2016 Comiclink auction thread, post 'em if you got 'em

[mysterio]

Anyone get any art? I skimmed it but didn't feel compelled to try to spend any more money...

 

Only 15 days until the start of the May auction! (Anyone else finding this tight scheduling a bit exhausting? )

 

I actually bought the JRJR spider man and the Jim Lee Europa pieces. They were super cheap, so couldn't pass it up. The content may not be the greatest, I grew up with these artists, it is awesome to own something from them.

 

[Junkdrawer]

 

Pull yourself together. I got 275+ slabs in this auction. Take a deep breath. You got this.

 

That's likely unlikely, but sounds real good, but realistically I know I got some that break $200 and done that may not crack $50. After last month auction, it appears buyers are winning the war. If I can fall between $60-$100 avg per book, I'm gonna be in line with my prediction. I just did the count and there are 271 books.

 

Ended at $64.07/book x 271 books. Fell into the range I expected. The lower end of it of course. I'd do it again though.

 

Congrats on the sale!

 

Just a question here though.......at an average of only $64 per slab, is there any real money to be made after factoring in the original cost of the book, slabbing fees, auction fees, packaging material, along with shipping and reshipping charges back and forth between both CGC and CL, and whatever else there is?

This was a road I can honestly say that I have never gone down at this level of qty. I shipped direct to CGC and not to clink . Cgc shipped direct to clink at s reduced rate. I got 20% instead of 10% off grading fees and the Cgc bill went to clink do I sent none of my working capital wen I submitted them. Clink scanned 271 books, not me and if I sold my own, I would scan both sides. I also escape the task of packing and shipping 271 books which no doubt would have gone to 271 different buyers with my luck. That's a lot of boxes, bubble wrap and peanuts and packing tape and drives to the post office. The cost of the books was that they were a remainder of books from several collections that I had costed down from earlier sales of the better stuff, so they didn't cost me as much as if I went out and bought them on eBay. Can't say for sure that they cost me zero but I'm quite sure it was a profitable endeavor and not much effort. I saved where I could and rolled the dice. Could I have avoided grading fees and sold them raw? Sure. Lots of work, lots of describing , scanning, packing and shipping. I feel I avoided a ton of work, got the lowest price on slabbing and didn't lay out any extra funds. I think I said that I'd do it again and I still feel the same way. I still got another 150+ slabs slated for June & July. It's adding up and now comes the fun part. Spending it.

[musicmeta]

 

Pull yourself together. I got 275+ slabs in this auction. Take a deep breath. You got this.

 

That's likely unlikely, but sounds real good, but realistically I know I got some that break $200 and done that may not crack $50. After last month auction, it appears buyers are winning the war. If I can fall between $60-$100 avg per book, I'm gonna be in line with my prediction. I just did the count and there are 271 books.

 

Ended at $64.07/book x 271 books. Fell into the range I expected. The lower end of it of course. I'd do it again though.

 

Congrats on the sale!

 

Just a question here though.......at an average of only $64 per slab, is there any real money to be made after factoring in the original cost of the book, slabbing fees, auction fees, packaging material, along with shipping and reshipping charges back and forth between both CGC and CL, and whatever else there is?

This was a road I can honestly say that I have never gone down at this level of qty. I shipped direct to CGC and not to clink . Cgc shipped direct to clink at s reduced rate. I got 20% instead of 10% off grading fees and the Cgc bill went to clink do I sent none of my working capital wen I submitted them. Clink scanned 271 books, not me and if I sold my own, I would scan both sides. I also escape the task of packing and shipping 271 books which no doubt would have gone to 271 different buyers with my luck. That's a lot of boxes, bubble wrap and peanuts and packing tape and drives to the post office. The cost of the books was that they were a remainder of books from several collections that I had costed down from earlier sales of the better stuff, so they didn't cost me as much as if I went out and bought them on eBay. Can't say for sure that they cost me zero but I'm quite sure it was a profitable endeavor and not much effort. I saved where I could and rolled the dice. Could I have avoided grading fees and sold them raw? Sure. Lots of work, lots of describing , scanning, packing and shipping. I feel I avoided a ton of work, got the lowest price on slabbing and didn't lay out any extra funds. I think I said that I'd do it again and I still feel the same way. I still got another 150+ slabs slated for June & July. It's adding up and now comes the fun part. Spending it.

