GAtor has books MISSING at Tampa Con which are then FOUND!

[sterlingcomics]

The stamp on the inside of the book sounds like a good idea, but if they knew they did it....it would be a constant "one up" and the book suffers as a result. I know there's web sites that discuss thefts etc, and the community is tight enough to minimize this kind of stuff....I'd like the idea of a "background check" that anyone can do on any book before they buy to make sure it's "clean".

 

For those dealers that still do cons, first of all THANKS FOR ALL YOU DO to hit the streets and give honest folks a chance to get books they would otherwise not have access to. I do sometimes wonder if the risk/reward of doing these shows is worth it. I can only assume so since the networking alone can do wonders.

[blazingbob]

I'm not sure if customers realize that at shows a dealer cannot always "pay attention" to everything a person is saying if there are multiple people at the booth.

 

Yes the more personnel I have there the more "eyes on customers" but again with all the thieves at shows I'm partially listening, scanning the booth.

 

Which is why I VERY rarely let people behind the booth. Yes I would love to sell you books and I appreciate you wanting to check out my board but again that means my face is facing the back wall, not towards the front like it should be.

 

All it takes is a momentary lapse of concentration for a book to disappear. And if it does I then go through the mental masturbation of "Ok, who was looking at what". You become very judgmental, beat yourself up for being so stupid and unfortunately put every person that walked by in the "guilty category".

 

Which is why it is EXHAUSTING to do shows. We have to pay attention all day long.

 

 

 

 

[blazingbob]

Metro has the bags, Dave and Adams card world uses them also.

 

bob

 

Thank you Bob, I think it was Metro...probably at last year's Chicago Comic Con is where I remember them from. Looked pretty darn sturdy.

 

Jive sounds interesting. So these bags are big enough to wrap around the entire table ? So if someone were to steal they'd also have to take the table with them?

 

The bags are designed to hold about 6-8 CGC boxes laying on their sides, you can't wrap the whole table.

[gregreece]

I'm not sure if customers realize that at shows a dealer cannot always "pay attention" to everything a person is saying if there are multiple people at the booth.

 

Yes the more personnel I have there the more "eyes on customers" but again with all the thieves at shows I'm partially listening, scanning the booth.

 

Which is why I VERY rarely let people behind the booth. Yes I would love to sell you books and I appreciate you wanting to check out my board but again that means my back is facing you, not the front of the booth.

 

All it takes is a momentary lapse of concentration for a book to disappear. And if it does I then go through the mental masturbation of "Ok, who was looking at what". You become very judgmental, beat yourself up for being so stupid and unfortunately put every person that walked by in the "guilty category".

 

Which is why it is EXHAUSTING to do shows. We have to pay attention all day long.

 

 

 

 

If you are at a con talking with me and my eyes are elsewhere, it's not that I'm being rude (in fact I'm listening as intently I can). But I am also watching someone I don't know at the same time.

 

 

[Cat-Man_America]

sigh...

 

+1

 

 

I'm so sorry you are going through this, Rick. The more I read, the more I believe that CGC should stamp the cert # in invisible ink somewhere in the book.

 

I know this is going to upset purists, but it's too easy to crack books out and send them back in if they have been stolen.

 

I suppose it will bother the CPR people too, but ... I have no answer for that. If you allow cross-outs, it defeats the purpose.

 

I read somewhere in the thread about a problem with Filter and the insurance co? I thought they were OK?

 

Can someone post a link to what I missed? I keep paying premiums, I hope they are OK.

 

As difficult as this would be to coordinate (the ink would have to be completely invisible to the human eye and pH neutral), I can see this as a viable option for high profile books. Yeah, I understand resistance to the idea, but given the increasing value of investment grade books and insurance premiums going through the roof as major comic dealers are targeted at show after show this option might start looking reasonable. My

[HENRYSPENCER]

Metro has the bags, Dave and Adams card world uses them also.

 

bob

 

Thank you Bob, I think it was Metro...probably at last year's Chicago Comic Con is where I remember them from. Looked pretty darn sturdy.

 

Jive sounds interesting. So these bags are big enough to wrap around the entire table ? So if someone were to steal they'd also have to take the table with them?

 

The bags are designed to hold about 6-8 CGC boxes laying on their sides, you can't wrap the whole table.

 

Thanks. It would be a great design if you had one that would wrap around the base of the 8/10 foot table; then when the show closes you pull it over the boxes on the table, zip and lock the thing in one piece. That way they'd have to make off with the entire table to pull off the heist.

[Buzzetta]

When I worked at a certain department store back when I was in school and we caught someone stealing they used to get bounced on their head as they were escorted out of the store. Sometimes people fall up the stairs. It happens. In the days of cel phones though this is rarely a recommended practice... However, turn that to your advantage.

