Rankings for Dealers

[ciorac]

.

Bob Storms.

We can agree or disagree about grade (but it's relevant to price) and he has well thought out, good reasoning for his ideas and pricing data. It's not pulled out of thin air.

 

Does he sell raw books? I thought he only sold slabbed books.

[nik]

Plenty of Raw books, and graded very tight

[Foolkiller]

.

Bob Storms.

We can agree or disagree about grade (but it's relevant to price) and he has well thought out, good reasoning for his ideas and pricing data. It's not pulled out of thin air.

 

Does he sell raw books? I thought he only sold slabbed books.

 

As Nik said, tons and tons and tons of accurately graded raw books.

[october]

Honestly I don't know why people are disagreeing with such veracity.

 

If there's one thing one want less of on the internet it's veracity!

 

 

 

Main Entry: ve·rac·i·ty

Pronunciation: v&-'ra-s&-tE

Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): plural -ties

1 : devotion to the truth : TRUTHFULNESS

2 : power of conveying or perceiving truth

3 : conformity with truth or fact : ACCURACY

4 : something true <makes lies sound like veracities>

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yep, I noticed that too, I just wasn't a big enough spoon to point it out.

[tth2]

[jkrk]

When debating about the merits of a dealer I'm not sure why it matters how much time he/she devotes to the business. If you are satisfied with your transactions then the seller merits high marks and should be included on your list.

 

My test for Esquire would be as follows:

 

I would give him a very rare book to locate in a rather high grade. If he is able to track the book down very quickly then I would have to wonder if I would use him for my lawyer.

.

[ciorac]

.

Bob Storms.

We can agree or disagree about grade (but it's relevant to price) and he has well thought out, good reasoning for his ideas and pricing data. It's not pulled out of thin air.

 

Does he sell raw books? I thought he only sold slabbed books.

 

As Nik said, tons and tons and tons of accurately graded raw books.

 

That's good to know. At his booth in Chicago I just saw boxes and boxes of slabbed books.

 

But, I mean nothing by that. I like Bob a lot, and think he is of high integrity. I just don't buy a lot of slabbed books. The ones I do, I crack. So 9.6 Bronze or Silver Age would not be my bag if it were slabbed.

[Ze-man]

.

Bob Storms.

We can agree or disagree about grade (but it's relevant to price) and he has well thought out, good reasoning for his ideas and pricing data. It's not pulled out of thin air.

 

Does he sell raw books? I thought he only sold slabbed books.

 

As Nik said, tons and tons and tons of accurately graded raw books.

 

That's good to know. At his booth in Chicago I just saw boxes and boxes of slabbed books.

 

But, I mean nothing by that. I like Bob a lot, and think he is of high integrity. I just don't buy a lot of slabbed books. The ones I do, I crack. So 9.6 Bronze or Silver Age would not be my bag if it were slabbed.

 

Unfortunately I did not make it around to Bob's booth before my allowance was spent. But he still took the time to show Anne and Myself boatloads of very nice raw SA, GA stuff.

 

I made a mental note

 

Ze-

[blazingbob]

The reason you saw Lots and lots of slabbed books is because the inventory I brought to San Diego was the same inventory I had in Chicago. The shows were 2 weeks apart.

 

I have approx 1800 CGC books online, over 20,000 raw.

 

I honestly don't know what people make judgments based on what I bring to a show. I've added a book search feature, you can select all the raw books you want. Now possibly I don't have the type of material you are looking for but if you used my want list feature I would know what you are looking for.

 

As Brian has stated, people who take the time to see both sides of the table do very well with me, people who feel that their opinion is the only one will find that sometimes we can agree to disagree and move on.

[blazingbob]

Interesting quote "So 9.6 Bronze or Silver Age would not be my bag if it were slabbed"

 

I'm a business man. If I get it graded which costs me $$ and time, it comes back a 9.6 and I can sell it for $200 versus $50 raw should I get it graded or sell it to you so you can get it graded and make $150?

 

I sometimes feel that MANY many collectors think that dealers should treat this as a hobby. Yet complain when a dealer doesn't behave like a businessman

[dopy02]

#1 without a doubt

Bob at HGC

thanks again Bob

[langur88]

Post deleted by langur88

[JiveTurkeyMoFo]

My vote for best dealers, based primarily on the last three years of transactions:

 

- Bill Hughes. I know the man is a bit of a lightning rod, but his level of service and willingness to deal, sometimes by selling a book barely above cost to a client, rate him as one of the best this hobby has to offer. And when buying, he pays very fairly and the transaction is always hassle free. He is also a wealth of information. Top-notch guy.

 

- Bob Storms. Very easy to deal with and more then willing to haggle with a customer to make a sale. He ships very fast and secure. I think he is underated for his ability to find rare/scarce books, which is a prerequisite for being an elite dealer in this hobby.

 

- Brent Moeshlin. In all honesty, I haven't bought a lot from Brent, mostly because I've moved out of high grade Silver and Bronze the last two years. But I've helped him out at shows and we've contemplated buying collections together. His honesty, strict grading, willingness to deal, and approachability are all big pluses in my book. The last is a key asset, I believe. I can't tell you how many times I've seen an "average" collector be put off by the gruff behavior of a veteran dealer at a convention. As if fetching a wall book is some kind of favor the dealer is doing for the customer. Brent is the exact opposite.

