The last eBay thread?

[Bookery]

I'm just defending ebay-I can sell my $30 book for $30 on ebay-at a comic shop I'd get maybe $5. So if ebay goes away, I'm screwed.

 

You sold a book that lists for $30 for $30? And then the buyer had to pay, what, $4-$7 shipping on top of that. Extra if he wants it insured and tracked?

 

Or he could have walked into my shop and probably bought it for 20% off and no shipping fees.. ie, $24 instead of $37.

 

You, sir, are a rip-off artist!!!

 

[VintageComics]

I retract the statement they 'rip you off' implying some greed.

 

And this is what you always do. Go in guns blazing making broad, inaccurate generalizations, insulting people and then retracting statements.

 

Dude.

[Columbia Comics]

It's almost Friday!

 

Almost...

 

But I encourage the Roy v. Kav discussions continue...I enjoy the reading

[kav]

I'm just defending ebay-I can sell my $30 book for $30 on ebay-at a comic shop I'd get maybe $5. So if ebay goes away, I'm screwed.

 

You sold a book that lists for $30 for $30? And then the buyer had to pay, what, $4-$7 shipping on top of that. Extra if he wants it insured and tracked?

 

Or he could have walked into my shop and probably bought it for 20% off and no shipping fees.. ie, $24 instead of $37.

 

You, sir, are a rip-off artist!!!

When did I say buying from a comic store is a rip off? Don't straw man me.

[kav]

I retract the statement they 'rip you off' implying some greed.

 

And this is what you always do. Go in guns blazing making broad, inaccurate generalizations, insulting people and then retracting statements.

 

Dude.

Isn't that generalizing?

[F For Fake]

I use ebay and my lcs to sell comics. If I have a "hot" comic, I go to eBay, where I will maximize my profit. If it's a "catalog" title, or something that won't move on eBay, I take it to my LCS, who will generally pay 50% if it's something they need, and will offer a sale price if I'm just looking to liquidate. Once a book has failed to sell at eBay or my LCS, I'll take it to HPB, who will pay pennies, but they'll take it all, no matter what it is.

 

Lately I've been mixing the boards into my sales as well. I find those sales fall somewhere in between the LCS prices and the eBay prices, once you factor in the eBay fees. The buyers here are smarter than your average bear, and they're looking for deals. No harm there.

 

I think the best way to maximize your profits is to know what you're selling, and know where to sell it. eBay has been awesome for me, and I've been selling there for 15 years. But my LCS has been great too when I needed it. There are a lot of venues out there for selling your books. Do what works best for you. Sure, there are scumbag LCS owners. There are also tons of scumbags on eBay as well. It's your book, so it's up to you to determine what you're willing to take for it. It's not a crime to offer a lowball price.

 

All that being said, I would love to see eBay return to its wild west, anything goes roots, and hopefully fees come back down as well. But I just don't see it disappearing completely. It may be a shadow of its former self, but it's still a shadow that attracts millions of users, which still means almost unimaginable gobs of $$$. There's no way it's going to just disappear overnight. Their biggest misstep was in trying to become Amazon without the warehouse/stock headaches, using sellers for their inventory. Once they get back to what they did best, I think good times are ahead.

[Bookery]

I'm just defending ebay-I can sell my $30 book for $30 on ebay-at a comic shop I'd get maybe $5. So if ebay goes away, I'm screwed.

 

You sold a book that lists for $30 for $30? And then the buyer had to pay, what, $4-$7 shipping on top of that. Extra if he wants it insured and tracked?

 

Or he could have walked into my shop and probably bought it for 20% off and no shipping fees.. ie, $24 instead of $37.

 

You, sir, are a rip-off artist!!!

When did I say buying from a comic store is a rip off? Don't straw man me.

 

You didn't. Nor did I. I said you are a rip-off seller. You sold some poor schmo a comic for 54% more than he likely could have gotten from a shop. And what's more... you have little overhead. You could have sold that book for $20 if you wanted to.

 

The point is... if comic shops are "rip-off" buyers, you, as a "rip-off" seller, are simply the pot slandering the kettle.

 

[Dr. Balls]

Don't understand the hate for ebay. If I want something, I can find it. If I want to sell something, I can. Just bought $400 worth of hatchback shocks on ebay for $40. Do I want to sell comics to a comic store? No.

