Is intentionally inflating prices on eBay against their rules? 2 2

[Ed Hanes]

Well, back to the OP.....When I look at the value of a book I do not use 'buy it now' sales as an indicator,   ..I use auctions ( I will use buy it now sales only as an indicator that reinforces auctions, but it's incidental)...and I dont use GPA as they don't show the image of the book..no two books are the same , even if they have the same grade. I use gocollect , and no, I don't use their algorithm for FMV. I do have GPA but it doesn't add anything that I cant get from gocollect and go collect is cheaper (but that's a different conversation).  I just avoid the entire issue that the OP is complaining about. I consider any spike in a sale to be an outlier unless it's supported by other sales from places that GPA and Gocollect doesnt list (like mycomicshop auctions)...and I also will look at sales with different issues that may have some connection to the comic issue in question. In my buying, I haven't come across any issues that have been  inflated with the technique the OP talks about ...when it does happen , it doesn't seem to stick..when I see people who try to sell their graded slab based on an outlier sale..I just laugh

Edited June 22, 2021 by Ed Hanes

[theCapraAegagrus]

12 hours ago, Math Teacher said:

How am I being entitled? I have a price that I am willing to pay for the book, and if the seller won't meet that price, I walk away. People do this all the time in other areas other than purchasing comic books. Is it safe to assume that all those people are entitled?

Also, in the future, please take time to read my entire post.

As for a Blocked Bidders list, I have never been turned down on any bid I have made on Ebay.

Just out of curiosity, is @SOTIcollector entitled also?

You are more than welcome to your opinion. But I don't consider you to be the be-all, end-all of comic book purchasing. You buy comics in a way that is best for you, and I will buy comics in a way that is best for me. How's that sound?

[Sky1]

9 hours ago, Ed Hanes said:

Well, back to the OP.....When I look at the value of a book I do not use 'buy it now' sales as an indicator,   ..I use auctions ( I will use buy it now sales only as an indicator that reinforces auctions, but it's incidental)...and I dont use GPA as they don't show the image of the book..no two books are the same , even if they have the same grade. I use gocollect , and no, I don't use their algorithm for FMV. I do have GPA but it doesn't add anything that I cant get from gocollect and go collect is cheaper (but that's a different conversation).  I just avoid the entire issue that the OP is complaining about. I consider any spike in a sale to be an outlier unless it's supported by other sales from places that GPA and Gocollect doesnt list (like mycomicshop auctions)...and I also will look at sales with different issues that may have some connection to the comic issue in question. In my buying, I haven't come across any issues that have been  inflated with the technique the OP talks about ...when it does happen , it doesn't seem to stick..when I see people who try to sell their graded slab based on an outlier sale..I just laugh

Thanks for letting me know about Gocollect, didn't know that existed.  I will have to check it out.

You're lucky if you never ran into what I am talking about on eBay.  It's not rampant, but it's common enough where it seems like a legit tactic.  Don't know how often it sticks but it can happen.  If one person sells something for X amount, the next seller will never sell for less unless they're desperate or a beginner.  For example, look at X-Men #244, a common book that typically sells for $200 to $250.  Someone decided to pay double for no reason and now everyone wants $400 to $500.  I can't confirm the scam I talked about caused this, but I brought it up to show what the intention is for sellers who use the false sale tactic I am talking about.  It also shows inflation can stick.  I doubt we'll see this sell for $200 ever again.

Edited June 22, 2021 by Sky1
Typo.

[Ed Hanes]

1 hour ago, Sky1 said:

Thanks for letting me know about Gocollect, didn't know that existed.  I will have to check it out.

You're lucky if you never ran into what I am talking about on eBay.  It's not rampant, but it's common enough where it seems like a legit tactic.  Don't know how often it sticks but it can happen.  If one person sells something for X amount, the next seller will never sell for less unless they're desperate or a beginner.  For example, look at X-Men #244, a common book that typically sells for $200 to $250.  Someone decided to pay double for no reason and now everyone wants $400 to $500.  I can't confirm the scam I talked about caused this, but I brought it up to show what the intention is for sellers who use the false sale tactic I am talking about.  It also shows inflation can stick.  I doubt we'll see this sell for $200 ever again.

