Bechara Maalouf.....

[Baron]

I emailed him several times regarding a piece I wanted to see in person earlier this year at Wondercon. I received one reply that he was indeed attending WC but no reply about the piece I was inquiring about, even after following up.

 

Went to his booth at WC to see if the piece I asked about was brought, he pointed me to look through his folders and didn't even to offer to help look either and instead went back to looking at his laptop. Piece wasn't brought at all after sifting thorough.

 

Flash forward a month prior to sdcc and I emailed again about him bringing the oa to so I could pay at the show, no response after a couple emails. Totally done with that site.

 

I'll stick to Romitaman, Snyder and Splash Page that actually communicates with customers.

[vodou]

I'll tell you all something funny. When you have something Bechara wants...your phone will ring and ring and ring. Even when you say no and no and no. I couldn't get rid of the guy for months (for real). Thank God I didn't tell him where I live...

 

Not that I advocate misbehavior and deception, but I'm sure a voicemail to the effect of "I have some Kirby FF art for sale, need quick cash" would get a quick return call. But probably not a deal for the art you want, surely he'd hang up as soon as the fog cleared!

[Terry Doyle]

A couple comments.

 

Secondly, don't be so sure that not picking up the phone is a bad model. I know at least person that makes himself hard to get a hold of on purpose. If the potential buyer goes to the trouble of actually reaching him, he knows the buyer REALLY wants it and he can price it to the moon. If you're looking for low volume / max price, it's not necessarily a bad way to go. They won't knock on your door much but you'll have max leverage every time they do.

 

I've had other collectors telephone me out of the blue to enquire about art. Personally, I'm not a fan of unexpected calls and prefer the buffer of an e-mail, so I'm not put on the spot (I like to weigh things up before making a reasoned response, which is why I prefer e-mail communication).

 

Though, sure, with a dealer's inventory that's already priced-up and available for sale - there shouldn't be a problem calling direct.

[romitaman]

In San Diego i talked with Bechara about how his website is going for him as i'm always curious how others with website like mine are doing and if they feel its worthwhile for them....... Bechara put a lot of high end art on there when his site for came online and he kept putting good stuff up for a while........ he told me he likes doing shows better than anything....I do admire the guys who go to almost all the big shows to sell art...for me, doing comic shows across the country is very time consuming and stressful for me so i dont like it very much myself like i used to do before the internet came about ...but others like Bechara and Anthony enjoy doing shows everywhere.....and more power to them. Everyone has their business model for what they feel is successful for them.....and Bechara does pretty well for himself i can attest to that. I personally prefer to do only a few shows a year (San Diego, Big New York October show, and Comic Art Con) I have many good friends i get to see first hand at these 3 shows so thats my main objective for these 3 shows......I personally prefer to put art on my website in the comfort of my own home office... with no overhead costs and no time lost transporting art all over the country......and no worries about art getting stolen or lost at shows..... Everyone has their own business model for success..I will say that having a website AND keeping up with it when you are a 1 man show (as i am) takes quite alot of time...but I love it so i dont mind that a bit.... again...Bechara has some great art, mostly higher end art, so he will always get his share of the high end customers out there wanting his goods. but like james pointed out, I also believe that if you have an active website up and running that you should be reasonably responsive to requests about art like any business....... that's called good customer service..... I'm certainly not perfect myself, but i always try to my best to respond to emails within 24 hours unless i'm out of town or doing some family obligations as i have a sick dad i take care of also.......

[Doc Joe]

Thats all good and well but then why have a web site? Its basically a tease and ends up being very frustrating. There is a certain level of expectation that - like it or not - exists for consumers these days.

 

You don't have to have a web site. But you decided to make one. We know that Mike updates his all the time; Albert updates his on the Summer and Winter Solstice; Bechara basically never.

 

Why even bother to make a retail looking web site and not use it for the purpose that one would expect? He alone has created an expectation with this site and by failing to fulfill it he gives the impression of (and indeed actual) bad customer service.

 

Why not just a landing page with I am Bechara, I go to these shows, I sell a lot of art, see you at the show.

 

With his web site he's dressing like a tart but won't even kiss.

 

[AKA Rick]

It sounds like his inventory is quite good, but how's his pricing?

 

Is he a collector showcasing his possessions with pie in the sky pricing, looking to throw bait out there for trades, or making legitimate efforts to sell with reasonable prices?

 

I always maintain, if a piece has a price tag on it, and it's still available, it may not reflect the true value, otherwise the piece would have sold.

 

[eewwnuk]

 

i thought bad customer service was the norm when dealing with comic art?

 

[mister_not_so_nice]

 

i thought bad customer service was the norm when dealing with comic art?

 

 

I'll respond to this next month

[Meeley Man]

Thats all good and well but then why have a web site? Its basically a tease and ends up being very frustrating. There is a certain level of expectation that - like it or not - exists for consumers these days.

 

You don't have to have a web site. But you decided to make one. We know that Mike updates his all the time; Albert updates his on the Summer and Winter Solstice; Bechara basically never.

 

Why even bother to make a retail looking web site and not use it for the purpose that one would expect? He alone has created an expectation with this site and by failing to fulfill it he gives the impression of (and indeed actual) bad customer service.

 

Why not just a landing page with I am Bechara, I go to these shows, I sell a lot of art, see you at the show.

 

With his web site he's dressing like a tart but won't even kiss.

 

(thumbs u (thumbs u

[Lucky Baru]

Thats all good and well but then why have a web site? Its basically a tease and ends up being very frustrating. There is a certain level of expectation that - like it or not - exists for consumers these days.

 

You don't have to have a web site. But you decided to make one. We know that Mike updates his all the time; Albert updates his on the Summer and Winter Solstice; Bechara basically never.

