THIS EXPERIENCE LEFT ME WITH A BAD TASTE............

[greggy]

I think you should just forgive and forget, and send along this cute Teddy-Gram to CL.......

 

Hey, Everybody Makes Mistakes.....

Why won't you send one to me?

[Red Hook]

Because you don't make mistakes.

[greggy]

Because you don't make mistakes.

So, I'm perfect?

[Red Hook]

Yeah....you're a perfect wanker. Now go get some sleep.

[greggy]

Yeah....you're a perfect wanker. Now go get some sleep.

You should talk...photoshop trainee! Later....

[Red Hook]

Good enough to create deceptively nice-looking scans for your bogus registry set. You should rename your set "Greggy's Nip & Tucked 100 Pagers".

[Aman619]

not to sound like a windmill, but yes you also make great points and good sense... Clearly there was a certian person_without_enough_empathyiness involved in the getting the book to Bob part. And something happened in the delay when the original bidder backed out. (Was Josh the buyer? IS there something undesirable about the book that one sees right away only in person?? Slab damage perhaps? Couldnt Josh have described a flaw to the bidder who then backed out? and doenst Josh promise to do just that... inspect a book before consummating a deal? Probably not, but until Josh comes on here, will we ever really know, as you say?)

 

It just seems to have worked out for the best for Ben, so to come on here and complain seems a bit personal and petty. Like it's "Clobberin' Comiclink time" again. In my short time in this business, it comes as no surprise to me that a solution that involves Bob Storms stopping by Comiclink to pick up a book as opposed to a simple clean Fedex fee is "harder" than it perhaps ought to be. There is very little comraderie among the top dealers. To them its a zero-sum game. Any sale by Josh is one less by Bob, Vinnie, Esquire and Doug etc. Ive read it here that almost noone ever visits Comiclink offices so to expect a "competitor" to be invited in (or be expected to wait tackily downstairs or in his idling car or in a lobby somewhere) is part of the problem. Im sure it boils down to trade secrets or something, but I just dont think thats gonna happen.

 

But, in the final analysis, Ben should feel free to complain here on the boards about whatever facet of this transaction bothered him..... (and dont we all love to listen in!!) ... but in the end, Ben was more than made whole, and, thinking longterm, maybe should have worked this out privately. As these cases go, this just isnt a real slam dunk case of evil Clink transgressing.

 

IMO

[Silver Surfer]

I recently hit a BIN on Comiclink that was never confirmed. A week came and went and nothing?

[drdonaldblake]

tim

 

u made some excellent points

 

no harm was doen to me but why should bob and i have to tolerate such unprofessional and uncourteous beahviour- it is just crappy customer service

 

i made the mistake of sending the book to comiclink ..............ur right, i shouldve kept the book in my possession

[tth2]

And something happened in the delay when the original bidder backed out. (Was Josh the buyer? IS there something undesirable about the book that one sees right away only in person?? Slab damage perhaps? Couldnt Josh have described a flaw to the bidder who then backed out? and doenst Josh promise to do just that... inspect a book before consummating a deal? Probably not, but until Josh comes on here, will we ever really know, as you say?)

Now this is the part of this thread and other CL threads that I don't get. Why do people assume, if a CL buyer has backed out, that the buyer was really CL or that CL did a bad job of failing to persuade the buyer to follow through? We know that zillions of flaky buyers on eBay back out all the time, so why do we think that CL does not attract its share of flaky buyers too?

 

I know one of Josh's selling points is that there is is supposed to be less flakiness to deal with when selling on CL than eBay, but I'm sure they get some. The good thing is that Josh should be able to ban such buyers from CL in the future, whereas we know eBay is a little less rigorous about such things.

[Red Hook]

Seems to be the major linking factor between most of the complaints lodged about CL center around a need for faster and more open communication between buyers, sellers and CL. Maybe it's a matter of CL making more of an effort to fill it's customers in on what is going on, and doing quicker.

[blutobc]

Seems to be the major linking factor between most of the complaints lodged about CL center around a need for faster and more open communication between buyers, sellers and CL. Maybe it's a matter of CL making more of an effort to fill it's customers in on what is going on, and doing quicker.

 

Sounds similar to some of Neatstuffs past problems. It's great to see neatstuff making some efforts to fix their communications(and being open about it). CL may be doing the same thing right now...but we haven't seen it yet. CL's rep has been taking a hit for some time now and they should work on it before they are history. Competetion is growing in the consignment market.

[Red Hook]

Just as a followup, I have had nothing but good dealings with Josh.....and they're a professional outfit, something I wonder about NS sometimes. But I do think CL should address the communication issues and consider operating a bit more transparently, at least from the service end.

[BrianHoward]

Hey Red Hook...

 

If you have any question as to the professionalism of myself or my business, please feel free to contact me at brian@neatstuffcollectibles.com and I would be more than happy to discuss any concerns with you.

[Red Hook]

Bite me.

[sfilosa]

Seems to be the major linking factor between most of the complaints lodged about CL center around a need for faster and more open communication between buyers, sellers and CL. Maybe it's a matter of CL making more of an effort to fill it's customers in on what is going on, and doing quicker.

 

First, I've never had a problem buying or selling a book on ComicLink. I have sent importante (at least to me) emails that I never have received responses for, so I would like improvement in that aspect.

 

One of the HUGE advantages of COMICLINK, which is also it's BIGGEST FLAW, is that sellers can list books without sending them in. The problem with that is that it's very possible for a SELLER to list a book, and through other outlets, present the book to potential buyers, and then PULL the book off of COMICLINK, and sell directly to the BUYER.

