Comic Con sellers seem to be in the wrong business. SMH

[FlyingDonut]

You guys just stop setting up. I will continue to do so and take the bullet for you. How I suffer.

[jools&jim]

 

I've set up at 8 cons since mid last year and only cons I've come close to those numbers is local $60 tables where I make $700 - $800. The bigger Cons always run about $1,000 after all expenses and I don't ever exceed 5x my cost...

...which makes sense, because at the bigger cons you're competing against bigger dealers with extremely deep stock acquired over a very long period of time; product knowledge and connections in the hobby which in some cases extend back to the dawn of organized fandom; working capital which allows them to "buy their way out" of a so-so show if necessary; an established customer base of collectors (remember them?) who know and trust them; and, in very general terms, 20-30-40 years or more of hard-won experience buying and selling old comic books and adapting to changes in the hobby.

 

The comic con sellers who seem to be in the wrong business today probably are in the wrong business, and won't be around 5-10 years from now...

 

 

 

 

[MK Ultra]

I set up at a couple of smaller cons over the past three years, probably a total of five or six. I sold mostly to other dealers. I had competitive prices and sold keys and speculation books. I made money, hopefully they made money, but it wasn't fun, I did it b/c I had to.

 

Case in point about fun, some guy, who is the son of a famous football prognosticator came by and bought some things. I gave him a good discount off asking price (keep in mind I was selling to dealers at asking prices). He came by and asked for a slightly better deal, and I reluctantly gave it to him. He came by a third time, rifled through my boxes under the table to refill wall books and picked out a large quantity of stuff. Wanted me to give him more than 50% off. I told him thanks but no thanks. Boy was he angry. As if I owed him something. I caught him glaring at me from across the room after I told him no. I suspect he'd never been told no before or something. I dunno. He was such a tool, left such a bad taste in my mouth. Reminded me of the Dupont guy from foxcatcher farms movie. Nobody told him no before until the coach did, and he was killed.

[1Cool]

I don't go to many conventions these days because I hate to negotiate.

 

I don't mind paying a dealer FMV or more than FMV if it is something I really want and I can walk out with the book in hand that day. I do NOT expect dealers to sell for below eBay prices. Perhaps this is the case with easy to find modern books, I have no idea, however, with GA, it is hard to imagine any two books are exactly the same. Thus, I would tend to pay a little more for the copy at the convention that I can fully inspect and know exactly what I am getting. I also prefer to support the same comic dealers who I have had good dealings with in the past. That is what I like about conventions. That and just the fun of going.

 

What I hate about conventions is that MOST dealers seem to inflate their prices with the expectation that there will be a negotiation. When I look at a book and see a price that seems over inflated, I typically just walk away. I don't want to negotiate. That is not fun for me.

 

At last year's Baltimore convention I went to one dealer's booth and saw a wall book that I liked. It was marked $400. I thought I had remembered seeing the same book on their website. This I walked away and checked his wensite on my phone. The exact same book was marked $300 on the web site. The book IMO was well worth the $300, however, I was not willing to pay the $400 he had it marked at the convention and I was not about to go back and show him on my phone how the book was $100 cheaper on his website.

 

I am certain he would have sold me the book for the $300, which I would have been happy with, however, the whole "negotiation" does not appeal to me.

 

I am guessing many board members enjoy negotiating and feeling they "got a good deal" through stiff haggling. I would prefer books just be priced fairly and accurately. I can then look at the book and price and there will only be one question I need to ask myself, "is this book worth this price to me". I will not have to ask myself how much I think i cannegotiate off the price to make the book acceptable to me.

 

So, I avoid many conventions and I am guessing many dealers have lost sales to me, because their books were marked higher than they actually expected to receive for them.

 

I am NOT trying to gets books at some unrealistic price. I want dealers to make a profit. This keeps them in business and keeps them coming back with more books. I like that and I believe in sellers making fair profits. I just don't like when they mark their books up 30 or 40 percent or more, just to accommodate the negotiators.