 

Well, the hate for eBay on here is about a fraction of the hate that is generally expressed against comic shops. Not sure why, when you admit you can buy stuff on eBay for 10-cents on the dollar, that you would want to sell your stuff on there instead of a decent comic shop?

 

Comic shops rip you off.

 

As a former shop owner, I'd say that you're wrong on that aspect. Sure, some do - but most are honest business people who have to pay overhead costs like rent, utilities, insurance, bank fees, professional fees, workers comp, taxes, licensing and a litany of other costs that Average Joe doesn't have to incur on Ebay. It costs money to operate a business - something that many people aren't familiar with.

 

When it comes to buying, sure comic shop owners are usually great. When it comes to selling, fuhgettaboutit.

 

You can say I'm wrong all you want, but I've experienced exactly what I'm describing.

 

You're not really describing anything. You said "Comic shops rip you off" which isn't terribly descriptive about anything in particular.

 

How is that the shop owner's fault for charging too much on a comic? It's your choice to pay. Shop somewhere else that is cheaper and move on if you don't like the price. To say that a shop owner is ripping you off because they charge too much is stretching it a bit - and to use a Roy-ism: it's generalizing.

[kav]

I'm just defending ebay-I can sell my $30 book for $30 on ebay-at a comic shop I'd get maybe $5. So if ebay goes away, I'm screwed.

 

You sold a book that lists for $30 for $30? And then the buyer had to pay, what, $4-$7 shipping on top of that. Extra if he wants it insured and tracked?

 

Or he could have walked into my shop and probably bought it for 20% off and no shipping fees.. ie, $24 instead of $37.

 

You, sir, are a rip-off artist!!!

When did I say buying from a comic store is a rip off? Don't straw man me.

 

You didn't. Nor did I. I said you are a rip-off seller. You sold some poor schmo a comic for 54% more than he likely could have gotten from a shop. And what's more... you have little overhead. You could have sold that book for $20 if you wanted to.

 

The point is... if comic shops are "rip-off" buyers, you, as a "rip-off" seller, are simply the pot slandering the kettle.

So your shop has every comic and priced at 54% less than ebay. Sure thing dude.

[romanheart]

I'm just defending ebay-I can sell my $30 book for $30 on ebay-at a comic shop I'd get maybe $5. So if ebay goes away, I'm screwed.

 

You sold a book that lists for $30 for $30? And then the buyer had to pay, what, $4-$7 shipping on top of that. Extra if he wants it insured and tracked?

 

Or he could have walked into my shop and probably bought it for 20% off and no shipping fees.. ie, $24 instead of $37.

 

You, sir, are a rip-off artist!!!

When did I say buying from a comic store is a rip off? Don't straw man me.

 

You didn't. Nor did I. I said you are a rip-off seller. You sold some poor schmo a comic for 54% more than he likely could have gotten from a shop. And what's more... you have little overhead. You could have sold that book for $20 if you wanted to.

 

The point is... if comic shops are "rip-off" buyers, you, as a "rip-off" seller, are simply the pot slandering the kettle.

 

If a book sells for $30 in a shop, or on eBay, what's the difference really.

 

Are you going to give the seller a discount in the store for it?

 

eBay, $30 + shipping + (maybe import duties)

 

shop, $30 + travel costs (transit or gas)

[VintageComics]

I'm just defending ebay-I can sell my $30 book for $30 on ebay-at a comic shop I'd get maybe $5. So if ebay goes away, I'm screwed.

 

You sold a book that lists for $30 for $30? And then the buyer had to pay, what, $4-$7 shipping on top of that. Extra if he wants it insured and tracked?

 

Or he could have walked into my shop and probably bought it for 20% off and no shipping fees.. ie, $24 instead of $37.

 

You, sir, are a rip-off artist!!!

When did I say buying from a comic store is a rip off? Don't straw man me.

 

You didn't. Nor did I. I said you are a rip-off seller. You sold some poor schmo a comic for 54% more than he likely could have gotten from a shop. And what's more... you have little overhead. You could have sold that book for $20 if you wanted to.

 

The point is... if comic shops are "rip-off" buyers, you, as a "rip-off" seller, are simply the pot slandering the kettle.

So your shop has every comic and priced at 54% less than ebay. Sure thing dude.

 

You have no idea who you're talking to. The guy is highly regarded locally and on here.

[HighRadArt]

I'm just defending ebay-I can sell my $30 book for $30 on ebay-at a comic shop I'd get maybe $5. So if ebay goes away, I'm screwed.

