Is there more market manipulation today than at any other time?

[miraclemet]

The more onramps to the market, the more attempted manipulation there will be of the market.

 

So with the presence of multiple auction sites, eBay, many other online marketplaces and the internet in general yes, there's more opportunity to manipulate the market than ever because

 

a) the system is there to be used (eBay, and so on)

b) there is a method for spreading that manipulation quickly (internet, GPA, etc).

 

 

In 1980, if some shop in Omaha sold a Superman 75 for 4 time overstreet, no one would know it (unless they were doing overstreet reporting and then it'd be balanced out and reported later in the year)

 

Now, the day after someone hits a BIN it's in GPA affecting the market.

 

I worry less about the carnival barking (that has always been around, and will always be around) and more about attempts to actually record false sales data and then use it to justify future pricing.

 

Here's the only other example I can think of for major impacting market manipulation in our hobby, the advent of pedigree pricing. The dealer or dealers who started asking multiples of Overstreet for pedigree books in the same grade as non-peds definately manipulated the market and created a whole new segment. I'm not criticizing it (just can think of a different word than manipulate), just saying it was a change to the market. Market modification?

[StuporMan]

It appears to me that there are dozens of sites hyping books to speculate on, or even threads on these boards where people try to promote their agenda to increase awareness, and in some cases mislead the general public (ex perceived rarity) to increase prices on a book or books.

 

Has it ever been as bad as it is today?

 

I know we all make jokes about Wizard and their top ten and its harmful impact but do those articles/lists pale in comparison to the hype machine by certain indivuals/sites?

 

I was too dumb to understand the hype machine growing up so I can't recall its impact then, and I know in today's age, information moves quickly and to many more people than before

 

 

It's not any worse and that type of hype is arguably better for the comic book market than no hype (think late 90s).

 

Wizard top 10s weren't harmful for the industry, in fact it was a pretty reliable pulse on what was trending. But like all trends, they go out of style. In Wizard's case, it wasn't their fault that the comic industry used perceived rarity to entice consumers (bagged comics, "special editions" that weren't so special). In fact, I've posed Wizard top 10s from decades ago to show the same characters and keys are still as popular now as they were then. Maybe that's a sign we're back in a similar bubble, or maybe it's proof that Wizard top 10s were pretty accurate. I think the comic book industry has finally learned that printing single issues into the millions was not good for their industry long-term. Now they're facing a tech deficit and hopefully they don't overcompensate (or overreact) to the trend/demand.

 

Greed and people who take advantage of that greed will always exist in this market, just like any market...

 

Video of the 90s problem (not Wizard) - also for you Millenials, when people said "modern" in the 90s, that mean "mullet":

 

Example of Wizard :

 

 

 

[VintageComics]

No.

 

Back in the days before the internet, market supply was much, much more tightly controlled, and far more easy to manipulate.

 

The manipulation attempts are certainly broader than they have ever been, but because of the ease of access the internet granted, people have far, far more choices than ever before.

 

The internet changed everything.

 

Agreed.

 

Everything grows as a whole. Just as manipulation may have increased in size, so also has the average person's ability to cut through it. You just have to put in the work and hit it with a search engine.

 

We're all just that much more aware of it now and that heightened awareness is due to everyone's ability to tap into the whole world at once.

[VintageComics]

I think sometimes it happens because of this website . Not always on purpose , but this website does and can have an impact on the market .

Brings to mind that old TV commercial about the influential stock brokerage company . EF Hutton .

When The CGC forums talk, people listen.

It doesnt always last but I am sure it happens .

 

It never used to be that way when I got here 12 years ago. The forum was just a small community, but it's become much larger and by extension has a much larger impact on the market.

 

That's why I think it's important for people to think about what they're typing, because a negative comments about a book, a person or anything will last much longer than someone saying a good thing.

[VintageComics]

It appears to me that there are dozens of sites hyping books to speculate on, or even threads on these boards where people try to promote their agenda to increase awareness, and in some cases mislead the general public (ex perceived rarity) to increase prices on a book or books.

 

Has it ever been as bad as it is today?

 

I know we all make jokes about Wizard and their top ten and its harmful impact but do those articles/lists pale in comparison to the hype machine by certain indivuals/sites?

 

I was too dumb to understand the hype machine growing up so I can't recall its impact then, and I know in today's age, information moves quickly and to many more people than before

 

 

It's not any worse and that type of hype is arguably better for the comic book market than no hype (think late 90s).

 

Wizard top 10s weren't harmful for the industry, in fact it was a pretty reliable pulse on what was trending. But like all trends, they go out of style. In Wizard's case, it wasn't their fault that the comic industry used perceived rarity to entice consumers (bagged comics, "special editions" that weren't so special). In fact, I've posed Wizard top 10s from decades ago to show the same characters and keys are still as popular now as they were then. Maybe that's a sign we're back in a similar bubble, or maybe it's proof that Wizard top 10s were pretty accurate. I think the comic book industry has finally learned that printing single issues into the millions was not good for their industry long-term. Now they're facing a tech deficit and hopefully they don't overcompensate (or overreact) to the trend/demand.

 

Greed and people who take advantage of that greed will always exist in this market, just like any market...

 

Video of the 90s problem (not Wizard) - also for you Millenials, when people said "modern" in the 90s, that mean "mullet":

 

Example of Wizard :

 

 

 

 

Surprisingly, most of the books and characters are still hot (or at least popular) today.

[blazingbob]

What's wrong with this hot book list?

 

Looks pretty accurate for 2016 except for a couple

[VintageComics]

But see, e.g.,

Moderns that are heating up on ebay!

 

I felt the need to shower each time after entering that thread. I now avoid it.

 

I know. Every time a read a 'pump and dump' post in any thread I

[Broke as a Joke]

Well that list is just about 25 years old...

[VintageComics]

What's wrong with this hot book list?

 

Looks pretty accurate for 2016 except for a couple

 

The Shamus family had their time machine set to the wrong co-ordinates! They predicted our future!

[StuporMan]

What's wrong with this hot book list?

 

Looks pretty accurate for 2016 except for a couple

 

The Shamus family had their time machine set to the wrong co-ordinates! They predicted our future!

 

I don't remember exactly why Cable was popular back then. Now it makes sense with movie rumors and what-not. I also remember X-Men 201 being a lot more desirable than it is now.

[valiantman]

 

Most valuable in CGC 9.8 from that list is #9. The only non-Marvel book in the list.

[jsilverjanet]

Stop pushing your Valiant agenda

[valiantman]

Stop pushing your Valiant agenda

Marvel and D.C. exist for the sheep.

 

Valiant is for wolves.

[bababooey]

[valiantman]

 

That would be an impressive sight.

[bababooey]

* got

 

for the meme typo

 

 

 

[StuporMan]

Most valuable in CGC 9.8 from that list is #9. The only non-Marvel book in the list.

 

Just wait til a trailer is released...

 

Also early Valiant with the coupon inserts aren't just rare because of low print run (for the 90s) and a lot of coupons clipped... they're notorious for spine splitting!

[StuporMan]

* got

 

for the meme typo

 

 

 

 

There's a meme for that...

[valiantman]

* got

 

for the meme typo

 

 

 

Some version of English allows you to say "I've 612 copies!" because "I've" is "I have".

 

Forsooth.

[darkstar]

* got

 

for the meme typo

 

 

 

 

no such thing as a meme typo, it is what it is