 

Just my 2 cents.

 

Love buyers like you! I price my books at pretty much what I think I can get on E-Bay (may take some patience) and I still get sever low ball offers all day long. I even had one guy tell me my prices were reasonable and had x y and z books at the lowest prices in the room and then proceeded to want a 20% discount for a 3 book combo. I think I gave him a 10% discount since it was 3 books and was having a terrible show but that sort of stuff is why dealers mark up 20% knowing everyone wants 20% off.

[1Cool]

You guys just stop setting up. I will continue to do so and take the bullet for you. How I suffer.

 

Your set up (or at least at the Baltimore Con) was heads above anything I can hope for. You pretty much took up the entire middle of the show with your booth! Maybe that's what is needed at the big shows since no one was paying any attention to the small single booths that I could see.

[1Cool]

I've set up at 8 cons since mid last year and only cons I've come close to those numbers is local $60 tables where I make $700 - $800. The bigger Cons always run about $1,000 after all expenses and I don't ever exceed 5x my cost...

...which makes sense, because at the bigger cons you're competing against bigger dealers with extremely deep stock acquired over a very long period of time; product knowledge and connections in the hobby which in some cases extend back to the dawn of organized fandom; working capital which allows them to "buy their way out" of a so-so show if necessary; an established customer base of collectors (remember them?) who know and trust them; and, in very general terms, 20-30-40 years or more of hard-won experience buying and selling old comic books and adapting to changes in the hobby.

 

The comic con sellers who seem to be in the wrong business today probably are in the wrong business, and won't be around 5-10 years from now...

 

 

 

 

Nail on the head - I felt like you either needed to blow out books to get some attention away from the big guys in the room. This was my first full year of trying out several Cons and I've found I just do not like it enough to set up at the big Cons. I'd much rather expand my E-Bay and possible Amazon sites and sit back and let the sales trickle in. That way it seems like I've got time on my side rather then feeling rushed to set up, rushed to sell and rushed to pack up.

[mysterio]

I don't go to many conventions these days because I hate to negotiate.

 

I don't mind paying a dealer FMV or more than FMV if it is something I really want and I can walk out with the book in hand that day. I do NOT expect dealers to sell for below eBay prices. Perhaps this is the case with easy to find modern books, I have no idea, however, with GA, it is hard to imagine any two books are exactly the same. Thus, I would tend to pay a little more for the copy at the convention that I can fully inspect and know exactly what I am getting. I also prefer to support the same comic dealers who I have had good dealings with in the past. That is what I like about conventions. That and just the fun of going.

 

What I hate about conventions is that MOST dealers seem to inflate their prices with the expectation that there will be a negotiation. When I look at a book and see a price that seems over inflated, I typically just walk away. I don't want to negotiate. That is not fun for me.

 

At last year's Baltimore convention I went to one dealer's booth and saw a wall book that I liked. It was marked $400. I thought I had remembered seeing the same book on their website. This I walked away and checked his wensite on my phone. The exact same book was marked $300 on the web site. The book IMO was well worth the $300, however, I was not willing to pay the $400 he had it marked at the convention and I was not about to go back and show him on my phone how the book was $100 cheaper on his website.

 

I am certain he would have sold me the book for the $300, which I would have been happy with, however, the whole "negotiation" does not appeal to me.

 

I am guessing many board members enjoy negotiating and feeling they "got a good deal" through stiff haggling. I would prefer books just be priced fairly and accurately. I can then look at the book and price and there will only be one question I need to ask myself, "is this book worth this price to me". I will not have to ask myself how much I think i cannegotiate off the price to make the book acceptable to me.

 

So, I avoid many conventions and I am guessing many dealers have lost sales to me, because their books were marked higher than they actually expected to receive for them.

 

I am NOT trying to gets books at some unrealistic price. I want dealers to make a profit. This keeps them in business and keeps them coming back with more books. I like that and I believe in sellers making fair profits. I just don't like when they mark their books up 30 or 40 percent or more, just to accommodate the negotiators.