 

You sold a book that lists for $30 for $30? And then the buyer had to pay, what, $4-$7 shipping on top of that. Extra if he wants it insured and tracked?

 

Or he could have walked into my shop and probably bought it for 20% off and no shipping fees.. ie, $24 instead of $37.

 

You, sir, are a rip-off artist!!!

When did I say buying from a comic store is a rip off? Don't straw man me.

 

You didn't. Nor did I. I said you are a rip-off seller. You sold some poor schmo a comic for 54% more than he likely could have gotten from a shop. And what's more... you have little overhead. You could have sold that book for $20 if you wanted to.

 

The point is... if comic shops are "rip-off" buyers, you, as a "rip-off" seller, are simply the pot slandering the kettle.

So your shop has every comic and priced at 54% less than ebay. Sure thing dude.

 

He just has your $30 comic.

[Dale Roberts]

If comic shops are so great, how come comic shop owners don't sell their comics to other comic shops? I mean like, consistently.

 

If you're talking vintage stuff, the majority of my buyers are other dealers who pick and choose the stuff that works best for their individual markets.

 

As for 20%... if you're talking bulk garbage, sure. In fact, a dealer could get thousands of bulk comics for free that he's going to put in 50-cent of $1-boxes and still lose money! By the time you bag and board and pay someone to keep the stuff organized, if you don't have a high volume business you could still lose money even if you paid nothing for the stock itself!

 

I can rarely get any "good stuff" for less than 60%-70%, however. Yesterday I sold an FF #45 for $400. I paid $300 for it. (By my math, that's 75%, not 20%). This week a Boardie gave me a list of comics he had for sale. The "book" and.or GPA value was $18,000. But since most were raw, and the collection included a lot of bulk comics mixed in with decent collectibles, the realistic retail value was $12k - $13k. I offered $8k, and was turned down. (He sells on eBay). No problem. But that's 62%-75%, not 20%. Last year I offered $20k for a golden-age non-key collection valued at $27k (again turned down). But that's 74%, not 20%.

 

Over the years dealers like Dale Roberts, Harley Yee, Mark Scott, John Haines, many many others.... have paid me full "market" or with only a modest dealer discount for stuff they wanted. But then, of course, when they have to mark it up even a little to make a profit, Boardies no doubt scream that they are "rip-off sellers".

 

BTW--

 

What's with those ignorant farmers anyway? I wonder why they sell massive amounts of crops to chain food retailers for "pennies on the dollar". Don't they know they could make a lot more working 12-hour days, 365-days a year selling their stuff directly by the roadside? Crazy, huh?

 

How much would you give someone who walked in with a book that sells for $30 on ebay?

 

This question is way too vague. I would pay $50.00 or even more for some books that sell for $30.00 on ebay. I would also pay $15.00 for some stuff that sells for $30.00 on ebay. Some stuff that sells for $30.00 on ebay, I don't want if someone gave it to me.

 

 

[kav]

I'm just defending ebay-I can sell my $30 book for $30 on ebay-at a comic shop I'd get maybe $5. So if ebay goes away, I'm screwed.

 

You sold a book that lists for $30 for $30? And then the buyer had to pay, what, $4-$7 shipping on top of that. Extra if he wants it insured and tracked?

 

Or he could have walked into my shop and probably bought it for 20% off and no shipping fees.. ie, $24 instead of $37.

 

You, sir, are a rip-off artist!!!

When did I say buying from a comic store is a rip off? Don't straw man me.

 

You didn't. Nor did I. I said you are a rip-off seller. You sold some poor schmo a comic for 54% more than he likely could have gotten from a shop. And what's more... you have little overhead. You could have sold that book for $20 if you wanted to.

 

The point is... if comic shops are "rip-off" buyers, you, as a "rip-off" seller, are simply the pot slandering the kettle.

So your shop has every comic and priced at 54% less than ebay. Sure thing dude.

 

You have no idea who you're talking to. The guy is highly regarded locally and on here.

Wow highly regarded-I had no idea. My god. gulp.

[Dale Roberts]

I'm just defending ebay-I can sell my $30 book for $30 on ebay-at a comic shop I'd get maybe $5. So if ebay goes away, I'm screwed.

 

You sold a book that lists for $30 for $30? And then the buyer had to pay, what, $4-$7 shipping on top of that. Extra if he wants it insured and tracked?

