Rankings for Dealers

[DoubleCovaBrotha]

I think Peter Dixon and Paradise Comics belong as an honorable mention as well. They are a force in Canada and are one of the largest players in the CGC Signature Series market (if not THE largest).

[Foolkiller]

I know Pete personally and have hung out with a couple of times. You couldn't meet a nicer guy. That said, I'm not sure he's on quite the same level as even the other honorable mentions. The signature series is a nice niche for him, but truth be told, I don't see him as a presence in the same way the other dealers are in the market as a whole.

 

I think Peter Dixon and Paradise Comics belong as an honorable mention as well. They are a force in Canada and are one of the largest players in the CGC Signature Series market (if not THE largest).

[Larryw7]

Dan Greenhalgh: (9.00) - (1) for personality. The guy's a jerk, but I wouldn't qualify him as dishonest or slimy.

 

I had a real nice conversation with him once at a show about pre-code horror and Frankenstein in the comics, and scored a nice 6.0 copy of Marvel Tales #96(pre-code) from him in a very fair deal. Maybe I met him on a good day?

[Norrin_Radd]

I think one of the reasons Gary's inventory may not be up to snuff when he does shows is because, as soon as he gets something really good, he calls up various customers to see if they're interested. The books disappear before he can even catalogue them. I know I've been the recipient of such phone calls in the past, and got some nice, conservatively graded stuff from him.

 

Don't most dealers do that?

[Larryw7]

I think one of the reasons Gary's inventory may not be up to snuff when he does shows is because, as soon as he gets something really good, he calls up various customers to see if they're interested. The books disappear before he can even catalogue them. I know I've been the recipient of such phone calls in the past, and got some nice, conservatively graded stuff from him.

 

Don't most dealers do that?

 

Maybe they do, but I used to get quite a few calls from Gary a week, telling me had an All Star, a Detective, etc.

[jbud73]

I think it would be interesting to posit this scenario.......

 

Based on Foolkiller's list given the following:

 

- Each dealer listed has the same book you want for your collection - the book costs $1000 - Each dealer has graded to book VF/NM - FROM WHAT DEALER AND IN WHAT ORDER WOULD YOU PURCHASE THE BOOK FROM FIRST.

 

1. Doug Sulipa - (Strict grading, its probably going to be VF/NM or better. I have never had a bad transaction with Doug PERIOD and where there have been issues, the first hing out of his mouth has always been "What can I do to complete the transaction to your satisfaction - or refund your money full no questions asked) You can't put a price tag on that man. This attitutde has been present from my earliest transactions, IE has nothing to do with previous purchase history. He started out as an awesome person to buy from and has just gone up with every transaction.

 

2. Gary Dolgoff - (Again spot on grading and assures satisfaction by action, NOT BY ADVERTISING. The only question with a book from Gary is from time to time the page quality.

 

3. Pacific Comics Exchange - Again no questions about the grade, I have sent stuff back and was thanked for my business with a personal correspondence, very sincere. Havent purchased a lot off PCE, but if Doug or Gary don't have a higher dollar book, then this is where I would go based on the 10 dealers listed.

 

 

4. Bob Storms: You can be confident that the Grading is on. As well Bob has shown excellent customer service initiatives in the past and I have no reason to think this would change if my dealing with him increased. The prices are a tad higher so if the book was worth $1000 more likely it would cost you more with Bob - but them sometimes the extra money is well worth the customer service.

 

5. Harley Yee: The grading is accurate and I think that overall Harley is the easiest of the rest to deal with. He will accept returns after the fact with very little fuss, once you have convinced him the book is not what both parties originally thought it was.

 

6. ComicLink - well the handling fee me off, or credit card surcharge etc. I personally do not consider Josh a dealer, more like a middle man you are paying a finders fee - however he will resolve problems - though I think those problems are inherit in the way he is set up to do business.

 

7. Metropolis - Having purchased a few books off Metro I can say they grade accurately. However, the lack of sending scans under $500, not a factor in this scenario, lack of flexibility and the aformentioned word of mouth Fishler horror stories off people I respect all scream "We are the Whale and could give about most of the guppies." Still Vincent seems bent on changing that stigma, I wish him all the best in that regard.

 

 

8. Mile High: Well with Chuck its a [#@$%!!!] shoot the book could be VF/NM, or VG/F or even a true NM. Mile High is the Las Vegas of the Comic Book industry, you just never know what you are gonna get.