 

Just my 2 cents.

 

Love buyers like you! I price my books at pretty much what I think I can get on E-Bay (may take some patience) and I still get sever low ball offers all day long. I even had one guy tell me my prices were reasonable and had x y and z books at the lowest prices in the room and then proceeded to want a 20% discount for a 3 book combo. I think I gave him a 10% discount since it was 3 books and was having a terrible show but that sort of stuff is why dealers mark up 20% knowing everyone wants 20% off.

 

I usually try to bump con prices more like 10% for the haggle, and in many cases people have popped on my asking price without negotiating. I think as a seller it behooves you to price with a bit of haggle in mind (you can't raise your prices in a negotiation, after all) but to not go so high that you're turning people off right off the bat. It is sometimes a tough zip code to find. I've flat out asked people what they think would be fair in times when they have balked at my price, and sometimes we can make a deal if they are reasonable. Sometimes we can't, but that is generally where someone is looking for 50% off of eBay sales prices or has an FMV in mind that was accurate 10 years ago.

[KPR Comics]

I've set up at 8 cons since mid last year and only cons I've come close to those numbers is local $60 tables where I make $700 - $800. The bigger Cons always run about $1,000 after all expenses and I don't ever exceed 5x my cost...

...which makes sense, because at the bigger cons you're competing against bigger dealers with extremely deep stock acquired over a very long period of time; product knowledge and connections in the hobby which in some cases extend back to the dawn of organized fandom; working capital which allows them to "buy their way out" of a so-so show if necessary; an established customer base of collectors (remember them?) who know and trust them; and, in very general terms, 20-30-40 years or more of hard-won experience buying and selling old comic books and adapting to changes in the hobby.

 

The comic con sellers who seem to be in the wrong business today probably are in the wrong business, and won't be around 5-10 years from now...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nail on the head - I felt like you either needed to blow out books to get some attention away from the big guys in the room. This was my first full year of trying out several Cons and I've found I just do not like it enough to set up at the big Cons. I'd much rather expand my E-Bay and possible Amazon sites and sit back and let the sales trickle in. That way it seems like I've got time on my side rather then feeling rushed to set up, rushed to sell and rushed to pack up.

 

Play to your strengths, know your limitations and you'll be successful

[Mercury Man]

We have drifted from Comic Con's to Pop Culture Cons.

 

I miss the days of just comics and comic book dealers.

 

Paying $30-$40 now to get into a show is losing its validity. The rooms aren't getting filled with more comic dealers, just more dealers.

 

I went to a smaller 'Comic' Convention down here last year. Thinking it would be better. It was billed as a 'Comic' Convention. A few artists, and a few writers were going to be there. When I paid my $10 to get in......two Comic Book dealers. 1 had about 8 long boxes of Modern stuff, and the other had 2 short boxes of 1990's stuff. The rest of the show, toys, trinkets, trash, used video games and baubles. I was pretty miffed they called it a Comic Convention, was more like a bad flea market. They had it again this year, I wouldn't have gone if it was free.

[lemonman5]

It's really simple. if you have alot of competition at a show, then to undercut the other guy to bring more people to your booth. If there are 50 people with X-Men 266 at a show for $75 or more then price yours at $70. If you paid too much to do that, then don't do shows.

 

I've done 2 medium size shows so far and have been happy with the results. It's amazing how much you can sell when you price stuff for 10-20% less than eBay and don't try to squeeze that last penny out of every book. I also sprinkle deals all over the place. The longer that people look; the more likely they are to buy more stuff. The only thing I found disheartening was that most of my customers were dealers.

 

I've been helping my friend who is a toy dealer for years at cons and his primary seller have become POPs and the profit margin is awful, although the exclusive stuff isn't too bad. There's no comparison between comics and Funko when it comes to profit. A Funko dealer can make $10k at a show but in the end only have $2-3k in his pocket to show for it while a comic dealer can make $5k at a show and have $3k to show for it.

