Mass Delusion and Comic Collecting?

[ComicConnoisseur]

If the Beanie Babies book interests anyone, I highly recommend this as well:

 

 

It relates heavily to the bubble of the 1990's.

Thanks for the recommendation. I ordered it as well. (thumbs u

[skypinkblu]

Pockets of the comic market definitely seem like this. Hopefully any eventual crash doesn't destroy the wider more mature market for established keys.

 

While I do agree that the "fad" aspect of the Beanie Babies boom/bust resembles the rapid, explosive price increases happening around movie news/announcements and anticipation of character appearances, it does not speak to the health of the rest of the market. The Beanie Babies are often brought into discussions in a market experiencing a hype cycle (this applies also to the ridiculous money being thrown around on new books being slabbed seconds after they're signed or pulled off the rack), and it's really a better suited example with what happened in the sports cards and comic markets in the 90's with the hologram/holo-foil manufactured variant lunacy.

 

There is nothing nostalgic about the Beanie Babies, and the only people buying/selling them were dealers/speculators looking to get rich quick. No one bought them because they reminded them of their childhood, or because they got hooked after reading a story, playing a video game or watching a movie. Anyone that has collected anything old, whether it be coins, cards, comics or toys knows how to spot "fads" in collecting, and it's a bit intellectually and contextually lazy to bring up Beanie Babies in a discussion about the health of the current or back-issue comic hobby.

 

I agree with CW. (thumbs u

I believe he's incorrect about "the only people buying/selling them were dealers/speculators looking to get rich quick" and so on. I think Beanies tapped right into the Mother-Daughter market before there was one, or right about the time it was solidifying into a mall-worthy niche for authors, films, Potter, Twilight and other phenomenon.

 

Part of the Beanie craze was the "shared" hunt. Even at the end of C2C show, the "call-in" part, there were comments about "how much fun" was had by women and their daughters building memories together, no matter how it fell apart in the end. So, you know, if people "had fun" and didn't lose their heads and drain their resources, it wasn't all bad. Like "vacation money", spent on purpose, had fun, memories linger.

 

I listened to the link, thank you.

 

I was one of those "mother daughter'" people, but my daughter was not interested in any of the shopping part, . I only knew one person who collected with her daughter and that just meant going to a few stores.

 

To me, the ability to "shop" on the internet for the first time was a huge component in the craze. People were just learning about how to do that.

 

In the mid 90's I walked into Nordstrom's dept store with a bag of leftover beanies I had purchased for "goodie bag presents" for my daughter's birthday party.

 

I wanted to return them, Nordstrom's if you are not familiar with them, had a great return policy, they'd take back anything, at any time and I had extras left over..

 

A woman stopped me on the return line and said "no you can't return those, they are valuable"...I looked at her and figured she was nuts...but I asked what she was talking about.

 

She said "they are selling them on AOL" Then she gave me the website. Now mind you...this was before I ever heard of eBay, might have been before anyone heard of eBay, but there were chatboards on AOL and I was part of a working Mother's of preteens group.

 

So, I looked at the website and lo and behold, there were ads asking for these cute little stuffed things and people paying money for them. There were all these nice people buying things from other areas of the country and they would send you a check and all I had to do was get a plastic tag, put the beanie in a ziplock bag and put it in a priority box...EASY;)

 

So I sold my leftovers for double what I had paid.

 

FIgured that was pretty good...went back to Nordstrom's, bought a few more, rinse and repeat.

 

Over the next few years, it continued. I learned all about MINT WITH MINT TAGS...plastic tag protectors..CREASES...sound familar?

 

I figured it was a good way to help save money for my daughter's college and anything that did not sell, I returned.

 

So on my lunch hours, or on days off I hunted for beanies.

I did stand on a few lines, went into a truck once (my husband was ready to have me committed;) and I brought bags full of the things. I knew all the names;) I was in an area with lots and lots of stores, but bought most at Nordstroms because of their return policy.

. I witnessed an actual fight or two at Nordstroms and gave one of the sales people some money to just call me when they came in (so I didn't have to worry about someone stabbing me;) Some of these beanie ladies were crazy people;)

 

When we'd get one that my daughter liked, the first thing she'd ask is for me to cut the tag off because then she knew we couldn't sell it, . She still has those.