 

 

9. Showcase: Well if the book is VF/NM and if you are allowed to be honoured enough to purchase it off Dan, then you are ok. If anything goes wrong well you can tell your grandkids about the time you were threatened with physical violence over a funny book that originally cost 12 cents.

 

10. Heritage: Whether its the nose bleed BP, for both the buyer and the seller, the business policies of allowing their employees to shill/bid on stuff, I dunno take your pick. Principle ownership is more likely to be in Court for Fraud than given an award for public service, that much is for certain.

[Foolkiller]

9. Showcase: Well if the book is VF/NM and if you are allowed to be honoured enough to purchase it off Dan, then you are ok. If anything goes wrong well you can tell your grandkids about the time you were threatened with physical violence over a funny book that originally cost 12 cents.

 

[nearmint]

To be fair, I've returned books to Dan on several occasions, and never had a problem getting a prompt refund.

[FFB]

Here are my rankings in order of how they scored overall in the factors we discussed. This is not how I'd rank them in terms of who my "favorites" are, but that's because some factors are more important to me than others, yet all of the factors in this system are weighted equally.

 

PGCMINT.COM (Mark Wilson)

quality of inventory in focal area(s) 10

breadth of inventory 7

customer service 10

reputation 9

historical notable sales 10

grading accuracy 9

experience 10

internet accesibility 10

dealer personality 10

FINAL GRADE: 9.44

 

COMICLINK (Josh Nathanson):

quality of inventory in focal area(s) 10

breadth of inventory 8

customer service 8

reputation 10

historical notable sales 10

grading accuracy 10

experience 8

internet accesibility 10

dealer personality 9

FINAL GRADE: 9.22

 

DOUG SULIPA:

quality of inventory in focal area(s): 10

breadth of inventory: 9 (not much early GA stuff, but he has EVERYTHING else)

customer service 10

reputation 10

historical notable sales 6

grading accuracy 10

experience 10

internet accesibility 7

dealer personality 10

FINAL GRADE: 9.11

 

HARLEY YEE:

quality of inventory in focal area(s) 9

breadth of inventory 9

customer service 10

reputation 10

historical notable sales 10

grading accuracy 9

experience 9

internet accesibility 6 (ebay and online catalog)

dealer personality 10

FINAL GRADE: 9.11

 

METROPOLIS (Vincent Z. and Steve F.):

quality of inventory in focal area(s) 10

breadth of inventory 9

customer service 7 (no scans under $500? )

reputation 10

historical notable sales 10

grading accuracy 7

experience 10

internet accesibility 8

dealer personality 10 (based on Vincent, because I've never dealt with Steve)

FINAL GRADE: 9.0

 

HERITAGE (Jim Halperin):

quality of inventory in focal area(s) 10

breadth of inventory 10

customer service 9

reputation 7

historical notable sales 10

grading accuracy 6

experience 9

internet accesibility 10

dealer personality 10 (Jim is a nice guy and professional to deal with)

FINAL GRADE: 9.0

 

SUPERWORLD COMICS (Ted Van Lieuw):

quality of inventory in focal area(s) 9

breadth of inventory 9

customer service 10

reputation 9

historical notable sales 8

grading accuracy 6

experience 9

internet accesibility 9

dealer personality 10

FINAL GRADE: 8.78

 

MILE HIGH COMICS (Chuck Rozanski):

quality of inventory in focal area(s) 7

breadth of inventory 10

customer service 8

reputation 8

historical notable sales 10

grading accuracy 7

experience 10

internet accesibility 10

dealer personality 9 (Sorry, but I love Chuck and his columns )

FINAL GRADE: 8.78

 

GOLDUST COMICS (Andy Coleman):

quality of inventory in focal area(s) 9

breadth of inventory 8

customer service 10

reputation 9

historical notable sales 6

grading accuracy 10

experience 9

internet accesibility 8 (needs more scans)

dealer personality 10 (anyone who has the cajones to try to get away with red pants at a forum dinner gets a 10)

FINAL GRADE: 8.78

 

HIGHGRADECOMICS.COM (Bob Storms):

quality of inventory in focal area(s) 10

breadth of inventory 7

customer service 8

reputation 9

historical notable sales 9

grading accuracy 9

experience 9

internet accesibility 10

dealer personality Ask Doug Schmell. Kidding, 7

FINAL GRADE: 8.67

 

PEDIGREECOMICS.COM (Doug Schmell):

quality of inventory in focal area(s) 10

breadth of inventory 5

customer service 10

reputation 9

historical notable sales 8

grading accuracy 10

experience 8 (no GA experience that I know of, but the master of Marvel silver & bronze)

internet accesibility 8

dealer personality 10

FINAL GRADE: 8.67

 