 

Another downside to Funko is that you need a crazy good selection to do well, which means you need to brings lots of stuff. I can't tell you how many times people ask us for specific pieces that we don't have. And a Funko booth requires alot more work. It usually takes 7-8 hours to setup my friend's booth while mine usually takes 1 hour. When you factor everything in, then you'll see Comics > Funko.

[1Cool]

We have drifted from Comic Con's to Pop Culture Cons.

 

I miss the days of just comics and comic book dealers.

 

Paying $30-$40 now to get into a show is losing its validity. The rooms aren't getting filled with more comic dealers, just more dealers.

 

I went to a smaller 'Comic' Convention down here last year. Thinking it would be better. It was billed as a 'Comic' Convention. A few artists, and a few writers were going to be there. When I paid my $10 to get in......two Comic Book dealers. 1 had about 8 long boxes of Modern stuff, and the other had 2 short boxes of 1990's stuff. The rest of the show, toys, trinkets, trash, used video games and baubles. I was pretty miffed they called it a Comic Convention, was more like a bad flea market. They had it again this year, I wouldn't have gone if it was free.

 

Not surprised but which came first - lack of dealers or lack of comic buyers? If the only people making money are the toys and trinket sellers then the comic sellers will quickly stop coming and the empty table will get filled with people selling product which is selling.

[STORMSHADOW_80]

One of my pet peeves about cons is when there isn't a clear price visible on the book. Too many times I asked what the price was and it would be almost double fmv that most of the time now when I see books without pricing I don't even bother. Have the price in Bold on a post it note. Whether it has wiggle room or not.

[1Cool]

It's really simple. if you have alot of competition at a show, then to undercut the other guy to bring more people to your booth. If there are 50 people with X-Men 266 at a show for $75 or more then price yours at $70. If you paid too much to do that, then don't do shows.

 

I've done 2 medium size shows so far and have been happy with the results. It's amazing how much you can sell when you price stuff for 10-20% less than eBay and don't try to squeeze that last penny out of every book. I also sprinkle deals all over the place. The longer that people look; the more likely they are to buy more stuff. The only thing I found disheartening was that most of my customers were dealers.

 

I've been helping my friend who is a toy dealer for years at cons and his primary seller have become POPs and the profit margin is awful, although the exclusive stuff isn't too bad. There's no comparison between comics and Funko when it comes to profit. A Funko dealer can make $10k at a show but in the end only have $2-3k in his pocket to show for it while a comic dealer can make $5k at a show and have $3k to show for it.

 

The bolded part makes no sense to me. Using your example - a X-Men 266 in nice shape sells for $85 - $90 on E-Bay with a bit of patience so why would I sell it for $70 just to beat out the other guys who have priced their possibly lesser graded copy at $75. Cash is king but throwing a book up on E-Bay cost basically nothing so why sell keys for a discount - which is expected at most bigger Cons I've set up at?

[THE_BEYONDER]

It's really simple. if you have alot of competition at a show, then to undercut the other guy to bring more people to your booth. If there are 50 people with X-Men 266 at a show for $75 or more then price yours at $70. If you paid too much to do that, then don't do shows.

 

I've done 2 medium size shows so far and have been happy with the results. It's amazing how much you can sell when you price stuff for 10-20% less than eBay and don't try to squeeze that last penny out of every book. I also sprinkle deals all over the place. The longer that people look; the more likely they are to buy more stuff. The only thing I found disheartening was that most of my customers were dealers.

 

I've been helping my friend who is a toy dealer for years at cons and his primary seller have become POPs and the profit margin is awful, although the exclusive stuff isn't too bad. There's no comparison between comics and Funko when it comes to profit. A Funko dealer can make $10k at a show but in the end only have $2-3k in his pocket to show for it while a comic dealer can make $5k at a show and have $3k to show for it.

