Wall-Crawler Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 Ok, before I totally misread how the deal for the ASM #129 for the BA #12 went down. That is on you. You made a bad deal, live with it and move on. Trying to get an extra $100 after the fact is definitely not cool. Don't charge for handling. All you will do is deter potential buyers and annoy them before they even make a deal. It sounds like you have some extra challenges to make this comic thing a success. Some unsolicited advice: 1) Get a regular job...Anything...I don't know how old you are but do something. Start getting a regular income that will help you and your family. Forget comics as the "quick path to financial independence". Not going to happen. You have to have stability. I know finding a job is tough but there has to be something out there right? Visit your local employment office as they have a variety of resources and people who can help you with things like resume writing and searching. This is not "fun" but just getting something is going to take the pressure off. 2) What kind of support are you getting for your learning disability? Do you have the means or able to speak with a professional? Have you talked to your psychologist about your business or life plan? What about a "life coach" or even reaching out to find a mentor? While I don't have a learning disability (but some experience in this area), support (though not easy to find) can be invaluable until you can develop your own strategies to recognize and mitigate your personal challenges. 3) Have you thought about maybe seeing if you could volunteer at a comic shop once in awhile, see if there are any ways you can gain practical experience? This could help keep your finger on the pulse of things and maybe learn some things. 4) Forget about consignments. Forget about the big score (unless one presents itself to you). Forget about trading big, grading, signatures, flipping, etc. It does not seem you are not ready for that. Stick to small items and work your way up and (re) build your rep. No way someone is going to seriously consign enough books to you to make it worth your time. Why you over an established dealer or themselves for that matter? I am not trying to be mean or a "know it all". Take a break from flipping. Get a job. Get support to help manage your learning disability. Reset and then start SMALL and (re)build your rep. Just some friendly advice that may help you in the long run. Your and others mileage may vary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine48 Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 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 Nope Gabe is for real. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Semicentennial Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 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. I honestly do not see how you were forced into this trade. As others have said, you could have just not send the book over. I don't think your reputation would have taken a hit if you had backed out of the deal. However, saying that you wanted more money made you seem greedy and I can see why the other guy got a little upset over it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Semicentennial Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 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. So how does this consignment thing work? The seller ships to book to your or ships the book to the buyer? I read your other thread and thought it was a little goofy. I certainly hope that if people are sending you books that you aren't as careless with them as you are with your own books. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Number 6 Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 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. I have a feeling that my advice will likely be disregarded just as everyone else's has, but I'll give it a stab. One of the reasons that getting a "regular" job is so important is that it gives you a stable foundation to work from. That includes a budget for discretionary spending - which would include a hobby. When others here suggest that you start with comics as a hobby, they're not suggesting that you go out and pay full market value for high-grade keys and hot books. There's 3 ways to pursue comics as a hobby: 1. Pay FMV by buying from comic retailers or bidding aggressively at auctions. 2. Get for a significant percentage off FMV (a "deal") by scouring yard sales, swap meets, used books stores, classified ads, local comic shop back-issue bins where they may have overlooked something, etc. 3. Doing a combination of the two. Most collectors will do both, but will resort to #1 when there's a book they want and aren't particularly concerned about resale potential. I think when others suggest that you pursue comics as a hobby, I think they have in mind that you stick almost exclusively to option #2. Option #2 will really benefit you because it will help you develop the leg-work skills and connections to source material with big enough margins that you can make a profit when you sell. And I'm not talking about finding some hidden specu-key. I talking about finding books 50 cents - $2.00 that you know you can sell for $5-$10, maybe more. Doesn't sound like a lot of money but it's a healthy profit margin and doing it over multiple books will add up. And that means it will force you to become more knowledgeable about what the true market is for a broad spectrum of