SILVERACRE.COM (Darryl)

quality of inventory in focal area(s) 9

breadth of inventory 10

customer service 8

reputation 9

historical notable sales 8

grading accuracy 8

experience 9

internet accesibility 10

dealer personality 7

FINAL GRADE: 8.67

 

PCEI:

quality of inventory in focal area(s) 9

breadth of inventory 9

customer service 9

reputation 8

historical notable sales 9

grading accuracy 8

experience 9

internet accesibility 8 (can be a pain and take a long time to register for the site)

dealer personality 9

FINAL GRADE: 8.67

 

ROBERT BEERBOHM:

quality of inventory in focal area(s) 7

breadth of inventory 10

customer service 9

reputation 9

historical notable sales 9

grading accuracy 8

experience 10

internet accesibility 4

dealer personality 9

FINAL GRADE: 8.33

 

COMICCOLLECTORS.NET (Marnin Rosenberg):

quality of inventory in focal area(s) 10

breadth of inventory 9

customer service 9

reputation 9

historical notable sales 9

grading accuracy 9

experience 10

internet accesibility 10

dealer personality 8

FINAL GRADE: 8.11

 

JOE KOCH:

quality of inventory in focal area(s) 9

breadth of inventory 7 (mostly warehouse find books, but he has a lot of them)

customer service 10

reputation 9

historical notable sales 3

grading accuracy 9

experience 10

internet accesibility 4 (ebay only)

dealer personality 10

FINAL GRADE: 7.89

 

GARY DOLGOFF:

quality of inventory in focal area(s): 5

breadth of inventory: 9

customer service 8

reputation 8

historical notable sales 4

grading accuracy 9 (too strict in many cases)

experience 8

internet accesibility 8

dealer personality 8

FINAL GRADE: 7.44

 

SHOWCASE_NEW_ ENGLAND (Dan Greenhalgh):

quality of inventory in focal area(s) 9

breadth of inventory 7

customer service 4

reputation 7

historical notable sales 10

grading accuracy 6

experience 8

internet accesibility 4 (ebay only)

dealer personality 7 (my only dealings with Dan have been friendly, but I've heard lots of complaints from others)

FINAL GRADE: 6.89

 

NEATSTUFFCOLLECTIBLES.COM (Mike Carbonaro)

quality of inventory in focal area(s) 6

breadth of inventory 8

customer service 2

reputation 5

historical notable sales 7

grading accuracy 6

experience 7

internet accesibility 4 (ebay only)

dealer personality 7 (Wacky, but nice)

FINAL GRADE: 5.78

[Foolkiller]

great break down Scott. I just gave an overall score based on just my factors combined... I like your breakdown + average thing... works well.

 

But you gave Bob Storms and Dan Greenhalgh the same personality rating? Dude... Bob can be gruff, but honestly, the guy's a straight shooter and he tells it like it is... that's gotta be a personality plus. Most dealers are not going to be so forthright with you as he is, and look at how much insight he contributes to the boards. Anyway, I'm just expressing personal bias.

[Norrin_Radd]

Also, why is Bob rated a 9 in Grading Accuracy? I thought he was "da bomb".

[FFB]

great break down Scott. I just gave an overall score based on just my factors combined... I like your breakdown + average thing... works well.

 

But you gave Bob Storms and Dan Greenhalgh the same personality rating? Dude... Bob can be gruff, but honestly, the guy's a straight shooter and he tells it like it is... that's gotta be a personality plus. Most dealers are not going to be so forthright with you as he is, and look at how much insight he contributes to the boards. Anyway, I'm just expressing personal bias.

 

I have had nothing but good dealings with Dan. He has always been reasonable and polite when I've spoken with him on the phone, even when I called to complain about the grades I received on some books I bought from him. I'd have given him a 9 if not for all of the negative comments from others.

 

The 7 for Bob was based not just on my dealings with him (which have been OK), but also at the way he takes pot shots at other dealers for no reason. I find that really annoying and unprofessional and I'd be lying if I said that it doesn't affect my opinion of him as a dealer. If he weren't an honest, straight-shooting guy, the 7 I gave him would have been lower.

[FFB]

Also, why is Bob rated a 9 in Grading Accuracy? I thought he was "da bomb".

 

He is an excellent grader and all but one book that I've purchased from him have been spot on, but he has not been "perfect 10" like the others who I gave a 10 score.

[Rip]

Shouldn't pricing be a factor, plus does PGCmint even sell raw books?