 

Good Deal I have some "Samurai Cat" books you can buy!

Seriously, GREAT JOB! I wish I had that many books to do what you're doing.

 

 

[bluehorseshoe]

 

Pull yourself together. I got 275+ slabs in this auction. Take a deep breath. You got this.

 

That's likely unlikely, but sounds real good, but realistically I know I got some that break $200 and done that may not crack $50. After last month auction, it appears buyers are winning the war. If I can fall between $60-$100 avg per book, I'm gonna be in line with my prediction. I just did the count and there are 271 books.

 

Ended at $64.07/book x 271 books. Fell into the range I expected. The lower end of it of course. I'd do it again though.

 

Congrats on the sale!

 

Just a question here though.......at an average of only $64 per slab, is there any real money to be made after factoring in the original cost of the book, slabbing fees, auction fees, packaging material, along with shipping and reshipping charges back and forth between both CGC and CL, and whatever else there is?

This was a road I can honestly say that I have never gone down at this level of qty. I shipped direct to CGC and not to clink . Cgc shipped direct to clink at s reduced rate. I got 20% instead of 10% off grading fees and the Cgc bill went to clink do I sent none of my working capital wen I submitted them. Clink scanned 271 books, not me and if I sold my own, I would scan both sides. I also escape the task of packing and shipping 271 books which no doubt would have gone to 271 different buyers with my luck. That's a lot of boxes, bubble wrap and peanuts and packing tape and drives to the post office. The cost of the books was that they were a remainder of books from several collections that I had costed down from earlier sales of the better stuff, so they didn't cost me as much as if I went out and bought them on eBay. Can't say for sure that they cost me zero but I'm quite sure it was a profitable endeavor and not much effort. I saved where I could and rolled the dice. Could I have avoided grading fees and sold them raw? Sure. Lots of work, lots of describing , scanning, packing and shipping. I feel I avoided a ton of work, got the lowest price on slabbing and didn't lay out any extra funds. I think I said that I'd do it again and I still feel the same way. I still got another 150+ slabs slated for June & July. It's adding up and now comes the fun part. Spending it.

 

Hard to argue with that. Congrats on your sales and keep everyone in the know if the next goes any different.

[lou_fine]

 

Pull yourself together. I got 275+ slabs in this auction. Take a deep breath. You got this.

 

That's likely unlikely, but sounds real good, but realistically I know I got some that break $200 and done that may not crack $50. After last month auction, it appears buyers are winning the war. If I can fall between $60-$100 avg per book, I'm gonna be in line with my prediction. I just did the count and there are 271 books.

 

Ended at $64.07/book x 271 books. Fell into the range I expected. The lower end of it of course. I'd do it again though.

 

Congrats on the sale!

 

Just a question here though.......at an average of only $64 per slab, is there any real money to be made after factoring in the original cost of the book, slabbing fees, auction fees, packaging material, along with shipping and reshipping charges back and forth between both CGC and CL, and whatever else there is?

 

This was a road I can honestly say that I have never gone down at this level of qty. I shipped direct to CGC and not to clink . Cgc shipped direct to clink at s reduced rate. I got 20% instead of 10% off grading fees and the Cgc bill went to clink do I sent none of my working capital wen I submitted them. Clink scanned 271 books, not me and if I sold my own, I would scan both sides. I also escape the task of packing and shipping 271 books which no doubt would have gone to 271 different buyers with my luck. That's a lot of boxes, bubble wrap and peanuts and packing tape and drives to the post office. The cost of the books was that they were a remainder of books from several collections that I had costed down from earlier sales of the better stuff, so they didn't cost me as much as if I went out and bought them on eBay. Can't say for sure that they cost me zero but I'm quite sure it was a profitable endeavor and not much effort. I saved where I could and rolled the dice. Could I have avoided grading fees and sold them raw? Sure. Lots of work, lots of describing , scanning, packing and shipping. I feel I avoided a ton of work, got the lowest price on slabbing and didn't lay out any extra funds. I think I said that I'd do it again and I still feel the same way. I still got another 150+ slabs slated for June & July. It's adding up and now comes the fun part. Spending it.

 

Greatly appreciate your detailed response and it sounds as though you have everything well under control here.