 

Overtime, my guess is that Josh has felt like his system has been abuse, but that doesn't necessarily justify his action.

 

The only way to not have abuse of the system would be:

1) Books most be sent to ComicLink (or any consignment site)

2) A minimum amount of time the book is to be list. is determined upfrount(say three months).

3) And the price of the book could not be INCREASED, unless the time period starts over again.

 

This isn't going to happen, nor do I think it should. I'm just saying that's the only way to prevent abuse of any consignment site (where there is no fee to list).

[Red Hook]

Here a tip though.....

 

Cut your listing volume by 90% until you get your quality control and customer service issues under control and then start ramping up the volume again.

 

That's a freebie.

[Ze-man]

Ze and Aman-

Ben never said he suffered harm. The gist of his post was to complain about the behavior of CL.

 

I never said he suffered any harm..I simply said.."Sorry you had a bad experience with Josh and Co.. But I just dont see how this ended all that badly for you , other then time lost. "

 

 

So, the book is no longer "active", it's just sitting on CL. Which means Ben now has every right to de-list it and take the book back if he wants, as does every other seller of a book for which there is not an accepted bid. Surely you guys aren't implying that once you list a book on CL you're required to keep it there for eternity, even if it's not getting any bites?

Of course I do not expect a seller to keep a book listed forever..but as Blake explained it... It WAS still active..he said.."while the book was still on comiclink (not known to bob) bob emailed again with an offer i couldnt refuse...i emailed comiclink asking them to release the book to Bob, delist it from their site

Which is basically selling outside of Clinks system, a flaw in Clink OS.. not the fault of the seller.. but Clink for setting it up this way.

That was why I voiced my opinon that it would be a shame if a person hit the BIN.. the same time Blake decided to email Clink and delist the book because he sold it elsewhere. And why I said I thought it was another flaw in the Clink operating system... In this scenario.. somebody has a chance of getting burned, and left holding the bag, and most of the time it is the buyer who used BIN thinking he landed the book.

 

 

 

Now, I would definitely like to hear Josh's side of the story. I know and like Ben, but there are always two sides to the story, as someone else in this thread has pointed out, and I also know and like Josh. However, based on the facts as presented by Ben, which is all we've heard so far, I don't think the fact that all ended well means that he doesn't have a right to be angry about what transpired in-between.

 

As do I.. I wish Josh came here.. voiced what he felt took place in an effort to move forward, appologize, rant.. whatever.. just show up and say SOMETHING.

I also do not begrudge Ben for voicing his rant..or relating his story.. I just thought after reading it.. his story did not have all that bad of an ending.. He pulled the book from Clink.. and sold it for more money. Along the way he lost a ton of time, and became very agitated.. all understandably frustrating.

 

Same as I hope it is ok if I question parts of his story , when parts of it did not add up to me. Especially the part about how Bob did not know the book he wanted from Ben was on Clink(for either himself, or his client).. and out of the blue made Ben an offer he could not refuse..while the book was still listed on Clink.

I am not stupid..I imagine Bob knows a good many of the books listed on Clink.. if only to see what books are selling for.

We all know how deals get done.. I aint mad at them for working out a deal, that is not my point. Perhaps it was just a coincidence... I dont really care, or wanna know.

My point is how Clink is set up in such a way to allow possible problems like this to arise.

It is set up to the sellers advantage.. and the buyer has to play by rules that might change ..mid transaction.

 

I will say again.. this is nothing personal against Blake. He utilized the Clink system as it is set up, and in using that system had a very bad experience.

 

Yet another convoluted story involving Comic Link... with more then a few ways to view the situation...imagine that

 

 

Ze-

[blazingbob]

My comment regarding the below statement. I sold the book to Ben. I have been emailing Ben for months, not once as his statement implies to buy this book. I have been trying to buy this book long before it was ever put up on Comiclink. For those of you with Short memories this book was back on my site priced at $7500 for awhile. To further remind you it was also the time I had a Avengers #1 CGC NM 9.4 with cream to offwhite pages for $35,000. So why would I care that it was on Comiclink? I was told that he had a pending deal, the deal feel through and my offer to buy the book still stood. As I told Josh and as I am responding to you I did not Pinch a book off Comiclink. I as the person who originally sold this book have the right to contact people I sell books to. As I stated to Josh I don't have to check Consignment sites in order to buy something I sold in the first place. I contact people I sell books to all the time if I need #1's or keys.

 

Secondly I do not have to view Comiclink to know books are on the "market".

 

Lastly, Josh is not shy about me picking up a book I've bought from him. I've been to his office. They like my money just like everybody else.

 

 

 

Same as I hope it is ok if I question parts of his story , when parts of it did not add up to me. Especially the part about how Bob did not know the book he wanted from Ben was on Clink(for either himself, or his client).. and out of the blue made Ben an offer he could not refuse..while the book was still listed on Clink.

I am not stupid..I imagine Bob knows a good many of the books listed on Clink.. if only to see what books are selling

[Ze-man]

I knew that would get you outa bed.

 

Gotta love the facts..

 

I know I shouldnt..but I gotta ask.. why did he bother listing on Clink..if he knew he already had a sure sale with you? ( Did you lowball him Bobby? )

 

Thnx Bob.

 

 

But my comments about how Clink is set up still stand.. advantage seller.

And for the record.. in this case.. you were not going to Josh's office to hand him your money.. you were going to take a book/sale away from him.. a big differrence.

 

 

Ze-