Is it Time for Buyers to Drop EBay? 1 1

[comicinvestor-migration]

Hey Scottish, go in a wheelchair and do a Samuel L. Jackson routine at the Modern comic rack. Now that would be divine retribution to someone like Darth.

 

"CGC 9.8, 9,6, 9.4... uncollectible.. aiiee the inhumanity!"

[Hensley300]

Ill drop in a point or two. 1. I have almost entirely, though not fully, dropped ebay as a place to buy ungraded books b/c of the things CI mentions but 2. Not too many book shows come here to Nashville TN which would lend me to have to drive aways to them which is a bit inconvenient when I want to purchase books

3. Im too impatient to wait till a convention comes my way before purchasing a graded or ungraded book I want off ebay

4.If I don't buy my books from ebay, the speculators will store the high grade cgc's in a vault until they mummify and Ill have to wait till someone else decides to sell before I can pick em out.

[murph0]

I just thought I'd mention that eBay was one of THE reasons why comic collecting didn't just about keel over and die a couple years back...without these online auction companies for broke dealers to sell their stuff it could've been pretty bad. Anyways, I like to buy unslabbed stuff too...and since I can't usually get to many shows (they don't have comics in Iowa)...I buy from eBay...haven't had problems yet

 

Brian

[blowout]

"I tested this format out with some Modern comics and I tossed the package around, dropped it, etc and the books came out with nary a scratch. Disappointed (since they're Moderns) I ripped them up anyway, but it did prove a point. "

 

"Hey Scottish, go in a wheelchair and do a Samuel L. Jackson routine at the Modern comic rack. Now that would be divine retribution to someone like Darth."

 

 

........... are you single-handedly trying to lower the supply of high grade moderns?...............

 

[comicwiz]

It is in my opinion that making the switch from ebay to cons would prove to be futile, as most of the "relatively-conscious" dealers and sellers who attend cons, run local shops or virtual ones, and are "chipmunking" mid/high caliber keys, ARE CLEARLY using ebay yields, AND NOT the OPG as a benchmark for their own pricing.

 

Although I have to agree that it is somewhat frustrating, on the one hand, to have to wait for key thats been on your radar to pop-up, and on the other, to fall victim to either a bidding war, a selling scam, or worse -- a book that arrives restored or damaged in transit, unless that mountain we call ebay suddenly becomes a molehill overnight, the argument for buying at cons just doesn't measure up to the sheer numbers of material on an online person-to-person trading community, a.k.a. ebay.

 

Happy Hunting!

[comicinvestor-migration]

Hey, I used to feel the exact same way about EBay and championed its cause for a long time. I simply feel that the pendulum may have swung a bit too far in favor of the online world, and I continue to shake my head at the deals I passed up at some of the summer shows.

 

I always used to think "there's no way a con has better deals than EBay", but of late, I'm starting to rethink that statement.

 

BTW, I'm a collector who usually is satisfied with VF/NM comics. At a con, these are usually priced reasonably and when you take into consideration that an EBay NM is usually a VF and an EBay NM+ is usually a VF/NM or NM, you get a lot of saps who bid ultra-high on EBay, hoping to flip the book for a profit.

 

At a show, you can actually see the book in question and buy (or not) based on what grade you feel it is, rather than paying NM prices for a VF comic.

[blowout]

"At a show, you can actually see the book in question and buy (or not) based on what grade you feel it is, rather than paying NM prices for a VF comic."

 

...that's very true, but i think it's just a case of being more selective on ebay............either buy from dealers whose grading you trust, or if bidding on a books from a seller you don't know, only bid up to a price a grade lower than advertised.............then if they turn up in the grade stated, you're ahead........

 

 

 

[aardvark88]

Canada is a real backwater for comics. Full of hillbillies & bankrupt comicshop store stock. Even more bankrupt comic warehouses in the Seattle, WA/Portland, OR area. Where else can u pick up nm bronze or unread run of Strawberry Ewok Droids (Star) for WAY less than Overstreet?