 

Yes, it's definitely better to pass off the tedious work to an auction house sometimes instead of having to go through the hassle of trying to sell off each of the books one at a time by yourself. After all, they are taking a slice of the pie through their auction fees and they should do some work besides just giving you access to their customer base.

 

Instead of sending direct to CGC who will slab everything, have you ever thought about sending it to the auction house first. They would also be able to get you the maximum discount on the grading fees without you having to pay anything upfront. This way, they can also do a preliminary review of your books and only slab the items that are deemed worthwhile to slab or possibly even look for maximization of potential for your books. Minimize your slabbing fees and possibly maximize your potential sales dollars. Actually, not sure if CL even provides this service to their consignors or not.

 

In addition, sending direct to the auction house would also eliminate or reduce your initial shipping cost as it would hopefully be done through their large volume customer shipping account. This way, they can also do up all of the shipping documents and simply email it to you for printing and affixing to the parcel. Not sure if CL would simply absorb this shipping cost on their own like some auction houses or try to pass it back to you when it's all said and done.

 

Just curious, what are the standard auction fees when consigning through CL?

[DavidTheDavid]

 

Pull yourself together. I got 275+ slabs in this auction. Take a deep breath. You got this.

 

That's likely unlikely, but sounds real good, but realistically I know I got some that break $200 and done that may not crack $50. After last month auction, it appears buyers are winning the war. If I can fall between $60-$100 avg per book, I'm gonna be in line with my prediction. I just did the count and there are 271 books.

 

Ended at $64.07/book x 271 books. Fell into the range I expected. The lower end of it of course. I'd do it again though.

 

Congrats on the sale!

 

Just a question here though.......at an average of only $64 per slab, is there any real money to be made after factoring in the original cost of the book, slabbing fees, auction fees, packaging material, along with shipping and reshipping charges back and forth between both CGC and CL, and whatever else there is?

 

This was a road I can honestly say that I have never gone down at this level of qty. I shipped direct to CGC and not to clink . Cgc shipped direct to clink at s reduced rate. I got 20% instead of 10% off grading fees and the Cgc bill went to clink do I sent none of my working capital wen I submitted them. Clink scanned 271 books, not me and if I sold my own, I would scan both sides. I also escape the task of packing and shipping 271 books which no doubt would have gone to 271 different buyers with my luck. That's a lot of boxes, bubble wrap and peanuts and packing tape and drives to the post office. The cost of the books was that they were a remainder of books from several collections that I had costed down from earlier sales of the better stuff, so they didn't cost me as much as if I went out and bought them on eBay. Can't say for sure that they cost me zero but I'm quite sure it was a profitable endeavor and not much effort. I saved where I could and rolled the dice. Could I have avoided grading fees and sold them raw? Sure. Lots of work, lots of describing , scanning, packing and shipping. I feel I avoided a ton of work, got the lowest price on slabbing and didn't lay out any extra funds. I think I said that I'd do it again and I still feel the same way. I still got another 150+ slabs slated for June & July. It's adding up and now comes the fun part. Spending it.

 

Greatly appreciate your detailed response and it sounds as though you have everything well under control here.

 

Yes, it's definitely better to pass off the tedious work to an auction house sometimes instead of having to go through the hassle of trying to sell off each of the books one at a time by yourself. After all, they are taking a slice of the pie through their auction fees and they should do some work besides just giving you access to their customer base.

 

Instead of sending direct to CGC who will slab everything, have you ever thought about sending it to the auction house first. They would also be able to get you the maximum discount on the grading fees without you having to pay anything upfront. This way, they can also do a preliminary review of your books and only slab the items that are deemed worthwhile to slab or possibly even look for maximization of potential for your books. Minimize your slabbing fees and possibly maximize your potential sales dollars. Actually, not sure if CL even provides this service to their consignors or not.

 

In addition, sending direct to the auction house would also eliminate or reduce your initial shipping cost as it would hopefully be done through their large volume customer shipping account. This way, they can also do up all of the shipping documents and simply email it to you for printing and affixing to the parcel. Not sure if CL would simply absorb this shipping cost on their own like some auction houses or try to pass it back to you when it's all said and done.

 

Just curious, what are the standard auction fees when consigning through CL?

 

They will. I had a Daredevil run of 2-100 that I sent them, with maybe 20 slabs in the mix. They reviewed the rest, sent some for slabbing, and sold the remainder as lots. The lots did surprisingly well. It saved me countless hours of time trying to move that stuff.