 

The bolded part makes no sense to me. Using your example - a X-Men 266 in nice shape sells for $85 - $90 on E-Bay with a bit of patience so why would I sell it for $70 just to beat out the other guys who have priced their possibly lesser graded copy at $75. Cash is king but throwing a book up on E-Bay cost basically nothing so why sell keys for a discount - which is expected at most bigger Cons I've set up at?

 

I think the idea is to get buyers to your booth

[1Cool]

It's really simple. if you have alot of competition at a show, then to undercut the other guy to bring more people to your booth. If there are 50 people with X-Men 266 at a show for $75 or more then price yours at $70. If you paid too much to do that, then don't do shows.

 

I've done 2 medium size shows so far and have been happy with the results. It's amazing how much you can sell when you price stuff for 10-20% less than eBay and don't try to squeeze that last penny out of every book. I also sprinkle deals all over the place. The longer that people look; the more likely they are to buy more stuff. The only thing I found disheartening was that most of my customers were dealers.

 

I've been helping my friend who is a toy dealer for years at cons and his primary seller have become POPs and the profit margin is awful, although the exclusive stuff isn't too bad. There's no comparison between comics and Funko when it comes to profit. A Funko dealer can make $10k at a show but in the end only have $2-3k in his pocket to show for it while a comic dealer can make $5k at a show and have $3k to show for it.

 

The bolded part makes no sense to me. Using your example - a X-Men 266 in nice shape sells for $85 - $90 on E-Bay with a bit of patience so why would I sell it for $70 just to beat out the other guys who have priced their possibly lesser graded copy at $75. Cash is king but throwing a book up on E-Bay cost basically nothing so why sell keys for a discount - which is expected at most bigger Cons I've set up at?

 

I think the idea is to get buyers to your booth

 

Cheap buyers I guess are better then no buyers.

[lemonman5]

It's really simple. if you have alot of competition at a show, then to undercut the other guy to bring more people to your booth. If there are 50 people with X-Men 266 at a show for $75 or more then price yours at $70. If you paid too much to do that, then don't do shows.

 

I've done 2 medium size shows so far and have been happy with the results. It's amazing how much you can sell when you price stuff for 10-20% less than eBay and don't try to squeeze that last penny out of every book. I also sprinkle deals all over the place. The longer that people look; the more likely they are to buy more stuff. The only thing I found disheartening was that most of my customers were dealers.

 

I've been helping my friend who is a toy dealer for years at cons and his primary seller have become POPs and the profit margin is awful, although the exclusive stuff isn't too bad. There's no comparison between comics and Funko when it comes to profit. A Funko dealer can make $10k at a show but in the end only have $2-3k in his pocket to show for it while a comic dealer can make $5k at a show and have $3k to show for it.

 

The bolded part makes no sense to me. Using your example - a X-Men 266 in nice shape sells for $85 - $90 on E-Bay with a bit of patience so why would I sell it for $70 just to beat out the other guys who have priced their possibly lesser graded copy at $75. Cash is king but throwing a book up on E-Bay cost basically nothing so why sell keys for a discount - which is expected at most bigger Cons I've set up at?

 

Because you throwing out an occasional deal makes people spend more money and come back/remember you. That $15-20 discount may be worth it in the long run. There are a few dealers I know that do that. They know they're underpricing a book, but they can afford to do it and it usually causes people to think that there are alot more deals at the booth and spend more money or come back to the dealer later.

 

I used that method with my dollar bins. Sprinkle some $5-10 books all over the place so that people keep looking and buy other books. I don't organize the dollar books, since most people like to dig and it would stink if I organized everything and someone just went to the D's and got all my Deadpools in one shot.

 

I'm pretty new to the convention selling, so this method might be completely wrong.

 

Also after eBay fees you're only losing $5-10 on the X-Men 266.