 

I think we banked enough to pay for her first year's expenses at college (not the tuition, just books and spending money) and she learned when the bank was open/closed, about the post office, about mailing stuff on time and being careful

 

I met a few interesting people, one of whom who would buy hundreds of these toys from me, was very wealthy and she flew up to NY to go to a show, and insisted on taking me to the show and dinner. Charlene was a former Mrs America, her husband owned 20 Burger Kings and she had storage units (several) full of beanies (not just from me:)

. I said the same thing to her and to every single one of the people who bought more than 1. "These are just stuffed animals, they are NOT going to be valuable".

 

My advantage was, I was near all these stores...and most of the people I sold to were not. I was also not looking to get rich, so my prices were "reasonable" extra spending money was fun. I already had a full time real job.

 

 

After a while, Nordstroms changed their policy and would not allow long returns on beanies, so I quit. We still have a few bears somewhere including the Britannia I bought in London and the Maple I bought in Canada.

 

It was only later on, near the end when I sold some on eBay, didn't know much about eBay before then..and I think I was a pretty early member....then I discovered you could buy comics on eBay and I was lost;) I could shop for stuff I couldn't find other places, that I actually wanted, .

 

 

I started collecting comics more seriously, and I used part of my "beanie" funds in the beginning to fund those purchases;) I still have a Peace bear on my desk;) I should check his tag and check eBay, .

[Darkowl]

That's a great story!

[skypinkblu]

Thanks, I think it's the longest one I ever wrote,

[Buzzetta]

 

I listened to the link, thank you.

 

I was one of those "mother daughter'" people, but my daughter was not interesting in any of the shopping part, . I only knew one person who collected with her daughter and that just meant going to a few stores.

 

To me, the ability to "shop" on the internet for the first time was a huge component in the craze. People were just learning about how to do that.

 

In the mid 90's I walked into Nordstrom's dept store with a bag of leftover beanies I had purchased for "goodie bag presents" for my daughter's birthday party.

 

I wanted to return them, Nordstrom's if you are not familiar with them, had a great return policy, they'd take back anything, at any time and I had extras left over..

 

A woman stopped me on the return line and said "no you can't return those, they are valuable"...I looked at her and figured she was nuts...but I asked what she was talking about.

 

She said "they are selling them on AOL" Then she gave me the website. Now mind you...this was before I ever heard of eBay, might have been before anyone heard of eBay, but there were chatboards on AOL and I was part of a working Mother's of preteens group.

 

So, I looked at the website and lo and behold, there were ads asking for these cute little stuffed things and people paying money for them. There were all these nice people buying things from other areas of the country and they would send you a check and all I had to do was get a plastic tag, put the beanie in a ziplock bag and put it in a priority box...EASY;)

 

So I sold my leftovers for double what I had paid.

 

FIgured that was pretty good...went back to Nordstrom's, bought a few more, rinse and repeat.

 

Over the next few years, it continued. I learned all about MINT WITH MINT TAGS...plastic tag protectors..CREASES...sound familar?

 

I figured it was a good way to help save money for my daughter's college and anything that did not sell, I returned.

 

So on my lunch hours, or on days off I hunted for beanies.

I did stand on a few lines, went into a truck once (my husband was ready to have me committed;) and I brought bags full of the things. I knew all the names;) I was in an area with lots and lots of stores, but bought most at Nordstroms because of their return policy.

. I witnessed an actual fight or two at Nordstroms and gave one of the sales people some money to just call me when they came in (so I didn't have to worry about someone stabbing me;) Some of these beanie ladies were crazy people;)

 

When we'd get one that my daughter liked, the first thing she'd ask is for me to cut the tag off because then she knew we couldn't sell it, . She still has those.

 

 

Now substitute the word Action Figure for Beanie and Toys R Us for Nordstrom's to get an idea of the Toy World. That too was brilliant because anything I could not sell was returned, until TRU instituted a Collectable Toy Policy on returns. Then people (myself included) had to be a little more selective.