[mar-vell]

this arrived in the mail today:

 

 

has to be in the running for nicest 7.0 ever

 

 

[DavidTheDavid]

this arrived in the mail today:

 

 

has to be in the running for nicest 7.0 ever

 

 

 

Ahhhhh....now that's a beaut. Congrats.

[jimjum12]

this arrived in the mail today:

 

 

has to be in the running for nicest 7.0 ever

 

 

 

 

.... oh, how I would love that...... but in a mylar GOD BLESS....

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

[mar-vell]

- i hear ya Jimbo!maybe if i was a richer man I would go there! Looking at it in hand i think it should have certified 7.5 so maybe.....

 

nah I'll just ask a 7.5 price if i ever sell it!

[blue808]

this arrived in the mail today:

 

 

has to be in the running for nicest 7.0 ever

 

 

[DavidTheDavid]

this arrived in the mail today:

 

 

has to be in the running for nicest 7.0 ever

 

 

 

 

[lou_fine]

Instead of sending direct to CGC who will slab everything, have you ever thought about sending it to the auction house first. They would also be able to get you the maximum discount on the grading fees without you having to pay anything upfront. This way, they can also do a preliminary review of your books and only slab the items that are deemed worthwhile to slab or possibly even look for maximization of potential for your books. Minimize your slabbing fees and possibly maximize your potential sales dollars. Actually, not sure if CL even provides this service to their consignors or not.

 

Just curious, what are the standard auction fees when consigning through CL?

 

They will. I had a Daredevil run of 2-100 that I sent them, with maybe 20 slabs in the mix. They reviewed the rest, sent some for slabbing, and sold the remainder as lots. The lots did surprisingly well. It saved me countless hours of time trying to move that stuff.

 

It's good to know that CL does provide this review process for their consignors.

 

Would you happen to know the standard auction fees for consigning through CL?

[mysterio]

Instead of sending direct to CGC who will slab everything, have you ever thought about sending it to the auction house first. They would also be able to get you the maximum discount on the grading fees without you having to pay anything upfront. This way, they can also do a preliminary review of your books and only slab the items that are deemed worthwhile to slab or possibly even look for maximization of potential for your books. Minimize your slabbing fees and possibly maximize your potential sales dollars. Actually, not sure if CL even provides this service to their consignors or not.

 

Just curious, what are the standard auction fees when consigning through CL?

 

They will. I had a Daredevil run of 2-100 that I sent them, with maybe 20 slabs in the mix. They reviewed the rest, sent some for slabbing, and sold the remainder as lots. The lots did surprisingly well. It saved me countless hours of time trying to move that stuff.

 

It's good to know that CL does provide this review process for their consignors.

 

Would you happen to know the standard auction fees for consigning through CL?

 

10% is what I've paid, but that was also on slabs so the process wasn't complicated. I'd also be interested to know if a more labor intensive option like the Daredevil #2-100 lot presented would be charged a higher commission.

[ThothAmon]

Instead of sending direct to CGC who will slab everything, have you ever thought about sending it to the auction house first. They would also be able to get you the maximum discount on the grading fees without you having to pay anything upfront. This way, they can also do a preliminary review of your books and only slab the items that are deemed worthwhile to slab or possibly even look for maximization of potential for your books. Minimize your slabbing fees and possibly maximize your potential sales dollars. Actually, not sure if CL even provides this service to their consignors or not.

 

Just curious, what are the standard auction fees when consigning through CL?

 

They will. I had a Daredevil run of 2-100 that I sent them, with maybe 20 slabs in the mix. They reviewed the rest, sent some for slabbing, and sold the remainder as lots. The lots did surprisingly well. It saved me countless hours of time trying to move that stuff.

 

It's good to know that CL does provide this review process for their consignors.

 

Would you happen to know the standard auction fees for consigning through CL?

 

10% is what I've paid, but that was also on slabs so the process wasn't complicated. I'd also be interested to know if a more labor intensive option like the Daredevil #2-100 lot presented would be charged a higher commission.

My one concern is that any company like Comiclink will attempt to maximize their own profits when deciding on what to slab versus trying to maximize the consignors profits. Obviously prepping comics for submission is labor intensive and may not make financial sense for the auction house. Food for thought.