 

Why even bother to make a retail looking web site and not use it for the purpose that one would expect? He alone has created an expectation with this site and by failing to fulfill it he gives the impression of (and indeed actual) bad customer service.

 

Why not just a landing page with I am Bechara, I go to these shows, I sell a lot of art, see you at the show.

 

With his web site he's dressing like a tart but won't even kiss.

 

Just got off the phone with him. Very easy conversation and I'm mailing in a check for a page. I find him to be pretty easy to deal with. You might notice the following information on his website's landing page:

 

"Due to a difficult health year, it had been a challenge to properly manage the site. However a recent hire will now allow us to facilitate orders in a timely manner."

 

Maybe that has been a part of the issue you have had. Don't know. He did explain during a conversation I had with him that it is always better to call on the phone if you see a page you like. He'll let you know if the page is in stock and he will let you know when he'll be gone at some other show. If the page isn't in stock he might have another one that might be very similar that you can work a deal on.

[Doc Joe]

 

"Due to a difficult health year, it had been a challenge to properly manage the site. However a recent hire will now allow us to facilitate orders in a timely manner."

 

 

That's been up there for a very very long time!

 

There are other web sites of dealers that say things e.g. I take Paypal or Credit Cards but then when you try to paypal they are like - please don't , please just send a check.

 

I have brought a bunch of stuff from Bechara; I have always found him to be really nice and friendly, reasonable and with good stuff.

 

I would like to buy more from him! But I don't think he wants me calling up every month and saying can you tell me what covers you have and can you send me a scan of them.

 

Its fine if you just want to be a Con Man (i.e. only attend cons) I would love it if he did offer more through the web site. I just think if you go to the bother to do that then keep it up! Or take it down.

[JadeGiant]

Never bought from Bechara – did chat with him briefly at a con once. I have to agree with those that are frustrated with the lack of responses to inquiries placed per the instructions on the web site. It seems his business model uses the web more as an advertising vehicle but not really a purchase vehicle. I know it would be very frustrating to see something listed on the web that I wanted to purchase but could not get in touch with him. I have learned that this (being frustrated with dealers) is part of this hobby and I would start looking for other recourse to see about buying the piece. Now that I think about it, it is kind of a sad commentary for this hobby that dealing with dealers can (and often is) be very frustrating. I have bought very little of my collection through the dealers – most of it has come via private sales, eBay, other auction sites, and direct from artists … ugghhh.

[Meeley Man]

Now that I think about it, it is kind of a sad commentary for this hobby that dealing with dealers can (and often is) be very frustrating. I have bought very little of my collection through the dealers – most of it has come via private sales, eBay, other auction sites, and direct from artists … ugghhh.

 

Well, don't paint all dealers/reps with the same brush. Some of us do our level best to make transactions go smoothly, which also includes communication in a prompt manner.

 

Besides, if you brushed off all dealers and reps, you might miss out on great art to buy. Like this piece here. And you wouldn't want to do that, would you?

[Bronty]

You have to bifurcate. Dealers who deal in vintage will often be more frustrating to deal with (they are buying at auction often and then trying to sell for more - so they are always going to be looking for that perfect buyer that will pay FMV+.

 

Dealers/reps who deal in new stuff are usually getting new art at the source all the time, and also need to be prompt to keep the artist happy too.

 

In other words reps have pressure to be good with customer service, dealers in vintage much less so. Their pressure is to buy cheap and sell high. Not necessarily to pick up the phone the second you call. (Unless you're a whale, perhaps).

 

And let's not forget it's a two way street. I'm sure dealers have just as many stories of impossible/needy/obsessive clients.

[JadeGiant]

Not all dealers, true … but enough …

[JadeGiant]

always going to be looking for that perfect buyer that will pay FMV+.

 

This is the part that frustrates the most as it seems that there is a trend not to price according to the market, rather to other factors …

 

What is FMV x2?

 

What would someone who is desperate for the art pay?

 

What will the piece be worth in 5 years?

 

What would the piece be worth in 20 years?

 

What would the piece be worth 50 years after the artist passes away and is then determined to be the greatest comic artist of all time? (let’s call this the CLM – cool lines methodology)

 

Am I missing any pricing guidelines – let me know

 

[Bronty]

Like I said, they are buying at market. On the low end of market if they are astute at catching what falls through the auction cracks, but market.

 

To make any money at that, they need all your guidelines and then some And as long as somebody pays it....

 

In other words, this model is practically DESIGNED to frustrate the 90+% of potential buyers that want to pay FMV only. Dealer X is not interested in selling it at what it would go for on an auction site, why would he be? He can get that himself, net of consignment fees, any time he likes. That's the pricing floor, not the ceiling.

 

Is it so hard for us to put ourselves in other people's shoes? It just seems like people have a problem with anything that doesn't result in cheap art of their choosing, shipped overnight.

 

(not directed at you, just making a general comment).

 

[Ironmandrd]

It's a good point that bears repeating. Most dealers in vintage art are not looking to just sell inventory to the next person willing to pay, they are looking for that small minority of collectors who are willing to buy at well above FMV, often in fact at a price that many of the rest of us would consider [fill in the blank] [absurd, ridiculous, crazy, etc.] On the flip side, I'm sure some of us have also been the one to pay that well above FMV price for a select piece we REALLY wanted (I have on a few occasions been that person although I try not to be any more).

[Doc Joe]

 

And let's not forget it's a two way street. I'm sure dealers have just as many stories of impossible/needy/obsessive clients.

 

100%

[buttock]

 

And let's not forget it's a two way street. I'm sure dealers have just as many stories of impossible/needy/obsessive clients.

 

100%

 

I would gladly buy a book full of such anecdotes.