 

If you have a power source in your booth it does not take much to turn an iPhone into a security camera and there are apps for it. You should also be able to record what you see for a duration in case you want to monitor your booths.

 

Also... mirrors. It does not take much to put a mirror strip at your eye level so when you turn around you can see who is approaching what. If you guys are displaying books in the five figures a mirror strip across a lip of a rack will give you yet another advantage to keep eyes about you.

 

As far as I have noticed... Storms, Rick and Reece have smart setups. I have heard people complain how it is difficult to go see the big books up close and when there is heavy traffic at a con there is limited space to get behind the tables to the big books. No kidding? It's supposed to be like that. If it is easy to get to... then it is easy to leave.

 

 

PS... to Storms... After reading that I am honored you have let me behind the counter to see the wall up close.

[Shadow Images]

I'm not sure if customers realize that at shows a dealer cannot always "pay attention" to everything a person is saying if there are multiple people at the booth.

 

Yes the more personnel I have there the more "eyes on customers" but again with all the thieves at shows I'm partially listening, scanning the booth.

 

Which is why I VERY rarely let people behind the booth. Yes I would love to sell you books and I appreciate you wanting to check out my board but again that means my back is facing you, not the front of the booth.

 

All it takes is a momentary lapse of concentration for a book to disappear. And if it does I then go through the mental masturbation of "Ok, who was looking at what". You become very judgmental, beat yourself up for being so stupid and unfortunately put every person that walked by in the "guilty category".

 

Which is why it is EXHAUSTING to do shows. We have to pay attention all day long.

 

 

 

 

If you are at a con talking with me and my eyes are elsewhere, it's not that I'm being rude (in fact I'm listening as intently I can). But I am also watching someone I don't know at the same time.

 

 

 

It never bothers me when I go to someones booth I know and they are not paying complete attention. In fact I have a tendency to try and watch out at booths for thieves myself.

 

It effects everybody. A dealer loosing money is not going to make him want to make you a deal. People don't seem to have enough respect these days not to take what they want.

 

 

[JiveTurkeyMoFo]

Metro has the bags, Dave and Adams card world uses them also.

 

bob

 

Thank you Bob, I think it was Metro...probably at last year's Chicago Comic Con is where I remember them from. Looked pretty darn sturdy.

 

Jive sounds interesting. So these bags are big enough to wrap around the entire table ? So if someone were to steal they'd also have to take the table with them?

 

The bags are designed to hold about 6-8 CGC boxes laying on their sides, you can't wrap the whole table.

 

No, but that sounds like it would hold 200-260 certified books, which is about the number of wall books a big dealer would take to a show. Lock it up when you leave for the show and you have the piece of mind that nothing is leaving until you are ready to open them up when you are setting up the display. If it comes with a roller mechanism to aid in transport, it sounds like a winner to me and worth whatever it would cost.

[blazingbob]

Yup, you can call those bags Magnum XL's for when you need "Added protection".

 

 

[jsilverjanet]

[comicwiz]

CIA once told me that the semi annual dealer premiums would become cheaper the more I declared. I never really understood this and at some point you have to draw the line as to of its worth it. If you're paying $10k a year and you've got thousands of percent markup and time and effort finding deals and locating hard items; CIA is only going to reimburse you what you have receipts for. Then again selling at cons can be risky business.

 

As an accredited appraiser, this is somewhat disconcerting to hear. A policy offering replacement cost is what I would strongly suggest, and even if you don't have an appraisal report drawn up, a work file/folder with scans and comparables data would be the way to establish what it would cost you to replace the item when the loss occurs. I'm stating the obvious here, but it's really important to have the photographic proof safely stored before a loss occurs.

 

Reciepts are usually a last resort or helpful with depreciated values, and excuse me for being so blunt, but an insurer who asks for reciepts sounds like they are hoping their policy holder won't know enough to complain when they are paying out a percentage of the price reflected on the reciept. Reciepts won't help when the books value has risen since the purchase. With replacement cost coverages, there is no wiggle room for them, and I have heard a few screenshots of past sold items within the last 60 days will get the injured party full reimbursement, but this is also dependent on the insurance company.

 

I can't speak for CIA, but I have heard CIS has dropped several collectors I know who put in multiple (2 or 3 at the most) claims in one calendar year. They weren't anything outrageous value-wise, but I believe it's the number of claims and/or value of claim which is used to come up with the risk score. Here in Canada, there seems to be a country-wide mandate to ask people with collectibles to provide an appraisal report, otherwise they will cap their collections values at $5K. No exceptions. I've handled a number of appraisals already who were in this boat, and the first thing I tell people is make sure you have replacement cost coverages in your home or standalone policy. The headaches really only arise when an insurer starts to get sticky paying out a claim, and it really gets frustrating for a policy holder when you've been diligent in paying your premiums, but you're dealing with an insurer who is in the business to collect premiums, not pay out claims.