 

It still goes on. I think quick flipping certain things at a reasonable cost is a bug that cannot be cured. I found myself tagging along with someone to a Homegoods where I found a bunch of Brio wooden train sets that were HEAVILY discounted. They retailed at $125-140. I sold two, kept one for a future gift for my Godson when he is old enough for whatever occasion (as they really are pretty cool sets) and returned the rest.

 

Two weeks ago, I went into Toys R Us after doing some food shopping and saw three GI Joe Jungle Bats. I bought all three and put them on eBay in a lot to double my money while others were asking for triple. I think I made $23 on the deal. Nothing big, but it was actually fun just to basically find $20 on the shelf (as I see it.)

 

It helps fund the comic and Lego obsession.

 

Side note - I still have a Beanie Baby Frog and a Turtle somewhere around.

[towards2112]

Thanks, I think it's the longest one I ever wrote,

 

I think you sold them a few other places also... didn't you ?

 

SYI.com ? Dutchbid.com ?

[DR.X]

Thanks, I think it's the longest one I ever wrote,

 

That's a great story and one that nees to be made into a movie for the sci-fi channel. Lets see, hmmmmmm............................ Beanie Baby Massacre.

[skypinkblu]

Thanks, I think it's the longest one I ever wrote,

 

I think you sold them a few other places also... didn't you ?

 

SYI.com ? Dutchbid.com ?

 

No, ...I don't even know what those are?

 

I sold on AOL and later some on eBay. I believe I bought on eBay and then sold those on AOL.I just looked, I joined eBay in June of 1998, so I guess I started in about 1996 on AOL.

 

 

[skypinkblu]

Thanks, I think it's the longest one I ever wrote,

 

That's a great story and one that nees to be made into a movie for the sci-fi channel. Lets see, hmmmmmm............................ Beanie Baby Massacre.

 

The guy in the truck had dragons. My daughter still teases me about it. She said he could have mugged me...but he was selling BEANIES;)

[skypinkblu]

 

I listened to the link, thank you.

 

I was one of those "mother daughter'" people, but my daughter was not interesting in any of the shopping part, . I only knew one person who collected with her daughter and that just meant going to a few stores.

 

To me, the ability to "shop" on the internet for the first time was a huge component in the craze. People were just learning about how to do that.

 

In the mid 90's I walked into Nordstrom's dept store with a bag of leftover beanies I had purchased for "goodie bag presents" for my daughter's birthday party.

 

I wanted to return them, Nordstrom's if you are not familiar with them, had a great return policy, they'd take back anything, at any time and I had extras left over..

 

A woman stopped me on the return line and said "no you can't return those, they are valuable"...I looked at her and figured she was nuts...but I asked what she was talking about.

 

She said "they are selling them on AOL" Then she gave me the website. Now mind you...this was before I ever heard of eBay, might have been before anyone heard of eBay, but there were chatboards on AOL and I was part of a working Mother's of preteens group.

 

So, I looked at the website and lo and behold, there were ads asking for these cute little stuffed things and people paying money for them. There were all these nice people buying things from other areas of the country and they would send you a check and all I had to do was get a plastic tag, put the beanie in a ziplock bag and put it in a priority box...EASY;)

 

So I sold my leftovers for double what I had paid.

 

FIgured that was pretty good...went back to Nordstrom's, bought a few more, rinse and repeat.

 

Over the next few years, it continued. I learned all about MINT WITH MINT TAGS...plastic tag protectors..CREASES...sound familar?

 

I figured it was a good way to help save money for my daughter's college and anything that did not sell, I returned.

 

So on my lunch hours, or on days off I hunted for beanies.

I did stand on a few lines, went into a truck once (my husband was ready to have me committed;) and I brought bags full of the things. I knew all the names;) I was in an area with lots and lots of stores, but bought most at Nordstroms because of their return policy.

. I witnessed an actual fight or two at Nordstroms and gave one of the sales people some money to just call me when they came in (so I didn't have to worry about someone stabbing me;) Some of these beanie ladies were crazy people;)

 

When we'd get one that my daughter liked, the first thing she'd ask is for me to cut the tag off because then she knew we couldn't sell it, . She still has those.

