Was this a good price?

[helionaut]

Lately I've been acquiring raw copies of some minor key Silver Age books, but have started to get into slabbed copies. Last night a CGC 9.2 Thor #126 sold on ebay for $383. I was going to bid, but my high price was exceeded before I got the chance. OS in 9.2 is $250 (looking at last year's). I had done some research on this book and it looks like other issues in that grade for that kind of book go for about 50% over OS if slabbed, more or less depending on exact circumstances. There are only 11 copies graded 9.2, with just 5 higher. This book, with oversized scans, presented nicely enough, but it has some problems visible, which I guess is what made it a 9.2. I feel that the price, while in line with the general trend I see, was still a little lower than what I thought it might go for being the first issue of the title and all (but yes, I hoped to steal it for about $100 less). Basically, my question is if this is a typical price for this book, or was it notably high or low? One sale does not a market make, after all. And do books in the CGC 9.2-9.4 range for pre-68 Marvels have a fairly steady rule of thumb for guide multiples like the 50% range I currently see for 9.2s?

 

I guess I'd have my answers if I subscribe to GPA, but I'll see what free advice I can get first.

[the blob]

"And do books in the CGC 9.2-9.4 range for pre-68 Marvels have a fairly steady rule of thumb for guide multiples like the 50% range I currently see for 9.2s?"

 

Journey into Mystery and I suppose the first issue of "Thor" are probably selling for a bit of a premium over other Marvels like a generic Daredevil issue from 1967. It used to be that Avengers, TOS and TOA were sort of dead, but I think Avengers at least may be fetching premiums for slabbed 9.2 or better.

[That Ron Dude]

How is this for an answer: If you buy something on Ebay you have payed more than anyone else in the world is willing to pay for it so it CANT be a great deal. Still, there are good deals and bad deals within this generalization. I watched Ebay for several months and noted the price on about forty comic books that interested me. I noticed that there was a wide range of prices paid for these in similar condition. I now know when I am getting a good deal. I can only guess as to what my comic books will be worth in the future. I wonder if secondary titles like Tales to Astonish and Hawkman will lose their value when the men who read the books as children start to pass away and the books are put back on the market by their children, while key books like Spider-Man and X-Men retain their value, having gone into the mass market through movies? This is what happened with the pulps. CGC will probably stay meaningful as third party grading services have in other collecting hobbies.

[Sal]

How is this for an answer: If you buy something on Ebay you have payed more than anyone else in the world is willing to pay for it so it CANT be a great deal.

 

while i acknowledge that you realise this is a stark generalisation, i still can't let it pass without comment, as it is a patently ridiculous statement.

 

point of fact is that when you buy something on eBay, you are paying more than all other people who viewed the auction were willing to pay. that doesn't take into account the potentially thousands of people who would have paid more had they known the item in question was for sale

[clobberintime]

That was a good price for that book - JiM turns into Thor and you don't see that many in high grade. Offhand I thought the book would go close to $500.

[sfilosa]

And have the AVAILABLE funds to PURCHASE it at the time.

 

EVERY DAY, millions of us DON'T buy Real Estate, even though we believe housing prices continue to increase. WHY? Because we don't have the money.

 

 

Early SA Marvel's tend to sell for around 150% of NM- Guide Price in CGC 9.2. But as the books get later into the 60's and then Bronze Age, the multiple isn't as high for most issues as the books are more Common even in grades of CGC 9.4 and higher.

[Aman619]

How is this for an answer: If you buy something on Ebay you have payed more than anyone else in the world is willing to pay for it so it CANT be a great deal.

 

while i acknowledge that you realise this is a stark generalisation, i still can't let it pass without comment, as it is a patently ridiculous statement.

 

point of fact is that when you buy something on eBay, you are paying more than all other people who viewed the auction were willing to pay. that doesn't take into account the potentially thousands of people who would have paid more had they known the item in question was for sale

 

hey - - you forgot to say WELCOME TO THE BOARDS before you called hi spost patently ridiculous! Whare are your manners??

[the blob]

"If you buy something on Ebay you have payed more than anyone else in the world is willing to pay for it so it CANT be a great deal."

 

In addition to what others have said, there are lots of reasons why a particular book may not be seen by the "right" people in a given week or why they didn't bid. Granted, a slabbed book in a high grade from a seller with good feedback will tend to fetch the same sorts of prices as others if the terms of sale are same (e.g., everyone takes paypal), etc., but not always, as pointed out. I'm constantly seeing people paying prices I would have outbid had I seen the auction.

 

As for raw books ... I've flipped enough to know that many many auctions don't get seen, are poorly described, the seller looks fishy, etc.

 

Prices get bid up when 2 or more poeple want something bad enough. If that second person doesn't see the auction, the price stays flat.

[tilleycs]

I agree with what you guys have said in response to his blanket statement about ebay. Timing is everything. I've lost a ton of auctions to people who were willing to pay much more than I was (which is fine with me), but I've also lucked out by being the only person who bid on several things. It's all timing. The same people don't go to ebay every day.

[the blob]

"The same people don't go to ebay every day."

 

Exactly, I probably only really look around once or twice a month. I'd be broke if I searched auctions more frequently.

 

I do my comic thing on various chat boards, checking out the bargain bins at my various comic shops and playing with my collection.

 

But ebay can get really expensive really quick.

 

Worse than anything is art. Last time I went off on a comic art spree I blew about $1500. Sure, it was all worth it, but I shouldn't have spent the money.