?"

 

Me: "The values of the comics aren't even anymore so if you can add a little more cash we can still do this"

 

Him "No what I gave you is fair all the dealers I went to said this is a 9.4 without a press"

 

Me: I don't want to lose money on this trade"

 

Him: "You won't trust me"

 

Me: "I don't want to do the trade if you won't add some more cash to your part"

 

Him "If you back out of this deal I'm reporting this to all the fb groups that you tried to back out of a deal and scam me"

 

Me: "I didn't scam you and we didn't fully agree on the trade"

 

Him: " I don't care you went against your word and you are trying to scam me now"

 

Me: Fine! I'll do the trade ok?"

 

Him: "good"

 

(keep in mind I asked him to do the extra cash part when then comic's value was at 1225 and I would take a little lower yes but I'd still make a decent profit on it or so I thought)

 

 

Said it before,

 

That bolded line is my mistake? so what should I have said?

 

It's not what you should have said

 

You shouldnt have shipped the book. Period.

 

Even with $100 kicker you were begging for..... there is not enough of a profit margin to make this trade worthwhile

 

With the 100 more I was asking I would have made a profit I'll explain

 

I bought the comic for 950 and I though his ba12 would be worth around 750

 

so that would mean I need to cash at least to make a profit on it and I said I wanted 300 so to me that margin of profit would do well for me since it's a quick sell

 

now to where it was worth 1225

 

his comic is worth around 750+300 cash

 

this is where I said I don't feel I want to trade it but if he put in extra 100 I'd do it and take a bit lower profit on the comic

 

so taking that into consideration it would go like this

 

I paid 950 for the asm 129

his comic is worth 750+400 cash = 1150

 

1150-950=200 profit for me as it would be a quick sell and easy to move it

 

 

Am I reading it right that you and this guy set up a trade:

 

Your ASM 129 for his BA12 + $300.

 

Then, once you got the BA12 (and presumably the $300), you asked him to kick another $100 on top of it?

 

Is that correct?

 

yes that would be correct

 

And you really think that he was in the wrong?

 

You accepted his deal and then wanted him to give you more on top of it?

 

As others have said, I don't think this is your thing. But, if you want to keep on pushing on then, as others have said, you probably would be better served scaling it back to small books until you figure out how this works.

 

In terms of how he forced me into the deal yes he was wrong on that regard and yes I did want more on top of because the value of the comic went up.

[uchiha101]

If the price had dropped $100 would you have credited him $100?

 

I see what your doing and the answer to that would be no I wouldn't credit him $100 for it.

 

Then why would you think he should give you more?

 

If someone pulled that on here, they'd get skewered. Not sure why you continually get the benefit of the doubt.

 

My thoughts as to why he should give me more is because the value of the comic went up while his didn't. I don't ask people to give me the benefit of the doubt unless someone is saying I want to scam them which I don't. I admit my mistakes and I do my best to learn from them.

[uchiha101]

Gabriel,

 

I and countless others have suggested that you take a beat and start with smaller strides in order to establish your reputation as well as a foundation for your experience. You keep saying that you're appreciative of the advice, but you don't seem to heed it. It's been months now.

 

You are getting some really excellent advice on here, but you seem to be blinded by the chance to get the next "big score" so you act impulsively.

 

You should really stop buying and selling comics until you establish a business plan. Start small. Write out for all your customers to see exactly how you will pack each book or group of books. Type it up, include pictures, and post it. Then, once established, follow that process for each and every package you send out.

 

Then write out an ironclad policy for time payments...

 

Then international shipping...

 

Then returns...

 

et cetera

 

Do this before buying or selling any more comics. Post them here for review/comments. It will go a LONG way, but only if you stick to what you write.

 

Just some more friendly advice.

 

 

Ok your right as to my buying on impulse and me needing to write stuff out before I do it. I will change what I do after I sell the comics I have I'm thinking of going a different way to make more money so I'll be doing consignments but nothing is set in stone

[mysterio]

If the price had dropped $100 would you have credited him $100?

 

I see what your doing and the answer to that would be no I wouldn't credit him $100 for it.

 

Then why would you think he should give you more?