Yeah, I suppose it does happen..are you talking about a 9.8 ? I should place a caveat on 9.8's ...9.8's attract a great deal of speculation and 'corruption' for lack of a better term...I stay away from them unless they are new comics and I just want a perfect cover of that issue ...but I wont pay much more than what it takes to get it slabbed plus the issue cost in raw...but now that I think of it,...something like that happened with ASM 300 9.8..insane 

Edited June 22, 2021 by Ed Hanes

[Ed Hanes]

31 minutes ago, K.P.D. said:

 

I don't use my nipples either but I do have them

Edited June 22, 2021 by Ed Hanes

[Ed Hanes]

19 minutes ago, K.P.D. said:

I hope those nipples don't cost you $11 a month 

I guess I do use GPA but only because a lot of people cite the service when they sell...so I go there to check how they are interpreting GPA tracked sales...but I have found that it doesn't add anything to my choice to buy and oftentimes people use it to justify an inflated price on their attempt to sell a comic..because they have that stupid graph in which they connect outlier dots with a continuous line..that is a terrible analysis. GPA is very misleading, especially for long term investing, great for speculators who want to flip right away.  I will probably discontinue the service soon..unless I find something about it that is unique. I have had it off and on over the past two years to see of they have updated their service..so far.. nothing

Edited June 22, 2021 by Ed Hanes

[Conacon]

I was just having this conversation with my wife! Well, by conversation, I mean I was talking and she was pretending to listen. She likes to humor me when I talk comics. 

When setting a price on Ebay I take into account both auctions and BIN sold numbers. I disregard the outliers (ridiculous low bid wins and the highest BIN sale if its 20%+ higher than the rest). If it's a hot spec book, I'll push the envelope a little. 

As for negotiations, I actually prefer getting offers so I can at least get the ball rolling. I buy as low as I can so that when selling I don't mind cutting the next guy a deal. 

[Jeffro.]

3 hours ago, Ed Hanes said:

4 hours ago, K.P.D. said:

 

I don't use my nipples either but I do have them

Man, you are missing out.

[Sky1]

On 6/22/2021 at 2:31 PM, Ed Hanes said:

Yeah, I suppose it does happen..are you talking about a 9.8 ? I should place a caveat on 9.8's ...9.8's attract a great deal of speculation and 'corruption' for lack of a better term...I stay away from them unless they are new comics and I just want a perfect cover of that issue ...but I wont pay much more than what it takes to get it slabbed plus the issue cost in raw...but now that I think of it,...something like that happened with ASM 300 9.8..insane 

Yeah, I am talking about 9.8's mostly.  ASM 300 might have been organic due to the movie because that's when I noticed it blowing it up in prices.  Now X-Men #129 seems to be artificial, a while back someone paid 10k for it & that's what everyone was trying to get.  Thankfully it may not be sticking as one just sold for 4k.

[Ed Hanes]

13 minutes ago, Sky1 said:

Yeah, I am talking about 9.8's mostly.  ASM 300 might have been organic due to the movie because that's when I noticed it blowing it up in prices.  Now X-Men #129 seems to be artificial, a while back someone paid 10k for it & that's what everyone was trying to get.  Thankfully it may not be sticking as one just sold for 4k.

Here is a Forbes article that just came out..they give a little attention to your inquiry at the end

https://www.forbes.com/sites/robsalkowitz/2021/06/23/what-the-hell-is-going-on-in-the-collectible-comics-market/?fbclid=IwAR2Bhf9ft1zZphNICZIRyPiNg_B5lADWjAQs1soQgrAhoNtsMmdYTKIul3I&sh=968e061307c2

[Ed Hanes]

and on the flip side , there is this ...someone really got a deal here..maybe a seller who had no clue???? For reference , grades on either side have same week sales that are twice as much

[Buzzetta]

On 6/21/2021 at 10:00 PM, KCOComics said:

 

It's not entitled at all. The negotiation is half the fun. I can understand being annoyed if he's offering $200 for an AF15, but why have a "Make an Offer" option if you don't want people to make an offer? The seller has every right to say no or counter if they feel it's to low. 