 

 

Now substitute the word Action Figure for Beanie and Toys R Us for Nordstrom's to get an idea of the Toy World. That too was brilliant because anything I could not sell was returned, until TRU instituted a Collectable Toy Policy on returns. Then people (myself included) had to be a little more selective.

 

It still goes on. I think quick flipping certain things at a reasonable cost is a bug that cannot be cured. I found myself tagging along with someone to a Homegoods where I found a bunch of Brio wooden train sets that were HEAVILY discounted. They retailed at $125-140. I sold two, kept one for a future gift for my Godson when he is old enough for whatever occasion (as they really are pretty cool sets) and returned the rest.

 

Two weeks ago, I went into Toys R Us after doing some food shopping and saw three GI Joe Jungle Bats. I bought all three and put them on eBay in a lot to double my money while others were asking for triple. I think I made $23 on the deal. Nothing big, but it was actually fun just to basically find $20 on the shelf (as I see it.)

 

It helps fund the comic and Lego obsession.

 

Side note - I still have a Beanie Baby Frog and a Turtle somewhere around.

 

I love Homegoods, never even thought of flipping toys from there, . I have enough comics and other stuff in my house to keep me busy until I'm too old or too bored to do anymore;)

[Davenport]

That's a great story!

It really was! Skypinkblu should've been interviewed for the book.

[Comicopolis]

Great story Sha!

[comicwiz]

Pockets of the comic market definitely seem like this. Hopefully any eventual crash doesn't destroy the wider more mature market for established keys.

 

While I do agree that the "fad" aspect of the Beanie Babies boom/bust resembles the rapid, explosive price increases happening around movie news/announcements and anticipation of character appearances, it does not speak to the health of the rest of the market. The Beanie Babies are often brought into discussions in a market experiencing a hype cycle (this applies also to the ridiculous money being thrown around on new books being slabbed seconds after they're signed or pulled off the rack), and it's really a better suited example with what happened in the sports cards and comic markets in the 90's with the hologram/holo-foil manufactured variant lunacy.

 

There is nothing nostalgic about the Beanie Babies, and the only people buying/selling them were dealers/speculators looking to get rich quick. No one bought them because they reminded them of their childhood, or because they got hooked after reading a story, playing a video game or watching a movie. Anyone that has collected anything old, whether it be coins, cards, comics or toys knows how to spot "fads" in collecting, and it's a bit intellectually and contextually lazy to bring up Beanie Babies in a discussion about the health of the current or back-issue comic hobby.

 

I agree with CW. (thumbs u

I believe he's incorrect about "the only people buying/selling them were dealers/speculators looking to get rich quick" and so on. I think Beanies tapped right into the Mother-Daughter market before there was one, or right about the time it was solidifying into a mall-worthy niche for authors, films, Potter, Twilight and other phenomenon.

 

Part of the Beanie craze was the "shared" hunt. Even at the end of C2C show, the "call-in" part, there were comments about "how much fun" was had by women and their daughters building memories together, no matter how it fell apart in the end. So, you know, if people "had fun" and didn't lose their heads and drain their resources, it wasn't all bad. Like "vacation money", spent on purpose, had fun, memories linger.

 

Sharon's story (thanks for sharing it) is reminiscent of nearly every version I've heard, except the majority of the people I've heard retelling their experiences often referred to the obscene amount of money they made selling Beanie Babies. One person, who recently told me about it, used one of the larger rooms in his home at the time as a stock room, and it was constantly filled from one end of the room to another, and he would regularly have people coming to his house purchasing them by the truckloads.

 

The common thread these stories share is a flipping strategy which allowed them to seek out certain types of bears in market situations or zones (including foreign markets) where they could be purchased and resold at twice to ten times what they paid. This didn't require any holding time to liquidate - basically, as soon as they received the goods either directly from purchasing at a store or through the mail, they would sell it right away for profit. I doubt any of them even bothered to look at them any longer than to inspect the product to make sure they weren't cheated. Several of them were able to purchase houses, and I know most if not all of them made mid six-figures in a very short amount of tme. I don't know the version of the story you're telling, just the one where people made a lot of money from unassuming buyers who thought this stuff was the furry version of gold.