comics is, not just the flash-in-the-pan hot stuff. By pursuing a collection this way you'll also have far less money tied up in your collection. So if you ever loose interest or it seems that selling comics as a business won't come to fruition you can sell your collection and at the very least make back what you made plus nice little profit. Or hold on to the books and be comfortable knowing that you're not out much in terms of money. Option #2 requires a lot more of your time, energy and some gas money for driving around but the reward is that you'll put together a collection for less money than retail and develop the skills necessary should you decide to shift into selling later. Starting by collecting using option #2 will do something else that's very important: it will help create passion for the hobby, and that's so vital for success. Another member here - I think it was mintcollector - spoke one time about how he bought and flipped antique glass for profit. He said that you could go out and buy a book on antique glass values and identification, and then hit yard sales and antique stores looking for pieces to flip. But the only way you could be truly successful at it is if you develop a passion for the antique glass itself. And I think that's true of anything collectible, especially comics. Right now it seems like you're chasing every shiny new thing that somebody else thinks is "hot" because there's a movie coming out or some development deal has been gossiped about. It seems like the only thing you have a passion for is having the bragging rights to flipping some whale book for thousands of dollars and looking like a B.S.D. dealer who's made phat stacks off a comic. That's not the kind of passion that's going to lead to long term success. Forget that stuff. Start with the collecting rule of thumb using option #2: collect what you like. There's all kinds of things you can sell for profit. So why are you focused on comics? What is it about comics that attracts you to them? What characters do you like? What stories mean something? Which writers and artists work do you esteem? When you answer those questions (and have a stable job that gives you disposable income) than use option #2 to start pursuing those books. Sure, keep on eye out for books that you think others might be interested in down the road, but make sure you're picking up books you personally enjoy. That keeps your passion up which in turn gives you the motivation to learn and stay up on the market. I understand that you really want to be you're own boss now, but you've really got to stop fighting your dad about getting one. As mentioned, having a day job will give you the financial foundation to pursue comics as a hobby, which in turn will give you the skills and passion to later pursue comics as a business. But getting a regular job will do something else: it's going to force to cultivate patience and discipline. Those qualities are absolutely necessary for running a successful business. Anyone here who's run a business will tell you that it often require sacrifice - giving up something that may be important to you in the short term for something that's more important to you in the long term. And when you work a 9-5, 5-day-a-week job that's where your hobby comes in: Friday night you get off work, sit down and start planning on what yard sales and swap meets you're going to hit on Saturday and Sunday, maybe hit the back issue bins at a LCS, follow up on a couple classifieds. If you truly enjoy comics as a hobby, that's how you recharge your batteries for the next work week. That doesn't mean buying collections of multiple long-boxes of 90's drek, or buying expensive key books. Just a few books every weekend that you enjoy and that you know you're getting for well below market value. Slow and steady. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehumantorch Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 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. He forced you to complete a deal that you agreed to. If you were on the other side of the deal you'd expect him to honor his side of the trade. You completed the deal because you were afraid he'd reveal your behavior and it would look bad. You should think long and hard about that and about whether you want to be a stand up guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EC ed Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 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. I have a feeling that my advice will likely be disregarded just as everyone else's has, but I'll give it a stab. One of the reasons that getting a "regular" job is so important is that it gives you a stable foundation to work from. That includes a budget for discretionary spending - which would include a hobby. When others here suggest that you start with comics as a hobby, they're not suggesting that you go out and pay full market value for high-grade keys and hot books. There's 3 ways to pursue comics as a hobby: 1. Pay FMV by buying from comic retailers or bidding aggressively at auctions. 