 

Or he could have walked into my shop and probably bought it for 20% off and no shipping fees.. ie, $24 instead of $37.

 

You, sir, are a rip-off artist!!!

When did I say buying from a comic store is a rip off? Don't straw man me.

 

You didn't. Nor did I. I said you are a rip-off seller. You sold some poor schmo a comic for 54% more than he likely could have gotten from a shop. And what's more... you have little overhead. You could have sold that book for $20 if you wanted to.

 

The point is... if comic shops are "rip-off" buyers, you, as a "rip-off" seller, are simply the pot slandering the kettle.

So your shop has every comic and priced at 54% less than ebay. Sure thing dude.

 

You have no idea who you're talking to. The guy is highly regarded locally and on here.

 

+1

 

Tim has had more good books than you will ever own in your life.

[kav]

I'm just defending ebay-I can sell my $30 book for $30 on ebay-at a comic shop I'd get maybe $5. So if ebay goes away, I'm screwed.

 

You sold a book that lists for $30 for $30? And then the buyer had to pay, what, $4-$7 shipping on top of that. Extra if he wants it insured and tracked?

 

Or he could have walked into my shop and probably bought it for 20% off and no shipping fees.. ie, $24 instead of $37.

 

You, sir, are a rip-off artist!!!

When did I say buying from a comic store is a rip off? Don't straw man me.

 

You didn't. Nor did I. I said you are a rip-off seller. You sold some poor schmo a comic for 54% more than he likely could have gotten from a shop. And what's more... you have little overhead. You could have sold that book for $20 if you wanted to.

 

The point is... if comic shops are "rip-off" buyers, you, as a "rip-off" seller, are simply the pot slandering the kettle.

So your shop has every comic and priced at 54% less than ebay. Sure thing dude.

 

You have no idea who you're talking to. The guy is highly regarded locally and on here.

 

+1

 

Tim has had more good books than you will ever own in your life.

His dad can probably beat up my dad too.

[VintageComics]

More than that (cause it's not just about cool books), Tim has an honest reputation and after being told he was a scammer all kav can do is dig the hole deeper.

 

 

[kav]

More than that (cause it's not just about cool books), Tim has an honest reputation and after being told he was a scammer all kav can do is dig the hole deeper.

 

I'm a scammer now?

dang

[Bookery]

 

 

This is it in a nutshell. I can actually compete with what you will get from Heritage or a major auction house if you have a large mixed group of vintage comics to sell. But if you have Action #1, or an ultra-rare comic, or a new pedigree collection, whose bidding might go anywhere, you are better off to go with a big auction company. If you have a bunch of bulk drek and you have lots of time on your hands, you might be better off selling at a garage sale or at the flea market on weekends.

 

If you have an estate to settle within a limited timeframe, an auction house or eBay is a bad way to go. On the other hand, books skytocketing overnight are best sold on eBay while the item is "hot". There is no one-size fits-all situation.

 

Most people who sell "lots" of stuff on eBay obviously have lots of time on their hands... either no other job, or limited family obligations. And for them, eBay is definitely a reasonable choice. For some, eBay is a profession. But for others... time is money is a very real consideration. Kav sold a book on eBay for $30 (he neglected to tell us what he paid for it). He will have to subtract eBay and PayPal fees from his sale. He had to scan and list and describe the item on eBay, and had to package it up and take it to the post office. What's that... 20, 30, 40 minutes of time? What is one's time worth? He had to pay for gas to get to the post office.

 

Just because one remains ignorant of all the time and costs that go into selling an item on eBay, doesn't mean you really made any more than if you sold to a dealer, however.

 

[Aweandlorder]

When does this demise occur exactly? sounds like a bunch of BS that people who don't like eBay are just too pleased to shout to the world.

 

About Quartz.com...

 

"Its team of 25 staff members was pulled together from prominent brands in business journalism: Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, and the New York Times."

 

The article has also been reposted by many major financial and Wall Street news blogs.

 

I was referring to people who start threads with the article being all to pleased with themselves, not the group that wrote it.

 

I'm a businessman. Many many people on these boards both buy and sell using eBay. I waited several days for this article to appear here, since it seemed pretty significant to the collectibles markets including comics. When no one else posted it, I did. I offered no comment or opinion on the article beyond its news-worthiness.

And you did, in fact, call the article "BS".

 

Not at all sure why you're being such a jerk?

 

Maybe it was the title