Where can you find the hidden gems these days ? 3 3

[FrankG]

I have been collecting for many years in the New York area and could always discover places for finding good buys.  Years ago it was flea markets, drug stores selling back issues, and local garage sales advertised in newspapers.   Later in life it was mostly Craigslist and Ebay.  However, in today’s times it doesn’t seem possible to scoop a great deal anymore.  People selling comics on their own tend to overvalue them.  Is there a new approach that works to find hidden gems and sellers that under value their items ? 

[Lazyboy]

If we told you, they wouldn't be hidden.

But it's just luck, unless you already have a source.

[Jeffro.]

I find all my hidden gems deep beneath the earth. 

[Ken Aldred]

Unfortunately, the current prices for back issue comics have made me very cynical about the motivation for threads like this one, and then to  make a default assumption that it’s most likely about how to maximise flipping opportunities in an overheated market rather than the pining of a fellow, enthusiastic comics fan for the passing of simpler and cheaper times.

I could, of course, be wrong.

[Duffman_Comics]

14 minutes ago, Ken Aldred said:

Unfortunately, the current prices for back issue comics have made me very cynical about the motivation for threads like this one, and then to  make a default assumption that it’s most likely about how to maximise flipping opportunities in an overheated market rather than the pining of a fellow, enthusiastic comics fan for the passing of simpler and cheaper times.

I could, of course, be wrong.

Except you are not.

[Ryan.]

Except he's not wrong about being not right. 

[rsouxlja7]

Constantly being on the hunt and looking in all of the usual places. There's just far less opportunities now than there were even 5 years ago. Craigslist might get 5% of the traffic it had 5 years ago. 

[shadroch]

How does one fish?   By casting a wide net.

How do you get to Carnigie Hall?  For most people, the answer is the subway, but for a few it is by practicing. 

 

[Robot Man]

Cheap comic deals. A thing of the past I’m afraid...

[snitzer]

I simply befriend little old ladies where I live. Doing odd jobs like raking the leaves, bringing in their mail, etc. Eventually, they share a closet full of belongings from their deceased husband and lo-and-behold there’s almost always a small stack of books lying there. Be smart though, as often the comics aren’t even the most valuable item as cards, coins and gold pieces sometimes show up. Happy hunting 

[WolverineX]

30 minutes ago, snitzer said:

I simply befriend little old ladies where I live. Doing odd jobs like raking the leaves, bringing in their mail, etc. Eventually, they share a closet full of belongings from their deceased husband and lo-and-behold there’s almost always a small stack of books lying there. Be smart though, as often the comics aren’t even the most valuable item as cards, coins and gold pieces sometimes show up. Happy hunting 

"Doing odd jobs" I see... a man of conviction

[Buzzetta]

3 hours ago, FrankG said:

I have been collecting for many years in the New York area and could always discover places for finding good buys.  Years ago it was flea markets, drug stores selling back issues, and local garage sales advertised in newspapers.   Later in life it was mostly Craigslist and Ebay.  However, in today’s times it doesn’t seem possible to scoop a great deal anymore.  People selling comics on their own tend to overvalue them.  Is there a new approach that works to find hidden gems and sellers that under value their items ? 

 

16 minutes ago, shadroch said:

How does one fish?   By casting a wide net.

How do you get to Carnigie Hall?  For most people, the answer is the subway, but for a few it is by practicing. 

 

Ehh... Frank is kind of right.  At least by what I have seen over the last decade, the trend in the Northeast seems to be to sell it yourself.  I remember a dealer telling me that he rarely finds good stuff out of the Northeast and kept finding people approaching him in the South.  Everything I come across these days are eBay rejects.

Got a GI Joe collection?  Take it to Facebook or eBay. Transformers?  Star Wars? Comics?  

The internet has made it so easy to cut out the middleman of a dealer that unless you are strapped for cash and are willing to put some work into it, there is no need to hawk your good items at a Flea Market or a Garage sale.