2. Get for a significant percentage off FMV (a "deal") by scouring yard sales, swap meets, used books stores, classified ads, local comic shop back-issue bins where they may have overlooked something, etc. 3. Doing a combination of the two. Most collectors will do both, but will resort to #1 when there's a book they want and aren't particularly concerned about resale potential. I think when others suggest that you pursue comics as a hobby, I think they have in mind that you stick almost exclusively to option #2. Option #2 will really benefit you because it will help you develop the leg-work skills and connections to source material with big enough margins that you can make a profit when you sell. And I'm not talking about finding some hidden specu-key. I talking about finding books 50 cents - $2.00 that you know you can sell for $5-$10, maybe more. Doesn't sound like a lot of money but it's a healthy profit margin and doing it over multiple books will add up. And that means it will force you to become more knowledgeable about what the true market is for a broad spectrum of comics is, not just the flash-in-the-pan hot stuff. By pursuing a collection this way you'll also have far less money tied up in your collection. So if you ever loose interest or it seems that selling comics as a business won't come to fruition you can sell your collection and at the very least make back what you made plus nice little profit. Or hold on to the books and be comfortable knowing that you're not out much in terms of money. Option #2 requires a lot more of your time, energy and some gas money for driving around but the reward is that you'll put together a collection for less money than retail and develop the skills necessary should you decide to shift into selling later. Starting by collecting using option #2 will do something else that's very important: it will help create passion for the hobby, and that's so vital for success. Another member here - I think it was mintcollector - spoke one time about how he bought and flipped antique glass for profit. He said that you could go out and buy a book on antique glass values and identification, and then hit yard sales and antique stores looking for pieces to flip. But the only way you could be truly successful at it is if you develop a passion for the antique glass itself. And I think that's true of anything collectible, especially comics. Right now it seems like you're chasing every shiny new thing that somebody else thinks is "hot" because there's a movie coming out or some development deal has been gossiped about. It seems like the only thing you have a passion for is having the bragging rights to flipping some whale book for thousands of dollars and looking like a B.S.D. dealer who's made phat stacks off a comic. That's not the kind of passion that's going to lead to long term success. Forget that stuff. Start with the collecting rule of thumb using option #2: collect what you like. There's all kinds of things you can sell for profit. So why are you focused on comics? What is it about comics that attracts you to them? What characters do you like? What stories mean something? Which writers and artists work do you esteem? When you answer those questions (and have a stable job that gives you disposable income) than use option #2 to start pursuing those books. Sure, keep on eye out for books that you think others might be interested in down the road, but make sure you're picking up books you personally enjoy. That keeps your passion up which in turn gives you the motivation to learn and stay up on the market. I understand that you really want to be you're own boss now, but you've really got to stop fighting your dad about getting one. As mentioned, having a day job will give you the financial foundation to pursue comics as a hobby, which in turn will give you the skills and passion to later pursue comics as a business. But getting a regular job will do something else: it's going to force to cultivate patience and discipline. Those qualities are absolutely necessary for running a successful business. Anyone here who's run a business will tell you that it often require sacrifice - giving up something that may be important to you in the short term for something that's more important to you in the long term. And when you work a 9-5, 5-day-a-week job that's where your hobby comes in: Friday night you get off work, sit down and start planning on what yard sales and swap meets you're going to hit on Saturday and Sunday, maybe hit the back issue bins at a LCS, follow up on a couple classifieds. If you truly enjoy comics as a hobby, that's how you recharge your batteries for the next work week. That doesn't mean buying collections of multiple long-boxes of 90's drek, or buying expensive key books. Just a few books every weekend that you enjoy and that you know you're getting for well below market value. Slow and steady. This is an excellent post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batman1fan Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 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. I have a feeling that my advice will likely be disregarded just as everyone else's has, but I'll give it a stab. One of the reasons that getting a "regular" job is so important is that it gives you a stable foundation to work from. That includes a budget for discretionary spending - which would include a hobby. When others here suggest that you start with comics as a hobby, they're not suggesting that you go out and pay full market value for high-grade keys and hot books. There's 3 ways to pursue comics as a hobby: 1. Pay FMV by buying from comic retailers or bidding aggressively at auctions. 