Grading Skill Of A Comic Dealer 3 3

[greggy]

4 minutes ago, VintageComics said:

It was a Superman #233 and one other book. Can't remember right now what it was.

Check your records and get back to me.

Like I keep records of who I sold books to.

Do I look like Fishler?

[VintageComics]

6 minutes ago, greggy said:

Do I look like Fishler?

[Black_Adam]

1 hour ago, thirdgreenham said:

There was a seller on Granville that used to put the board in the middle of the book every time.  Perhaps greggy just left it there....

Golden Age Collectables. To give you an idea of how long they've been there, I remember wandering in and out of the store while my sister held my place in line while waiting to see Superman 2 at the Capitol 6! Back then the store was mainly focused on collectable movie posters...

[F For Fake]

23 hours ago, jcjames said:

At a show once I asked a dealer what grade one of his wallbook semi-keys (AV57 IIRC) was that he was selling. He said, literally, "It's what the price says".  I never asked him to take it down, just walked away.

 

 

I had a similar experience a year or two ago. A fairly big local dealer was set up at a show. I saw a GA Batman on the wall that I was interested in, priced $400. I asked him what he had it graded at, and he said "It's graded at $400." SO...yeah.

[Artboy99]

22 hours ago, greggy said:

Like I keep records of who I sold books to.

Do I look like Fishler?

No, you look like Greggy

[romanheart]

I agree with most comments in the thread.

I would surmise that the dealer and buyer most likely missed checking something on the back cover. A lot of people just assume it's ok. On high priced items I would always ask to see front and back, have a look at the interior page quality, and at least look at the splash page. I've made the same mistake myself.

Having said that, there are dealers who I always see at cons I wish I never did. Their items are never priced according to the grade even after they offer a discount. Other dealers, I could buy off their website without even asking to see a pic because I am that confident of the quality.

If they are off by a grade on raw books, I am not going to lose sleep about it. It's probably a damn nice book. If you look closely at the book, you should know straight off what it was dinged for. The difference between a 8.0 and 9.0 is rather noticeable unless you are new to grading. I think the 'spare a grade' thread on this board will get you up to speed fairly.

[kav]

3 hours ago, F For Fake said:

I had a similar experience a year or two ago. A fairly big local dealer was set up at a show. I saw a GA Batman on the wall that I was interested in, priced $400. I asked him what he had it graded at, and he said "It's graded at $400." SO...yeah.

Ask him is it a 2.0 graded at $400 or a 6.0 graded at $400 because that will determine whether I buy it or not, which should be of interest to you.

[kav]

Or say 'Oh you don't know how to grade-I see' then walk off leaving him looking like a doofus.

[kav]

Or say 'A price is not a grade sir-you say you sell comics for a living?'.

[FineCollector]

You know, you'd be amazed how smoothly a thread reads after you've put Kav on ignore...

At any rate, I agree that you have to walk away from a dealer who won't grade.  If he can't grade, I don't know that he can consistently do a page count, or check for trimming or color touch either.  I can do my best with the book in front of me, but standing over bins with odd lighting isn't going to make me confident I'll catch everything.  Once you agree on a grade, you still have inspect the book if it's someone you don't know, but at least you can have a civil discussion about pricing.

[kav]

It's no fun ignoring someone unless you can crow about it!!  

[comicdonna]

On ‎8‎/‎16‎/‎2017 at 11:00 AM, thirdgreenham said:

There was a seller on Granville that used to put the board in the middle of the book every time.  Perhaps greggy just left it there....

I bought a HG western comic on ebay about 14 years ago.  I asked the seller to pack it between two pieces of cardboard.  He used one thick piece, and put it in the centerfold.  It completely ruined the spine. 

[Hudson]

Perhaps this is just ONE more reason I don't buy a ton of books at conventions, like I did in the past.

I really prefer to just do business with dealers I trust. 

I prefer those who I can trust to give me a fair and honest opinion of a grade and to openly disclose any restoration.

I REALLY prefer those who will give me a "fair" price without me having to "negotiate", however I know that is a LOT to ask for.  I think MOST dealers who know me well, know that I understand their need to make a profit (and I want them to make a profit, because that keeps them coming back with more books).  I want them to make a "fair" profit when selling me a book, but I don't want to have to fight to keep from being charged WAY over FMV.

Since I hate negotiations and feeling like I am at a car dealership, I will usually just walk away if the first price I am quoted is not pretty close to what I think the book is worth (in the grade that I see it being).

 

[Ken Aldred]

At a UK comic mart I wanted to quickly look over an ungraded raw comic, to which the dealer said...

'Oh, God, you're not going to take it out, are you?  I spent all last night bagging and boarding those!'  

Most impressive.  Thankfully, he never appeared again.

 

[VintageComics]

1 hour ago, Hudson said:

Since I hate negotiations and feeling like I am at a car dealership, I will usually just walk away if the first price I am quoted is not pretty close to what I think the book is worth (in the grade that I see it being).

That's unfortunate, because most of the market is priced to expect negotiating.

There are very few sellers who price books, especially desirable ones at prices they expect to move them at out the door.

[Artboy99]

I have a

3 minutes ago, VintageComics said:

That's unfortunate, because most of the market is priced to expect negotiating.

There are very few sellers who price books, especially desirable ones at prices they expect to move them at out the door.

I agree.

I am expecting negotiation on every book. It is rare that someone pays the full asking.

[Hudson]

2 minutes ago, VintageComics said:

That's unfortunate, because most of the market is priced to expect negotiating.

There are very few sellers who price books, especially desirable ones at prices they expect to move them at out the door.

Exactly, Roy.

As I said, I don't buy nearly as many comics at conventions as I did in the past.

Hunting for books is fun.  Finding one I want is more fun.  Negotiating is NOT fun and I don't enjoy it.

I understand dealers feel as if they have to price things high so buyers will feel they "got a deal" after they haggle, but that is not for me.

I just want someone to give me a fair and honest price.  One where the dealer is making a "fair" profit and I am not paying way over FMV.

[VintageComics]

1 hour ago, Hudson said:

I understand dealers feel as if they have to price things high so buyers will feel they "got a deal" after they haggle, but that is not for me.

I feel for you because I understand that some people just don't like the haggle aspect.

In some parts of the world like in the mid and far East it's actually a way of life. They haggle EVERYTHING.

But back on track, it's actually not about making buyers feel like they "got a deal"

It's done because no matter how cheap you price a book people will still come along and try to haggle or wear you down on price.

Even if the book is a screaming steal and they are looking at a gift horse in the mouth, people will haggle.

So dealers build in a little cushion in preparation for this.

Plus, sometimes a buyer comes along and just pays full price because they don't care. It's rare but it has happened to me.

[ADAMANTIUM]

1 hour ago, Hudson said:

Exactly, Roy.

As I said, I don't buy nearly as many comics at conventions as I did in the past.

Hunting for books is fun.  Finding one I want is more fun.  Negotiating is NOT fun and I don't enjoy it.

I understand dealers feel as if they have to price things high so buyers will feel they "got a deal" after they haggle, but that is not for me.

I just want someone to give me a fair and honest price.  One where the dealer is making a "fair" profit and I am not paying way over FMV.

+1

[Bomber-Bob]

Since we shifted the topic from Dealer grading to Dealer Pricing, I really dislike trying to purchase consignment items from dealers. It seems consignments are generally priced with yet more padding and less room for negotiations.