Bechara Maalouf.....

[pemart1966]

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).

 

This sounds exactly like the Donnelley's business model...

[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%

 

I would gladly buy a book full of such anecdotes.

 

+1

 

it would just be called AssH***'s !

 

I'm Chapter 12

[AKA Rick]

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+.

 

I've actually found many dealers (not reps of current artists who continually churn out new material to sell) quite pleasant to work with in terms of flat out fair pricing as well as graciously communicating negotiated offers (even if an offer is declined, it's done with courtesy).

 

My favorite dealers for older material are Mike, Mitch, Albert and Anthony. I find when they debut pieces on their websites, many pieces are often "sold" within the first week if not initial few hours, which is a testament to their knowledge of the marketplace and fair ballpark pricing.

 

I look back at some of the purchases I've made from some dealers and am very satisfied by the whole "buying art today at today's value" pricing versus how a few of the dealers have more of a "pricing the speculative value of tomorrow for a sale today" attitude where they're so afraid of making the sale and regretting it after it may (or may not) go up.

 

I love the dealers who simply want to move product and aren't in love with their own inventory. They're professional businessmen who've removed the emotion appropriately. When I see a dealer showcase their collection, inquire about a few pieces and get the general idea that everything will come with a sticker shock label, I tend to discontinue shopping and not even bother returning because of the stigma I placed. I think the "Coollines" folks has that stigma for example by reading so many comments about their approach where they're a non-factor for many collector's shopping experiences.

[Bronty]

^ same could be said of LCS's in the day... the best to deal with were always the few that priced the inventory to move . Turning the cash keeps the stock fresh, keeps you coming back, keeps things happening.

[Kevin76]

Best way to get a hold of Bechara is to give him a call, he's never been the computer type guy emailing and texting and it takes him a long time to type something out. He's the put a letter, waits 3 mins to find the next letter to push kinda guy. He has nothing priced, When someone asks "How much is this"? He'll say "oh that's expensive" and then turn around and do something else or he'll reach for the overstreet and give a multiple of whatever it lists for in the guide. He makes a living at it, no idea who he's selling all this stuff too...Seems to do things the old way.

[MIL0S]

I don't know... if a dealer wants to sell art via a website, and he's taken time to actually set one up, I would think that it would benefit them to actually do things like answer their e-mails

 

agreed, it's fine if you prefer to do things old-school, by phone and in person at cons, but then whats the point of having a website if you ignore people that reach out through it?

[Lucky Baru]

As I stated he's great on the phone and I sent in the funds for the page I was interested in. He got the payment today. I'm interested to see the turn-a-round time on the page in question. So far, things have been great on the transaction.

[blizzardtonight]

but i phoned a couple of times and left messages :-).....anyway....i gave up and moved on already

 

[Bird]

but i phoned a couple of times and left messages :-).....anyway....i gave up and moved on already

 

It is no longer about you! This issue has grown!

 

Seriously though, it seems that if you call you should be vague and not mention the piece directly unless it is a big ticket item, then you should state what you want.

[Doc McCoy]

 

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

 

 

I'll respond to this next month

 

I look forward to your response, Mike.

[Rodey]

I sent him an email last week, and he got back to me yesterday. Said if he doesn't respond back, the best way is to call him. Old School.

[Lucky Baru]

The page arrived today. Took a bit longer than I expected but I was a very happy guy to receive it. Life is good.

[Bronty]

(thumbs u

[Rune]

I think I'm the one to blame

 

I just can't help it - I'm a hobbit on speed, and suddenly I meet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Rune]

Just talked to Bechara - he seems like a really nice guy. I'm guessing that he does not need to sell any art to make a living, and that selling art is more like a hobby to him, thus he's not in a hurry. He told me that he also collects art and has a 5 times larger inventory than shown on the website.

 

He did ask me if I was looking for more pieces - but I look for love at first (or second) sight So without being able to check out a lot of pieces, customers like me are kind of lost...

 

He did promise to get back to me, so interesting how it will all turn out (My wife was also very hard to get, but I'm used to going through a lot of trouble to get what I really love )

 

Now I'm wondering if the "justification of effort" principle is increasing my enjoyment of a piece I may not really need

 

"Effort justification is an idea and paradigm in social psychology stemming from Festinger's theory of cognitive dissonance. Effort justification is people's tendency to attribute a greater value (greater than the objective value) to an outcome they had to put effort into acquiring or achieving."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effort_justification

[vodou]

Now I'm wondering if the "justification of effort" principle is increasing my enjoyment of a piece I may not really need

 

"Effort justification is an idea and paradigm in social psychology stemming from Festinger's theory of cognitive dissonance. Effort justification is people's tendency to attribute a greater value (greater than the objective value) to an outcome they had to put effort into acquiring or achieving."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effort_justification

Nice. What's the opposite of that? I know myself and some other collectors that will transfer ill-will to the piece itself (unfairly, I'll add) if the deal was too hard or complicated, takes too long or ends up (in hindsight) too expensive. I've never hot-potatoed a piece back out of my collection for that reason, but some collectors have. Too much bad juju?

[Bronty]

Just talked to Bechara - he seems like a really nice guy. I'm guessing that he does not need to sell any art to make a living, and that selling art is more like a hobby to him, thus he's not in a hurry. He told me that he also collects art and has a 5 times larger inventory than shown on the website.

 

He did ask me if I was looking for more pieces - but I look for love at first (or second) sight So without being able to check out a lot of pieces, customers like me are kind of lost...

 

He did promise to get back to me, so interesting how it will all turn out (My wife was also very hard to get, but I'm used to going through a lot of trouble to get what I really love )

 

Now I'm wondering if the "justification of effort" principle is increasing my enjoyment of a piece I may not really need

 

"Effort justification is an idea and paradigm in social psychology stemming from Festinger's theory of cognitive dissonance. Effort justification is people's tendency to attribute a greater value (greater than the objective value) to an outcome they had to put effort into acquiring or achieving."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effort_justification

 

Not only that but when you deal with someone who is really difficult (not saying Bechara specifically) they have you by the balls on price. On your end you've put a bunch of mental energy into it; it becomes a harder deal to walk away from whether you realize it or not. On their end if they treat you like krap and you still want to deal they know you are their kind of customer... willing to pay max retail because you're not walking away.

 

I've seen this on my end too.. respond to someone's email timely and point by point and they walk. Don't even respond to the email and sometimes they are chasing you down and desperate to make that same deal

 

So many games out there whether or not we even know we are playing them. I prefer to be more straightforward and timely but there is something to be said for poor customer service

[Mercury8989-migration]

 

So many games out there whether or not we even know we are playing them. I prefer to be more straightforward and timely but there is something to be said for poor customer service

 

yup

 

[vodou]

So many games out there whether or not we even know we are playing them. I prefer to be more straightforward and timely but there is something to be said for poor customer service

No different than trying to score with hot girls (or let's say those a few notches out of your league). Brassy and nonchalant go a long way, even longer in tandem

[Rune]

 

Not only that but when you deal with someone who is really difficult (not saying Bechara specifically) they have you by the balls on price. On your end you've put a bunch of mental energy into it; it becomes a harder deal to walk away from whether you realize it or not.

 

Indeed, must be much like paying kidnappers to release your loved ones - Some experienced dealers may be master players when it comes to such pricing games - of course you could call and suggest a reduced price, but when going through a lot of trouble just to contact the dealer that cover may have been blown, sigh. Still, the piece I'm considering is not very expensive and I do not mind paying the full price.