2. Get for a significant percentage off FMV (a "deal") by scouring yard sales, swap meets, used books stores, classified ads, local comic shop back-issue bins where they may have overlooked something, etc. 3. Doing a combination of the two. Most collectors will do both, but will resort to #1 when there's a book they want and aren't particularly concerned about resale potential. I think when others suggest that you pursue comics as a hobby, I think they have in mind that you stick almost exclusively to option #2. Option #2 will really benefit you because it will help you develop the leg-work skills and connections to source material with big enough margins that you can make a profit when you sell. And I'm not talking about finding some hidden specu-key. I talking about finding books 50 cents - $2.00 that you know you can sell for $5-$10, maybe more. Doesn't sound like a lot of money but it's a healthy profit margin and doing it over multiple books will add up. And that means it will force you to become more knowledgeable about what the true market is for a broad spectrum of comics is, not just the flash-in-the-pan hot stuff. By pursuing a collection this way you'll also have far less money tied up in your collection. So if you ever loose interest or it seems that selling comics as a business won't come to fruition you can sell your collection and at the very least make back what you made plus nice little profit. Or hold on to the books and be comfortable knowing that you're not out much in terms of money. Option #2 requires a lot more of your time, energy and some gas money for driving around but the reward is that you'll put together a collection for less money than retail and develop the skills necessary should you decide to shift into selling later. Starting by collecting using option #2 will do something else that's very important: it will help create passion for the hobby, and that's so vital for success. Another member here - I think it was mintcollector - spoke one time about how he bought and flipped antique glass for profit. He said that you could go out and buy a book on antique glass values and identification, and then hit yard sales and antique stores looking for pieces to flip. But the only way you could be truly successful at it is if you develop a passion for the antique glass itself. And I think that's true of anything collectible, especially comics. Right now it seems like you're chasing every shiny new thing that somebody else thinks is "hot" because there's a movie coming out or some development deal has been gossiped about. It seems like the only thing you have a passion for is having the bragging rights to flipping some whale book for thousands of dollars and looking like a B.S.D. dealer who's made phat stacks off a comic. That's not the kind of passion that's going to lead to long term success. Forget that stuff. Start with the collecting rule of thumb using option #2: collect what you like. There's all kinds of things you can sell for profit. So why are you focused on comics? What is it about comics that attracts you to them? What characters do you like? What stories mean something? Which writers and artists work do you esteem? When you answer those questions (and have a stable job that gives you disposable income) than use option #2 to start pursuing those books. Sure, keep on eye out for books that you think others might be interested in down the road, but make sure you're picking up books you personally enjoy. That keeps your passion up which in turn gives you the motivation to learn and stay up on the market. I understand that you really want to be you're own boss now, but you've really got to stop fighting your dad about getting one. As mentioned, having a day job will give you the financial foundation to pursue comics as a hobby, which in turn will give you the skills and passion to later pursue comics as a business. But getting a regular job will do something else: it's going to force to cultivate patience and discipline. Those qualities are absolutely necessary for running a successful business. Anyone here who's run a business will tell you that it often require sacrifice - giving up something that may be important to you in the short term for something that's more important to you in the long term. And when you work a 9-5, 5-day-a-week job that's where your hobby comes in: Friday night you get off work, sit down and start planning on what yard sales and swap meets you're going to hit on Saturday and Sunday, maybe hit the back issue bins at a LCS, follow up on a couple classifieds. If you truly enjoy comics as a hobby, that's how you recharge your batteries for the next work week. That doesn't mean buying collections of multiple long-boxes of 90's drek, or buying expensive key books. Just a few books every weekend that you enjoy and that you know you're getting for well below market value. Slow and steady. This is an excellent post. It sure is. It's too bad that it will likely be completely ignored by the person it was meant to benefit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uchiha101 Posted October 15, 2015 Author Share Posted October 15, 2015 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. I honestly do not see how you were forced into this trade. As others have said, you could have just not send the book over. I don't think your reputation would have taken a hit if you had backed out of the deal. However, saying that you wanted more money made you seem greedy and I can see why the other guy got a little upset over it. He said he would post it on all the facebook comic book groups and I've seen him do it before I wouldn't have done this deal otherwise because I changed my mind on it so