[skypinkblu]

While I'm sure there were lots of people who made quite a bit of money (like the guy in the truck;) You couldn't really do that buying at retail stores. Most of them had a limit, like 3 to a customer. You'd just have to get there early enough so your 3 or 4 or whatever, were the "good ones" like the bears, or dragons.

 

Nordstroms let me buy shopping bags full, but if someone had seen me with them, I really would have been mugged, I used to go down the back elevator, .

 

So the people you are talking about must have been buying them wholesale. I know there was a stationary store nearby who never put out beanies. They all went home with the owner who sold them online for much more than retail.

 

My concern with the whole thing was always that there were a lot more people who lost money...and I'm pretty sure many of them were retired and or could not afford the loss.

 

To me they were and are cute stuffed animals. I gave the leftovers to my husband's clients kids when they would visit (after the craze) and they loved them.

 

Why on earth anyone would think they were valuable was completely beyond me.

 

One thing that I thought of last night was that in the beginning, the tag protectors were a little flexible, like Mylars. Might have even been the same material.

 

But LATER, they developed these hard snap on cases that you clicked and really couldn't get off without a pair of tweezers or something, so you couldn't open the tags to read them;)

 

[CBT]

Is this that show that has people on who are convinced Lizard People are secretly ruling the world?

 

 

I too,had a chuckle when I saw coast to coast AM. Never forget the first time I listened to that show. Fell asleep to it talking about some interesting subject of economic hardship, or geopolitics. Wake up later in a stupor hearing talk about alien abductions and mag-lev trains in underground mine shafts, thinking WTF am I listening too....

[CBT]

When stocks were at 13,000 ,they were at their all-time high and not a good investment

Then they went to 14,000 and weren't a good investment.

Soon they were at 17,000 but everyone knows you don't buy at the all-time high.

Now they are at 18,000 and it's still not time to get in the game.

That about the gist of it?

 

By the way, I recall a discussion in one of my classes in High School, circa 1974 or so about if the Dow would ever break 1000. Conventional wisdom was no.

 

When the stock market was in free fall and only stopped falling because the Fed created trillions of dollars out of thin air and gave it to banks for free, stocks were no longer, and will not be again, a "good investment"

 

They might be a profitable investment, especially while the Fed continued to print 10s of billions of dollars out of thin air every month, and give it to banks for free.

 

But, have no doubt that free market capitalism (if it was even that then), ended in 2008. Just make sure you can cash out of the casino when the music finally stops. Dont want to be left holding that bag...

 

The USD will be the last thing to fail, once everything else has failed, and it stops being the best of bad options, it too will get vaporized. Be out of stocks, debt and bonds before that....

[SquareChaos]

When stocks were at 13,000 ,they were at their all-time high and not a good investment

Then they went to 14,000 and weren't a good investment.

Soon they were at 17,000 but everyone knows you don't buy at the all-time high.

Now they are at 18,000 and it's still not time to get in the game.

That about the gist of it?

 

By the way, I recall a discussion in one of my classes in High School, circa 1974 or so about if the Dow would ever break 1000. Conventional wisdom was no.

 

When the stock market was in free fall and only stopped falling because the Fed created trillions of dollars out of thin air and gave it to banks for free, stocks were no longer, and will not be again, a "good investment"

 

They might be a profitable investment, especially while they continued to print 10s of billions of dollars out of thin air, and give it to banks for free.

 

But, have no doubt that free market capitalism (if it was even that then), ended in 2008. Just make sure you can cash out of the casino when the music finally stops. Dont want to be left holding that bag...

 

The USD will be the last thing to fail, once everything else has failed, and it stops being the best of bad options, it too will get vaporized. Be out of stocks, debt and bonds before that....

 

The banks (that survived) got a sweet, sweet deal from the Fed during the time of the bail out, and in general, many banks have had access to the Fed window which allows for borrowing at rates that individuals can only dream of.

 

However, when the Fed prints money, the money isn't typically "free" - the Fed buys bonds when it wants to put more money in to the system, and it sells them when it wants to remove money from the system.

 

The events of 2008 were extraordinary with regards to the sums involved, but they still operated on relatively the same principle in most cases (as far as I am aware)... in other words, this sort of behavior has been going on basically since there has been a Fed.