[sterlingcomics]

^ Excellent advice, comicwiz.

 

I'm not sure if customers realize that at shows a dealer cannot always "pay attention" to everything a person is saying if there are multiple people at the booth.

 

Yes the more personnel I have there the more "eyes on customers" but again with all the thieves at shows I'm partially listening, scanning the booth.

 

Which is why I VERY rarely let people behind the booth. Yes I would love to sell you books and I appreciate you wanting to check out my board but again that means my face is facing the back wall, not towards the front like it should be.

 

All it takes is a momentary lapse of concentration for a book to disappear. And if it does I then go through the mental masturbation of "Ok, who was looking at what". You become very judgmental, beat yourself up for being so stupid and unfortunately put every person that walked by in the "guilty category".

 

Which is why it is EXHAUSTING to do shows. We have to pay attention all day long.

 

Buying/selling opportunities aside, I can totally put myself in dealer's shoes and just thinking about what is having to be done to "remain diligent" is daunting. Which is why I'm thinking in today's internet age if is the risk/reward really there? These cons has to be designed in a way so you CAN engage with customers, otherwise....what's the point? I've often wondered if you could just post scans of all the books and have a ton of kiosks there and bring no product. Sounds stupid, but it does make me wonder.

[Cat-Man_America]

^ Excellent advice, comicwiz.

 

I'm not sure if customers realize that at shows a dealer cannot always "pay attention" to everything a person is saying if there are multiple people at the booth.

 

Yes the more personnel I have there the more "eyes on customers" but again with all the thieves at shows I'm partially listening, scanning the booth.

 

Which is why I VERY rarely let people behind the booth. Yes I would love to sell you books and I appreciate you wanting to check out my board but again that means my face is facing the back wall, not towards the front like it should be.

 

All it takes is a momentary lapse of concentration for a book to disappear. And if it does I then go through the mental masturbation of "Ok, who was looking at what". You become very judgmental, beat yourself up for being so stupid and unfortunately put every person that walked by in the "guilty category".

 

Which is why it is EXHAUSTING to do shows. We have to pay attention all day long.

 

Buying/selling opportunities aside, I can totally put myself in dealer's shoes and just thinking about what is having to be done to "remain diligent" is daunting. Which is why I'm thinking in today's internet age if is the risk/reward really there? These cons has to be designed in a way so you CAN engage with customers, otherwise....what's the point? I've often wondered if you could just post scans of all the books and have a ton of kiosks there and bring no product. Sounds stupid, but it does make me wonder.

 

I wouldn't recommend it without Dr. Scholl's inserts and industrial strength fungicide.

[G.A.tor]

BREAKING NEWS

 

I am at my store unloading the second van, and a private number calls the store...I let it goto voice mail and they hang up...30 seconds later, repeat call from private number...I answer this time....

 

HE HAS MY BOX!!!!!!

 

long story short because I'm too excited right now, but the missing comics should be home with me asap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[porcupine48]

[chrisco37]

BREAKING NEWS

 

I am at my store unloading the second van, and a private number calls the store...I let it goto voice mail and they hang up...30 seconds later, repeat call from private number...I answer this time....

 

HE HAS MY BOX!!!!!!

 

long story short because I'm too excited right now, but the missing comics should be home with me asap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

Excellent news, Rick!

[porcupine48]

BREAKING NEWS

 

I am at my store unloading the second van, and a private number calls the store...I let it goto voice mail and they hang up...30 seconds later, repeat call from private number...I answer this time....

 

HE HAS MY BOX!!!!!!

 

long story short because I'm too excited right now, but the missing comics should be home with me asap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

good news finally

[greggy]

BREAKING NEWS

 

I am at my store unloading the second van, and a private number calls the store...I let it goto voice mail and they hang up...30 seconds later, repeat call from private number...I answer this time....

 

HE HAS MY BOX!!!!!!

 

long story short because I'm too excited right now, but the missing comics should be home with me asap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You gonna give the guy props?

 

Maybe it's a set up to get the rest of your boxes....and your Coke Zero?

 

Congrats

[JollyComics]

BREAKING NEWS

 

I am at my store unloading the second van, and a private number calls the store...I let it goto voice mail and they hang up...30 seconds later, repeat call from private number...I answer this time....

 

HE HAS MY BOX!!!!!!

 

long story short because I'm too excited right now, but the missing comics should be home with me asap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

How did he have your box? Thanks to him.