that's when he said what he did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uchiha101 Posted October 15, 2015 Author Share Posted October 15, 2015 (edited) 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. He forced you to complete a deal that you agreed to. If you were on the other side of the deal you'd expect him to honor his side of the trade. You completed the deal because you were afraid he'd reveal your behavior and it would look bad. You should think long and hard about that and about whether you want to be a stand up guy. A stand up guy? I always try to be a stand up guy when I make mistakes or do something wrong I admit to it and I always will I didn't like how he said he would blast me on all the comic book groups if I didn't give him the comic. Maybe it's something different to you but when I try to sell here I get nice comics and having another selling venue shut off to me would almost ruin me all I would have left is ebay or sell it for cheap somewhere else and he knows the admins of most groups. To you can probably just laugh it off but to me that it something that I'd be afraid of happening. Edited October 15, 2015 by uchiha101 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Semicentennial Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 I hope you don't get ripped off again. I think people know you're an easy mark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uchiha101 Posted October 15, 2015 Author Share Posted October 15, 2015 (edited) 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. I have a feeling that my advice will likely be disregarded just as everyone else's has, but I'll give it a stab. One of the reasons that getting a "regular" job is so important is that it gives you a stable foundation to work from. That includes a budget for discretionary spending - which would include a hobby. When others here suggest that you start with comics as a hobby, they're not suggesting that you go out and pay full market value for high-grade keys and hot books. There's 3 ways to pursue comics as a hobby: 1. Pay FMV by buying from comic retailers or bidding aggressively at auctions. 2. Get for a significant percentage off FMV (a "deal") by scouring yard sales, swap meets, used books stores, classified ads, local comic shop back-issue bins where they may have overlooked something, etc. 3. Doing a combination of the two. Most collectors will do both, but will resort to #1 when there's a book they want and aren't particularly concerned about resale potential. I think when others suggest that you pursue comics as a hobby, I think they have in mind that you stick almost exclusively to option #2. Option #2 will really benefit you because it will help you develop the leg-work skills and connections to source material with big enough margins that you can make a profit when you sell. And I'm not talking about finding some hidden specu-key. I talking about finding books 50 cents - $2.00 that you know you can sell for $5-$10, maybe more. Doesn't sound like a lot of money but it's a healthy profit margin and doing it over multiple books will add up. And that means it will force you to become more knowledgeable about what the true market is for a broad spectrum of comics is, not just the flash-in-the-pan hot stuff. By pursuing a collection this way you'll also have far less money tied up in your collection. So if you ever loose interest or it seems that selling comics as a business won't come to fruition you can sell your collection and at the very least make back what you made plus nice little profit. Or hold on to the books and be comfortable knowing that you're not out much in terms of money. Option #2 requires a lot more of your time, energy and some gas money for driving around but the reward is that you'll put together a collection for less money than retail and develop the skills necessary should you decide to shift into selling later. Starting by collecting using option #2 will do something else that's very important: it will help create passion for the hobby, and that's so vital for success. Another member here - I think it was mintcollector - spoke one time about how he bought and flipped antique glass for profit. He said that you could go out and buy a book on antique glass values and identification, and then hit yard sales and antique stores looking for pieces to flip. But the only way you could be truly successful at it is if you develop a passion for the antique glass itself. And I think that's true of anything collectible, especially comics. Right now it seems like you're chasing every shiny new thing that somebody else thinks is "hot" because there's a movie coming out or some development deal has been gossiped about. It seems like the only thing you have a passion for is having the bragging rights to flipping some whale book for thousands of dollars and looking like a B.S.D. dealer who's made phat stacks off a comic. That's not the kind of passion that's going to lead to long term success. Forget that stuff. Start with the collecting rule of thumb using option #2: collect what you like. There's all kinds of things you can sell for profit. So why are you focused on comics? What is it about comics that attracts you to them? What characters do you like? What stories mean something? Which writers and artists work do you esteem? When you answer those questions (and have a stable job that gives you disposable income) than use option #2 to start pursuing those books. Sure, keep on eye