[Foolkiller]

I understand what you're saying Scott, but those other dealers are taking those same shots at cons and basically being two faced. I'll take Bob's up front and frank assessment and honest statements any day of the week.

[Fan4Fan]

GARY DOLGOFF:

quality of inventory in focal area(s): 5

breadth of inventory: 9

customer service 8

reputation 8

historical notable sales 4

grading accuracy 9 (too strict in many cases)

experience 8

internet accesibility 8

dealer personality 8

FINAL GRADE: 7.44

 

NEATSTUFFCOLLECTIBLES.COM (Mike Carbonaro)

quality of inventory in focal area(s) 6

breadth of inventory 8

customer service 2

reputation 5

historical notable sales 7

grading accuracy 6

experience 7

internet accesibility 4 (ebay only)

dealer personality 7 (Wacky, but nice)

FINAL GRADE: 5.78

 

What sorts of books have you bought from these two?

 

My experience with Dolgoff (5 or 6 Bronze age books) had them all overgraded.

 

On the other hand, Neat Stuff was spot on (if not slightly conservative) for the 2 Bronze books I got from him.

 

Thanks for the list!

Fan4Fan

[FFB]

Shouldn't pricing be a factor also, plus does PGCmint even sell raw books?

 

I thought about adding pricing, but then decided not to. Pricing is so hard to quantify on a scale like this. Sometimes they're high, sometimes they're low, and sometimes the dealer doesn't set the price.

 

Chuck R. is known for some supremely high prices, and yet the last eight books that I purchased from him were priced ridiculously below market value. Do I give him a 1, a 10, or a 5?

 

Metropolis has Edgar Church books priced at what some would consider "nosebleed" prices, and yet how can you fault them for that? Their business model is not based on the need to turn over all of their inventory every year, and the Church books are essentially irreplaceable once they've sold. How do you quantify this on a pricing score?

 

Josh from ComicLink doesn't set his own prices because the books are listed by the individual sellers. How can we fault Josh for high prices that he doesn't set? And what score do we give him?

 

Anyone who had excellent pricing would almost necessarily suffer from poor depth of inventory. The two would tend to cancel each other out. I think it's better to just leave pricing out of it.

 

As for Mark Wilson's grading, he gets a 10 because he ONLY sells CGC books. Thus, on a "What would CGC grade this book" scale, he's correct every time. Hence the 10.

[FFB]

I understand what you're saying Scott, but those other dealers are taking those same shots at cons and basically being two faced. I'll take Bob's up front and frank assessment and honest statements any day of the week.

 

What other dealers? I have never heard Ted Van Lieuw, Doug Sulipa, Vincent Zurzolo, Andy Coleman, or any of the other top personality guys on my list make unprofessional comments about any other dealer, especially not comments that pretty transparently arise out of resentment of competition.

[Foolkiller]

But that's why I won't rank Mark Wilson on my list. If you don't sell any raw, then I think you limit yourself as a dealer and don't have a wide enough appeal. I consider the other dealers more top flight only because they appeal to the whole gamut of collectors. I also think it's unfair to give Mark a 10 for grading just because he only sells CGC books, when it's harder to be accurate on raw books, and thus a more deserved 10.

 

Hey, i'm just splitting hairs... I'm just having a little fun here anyway... like the hoops rankings, they're kind of meaningless...

[BassGMan]

Holy Moly. I'm impressed. You guys must have bought alot of books to be familiar with all these guys. Outside of conventions I only buy off of Ebay, so I have a few favorite Ebay dealers but that's it. I've heard the names of all the guys mentioned here, but I've never bought from any of them outside of a convention. And as far as conventions go, the prices vary all over the place between different dealers. I could care less what grade these guys put on the sticker but it does matter how they price the books relating to their given grade. For example, I'd never buy a book from Harley, he may grade well but his books are priced too high. Recently at Wondercon I bought a bunch of books from A-1. They priced very reasonably and I'd buy from them again anytime. However, they were not the friendliest guys in the world. I'll take fair pricing over customer service anyday. And I'd never return a book that I bought in person for any reason so how they deal with returns is not a concern either (online different, of course).

 

If I was buying books in the $1,000 and up range I may want to get to know these big dealers a little better. But for my purposes I don't care who the convention dealer is, just matters how they price their books. Only other factor to me is how they display them. I'm more apt to shop with a dealer who has neatly displayed books in new bags or mylars than those dealers with disorganized boxes with comics in dirty yellowing bags or without backing boards.