 

It doesn't mean capitalism died... capitalism is just a word for the way some markets (should) function, it isn't a fundamental law of the universe, and economics is not a hard science. No complex world market has ever operated as a truly capitalistic enterprise, and if it did, I don't think most of us little people would really enjoy it too much.

 

Long story short... the game is, and always has, been rigged to favor large players. It would be nice to see this change. I'm not holding my breathe, but nor do I believe the world economy is going to collapse any time soon.

[CBT]

 

The banks (that survived) got a sweet, sweet deal from the Fed during the time of the bail out, and in general, many banks have had access to the Fed window which allows for borrowing at rates that individuals can only dream of.

 

However, when the Fed prints money, the money isn't typically "free" - the Fed buys bonds when it wants to put more money in to the system, and it sells them when it wants to remove money from the system.

 

The events of 2008 were extraordinary with regards to the sums involved, but they still operated on relatively the same principle in most cases (as far as I am aware)... in other words, this sort of behavior has been going on basically since there has been a Fed.

 

It doesn't mean capitalism died... capitalism is just a word for the way some markets (should) function, it isn't a fundamental law of the universe, and economics is not a hard science. No complex world market has ever operated as a truly capitalistic enterprise, and if it did, I don't think most of us little people would really enjoy it too much.

 

Long story short... the game is, and always has, been rigged to favor large players. It would be nice to see this change. I'm not holding my breathe, but nor do I believe the world economy is going to collapse any time soon.

 

I said free market capitalism died in 2008, and I also in brackets, pointed out, that it died long before that, but the last pretense of any sort of legitimate manipulation free market ended in 2008.

 

(Back when stories like this didnt exist:

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-03-11/how-boj-stepped-143-times-send-japanese-stocks-soaring )

 

I agree the markets have always favored the big fish, but what's gone on in the last 7 years, and really the 28 years before that, are something beyond the historical issues with markets.

 

I dont think the markets are going to change, and I do think the power brokers will keep the music going as long as they can (and longer then anyone ever expects), and once it does finally stop, they will just completely change the game (goodbye current USD).

 

But you over simplified what exactly the Fed is doing and has done, and how money is created, and then immediately levered into the system via fractional reserve banking.

 

Each round of QE, (which is literally printing money out of thin air and lending it to banks for virtually free, the majority of which is then used as 'collateral' to borrow multiples then again, almost all of which goes into the markets) has done less and less for more and more.

 

QE will eventually fail, the Euro will fail, the USD will fail(they might squeak in some sort of Global currency or IMF backed currency after that, which will also fail), and eventually 2008 will continue right where it left off when they intervened. The only difference will be Quadrillions of more unpayable debt and derivatives will have been printed in the interim.

 

The real world's physical economy cannot and will not dissappear, the cancerous, fictitious financial parasite economy that sits on top of it made of derivatives, futures, and debts that can never be repayed....

That is definitely going to fail in our life time, likely within the next 5-10 years.

 

it's unsustainable, and it will fail. Which is one reason I dont worry about the comic bubble. Free money will insure the comic bubble out lasts the world economy bubble, and by the time that goes, comics wont really be a concern to focus on....

[SquareChaos]

 

The banks (that survived) got a sweet, sweet deal from the Fed during the time of the bail out, and in general, many banks have had access to the Fed window which allows for borrowing at rates that individuals can only dream of.

 

However, when the Fed prints money, the money isn't typically "free" - the Fed buys bonds when it wants to put more money in to the system, and it sells them when it wants to remove money from the system.

 

The events of 2008 were extraordinary with regards to the sums involved, but they still operated on relatively the same principle in most cases (as far as I am aware)... in other words, this sort of behavior has been going on basically since there has been a Fed.

 

It doesn't mean capitalism died... capitalism is just a word for the way some markets (should) function, it isn't a fundamental law of the universe, and economics is not a hard science. No complex world market has ever operated as a truly capitalistic enterprise, and if it did, I don't think most of us little people would really enjoy it too much.