out for books that you think others might be interested in down the road, but make sure you're picking up books you personally enjoy. That keeps your passion up which in turn gives you the motivation to learn and stay up on the market. I understand that you really want to be you're own boss now, but you've really got to stop fighting your dad about getting one. As mentioned, having a day job will give you the financial foundation to pursue comics as a hobby, which in turn will give you the skills and passion to later pursue comics as a business. But getting a regular job will do something else: it's going to force to cultivate patience and discipline. Those qualities are absolutely necessary for running a successful business. Anyone here who's run a business will tell you that it often require sacrifice - giving up something that may be important to you in the short term for something that's more important to you in the long term. And when you work a 9-5, 5-day-a-week job that's where your hobby comes in: Friday night you get off work, sit down and start planning on what yard sales and swap meets you're going to hit on Saturday and Sunday, maybe hit the back issue bins at a LCS, follow up on a couple classifieds. If you truly enjoy comics as a hobby, that's how you recharge your batteries for the next work week. That doesn't mean buying collections of multiple long-boxes of 90's drek, or buying expensive key books. Just a few books every weekend that you enjoy and that you know you're getting for well below market value. Slow and steady. This is an excellent post. It sure is. It's too bad that it will likely be completely ignored by the person it was meant to benefit. No it won't be ignored by me I didn't know I acted the way I did and I don't mean for it to come off as bragging I'm just happy I can make some money for a change instead of losing it. You also asked me what other things I used to sell for a profit? coins and video games. I thought when people were telling me to do it as a hobby I thought they meant quit completely but I will print all the good info off and put it to use. My dad and I don't see eye to eye and we haven't been partners for a while now. I like archie, spider-man, doctor strange, x-men, batman. The reasons I like the characters as silly as it sounds they have qualities I wish to have myself and as for artists I like neal adams, jack kirby and steve ditko. I like like cool badass looking art and art the is happy looking as well I can read a comic and imagine I was there especially the happy worlds. What drew me to comics is money and enjoyment since I know if you know how to do it right you can make money with comics and I never knew archie had any comics when I first started I thought they were only digests. Edited October 16, 2015 by uchiha101 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimjum12 Posted October 15, 2015 Share Posted October 15, 2015 (edited) Trading is a slippery slope.... and often results in a lot of wheel spinning. It is, however, a useful tool to revitalize stale inventory. GOD BLESS... -jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u Edited October 15, 2015 by jimjum12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uchiha101 Posted October 15, 2015 Author Share Posted October 15, 2015 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. So how does this consignment thing work? The seller ships to book to your or ships the book to the buyer? I read your other thread and thought it was a little goofy. I certainly hope that if people are sending you books that you aren't as careless with them as you are with your own books. The comics would be shipped to me then when they are sold I'll ship it to the buyer I've tried to sell comics without having them on hand and it doesn't work out to well because they trust me not the other person. Careless? I don't know what you mean I treat my comics with care do you mean overpricing them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisco37 Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 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. He forced you to complete a deal that you agreed to. If you were on the other side of the deal you'd expect him to honor his side of the trade. You completed the deal because you were afraid he'd reveal your behavior and it would look bad. You should think long and hard about that and about whether you want to be a stand up guy. A stand up guy? I always try to be a stand up guy when I make mistakes or do something wrong I admit to it and I always will I didn't like how he said he would blast me on all the comic book groups if I didn't give him the comic. Maybe it's something different to you but when I try to sell here I get nice comics and having another selling venue shut off to me would almost ruin me all I would have left is ebay or sell it for cheap somewhere else and he knows the admins of most groups. To you can probably just laugh it off but to me that it something that I'd be afraid of happening. You and he agreed to a deal. When he owned up to his side (sending you the book and the money), you wanted a few more bucks. That's not right. Now, you've owned up to the mistake (as you should). And you've owned up to other mistakes as well. That's the right way to do things. BUT, and it's a big BUT, at some point you've got to stop the mistakes. Saying sorry all the time isn't going to cut it. You've said, multiple times, you completed the deal because you were afraid of him posting something bad about you. You should have completed the deal because that's what you agreed to and he had already completed his part of the deal. You tried to get more money out of him after the deal was made and you had his books. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uchiha101 Posted October 16, 2015 Author Share Posted October 16, 2015 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. I have a feeling that my advice will likely be disregarded just as everyone else's has, but I'll give it a stab. One of the reasons that getting a "regular" job is so important is that it gives you a stable foundation to work from. That includes a budget for discretionary spending - which would include a hobby. When others here suggest that you start with comics as a hobby, they're not suggesting that you go out and pay full market value for high-grade keys and hot books. There's 3 ways to pursue comics as a hobby: 1. Pay FMV by buying from comic retailers or bidding aggressively at auctions. 2. Get for a significant percentage off FMV (a "deal") by scouring yard sales, swap meets, used books stores, classified ads, local comic shop back-issue bins where they may have overlooked something, etc. 3. Doing a combination of the two. Most collectors will do both, but will resort to #1 when there's a book they want and aren't particularly concerned about resale potential. I think when others suggest that you pursue comics as a hobby, I think they have in mind that you stick almost exclusively to option #2. Option #2 will really benefit you because it will help you develop the leg-work skills and connections to source material with big enough margins that you can make a profit when you sell. And I'm not talking about finding some hidden specu-key. I talking about finding books 50 cents - $2.00 that you know you can sell for $5-$10, maybe more. Doesn't sound like a lot of money but it's a healthy profit margin and doing it over multiple books will add up. And that means it will force you to become more knowledgeable about what the true market is for a broad spectrum of comics is, not just the flash-in-the-pan hot stuff. By pursuing a collection this way you'll also have far less money tied up in your collection. So if you ever loose interest or it seems that selling comics as a business won't come to fruition you can sell your collection and at the very least make back what you made plus nice little profit. Or hold on to the books and be comfortable knowing that you're not out much in terms of money. Option #2 requires a lot more of your time, energy and some gas money for driving around but the reward is that you'll put together a collection for less money than retail and develop the skills necessary should you decide to shift into selling later. Starting by collecting using option #2 will do something else that's very important: it will help create passion for the hobby, and that's so vital for success. Another member here - I think it was mintcollector - spoke one time about how he bought and flipped antique glass for profit. He said that you could go out and buy a book on antique glass values and identification, and then hit yard sales and antique stores looking for pieces to flip. But the only way you could be truly successful at it is if you develop a passion for the antique glass itself. And I think that's true of anything collectible, especially comics. Right now it seems like you're chasing every shiny new thing that somebody else thinks is "hot" because there's a movie coming out or some development deal has been gossiped about. It seems like the only thing you have a passion for is having the bragging rights to flipping some whale book for thousands of dollars and looking like a B.S.D. dealer who's made phat stacks off a comic. That's not the kind of passion that's going to lead to long term success. Forget that stuff. Start with the collecting rule of thumb using option #2: collect what you like. There's all kinds of things you can sell for profit. So why are you focused on comics? What is it about comics that attracts you to them? What characters do you like? What stories mean something? Which writers and artists work do you esteem? When you answer those questions (and have a stable job that gives you disposable income) than use option #2 to start pursuing those books. Sure, keep on eye out for books that you think others might be interested in down the road, but make sure you're picking up books you personally enjoy. That keeps your passion up which in turn gives you the motivation to learn and stay up on the market. I understand that you really want to be you're own boss now, but you've really got to stop fighting your dad about getting one. As mentioned, having a day job will give you the financial foundation to pursue comics as a hobby, which in turn will give you the skills and passion to later pursue comics as a business. But getting a regular job will do something else: it's going to force to cultivate patience and discipline. Those qualities are absolutely necessary for running a successful business. Anyone here who's run a business will tell you that it often require sacrifice - giving up something that may be important to you in the short term for something that's more important to you in the long term. And when you work a 9-5, 5-day-a-week job that's where your hobby comes in: Friday night you get off work, sit down and start planning on what yard sales and swap meets you're going to hit on