 

If someone pulled that on here, they'd get skewered. Not sure why you continually get the benefit of the doubt.

 

My thoughts as to why he should give me more is because the value of the comic went up while his didn't. I don't ask people to give me the benefit of the doubt unless someone is saying I want to scam them which I don't. I admit my mistakes and I do my best to learn from them.

 

And if the book had gone up a month or a year later would you have expected him to pony up the difference?

 

When you agree to a deal, you agree to a deal. You live with the consequences of the deal that you made. When you change the terms of the deal after they've already been agreed to it does look like a scam, and it looks like you don't have the integrity to stick to the terms of the deal that you agreed to.

 

If you come up on the wrong side of the trade, which you clearly did here, you take your lumps and learn from it. But learning from your mistakes doesn't seem to be your strong suit.

[uchiha101]

I don't understand why he has to even be a dealer at this stage

 

Why not just collect for fun and be long on the investments ?

 

Buy quality and enjoy the fun of the hobby

 

Learn the market

 

And in due course, the age and experience to become a dealer will follow

 

I don't consider myself a dealer yet and I'll probably never own a physical store because I don't want one or see the need of it for a long time. I don't want to collect for fun I want to make money with this and when I have a decent amount of money then will I only collect for fun and my thoughts on long term investments is I've been doing it all wrong all the current comics I have a "long term investments" and it's not going well so far.

[uchiha101]

Lot of good info above

 

Also please take a basic accounting and a few basic business classes. Comic dealing isn't for everyone, but if you're gonna force yourself into it ir any self employment, you need to know the basics.

Also i suggest building relationships w local dealers or shop owners and volunteeeeing to help at cons to get experience

 

Simply put, there's no way to skip any of these steps if you're not starting out with a great collection of your own or huge capital. Lots of non pros ariund here just paying attention to trends, keeping an eye out for collections or hot comics at shows or lcs and turn $1000-$2000 into $4-5k or more each year. Yes it takes some, but it's no ones goal to turn $2k into $2300

 

yeah I've come to realize that as well as my ultimate goal is to be my own boss and be self employed I will take courses to help me learn that and I'll have to read the info above to sink in

 

I don't think anything anyone is telling you is truly sinking in. You lack the knowledge and experience that is necessary for you to be successful. Taking a course in school or reading the messages posted is not going to get you there as quickly as you think it will.

 

You should cut your losses and dump the junk that is tying up your money. If you need to take a small loss to move your merchandise then do it. If you really want to turn over your inventory then you need to take the emotions out from the sale. I tell my managers that in regards to the dead inventory sitting in their stockrooms that they need to "convert to cash". You can probably do the same with books that you're having a challenge with selling.

 

Once you purge your "sell box" then you should probably focus on lower priced books until you understand the business and attain more knowledge about the hobby and the books you're purchasing.

 

I do listen to the advice of what's given to me but my comics that I own are a mistake that I made and I own up to that. I never attached to anything I have because I want to sell it nothing more and I don't want to take a significant loss on my collection so I will be stubborn in that regard and only take a loss on a few comics while waiting it out and selling them for profit but I will not make this mistake again.

[mysterio]

I don't understand why he has to even be a dealer at this stage

 

Why not just collect for fun and be long on the investments ?

 

Buy quality and enjoy the fun of the hobby

 

Learn the market

 

And in due course, the age and experience to become a dealer will follow

 

I don't consider myself a dealer yet and I'll probably never own a physical store because I don't want one or see the need of it for a long time. I don't want to collect for fun I want to make money with this and when I have a decent amount of money then will I only collect for fun and my thoughts on long term investments is I've been doing it all wrong all the current comics I have a "long term investments" and it's not going well so far.

 

And, as everyone has been saying, this is the exact opposite of the way you should be going about this. You will learn much more with less pressure if you collect for fun first. You're trying to cram too much knowledge into too small of a time window. This will continue to go poorly as long as you insist on swimming against the current. I've been collecting for 35 years and am just now starting to dip my toes into selling, and I recognize that I still have a lot to learn. I recognize that it is still difficult to pick winners and buy at prices that will allow a bit of profit. You can't force this overnight and expect to make any money.