 

Long story short... the game is, and always has, been rigged to favor large players. It would be nice to see this change. I'm not holding my breathe, but nor do I believe the world economy is going to collapse any time soon.

 

I said free market capitalism died in 2008, and I also in brackets, pointed out, that it died long before that, but the last pretense of any sort of legitimate manipulation free market ended in 2008.

 

(Back when stories like this didnt exist:

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-03-11/how-boj-stepped-143-times-send-japanese-stocks-soaring )

 

I agree the markets have always favored the big fish, but what's gone on in the last 7 years, and really the 28 years before that, are something beyond the historical issues with markets.

 

I dont think the markets are going to change, and I do think the power brokers will keep the music going as long as they can (and longer then anyone ever expects), and once it does finally stop, they will just completely change the game (goodbye current USD).

 

But you over simplified what exactly the Fed is doing and has done, and how money is created, and then immediately levered into the system via fractional reserve banking.

 

Each round of QE, (which is literally printing money out of thin air and lending it to banks for virtually free, the majority of which is then used as 'collateral' to borrow multiples then again, almost all of which goes into the markets) has done less and less for more and more.

 

QE will eventually fail, the Euro will fail, the USD will fail(they might squeak in some sort of Global currency or IMF backed currency after that, which will also fail), and eventually 2008 will continue right where it left off when they intervened. The only difference will be Quadrillions of more unpayable debt and derivatives will have been printed in the interim.

 

The real world's physical economy cannot and will not dissappear, the cancerous, fictitious financial parasite economy that sits on top of it made of derivatives, futures, and debts that can never be repayed....

That is definitely going to fail in our life time, likely within the next 5-10 years.

 

it's unsustainable, and it will fail. Which is one reason I dont worry about the comic bubble. Free money will insure the comic bubble out lasts the world economy bubble, and by the time that goes, comics wont really be a concern to focus on....

 

I hope no one takes your predictions on this seriously.

 

[ComicConnoisseur]

When stocks were at 13,000 ,they were at their all-time high and not a good investment

Then they went to 14,000 and weren't a good investment.

Soon they were at 17,000 but everyone knows you don't buy at the all-time high.

Now they are at 18,000 and it's still not time to get in the game.

That about the gist of it?

 

By the way, I recall a discussion in one of my classes in High School, circa 1974 or so about if the Dow would ever break 1000. Conventional wisdom was no.

 

When the stock market was in free fall and only stopped falling because the Fed created trillions of dollars out of thin air and gave it to banks for free, stocks were no longer, and will not be again, a "good investment"

 

They might be a profitable investment, especially while they continued to print 10s of billions of dollars out of thin air, and give it to banks for free.

 

But, have no doubt that free market capitalism (if it was even that then), ended in 2008. Just make sure you can cash out of the casino when the music finally stops. Dont want to be left holding that bag...

 

The USD will be the last thing to fail, once everything else has failed, and it stops being the best of bad options, it too will get vaporized. Be out of stocks, debt and bonds before that....

 

The banks (that survived) got a sweet, sweet deal from the Fed during the time of the bail out, and in general, many banks have had access to the Fed window which allows for borrowing at rates that individuals can only dream of.

 

However, when the Fed prints money, the money isn't typically "free" - the Fed buys bonds when it wants to put more money in to the system, and it sells them when it wants to remove money from the system.

 

The events of 2008 were extraordinary with regards to the sums involved, but they still operated on relatively the same principle in most cases (as far as I am aware)... in other words, this sort of behavior has been going on basically since there has been a Fed.

 

It doesn't mean capitalism died... capitalism is just a word for the way some markets (should) function, it isn't a fundamental law of the universe, and economics is not a hard science. No complex world market has ever operated as a truly capitalistic enterprise, and if it did, I don't think most of us little people would really enjoy it too much.

 

Long story short... the game is, and always has, been rigged to favor large players. It would be nice to see this change. I'm not holding my breathe, but nor do I believe the world economy is going to collapse any time soon.

Yep it`s rigged, but there is really nothing we can do about it, as the people who rigged it are far more powerful than one can imagine.

 

The only advantage I can see is us having knowledge that it is rigged,while 95 percent of the rest of the population doesn`t have a clue of what we`re alluding about.