Saturday and Sunday, maybe hit the back issue bins at a LCS, follow up on a couple classifieds. If you truly enjoy comics as a hobby, that's how you recharge your batteries for the next work week. That doesn't mean buying collections of multiple long-boxes of 90's drek, or buying expensive key books. Just a few books every weekend that you enjoy and that you know you're getting for well below market value. Slow and steady. Thanks I'll be reading it later and appreciate the info unlike what other say you'll hear it from me "I do read what you have to say and as for following the advice I slowly do that" for selling the collection I can't take too much of a loss but I hear what they're saying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisco37 Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 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. So how does this consignment thing work? The seller ships to book to your or ships the book to the buyer? I read your other thread and thought it was a little goofy. I certainly hope that if people are sending you books that you aren't as careless with them as you are with your own books. The comics would be shipped to me then when they are sold I'll ship it to the buyer I've tried to sell comics without having them on hand and it doesn't work out to well because they trust me not the other person. Careless? I don't know what you mean I treat my comics with care do you mean overpricing them? Have you gotten insurance for your business yet (as was suggested when you first posted about taking consignments)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uchiha101 Posted October 16, 2015 Author Share Posted October 16, 2015 Trading is a slippery slope.... and often results in a lot of wheel spinning. It is, however, a useful tool to revitalize stale inventory. GOD BLESS... -jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u Thanks so far I had 3 of 4 trades work out in my favor and I refuse to be burned if I have to wait longer to make this work I will because people on here are right I have been easy to push around and I've been trying to change but habits are harder to break then I thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uchiha101 Posted October 16, 2015 Author Share Posted October 16, 2015 (edited) 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. He forced you to complete a deal that you agreed to. If you were on the other side of the deal you'd expect him to honor his side of the trade. You completed the deal because you were afraid he'd reveal your behavior and it would look bad. You should think long and hard about that and about whether you want to be a stand up guy. A stand up guy? I always try to be a stand up guy when I make mistakes or do something wrong I admit to it and I always will I didn't like how he said he would blast me on all the comic book groups if I didn't give him the comic. Maybe it's something different to you but when I try to sell here I get nice comics and having another selling venue shut off to me would almost ruin me all I would have left is ebay or sell it for cheap somewhere else and he knows the admins of most groups. To you can probably just laugh it off but to me that it something that I'd be afraid of happening. You and he agreed to a deal. When he owned up to his side (sending you the book and the money), you wanted a few more bucks. That's not right. Now, you've owned up to the mistake (as you should). And you've owned up to other mistakes as well. That's the right way to do things. BUT, and it's a big BUT, at some point you've got to stop the mistakes. Saying sorry all the time isn't going to cut it. You've said, multiple times, you completed the deal because you were afraid of him posting something bad about you. You should have completed the deal because that's what you agreed to and he had already completed his part of the deal. You tried to get more money out of him after the deal was made and you had his books. That's almost right I did admit I was wrong in what I did and I won't be doing it again however he sent the money first, I got my comic and sent it to him then he sent his part. I tried to back out because it wasn't the deal I wanted anymore and I thought he tried to pull something over me and I panicked and tried to back out and seeing as I couldn't I wanted more money for it. Edited October 16, 2015 by uchiha101 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uchiha101 Posted October 16, 2015 Author Share Posted October 16, 2015 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. So how does this consignment thing work? The seller ships to book to your or ships the book to the buyer? I read your other thread and thought it was a little goofy. I certainly hope that if people are sending you books that you aren't as careless with them as you are with your own books. The comics would be shipped to me then when they are sold I'll ship it to the buyer I've tried to sell comics without having them on hand and it doesn't work out to well because they trust me not the other person. Careless? I don't know what you mean I treat my comics with care do you mean overpricing them? Have you gotten insurance for your business yet (as was suggested when you first posted about taking consignments)? Not yet I'm stuck on choosing a company that I want for insurance but the home insurance covers up to 5k so I can take comics up to that much value for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