[KPR Comics]

It's really simple. if you have alot of competition at a show, then to undercut the other guy to bring more people to your booth. If there are 50 people with X-Men 266 at a show for $75 or more then price yours at $70. If you paid too much to do that, then don't do shows.

 

I've done 2 medium size shows so far and have been happy with the results. It's amazing how much you can sell when you price stuff for 10-20% less than eBay and don't try to squeeze that last penny out of every book. I also sprinkle deals all over the place. The longer that people look; the more likely they are to buy more stuff. The only thing I found disheartening was that most of my customers were dealers.

 

I've been helping my friend who is a toy dealer for years at cons and his primary seller have become POPs and the profit margin is awful, although the exclusive stuff isn't too bad. There's no comparison between comics and Funko when it comes to profit. A Funko dealer can make $10k at a show but in the end only have $2-3k in his pocket to show for it while a comic dealer can make $5k at a show and have $3k to show for it.

 

The bolded part makes no sense to me. Using your example - a X-Men 266 in nice shape sells for $85 - $90 on E-Bay with a bit of patience so why would I sell it for $70 just to beat out the other guys who have priced their possibly lesser graded copy at $75. Cash is king but throwing a book up on E-Bay cost basically nothing so why sell keys for a discount - which is expected at most bigger Cons I've set up at?

.

Depends upon what you paid for your copy.

[thehumantorch]

When I started doing shows, I had three rules:

1. Sales had to exceed 10x booth fees;

2. Always leave a show with less books and more money than you brought; and

3. When it was no longer fun, it was time to get out.

 

Never had a problem w/the threshold in #1. If your margins are so skinny that you can't sell a book for less than you could on ebay, your stock is probably not that good (the exception being guys like GAtor). If New Mutants 1 is on your wall, your stock is probably not that good. Edit: or, you are paying too much for your books; or, you are greedy.

 

As for #2: I've seen plenty of small timers load out the same number of boxes they loaded in. Reason: they tried to squeeze every nickel out of every book, or their books were just not enticing.

 

As for #3: It's no longer fun (for me) so I don't do it anymore. Maybe I'll get back into it because having a bunch of comic books sitting in boxes, in a closet and on shelves is no longer appealing so it's probably time to sell off that baggage.

 

I use the 10X sales per booth cost as a guideline but the type of sales is also a factor. Selling 5X my booth cost of $1 and $5 to $20 books that have loads of margin can lead to more net profit than 10X sales in wall books with a small margin.

 

Sometimes I load out as much or more than I brought. I'm always looking to buy new inventory and buying out a small dealer with my show profits is ideal.

[1Cool]

It's really simple. if you have alot of competition at a show, then to undercut the other guy to bring more people to your booth. If there are 50 people with X-Men 266 at a show for $75 or more then price yours at $70. If you paid too much to do that, then don't do shows.

 

I've done 2 medium size shows so far and have been happy with the results. It's amazing how much you can sell when you price stuff for 10-20% less than eBay and don't try to squeeze that last penny out of every book. I also sprinkle deals all over the place. The longer that people look; the more likely they are to buy more stuff. The only thing I found disheartening was that most of my customers were dealers.

 

I've been helping my friend who is a toy dealer for years at cons and his primary seller have become POPs and the profit margin is awful, although the exclusive stuff isn't too bad. There's no comparison between comics and Funko when it comes to profit. A Funko dealer can make $10k at a show but in the end only have $2-3k in his pocket to show for it while a comic dealer can make $5k at a show and have $3k to show for it.

 

The bolded part makes no sense to me. Using your example - a X-Men 266 in nice shape sells for $85 - $90 on E-Bay with a bit of patience so why would I sell it for $70 just to beat out the other guys who have priced their possibly lesser graded copy at $75. Cash is king but throwing a book up on E-Bay cost basically nothing so why sell keys for a discount - which is expected at most bigger Cons I've set up at?

 

Because you throwing out an occasional deal makes people spend more money and come back/remember you. That $15-20 discount may be worth it in the long run. There are a few dealers I know that do that. They know they're underpricing a book, but they can afford to do it and it usually causes people to think that there are alot more deals at the booth and spend more money or come back to the dealer later.