[BachelorOfComix]

Ebay is the # 1 place for collectors to buy/sell comics bar none. Collectors will not abondon it en masse. It's here to stay despite its shortcomings. If someone can suggest a better place for all of us collectors to go...please, I'm all ears...

 

Cheers,

 

Bachelor of Comics

[comicinvestor-migration]

Hey, I know the deal about EBay, determining bid prices and having an eye for scans, and I've come out extremely well in my transactions. This isn't sour grapes, but I sense a quantum shift in market emphasis away from the shows and towards EBay.

 

This has been underway for a long time now, but is now becoming extremely obvious. I adhere to the "buy where they ain't" doctrine be it comics or places of business, and I think a lot of smart money has already shifted gears a long while ago.

[comicinvestor-migration]

Canada is a real backwater for comics. Full of hillbillies & bankrupt comicshop store stock.

 

Damn straight and I can't name a show I went to in Ontario where there wasn't at least one table with some wild surprises on it. Just lie flat on the floor and scan for the sellers wearing hip-waders.

[PovertyRow]

>>Ebay is the # 1 place for collectors to buy/sell comics bar none.<<

 

I think the genre is a factor. I know that pre-code horror and Fiction House jungle type books don't do that well on ebay. But when I go to a show like Wonderdon, I notice that on opening the dealers have a goodly supply but on closing that supply is very noticeably depleted. Now when something like a Phantom Lady or a Dagar Desert Hawk comes online, or a CGC 9 or better comes online, the bidding can get interesting. But these things don;t happen that often.

[OldGuy]

I have a list of vavorite sellers on e-bay. These are people that will work with me to resolve any problem that comes up in a transaction. There are many of these sellers on e-bay. Maybe you should use them insted of "rolling the dice"? Just a thought.

[aardvark88]

It is generally cheaper to buy orig art fr eBay rather than via big auction. No 12-15% juice + higher pro shipping & handling charges. Canuck comic collectors complain about 7% gst tax on incoming comics, but orig art collectors must contend w/ 14.5% taxes on incoming art to BC. Some countries in Europe have 30% importation tax on incoming artwork. Nasty.

[comicinvestor-migration]

I have a list of vavorite sellers on e-bay. These are people that will work with me to resolve any problem that comes up in a transaction. There are many of these sellers on e-bay. Maybe you should use them insted of "rolling the dice"? Just a thought.

 

Once again, I do quite well on my EBay purchases thank you very much (Yo, Scottish, I could use some verification here! ), but I am also starting to realize that due to the growing capital on EBay, it is actually more economically viable (in some cases) to just buy a portion of your comics at shows rather than EBay.

 

I have always "bought where they ain't" (which is why I'm buying Bronze Defenders now for fire-sale prices) and I was able to find some amazing deals at the last show I went to this summer. I even passed on books that I should have bought in hindsight.

 

 

[scottish]

CI does have an uncanny knack at finding incredible eBay deals on a continual basis. He let me in on an Iron Fist #4 30 cent variant CGC 9.4 that I picked up for less than slab cost. Tons of other examples, but that is the one that really sticks out in my mind. BUNCHES of 30 cent variant auctions recently - seemed like the seller was having a fire sale or something. Silly me didn't bid high enough on some of 'em, but I did pretty well.

 

Now if you can just get me a 9.9 Hulk 181 for 20 bucks I'll be a happy camper!

[Darthdiesel]

You want Bronze Defenders? Now were talking. I just bought a ton off Donut a month ago and now have multiples of certain issues. Or I could actually post them and get you to buy something off me on eBay

[comicinvestor-migration]

Now if you can just get me a 9.9 Hulk 181 for 20 bucks I'll be a happy camper!

 

Patience grasshopper, patience. Plus, I'm a bit hesitant to point you to any high-grade comic that has a Marvel Value Stamp in it.

 

Heck, maybe you cut them out just to get sympathy.

[scottish]

! You've guessed my secret!

[chromium]

Darth..just PMed you concerning those Bronze Defenders... might be interested in some early issues