[uchiha101]

If the price had dropped $100 would you have credited him $100?

 

I see what your doing and the answer to that would be no I wouldn't credit him $100 for it.

 

Then why would you think he should give you more?

 

If someone pulled that on here, they'd get skewered. Not sure why you continually get the benefit of the doubt.

 

My thoughts as to why he should give me more is because the value of the comic went up while his didn't. I don't ask people to give me the benefit of the doubt unless someone is saying I want to scam them which I don't. I admit my mistakes and I do my best to learn from them.

 

And if the book had gone up a month or a year later would you have expected him to pony up the difference?

 

When you agree to a deal, you agree to a deal. You live with the consequences of the deal that you made. When you change the terms of the deal after they've already been agreed to it does look like a scam, and it looks like you don't have the integrity to stick to the terms of the deal that you agreed to.

 

If you come up on the wrong side of the trade, which you clearly did here, you take your lumps and learn from it. But learning from your mistakes doesn't seem to be your strong suit.

 

I know I told him the that I realized what I did after he told which he said basically the same thing and I need to make mistakes more than once to learn from them as odd as that sounds.

[mysterio]

If the price had dropped $100 would you have credited him $100?

 

I see what your doing and the answer to that would be no I wouldn't credit him $100 for it.

 

Then why would you think he should give you more?

 

If someone pulled that on here, they'd get skewered. Not sure why you continually get the benefit of the doubt.

 

My thoughts as to why he should give me more is because the value of the comic went up while his didn't. I don't ask people to give me the benefit of the doubt unless someone is saying I want to scam them which I don't. I admit my mistakes and I do my best to learn from them.

 

And if the book had gone up a month or a year later would you have expected him to pony up the difference?

 

When you agree to a deal, you agree to a deal. You live with the consequences of the deal that you made. When you change the terms of the deal after they've already been agreed to it does look like a scam, and it looks like you don't have the integrity to stick to the terms of the deal that you agreed to.

 

If you come up on the wrong side of the trade, which you clearly did here, you take your lumps and learn from it. But learning from your mistakes doesn't seem to be your strong suit.

 

I know I told him the that I realized what I did after he told which he said basically the same thing and I need to make mistakes more than once to learn from them as odd as that sounds.

 

Why?

[uchiha101]

I don't understand why he has to even be a dealer at this stage

 

Why not just collect for fun and be long on the investments ?

 

Buy quality and enjoy the fun of the hobby

 

Learn the market

 

And in due course, the age and experience to become a dealer will follow

 

Totally agree.

 

This instant gratification world doesn't work for comics.You have to earn your stripes first( time,experience etc.) Gabriel as others have stated,you can't just make a million dollars in sales. You have to learn the market ,and believe me that's not easy. Gain knowledge, make contacts with others.

I have been collecting comics for over 40 years, and I wouldn't want to be a dealer.

 

I understand but I the same time I don't like it I never said it would happen overnight but I'm slowly learning if there's anything I hate it being forced into something whatever it applies to I just shut down.

[uchiha101]

If the price had dropped $100 would you have credited him $100?

 

I see what your doing and the answer to that would be no I wouldn't credit him $100 for it.

 

Then why would you think he should give you more?

 

If someone pulled that on here, they'd get skewered. Not sure why you continually get the benefit of the doubt.

 

My thoughts as to why he should give me more is because the value of the comic went up while his didn't. I don't ask people to give me the benefit of the doubt unless someone is saying I want to scam them which I don't. I admit my mistakes and I do my best to learn from them.

 

And if the book had gone up a month or a year later would you have expected him to pony up the difference?

 

When you agree to a deal, you agree to a deal. You live with the consequences of the deal that you made. When you change the terms of the deal after they've already been agreed to it does look like a scam, and it looks like you don't have the integrity to stick to the terms of the deal that you agreed to.

 

If you come up on the wrong side of the trade, which you clearly did here, you take your lumps and learn from it. But learning from your mistakes doesn't seem to be your strong suit.

 

I know I told him the that I realized what I did after he told which he said basically the same thing and I need to make mistakes more than once to learn from them as odd as that sounds.