If someone keeps making lowball offers like that I just block them and move on so my time isn’t wasted.  Eventually they figure it out.   Before anyone says, “But imagine the business you are turning away.”  I’m not since I wasn’t going to accept a lowball offer to begin with.  Like I said, eventually the lowballers figure it out. 
 

 

[Buzzetta]

Christmas came again today… someone else who has had a history of making ridiculously low ball bids sent me a message.

Not even going to respond.

 

[alexgross.com]

ebay no care about nothing but making mo money. waste as much time as you like contacting their cust service reps in bangalore. nothing will be done.

also there are many buyers who dont actually pay when they win an item. happened to me once on a $9k book i was selling years ago.

and yes some sellers do lots lf shenanigans. ebay has become a joke and i recommend buying comics on comiclink, comicconnect, mycomicshop, highgradecomics.com, and other far better sites than feebays garbage hole of a website. 

[Buzzetta]

@onlyweaknesskryptonite I have to admit she followed up with an offer that for once I would consider taking.  However it’s worth the $250 just for them to wonder what happened. You can’t but this.  The trifecta will be if she tries buying from two other accounts and finds that she is blocked. 

Edited June 30, 2021 by Buzzetta

[onlyweaknesskryptonite]

Just now, Buzzetta said:

@onlyweaknesskryptonite I have to admit she followed up with an offer that for once I would consider taking.  However it’s worth the $300 just for them to wonder what happened.  The trifecta will be if she tries buying from two other accounts and finds that she is blocked. 

[Sky1]

19 hours ago, alexgross.com said:

ebay has become a joke

It has for buyers as far as all things collectible go.  Every single seller is convinced their "vintage" 2019 PS4 game is worth 1k or a graded Spiderman with the 747th appearance of Venom is worth 10k.  I kid a bit, but it is bad.  Every time you ask for FMV from people like that, the response is always the same, "this is priced at what it WILL BE, not what it is now."  I blame the lousy tactics by sleazy sellers for those kind of listings.  Not to say there isn't legitimate interest, but some of the prices are Jame Bond villain type of delusional because you can't reason with them either.  Even if you do offer a couple hundred more than GPA or last sold, they need that sweet 75% mark up.  The only positive thing I can say is those sellers do have the patience of a saint.  I'd still see the same listings many months or even years later still at the same price; I just don't mess with them anymore though.

Just want to add, you do have ****** buyers like what Buzz has to deal with as well, above isn't shade at them.  It's directed at sellers who manipulate.

[Math Teacher]

On 7/1/2021 at 11:10 AM, Sky1 said:

It has for buyers as far as all things collectible go.  Every single seller is convinced their "vintage" 2019 PS4 game is worth 1k or a graded Spiderman with the 747th appearance of Venom is worth 10k.  I kid a bit, but it is bad.  Every time you ask for FMV from people like that, the response is always the same, "this is priced at what it WILL BE, not what it is now."  I blame the lousy tactics by sleazy sellers for those kind of listings.  Not to say there isn't legitimate interest, but some of the prices are Jame Bond villain type of delusional because you can't reason with them either.  Even if you do offer a couple hundred more than GPA or last sold, they need that sweet 75% mark up.  The only positive thing I can say is those sellers do have the patience of a saint.  I'd still see the same listings many months or even years later still at the same price; I just don't mess with them anymore though.

Just want to add, you do have ****** buyers like what Buzz has to deal with as well, above isn't shade at them.  It's directed at sellers who manipulate.

Hear, hear! 100% agreed.

Edited July 2, 2021 by Math Teacher

[William-James88]

On 6/30/2021 at 4:35 PM, alexgross.com said:

ebay has become a joke and i recommend buying comics on comiclink, comicconnect, mycomicshop, highgradecomics.com, and other far better sites than feebays garbage hole of a website. 

The best deals I have found lately have been through e-bay. cheaper than comiclink and mycomicshop. It's the only place that had very specific collectibles too. There is a ton of of course, I won't deny that, but that didn't deter me from finding some nice truffles.

[djzombi]

I still use eBay to buy comics I can't find locally, as I don't care for Mycomicshop, and pretty much all the other sites just sell overpriced, high-grade slabs.  I'm a "beat-but-complete" kind of guy just trying to fill some runs, and eBay works for me in that regard.  I just make sure there are lots of pictures, and check the seller's feedback and selling history.