uchiha101 Posted October 18, 2015 Author Share Posted October 18, 2015 Indeed. See I'm not completely clueless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeadOne Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 I traded my jla #1 cgc 1.8 for a asm 300 cgc 9.2 tripled signed by stan lee, mcfarlane and david something and 150 cash which I think is a great deal Blaine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine48 Posted October 18, 2015 Share Posted October 18, 2015 I get the fixation with the big ticket items...... they appeal to all of us. Unfortunately, the higher the price tag, the smaller the buying pool. Many, many collectors can drop 100 bucks on something they want and I dare say that if you actually want to make a living selling comics, you should focus on acquiring books in the 20 -200 neighborhood that can be sold at a 25% mark up. You mention studying the market, but this can be deceiving..... mainly because by the time market trends become obvious, the ship has often sailed. Many new dealers look at their customers as serving the dealer's goals..... but successful dealers quickly learn that it is the dealer who serves the customer's goals. Learn about your customers and find ways to serve their needs. Without repeat business, success will be elusive.I would also suggest developing a professional network..... other dealer's that you know and trust..... attending shows is crucial for this. If you're strictly an Internet Jockey, you're just basically panning for the same gold in the same stream that your customer is. I think we'd all like to sell a million dollar book, providing, of course, that we didn't pay a million and a half for it..... but folks who buy million dollar books are often going to be extremely loyal to certain venues were trust has been built up over decades of transactional growth. Steve Fishler, a seller of million dollar books, started out working the show circuit for other dealers. I would suggest going to www.metropoliscomics.com and checking out the Comic Zone Radio archives, with a focus on the interviews with notable dealers. A valuable lesson that I've learned.... and I'm still FAR from what I'd call successful, is that there are glass ceilings for price levels, with fewer "playas" the higher the level gets. Understanding the dynamics of disposable income and buying power of the average collector will save you a lot of heartache. Many, many collectors are just not participating in the 1000 dollar pool...... and significantly less than that will drop 2500 on a book. It's been my experience that the buying pool begins to thin significantly at the 500 dollar level. Understand the economy of the market, and know that a customer is not just a wallet with legs. They have families, mortgages, car payments, grocery bills, etc...... and comics are far down the list. Cultivate "want lists" and take note when items show up for multiple customers. Also there are two markets, the national one that is like viewing Shangri-La through binoculars, and YOUR market.... which is what your actual customers are seeking and acquiring.... those are the ones that matter. It's a long hard road..... and I, for one, have been failing to become a professional dealer for 25 years now. I may not be able to share what works.... but I can certainly share what DOESN'T (thumbs u ........GLWTS .......GOD BLESS... -jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u ...... for every Ferrari you sell, you'll need to sell 50 Chevettes. Great post sir! Gabe,jimbo knows his stuff and is a great,kind gentleman.Take his advice and others(mostly ,if not all a great kind group) and do your best,as I know you do.Some real great folks here seem to have,or would like to,take you 'under their wings'.I wish you the best as i hope you know!I dont sell,i hoard for the love of it,so all the advice I can give is to listen to what some of these great folks have offered.you cant buy this stuff. But im here as a friend,so anytime you wanna talk or vent,drop a line pally! Jimmers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uchiha101 Posted October 19, 2015 Author Share Posted October 19, 2015 I get the fixation with the big ticket items...... they appeal to all of us. Unfortunately, the higher the price tag, the smaller the buying pool. Many, many collectors can drop 100 bucks on something they want and I dare say that if you actually want to make a living selling comics, you should focus on acquiring books in the 20 -200 neighborhood that can be sold at a 25% mark up. You mention studying the market, but this can be deceiving..... mainly because by the time market trends become obvious, the ship has often sailed. Many new dealers look at their customers as serving the dealer's goals..... but successful dealers quickly learn that it is the dealer who serves the customer's goals. Learn about your customers and find ways to serve their needs. Without repeat business, success will be elusive.I would also suggest developing a professional network..... other dealer's that you know and trust..... attending shows is crucial for this. If you're strictly an Internet Jockey, you're just basically panning for the same gold in the same stream that your customer is. I think we'd all like to sell a million dollar book, providing, of course, that we didn't pay a million and a half for it..... but folks who buy million dollar books are often going to be extremely loyal to certain venues were trust has been built up over decades of transactional growth. Steve Fishler, a seller of million dollar books, started out working the show circuit for other dealers. I would suggest going to www.metropoliscomics.com and checking out the Comic Zone Radio archives, with a focus on the interviews with notable dealers. A valuable lesson that I've learned.... and I'm still FAR from what I'd call successful, is that there are glass ceilings for price levels, with fewer "playas" the higher the level gets. Understanding the dynamics of disposable income and buying power of the average collector will save you a lot of heartache. Many, many collectors are just not participating in the 1000 dollar pool...... and significantly less than that will drop 2500 on a book. It's been my experience that the buying pool begins to thin significantly at the 500 dollar level. Understand the economy of the market, and know that a customer is not just a wallet with legs. They have families, mortgages, car payments, grocery bills, etc...... and comics are far down the list. Cultivate "want lists" and take note when items show up for multiple customers. Also there are two markets, the national one that is like viewing Shangri-La through binoculars, and YOUR market.... which is what your actual customers are seeking and acquiring.... those are the ones that matter. It's a long hard road..... and I, for one, have been failing to become a professional dealer for 25 years now. I may not be able to share what works.... but I can certainly share what DOESN'T (thumbs u ........GLWTS .......GOD BLESS... -jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u ...... for every Ferrari you sell, you'll need to sell 50 Chevettes. Great post sir! Gabe,jimbo knows his stuff and is a great,kind gentleman.Take his advice and others(mostly ,if not all a great kind group) and do your best,as I know you do.Some real great folks here seem to have,or would like to,take you 'under their wings'.I wish you the best as i hope you know!I dont sell,i hoard for the love of it,so all the advice I can give is to listen to what some of these great folks have offered.you cant buy this stuff. But im here as a friend,so anytime you wanna talk or vent,drop a line pally! Jimmers Thanks I'll pm you should something come up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miraclemet Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 Net Revenue -$3000.25 so what would you estimate your current inventory value? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uchiha101 Posted October 19, 2015 Author Share Posted October 19, 2015 Net Revenue -$3000.25 so what would you estimate your current inventory value? I haven't calculated that in a while but I'll get around to it I'm trying to sell or trade of the comics worth bigger chunks of money first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miraclemet Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 Net Revenue -$3000.25 so what would you estimate your current inventory value? I haven't calculated that in a while but I'll get around to it I'm trying to sell or trade of the comics worth bigger chunks of money first. if you are running a business you should probably have a decent idea of this, especially if you have a relatively small inventory. Do you think you are in the black? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uchiha101 Posted October 19, 2015 Author Share Posted October 19, 2015 (edited) JLA #1 .5 Trade update I traded my jla 1 .5 for x-men 266 cgc 9.6 Today's thoughts now all I need to do is get rid of my coverless jla #1 and 3 of my past mistakes will be gone. Edited October 19, 2015 by uchiha101 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uchiha101 Posted October 19, 2015 Author Share Posted October 19, 2015 Net Revenue -$3000.25 so what would you estimate your current inventory value? I haven't calculated that in a while but I'll get around to it I'm trying to sell or trade of the comics worth bigger chunks of money first. if you are running a business you should probably have a decent idea of this, especially if you have a relatively small inventory. Do you think you are in the black? No from the comics I have yet to sell I'm in the red for sure but I'm working on that part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KPR Comics Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 Net revenue is not a thing, Gabe. Revenue is revenue, i.e all $ coming in. Net income is revenue minus expenses in the simplest sense. You may be in the black and not even know it. You need to add inventory value to cash on hand to be sure. I feel like I've been here before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uchiha101 Posted October 19, 2015 Author Share Posted October 19, 2015 Net revenue is not a thing, Gabe. Revenue is revenue, i.e all $ coming in. Net income is revenue minus expenses in the simplest sense. You may be in the black and not even know it. You need to add inventory value to cash on hand to be sure. I feel like I've been here before. looing back at the journal yes we've been here before don't worry I've been looking at balance sheets and I've forgot you can add inventory to cash on hand I'll get back to that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miraclemet Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 Net Revenue -$3000.25 so what would you estimate your current inventory value? I haven't calculated that in a while but I'll get around to it I'm trying to sell or trade of the comics worth bigger chunks of money first. if you are running a business you should probably have a decent idea of this, especially if you have a relatively small inventory. Do you think you are in the black? No from the comics I have yet to sell I'm in the red for sure but I'm working on that part. .... so if the comics you have "yet to sell" (also known as your inventory) are worth more than 3000.25 then you are in the black (or profitable), if they are valued at less than $3000, ,you're in the red. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uchiha101 Posted October 19, 2015 Author Share Posted October 19, 2015 Net Revenue -$3000.25 so what would you estimate your current inventory value? I haven't calculated that in a while but I'll get around to it I'm trying to sell or trade of the comics worth bigger chunks of money first. if you are running a business you should probably have a decent idea of this, especially if you have a relatively small inventory. Do you think you are in the black? No from the comics I have yet to sell I'm in the red for sure but I'm working on that part. .... so if the comics you have "yet to sell" (also known as your inventory) are worth more than 3000.25 then you are in the black (or profitable), if they are valued at less than $3000, ,you're in the red. Then I can tell you just right now I'm about 300 in the green. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logan510 Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter G Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlowUpTheMoon Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 JLA #1 .5 Trade update I traded my jla 1 .5 for x-men 266 cgc 9.6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miraclemet Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 JLA #1 .5 Trade update I traded my jla 1 .5 for x-men 266 cgc 9.6 Is a JLA 1 worth so little? Plus not sure that i'd trade for a book that is market saturated. In order to sell it you'll have to price it low. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uchiha101 Posted October 19, 2015 Author Share Posted October 19, 2015 JLA #1 .5 Trade update I traded my jla 1 .5 for x-men 266 cgc 9.6 yeah, yeah I know it's lower value but I'll be able to move it faster and get cash flow going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uchiha101 Posted October 19, 2015 Author Share Posted October 19, 2015 JLA #1 .5 Trade update I traded my jla 1 .5 for x-men 266 cgc 9.6 Is a JLA 1 worth so little? Plus not sure that i'd trade for a book that is market saturated. In order to sell it you'll have to price it low. Yes because I've been getting offers of only 100-150 dollars for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G.A.tor Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 JLA #1 .5 Trade update I traded my jla 1 .5 for x-men 266 cgc 9.6 Is a JLA 1 worth so little? Plus not sure that i'd trade for a book that is market saturated. In order to sell it you'll have to price it low. Yes because I've been getting offers of only 100-150 dollars for it. So let me get this straight. You traded a 450-500 book for a 150-200 book?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