 

- Metro. I think Metro's biggest contribution to this hobby is a point that's often understated: their immense financial resources. Their ability to buy and sell en masse help float the hobby during lean stretches and help the cash flow continue. They are in many ways the Federal Reserve bank for our hobby. I wonder what would happen if two or three of the largest check writers in this hobby all of a sudden stopped buying.

 

Honorable mention:

 

Richard Evans, Bedrock City

Al Stoltz, Basement comics

Ron Murray

[Jeffro.]

And, same of Harley, he seems to have the books I want, at 2X what I'm willing to pay.

 

Harley would get a lot more of my business if that 2X thing weren't true.

Not that he's hurting because he doesn't get much of my business that is. Just wish his prices were a little lower.

 

Yes, I understand that you sometimes have to pay more to get more.

[Mad Dog]

MANY many collectors think that dealers should treat this as a hobby. Yet complain when a dealer doesn't behave like a businessman

 

 

I think most collectors just want the full package, myself included. We want well priced comics and a ton of service, full disclosure and a wide range of opportunities to be refunded in full if there is something we are unhappy about. I dont see how anything else is possible as long as the jump in value from FN to VFN and from VFN to NM- is as huge as it always has been. But i sure wouldnt want to be a dealer ...

[johnenock]

My criteria have always been, in order:

 

1: accurate grading

2. a lot of HG books(raw and slabbed)

3. scans on websites

3. price negotiation without slamming

4. price

200. friendliness...don't really care about this but would buy from someone I liked over someone I didn't if the same book same grade was involved.

 

So my favorite dealers

1. Bob Storms meets all criteria

2. Sulipa meets all criteria except the scans, but who needs them when he's grading

3. Metro will provide scans but are often high priced and inflexible when negotiating

4. Superworld is lax on grading at times and hardly any scans. Only buy books listed as NM/NM+ from them nowadays

100,675. Mile High...they don't meet any of the criteria

 

People I'd like to do business with

1. Goldust Comics...tons of great stuff but no scans are the only reason I haven't purchased numerous books from the website

2. Vintage Collectables...great stuff but everything is always sold

3. Esquire...his books are just crazy high grade and all seem to be keys. If I ever have a spare hundred thousand or so, that Showcase 4 is mine.

[shadroch]

And, same of Harley, he seems to have the books I want, at 2X what I'm willing to pay.

 

Harley would get a lot more of my business if that 2X thing weren't true.

Not that he's hurting because he doesn't get much of my business that is. Just wish his prices were a little lower.

 

Yes, I understand that you sometimes have to pay more to get more.

 

 

 

Harleys had the same low demand book in his show stock now for three years,has refused several close offers and recently raised his asking price.

[sacentaur]

My vote for best dealers, based primarily on the last three years of transactions:

 

- Bill Hughes. I know the man is a bit of a lightning rod, but his level of service and willingness to deal, sometimes by selling a book barely above cost to a client, rate him as one of the best this hobby has to offer. And when buying, he pays very fairly and the transaction is always hassle free. He is also a wealth of information. Top-notch guy.

 

Well said, JTMF - agree completely.

 

Honorable mention:

 

Richard Evans, Bedrock City

Al Stoltz, Basement comics

Ron Murray

 

Richard easily made my list, and yes both Al Stoltz and Ron Murray are two of the best. I really appreciate Al's insight and eclectic inventory, and Ron is just about the nicest fellow I've run across.

 

STEVE

[sacentaur]

Harleys had the same low demand book in his show stock now for three years,has refused several close offers and recently raised his asking price.

 

Don't know if it's the case here, but dealers often carry around consignment books and their hands can be pretty much tied by the stipulations of the book's owner.

 

I've run across this situation several times, FYI-

 

STEVE

[langur88]

 

I sometimes feel that MANY many collectors think that dealers should treat this as a hobby. Yet complain when a dealer doesn't behave like a businessman

 

 

But you complain when promoters act like businessmen in your rants and raves.

 

I work hard at this. It is no longer a "hobby" due to forced circumstances. I filled a void when Great Eastern imploded. I am happy for you that this is your part-time thing and have a "real" job. I used to have a nice union job. Then it went to Mexico. You also have zero children to support. I hear the same arguments from the other two income, no child and one child dealers who get to stay home and think this stuff up. Life is hard. Not easy.

 

and a million dollar inventory of high grade comic books! Life is good! Plenty of margin for error to throw away advertising dollars instead of more important show expenses!

 

Do you advertise in the New York Times?

 

Please stop ranting that you know things that you do not about promoting comic book shows.

 

You are searching for a mythical beast of a show that does not exist. The bigger the show, the more markets it has to try to please. Every detail of a show will never please you or any other dealer.

 

Have you heard of the law of diminishing returns?

How about cost effectiveness?

Why do these only apply to your business?

 

We run comic book shows for collectors and reputable dealers. The people who attend and set-up like them.

 

If the shows do not make a profit they will cease to exist.

 

You complain but refuse to try something new. I made you a great offer.

 

You can't have it all ways.

 

Glad to see that you got into the Javits show. It should be fun.