[mysterio]

Instead of sending direct to CGC who will slab everything, have you ever thought about sending it to the auction house first. They would also be able to get you the maximum discount on the grading fees without you having to pay anything upfront. This way, they can also do a preliminary review of your books and only slab the items that are deemed worthwhile to slab or possibly even look for maximization of potential for your books. Minimize your slabbing fees and possibly maximize your potential sales dollars. Actually, not sure if CL even provides this service to their consignors or not.

 

Just curious, what are the standard auction fees when consigning through CL?

 

They will. I had a Daredevil run of 2-100 that I sent them, with maybe 20 slabs in the mix. They reviewed the rest, sent some for slabbing, and sold the remainder as lots. The lots did surprisingly well. It saved me countless hours of time trying to move that stuff.

 

It's good to know that CL does provide this review process for their consignors.

 

Would you happen to know the standard auction fees for consigning through CL?

 

10% is what I've paid, but that was also on slabs so the process wasn't complicated. I'd also be interested to know if a more labor intensive option like the Daredevil #2-100 lot presented would be charged a higher commission.

My one concern is that any company like Comiclink will attempt to maximize their own profits when deciding on what to slab versus trying to maximize the consignors profits. Obviously prepping comics for submission is labor intensive and may not make financial sense for the auction house. Food for thought.

 

If their profit is a percentage of the auction gross, then maximizing the consignor's profit is the exact recipe for maximizing their own profits. Clink ought to not only be working in their client's best interest because it is the right thing to do, but also because it makes them more money. Unless I missed something. Obviously there are slabbing fees involved that will cut into a consignor's take home, but since raw lots tend to do fairly well in the latter sessions I don't think Clink has a problem leaving books raw.

[ThothAmon]

Instead of sending direct to CGC who will slab everything, have you ever thought about sending it to the auction house first. They would also be able to get you the maximum discount on the grading fees without you having to pay anything upfront. This way, they can also do a preliminary review of your books and only slab the items that are deemed worthwhile to slab or possibly even look for maximization of potential for your books. Minimize your slabbing fees and possibly maximize your potential sales dollars. Actually, not sure if CL even provides this service to their consignors or not.

 

Just curious, what are the standard auction fees when consigning through CL?

 

They will. I had a Daredevil run of 2-100 that I sent them, with maybe 20 slabs in the mix. They reviewed the rest, sent some for slabbing, and sold the remainder as lots. The lots did surprisingly well. It saved me countless hours of time trying to move that stuff.

It's good to know that CL does provide this review process for their consignors.

 

Would you happen to know the standard auction fees for consigning through CL?

 

10% is what I've paid, but that was also on slabs so the process wasn't complicated. I'd also be interested to know if a more labor intensive option like the Daredevil #2-100 lot presented would be charged a higher commission.

My one concern is that any company like Comiclink will attempt to maximize their own profits when deciding on what to slab versus trying to maximize the consignors profits. Obviously prepping comics for submission is labor intensive and may not make financial sense for the auction house. Food for thought.

 

If their profit is a percentage of the auction gross, then maximizing the consignor's profit is the exact recipe for maximizing their own profits. Clink ought to not only be working in their client's best interest because it is the right thing to do, but also because it makes them more money. Unless I missed something. Obviously there are slabbing fees involved that will cut into a consignor's take home, but since raw lots tend to do fairly well in the latter sessions I don't think Clink has a problem leaving books raw.

Ill try to be more clear. Assume that a slabbed copy is worth $100 more than a raw copy. Clearly it is worth it to the consignor for the additional $50 or so extra after fees are paid but Clink gets only $10 extra. Are they really going to feel it is worth the time and effort to prep and send the book to cgc for grading? Not sure what the dollar cut off is but at some level the interests don't coincide.

[mysterio]

Instead of sending direct to CGC who will slab everything, have you ever thought about sending it to the auction house first. They would also be able to get you the maximum discount on the grading fees without you having to pay anything upfront. This way, they can also do a preliminary review of your books and only slab the items that are deemed worthwhile to slab or possibly even look for maximization of potential for your books. Minimize your slabbing fees and possibly maximize your potential sales dollars. Actually, not sure if CL even provides this service to their consignors or not.

 

Just curious, what are the standard auction fees when consigning through CL?