 

Why?

 

because I have a learning disability and when I make a mistake I forget it which is why it needs to happen twice or must be something big for me to remember it.

[uchiha101]

Sometimes you have to sit on your hands and not do a deal

 

I think an earlier poster referenced that you need to calculate "margin" + "inventory turn time"

 

That is sound advice

 

I heard people give me different answers as to what inventory turn times should be and I don't know what to believe anymore

 

I've had a answers of a week's time all the way till a years time.

 

Buying and selling comics for a profit isn't easy. There's a lot to it and a lot of specialized knowledge that comes from experience.

 

For keys you're gonna have trouble buying them for a large margin unless they're embedded in a collection of junk books. I often buy keys at close to market and turn them around for a 10% margin or hang onto them until the market value increases. I picked up one SA key at the Calgary Expo this year that I sold 15 minutes later for a 5% margin ($100).

 

Your business model should take advantage of the Canadian to US exchange rate. Buy in Canada and sell into the US.

 

As far as your board sales threads you shouldn't give up. Put up good scans, grade tight, toss in freebies, and just smile and joke back if people post 'nice comic' or whatever. If you offer decent tight graded books at fair prices you'll soon earn a strong reputation.

 

When you make a deal on Facebook or wherever stick to it. Don't try to change the conditions down the road. Your reputation online is everything. Wait to discuss price and details until you have the book in hand.

 

Lastly, take a holiday during the Edmonton Expo or Calgary Expo and come check out one of these shows. They're pretty close to you and they're both great big shows. I think you'd enjoy meeting our group and possibly learn a few things. And there are a lot of decent comics for sale in the room.

 

 

I agree my mistakes early on was to buy in American dollars and overpay for the comics.

[uchiha101]

If the price had dropped $100 would you have credited him $100?

 

I see what your doing and the answer to that would be no I wouldn't credit him $100 for it.

 

What I am "doing" is showing you integrity. I had a long advice response typed, then realized you will not heed it. Good luck to you.

 

I thought you were doing something where you use reverse psychology on me.

[Red84]

Some suggestions.

 

When trading, if the books are equal in value, the trade is a loss. You have to pay to ship + time spent. Trading 2 books of equal value only makes sense when you are collecting, not dealing.

 

Sell all the books that you personally own and get the fair market value. If you paid too much for a book, that is irrelevant to your selling price. The value of the book is based on the market, not what you paid for it.

 

I say you should sell all the books that you own because that is your money that is tied up. Focus on selling other people's books on consignment. Then all you are spending is your time, not your own money.

 

Don't make a deal just to make a deal. There needs to be a reason to make a deal.

 

 

[uchiha101]

Unless you have found a job, and, if you have, good going, how are you able to afford to keep making these mistakes? Also, I've looked at your bay listings. What is the deal with adding the $5.00 charge for "handling" on top of the shipping charges? As a buyer, I would never bid on any auction with a fee like that attached, and I'm willing to bet a lot of other buyers feel the same way. Shipping charges are one thing, provided they are reasonable, but handling or packaging is a part, your part, of doing business. That's like owning a store and adding $5.00 to every transaction because you had to unlock the door and turn on the lights. You have been given some great advice in this thread, but you seem to ignore most of it and keep making the same mistakes. Sooner or later, you are probably going to have to step back and accept that the comic business may not be right for you. There is nothing wrong with that. A lot, in fact most of us have a regular job and enjoy comics as a hobby. Why not just enjoy the hobby and get a regular job, if you don't already have one?

 

I'm still looking for a job as I haven't found one yet. I add the handling charges since my dad told me too. I do want to have a regular job or more accurately I want to be my own boss and I don't want to enjoy comics as a hobby until I have the financial freedom to do so later on.

[uchiha101]

Some suggestions.

 

When trading, if the books are equal in value, the trade is a loss. You have to pay to ship + time spent. Trading 2 books of equal value only makes sense when you are collecting, not dealing.

 

Sell all the books that you personally own and get the fair market value. If you paid too much for a book, that is irrelevant to your selling price. The value of the book is based on the market, not what you paid for it.