 

I used that method with my dollar bins. Sprinkle some $5-10 books all over the place so that people keep looking and buy other books. I don't organize the dollar books, since most people like to dig and it would stink if I organized everything and someone just went to the D's and got all my Deadpools in one shot.

 

I'm pretty new to the convention selling, so this method might be completely wrong.

 

Also after eBay fees you're only losing $5-10 on the X-Men 266.

 

True but I find the person who hunts all over finding the best prices on a book like X-Men 266 will also want 20% off E-Bay on every other key book in your booth. And unless they are buying piles of $1 90s drek books at full price I just don't see the reasoning behind selling keys books for 20% off E-Bay on top of paying for a booth? You definitely get a bunch of money in your pocket at the end of the day and I guess I could see that approach working great if I had an unlimited supply of dirt cheap X-Men 266 but finding cheap semi-keys doesn't seem as easy as it use to be.

[That Ron Dude]

One of my rules of thumb is everybody lies about money and sex. And I don't want to hear about your sex lives.

 

I went to a small comic convention yesterday so a lot of these thoughts are close to the surface. I got in for $5 and spent $18 on six comics. I had fun. I enjoyed talking to people. I enjoyed lunch with a friend. The six comics I bought are now worth about zero. But I will enjoy reading them.

 

I attended Fan Expo for a day this summer. There is not much there for me anymore. And here is why...

 

I have most of what I want and I am not an habitual spender or a comic book hoarder. I know a person who can go through a large convention and find the one book that is priced low, buy it and flip it within a day or two. I am guessing that several of you can do that. I can't. For me it is more like penny stock. I could make a few dollars here or there buying at a con and going to ebay but in my case it would be a lot of work for a little bit of money.

 

The dealers treat their wares as though they are made out of gold. That is there business plan and they wouldn't be at it if it didn't work. However it conflicts with my own business plan which is buy things at a low price.

 

At the big summer conventions I am told that tables are expensive and dealers bring their highest priced products. I am not going to buy that stuff. The importance of condition has become something that the market cares about and I do not. You might think this means I could find low grade books at a great price and occasionally I do. Sometimes I look at a great, cheap book that I purchased decades before for more money, when condition didn't mean as much. Like I said, I found six great books in g to vg just yesterday.

 

Cost of admission is high. I am not going to pay $50 to get into a convention or even $30. Charging an additional fee for the privilege of buying a pass on the internet adds a bit more bile to my overall outlook.

 

The number of dealers in comics has diminished. I went to the NY Con two years ago and couldn't find a dealer in comics for about ten minutes. That dealer told me that most of the dealers were in a small area, mostly together. I commented to a friend that there were probably more dealers at the NY Con in 1975 then there were, there in 2014. He was knowledgeable and did not debate my allegation.

 

Among the dealers at the NY con not many were selling what I want. The guy with the huge warehouse was. Is that Koch? He had cheap silver and bronze age and I was willing to sift for them. Another guy had table after table of old junk for $2@-- my kind of dealer. I found three old RBCCs amongst the junk.

 

Since I am complaining-- the plan on ebay seems to be to price the books high and to not auction comics. I don't visit ebay very often anymore.

 

So what do I do? I am no addict. I don't have to reduce a comic book to powder and snort it to enjoy the hobby. I buy the comics I like which are priced well at the small conventions, now and then. I go to BMV (books, music, video) and buy remaindered books on comics put out in recent years at 30% of their previous price. I buy books that I really, really want when I see them on Amazon. I reread my old stuff. I have so much stuff that if I read two comics a day I would probably die an old man before going through all the comics. Most of them are great comics. I had really good taste when I accumulated them.

 

I think the dealers are trying to get more and more money from fewer and fewer people.

 

I was not the oldest person at the convention yesterday. But I placed or showed.