Shad, you said that you generated $100k in sales and I assume a lot of that was sent through MCS.  That's the same thing as selling it through eBay and Facebook.  Would you set up a Flea Market stand or have a Garage sale to sell whatever you sold that generated that amount? 

I actually thought of doing something this summer and catch the village in a loophole.  I was thinking of running a mini garage sale / comic and toy con in my 90 foot drive and across my backyard.  The village requires a permit for a garage sale but makes no mention that I cannot invite my friends to participate.  I have several comic collecting friends that either live in the city or rent in an apartment where they do not have the access or ability to do that.   They could set up tables of toys and comics and anything else they wanted.

Here was the problem with that. 

• People like Frank are not approaching a garage sale looking for anything else but bargains or fire sales. 
• I really am not too keen on putting a signal flair up to the general public that my address is associated with what they might consider high end collectables.   I really would have no problem shooting an intruder. 
• Which leads me to my next thing.  It seems like an invitation to be robbed. 

Point is, why offer items at a garage sale or sell at a discount when there are so many avenues for me to maximize the realization for my investment?

 

[Ares]

in my collection in Canada

[wiparker824]

Getting much harder to find hidden gems. Just saw this story about this guy who traveled all over the universe looking for some rare stones and at one point even had to sacrifice his own daughter to acquire one. But he did eventually get all of the ones he was looking for for his gauntlet and then snapped away half the population. 

[comicginger1789]

To get deals today you have to cast a wide net and be active. Not so much physically active in going to shops and flea markets and yard sales but digitally active. For some that can seem exhausting but if you know how to do this, deals can still be bad.

It does take several hours a day. Usually I’m digitally hunting in the evenings as my down time or when I’m waiting somewhere. And sometimes you go weeks with nothing but eventually you find scores. For example, in the last year, I added some great books like ASM 6, 32, 122, 129. I also added almost 400 books of value, all while spending very modestly. Finding collections is the way to go and while you may have to pay more now than in the last, it evens out because when you sell some stuff the values are higher than they were.

Also avoid selling places that charge any fees. 

[comicginger1789]

Just now, comicginger1789 said:

To get deals today you have to cast a wide net and be active. Not so much physically active in going to shops and flea markets and yard sales but digitally active. For some that can seem exhausting but if you know how to do this, deals can still be bad.

It does take several hours a day. Usually I’m digitally hunting in the evenings as my down time or when I’m waiting somewhere. And sometimes you go weeks with nothing but eventually you find scores. For example, in the last year, I added some great books like ASM 6, 32, 122, 129. I also added almost 400 books of value, all while spending very modestly. Finding collections is the way to go and while you may have to pay more now than in the last, it evens out because when you sell some stuff the values are higher than they were.

Also avoid selling places that charge any fees. 

Oh and I found a Daredevil 1. The above books plus this cost me under $900 when all was said and done. I feel that that’s a deal.

[jsilverjanet]

I've always felt a gun is as effective as a knife

[snitzer]

1 hour ago, Wolverinex said:

"Doing odd jobs" I see... a man of conviction

I know - sounds like a movie plot or something 

[FrankG]

3 hours ago, Ken Aldred said:

Unfortunately, the current prices for back issue comics have made me very cynical about the motivation for threads like this one, and then to  make a default assumption that it’s most likely about how to maximise flipping opportunities in an overheated market rather than the pining of a fellow, enthusiastic comics fan for the passing of simpler and cheaper times.

I could, of course, be wrong.

Ken, I’m not a bargain hunter or a flipper to get rich, comics are a hobby for me not a career.  I have many memories of buying a collection.at a persons asking price(not low balling), keeping what was in my interests and moving the rest.  Unfortunately I don’t have space for everything I bought in the past.  The thrill for me was in the discovery, not any profit.  Let’s just not be skeptical right off the bat in this topic.  It was meant lighthearted and simply to share ideas.  I meant no I’ll intent. 

[Off Panel]

11 minutes ago, jsilverjanet said:

I've always felt a gun is as effective as a knife

Might get a little loud and messy when you eat a steak though…