 

They will. I had a Daredevil run of 2-100 that I sent them, with maybe 20 slabs in the mix. They reviewed the rest, sent some for slabbing, and sold the remainder as lots. The lots did surprisingly well. It saved me countless hours of time trying to move that stuff.

It's good to know that CL does provide this review process for their consignors.

 

Would you happen to know the standard auction fees for consigning through CL?

 

10% is what I've paid, but that was also on slabs so the process wasn't complicated. I'd also be interested to know if a more labor intensive option like the Daredevil #2-100 lot presented would be charged a higher commission.

My one concern is that any company like Comiclink will attempt to maximize their own profits when deciding on what to slab versus trying to maximize the consignors profits. Obviously prepping comics for submission is labor intensive and may not make financial sense for the auction house. Food for thought.

 

If their profit is a percentage of the auction gross, then maximizing the consignor's profit is the exact recipe for maximizing their own profits. Clink ought to not only be working in their client's best interest because it is the right thing to do, but also because it makes them more money. Unless I missed something. Obviously there are slabbing fees involved that will cut into a consignor's take home, but since raw lots tend to do fairly well in the latter sessions I don't think Clink has a problem leaving books raw.

Ill try to be more clear. Assume that a slabbed copy is worth $100 more than a raw copy. Clearly it is worth it to the consignor for the additional $50 or so extra after fees are paid but Clink gets only $10 extra. Are they really going to feel it is worth the time and effort to prep and send the book to cgc for grading? Not sure what the dollar cut off is but at some level the interests don't coincide.

 

I see what you mean, but I would still argue it is in Clink's interest to slab the book. It may cost them more time/energy in the short run, but they build that relationship with their customer. Even if they are paying their employees the new $15 minimum wage that extra $10 profit covers their costs for the extra effort. Multiply that for a few books in a consignment and the motivation only goes up.

[Sqeggs]

Instead of sending direct to CGC who will slab everything, have you ever thought about sending it to the auction house first. They would also be able to get you the maximum discount on the grading fees without you having to pay anything upfront. This way, they can also do a preliminary review of your books and only slab the items that are deemed worthwhile to slab or possibly even look for maximization of potential for your books. Minimize your slabbing fees and possibly maximize your potential sales dollars. Actually, not sure if CL even provides this service to their consignors or not.

 

Just curious, what are the standard auction fees when consigning through CL?

 

They will. I had a Daredevil run of 2-100 that I sent them, with maybe 20 slabs in the mix. They reviewed the rest, sent some for slabbing, and sold the remainder as lots. The lots did surprisingly well. It saved me countless hours of time trying to move that stuff.

 

It's good to know that CL does provide this review process for their consignors.

 

Would you happen to know the standard auction fees for consigning through CL?

 

It's a flat 10%, irrespective of how the buyer pays. ComicConnect charges a 10% seller's premium if the buyer pays by check, but a 13% seller's premium if the buyer pays with a credit card.

[lou_fine]

Instead of sending direct to CGC who will slab everything, have you ever thought about sending it to the auction house first. They would also be able to get you the maximum discount on the grading fees without you having to pay anything upfront. This way, they can also do a preliminary review of your books and only slab the items that are deemed worthwhile to slab or possibly even look for maximization of potential for your books. Minimize your slabbing fees and possibly maximize your potential sales dollars. Actually, not sure if CL even provides this service to their consignors or not.

 

Just curious, what are the standard auction fees when consigning through CL?

 

They will. I had a Daredevil run of 2-100 that I sent them, with maybe 20 slabs in the mix. They reviewed the rest, sent some for slabbing, and sold the remainder as lots. The lots did surprisingly well. It saved me countless hours of time trying to move that stuff.

 

It's good to know that CL does provide this review process for their consignors.

 

Would you happen to know the standard auction fees for consigning through CL?

 

It's a flat 10%, irrespective of how the buyer pays. ComicConnect charges a 10% seller's premium if the buyer pays by check, but a 13% seller's premium if the buyer pays with a credit card.

 

Yes, but I believe that Metro has a cap on credit card usage for their customers and I believe it is something in the $2K range. A large portion of the vintage books on the CC auction site would be pass this credit card threshold anyways.

 

In addition, I also believe the consignor can say No to credit card payments. Of course, this would also limit the number of potential bidders for their own books.