 

I say you should sell all the books that you own because that is your money that is tied up. Focus on selling other people's books on consignment. Then all you are spending is your time, not your own money.

 

Don't make a deal just to make a deal. There needs to be a reason to make a deal.

 

 

when I trade I do it can make a profit from the comic but making sure that we are both satisfied with the deal the difference this time was my acting before I thought about it and when I realized that I tried to back out when I saw I made a bad deal. On consignments after I sell my comics that will be my primary focus since I won't have to lug around my own comics from place to place.

[Bird]

I don't understand why he has to even be a dealer at this stage

 

Why not just collect for fun and be long on the investments ?

 

Buy quality and enjoy the fun of the hobby

 

Learn the market

 

And in due course, the age and experience to become a dealer will follow

 

Totally agree.

 

This instant gratification world doesn't work for comics.You have to earn your stripes first( time,experience etc.) Gabriel as others have stated,you can't just make a million dollars in sales. You have to learn the market ,and believe me that's not easy. Gain knowledge, make contacts with others.

I have been collecting comics for over 40 years, and I wouldn't want to be a dealer.

 

I understand but I the same time I don't like it I never said it would happen overnight but I'm slowly learning if there's anything I hate it being forced into something whatever it applies to I just shut down.

 

Then that is your issue, and not others. So do not take it out on them. Recognize that you are acting as you usually do and change that behavior pattern.

 

With regards to your trade...he did not force you to make the trade. He appears to have forcefully encouraged you to complete the trade that you had already agreed upon. You didn't like it but placing the onus on him for being upset when you attempted to renegotiate, although you admit that you would not renegotiate the price downward had the comic decreased in market value, is wrong. You didn't like YOUR prior decision with regards to the trade and attempted to place the blame on him.

 

You have to own your mistakes, not try and transfer blame or pass them along to the next mis-informed person first chance you get. Otherwise you will go nowhere, personally and professionally.

 

And if you have a learning disability then you know you have to compensate for it. Get compensating! (thumbs u

[uchiha101]

I don't understand why he has to even be a dealer at this stage

 

Why not just collect for fun and be long on the investments ?

 

Buy quality and enjoy the fun of the hobby

 

Learn the market

 

And in due course, the age and experience to become a dealer will follow

 

Totally agree.

 

This instant gratification world doesn't work for comics.You have to earn your stripes first( time,experience etc.) Gabriel as others have stated,you can't just make a million dollars in sales. You have to learn the market ,and believe me that's not easy. Gain knowledge, make contacts with others.

I have been collecting comics for over 40 years, and I wouldn't want to be a dealer.

 

I understand but I the same time I don't like it I never said it would happen overnight but I'm slowly learning if there's anything I hate it being forced into something whatever it applies to I just shut down.

 

Then that is your issue, and not others. So do not take it out on them. Recognize that you are acting as you usually do and change that behavior pattern.

 

With regards to your trade...he did not force you to make the trade. He appears to have forcefully encouraged you to complete the trade that you had already agreed upon. You didn't like it but placing the onus on him for being upset when you attempted to renegotiate, although you admit that you would not renegotiate the price downward had the comic decreased in market value, is wrong. You didn't like YOUR prior decision with regards to the trade and attempted to place the blame on him.

 

You have to own your mistakes, not try and transfer blame or pass them along to the next mis-informed person first chance you get. Otherwise you will go nowhere, personally and professionally.

 

And if you have a learning disability then you know you have to compensate for it. Get compensating! (thumbs u

 

Yes I realize it's a mistake I made and when it was pointed out to me I corrected it as for my learning disability I'm not even sure what I have because the psychologists don't know either but it has adhd like symptoms.

[Peter G]

I am beginning to suspect this poster may actually be Mikey Carbonaro taking the out of all of us

 

 

 

http://static6.imagecollect.com/preview/3317/9555f723b2d5588

[uchiha101]

I am beginning to suspect this poster may actually be Mikey Carbonaro taking the out of all of us

 

 

 

http://static6.imagecollect.com/preview/3317/9555f723b2d5588

 

haha I wish those comics would be awesome to have