p41981 Posted September 28, 2021 Share Posted September 28, 2021 Just curious as to what horror stories do boardies have when it comes to buying a comic art piece at a certain price, then selling it for less that u paid. Ex.: bought an art piece from the artist for $1000 then putting it on the bay where it ended at $600, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post John E. Posted September 28, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted September 28, 2021 I know others have suffered worse, but early in my collecting I had bought a page from Anthony Snyder for about $110, decided I no longer wanted it, and put it up on eBay at a low starting price in hopes of getting some action on it. The final hammer was something like $28. That hurt and it taught me a lesson about auctioning. But it’s the tuition we all gotta pay in this hobby. Randall Dowling, MagnusX, Turtle and 4 others 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p41981 Posted September 28, 2021 Author Share Posted September 28, 2021 On 9/28/2021 at 8:59 AM, John E. said: I know others have suffered worse, but early in my collecting I had bought a page from Anthony Snyder for about $110, decided I no longer wanted it, and put it up on eBay at a low starting price in hopes of getting some action on it. The final hammer was something like $28. That hurt and it taught me a lesson about auctioning. But it’s the tuition we all gotta pay in this hobby. Ouch, that stings. Thanks for sharing. John E. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sideshow Bob Posted September 28, 2021 Share Posted September 28, 2021 I was overjoyed to get one of the painted covers from Mike Grell's Longbow Hunters. And I paid out the nose to convince the seller to let me buy it. But a year later, I realized it wasn't working in my collection, and I sold it at Heritage thinking there were at least two other people ready to jump at the chance to own it. I was sorely mistaken. Lost half my purchase price after fees. Learned to be a little more deliberate and have a plan for what I was going to buy, something beyond just the joy of winning. Stefanomjr, John E., Unstoppablejayd and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aqn83 Posted September 28, 2021 Share Posted September 28, 2021 I really love Gerald Parel's art, and so I jumped on his commission list ( $1500 ) for an A3 figure. IMO, it didn't deliver. I actually hated it for the price I paid. So, I had the facilitator sell it for $1250. They took a 20% cut of the sale, so I ended up losing $500 and getting $1000 back. Lesson learned. Later it sells on HA for $480 (which includes the BP) lol. https://comics.ha.com/itm/original-comic-art/gerald-parel-batman-specialty-illustration-original-art-undated-/a/122108-17838.s John E. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noob19 Posted September 28, 2021 Share Posted September 28, 2021 On 9/28/2021 at 11:16 AM, aqn83 said: … and so I jumped on his commission list… IMO, it didn't deliver. I actually hated it for the price I paid. This has definitely happened to me more times than I’d want to admit. Always lost money on the subsequent sale. But I just use the proceeds towards the next commission to keep satisfying my addiction… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post aqn83 Posted September 28, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted September 28, 2021 On 9/28/2021 at 10:45 AM, Noob19 said: This has definitely happened to me more times than I’d want to admit. Always lost money on the subsequent sale. But I just use the proceeds towards the next commission to keep satisfying my addiction… Or just completely abandon commissions in general, as was my case. Sideshow Bob, Noob19, Twanj and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noob19 Posted September 28, 2021 Share Posted September 28, 2021 On 9/28/2021 at 11:58 AM, aqn83 said: Or just completely abandon commissions in general, as was my case. You are made of sterner stuff than I… Some would argue (like my wife) I’m basically flushing money down the toilet but the high of those commissions that meet (and some even exceed) expectations is hard to top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick2you2 Posted September 28, 2021 Share Posted September 28, 2021 On 9/28/2021 at 11:58 AM, aqn83 said: Or just completely abandon commissions in general, as was my case. They almost never turn out well, financially, from what I’ve heard, and they certainly won’t turn out well for me because of my niche interest. But they are almost always worth it because of the connection it makes to the artist. One thing I do recommend is to not ask the artist for a simple figure. Give him an idea to frame a single image around, even something simple, like eating a slice of pizza. Let his imagination show off his artistry instead of just his drawing skills. He’ll enjoy it more, too. Noob19 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malvin Posted September 28, 2021 Share Posted September 28, 2021 On 9/28/2021 at 8:16 AM, aqn83 said: I really love Gerald Parel's art, and so I jumped on his commission list ( $1500 ) for an A3 figure. IMO, it didn't deliver. I actually hated it for the price I paid. So, I had the facilitator sell it for $1250. They took a 20% cut of the sale, so I ended up losing $500 and getting $1000 back. Lesson learned. Later it sells on HA for $480 (which includes the BP) lol. https://comics.ha.com/itm/original-comic-art/gerald-parel-batman-specialty-illustration-original-art-undated-/a/122108-17838.s Looks like you were lucky to be able to net $1K out of it! Congrats (better than you directly selling it for $480.. which would leave you with $300'is! Malvin aqn83 and John E. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post aqn83 Posted September 28, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted September 28, 2021 On 9/28/2021 at 11:40 AM, malvin said: Looks like you were lucky to be able to net $1K out of it! Congrats (better than you directly selling it for $480.. which would leave you with $300'is! Malvin You're quite right. I sold it within a couple of weeks of owning it. I wanted it gone that badly. On 9/28/2021 at 11:35 AM, Rick2you2 said: They almost never turn out well, financially, from what I’ve heard, and they certainly won’t turn out well for me because of my niche interest. But they are almost always worth it because of the connection it makes to the artist. One thing I do recommend is to not ask the artist for a simple figure. Give him an idea to frame a single image around, even something simple, like eating a slice of pizza. Let his imagination show off his artistry instead of just his drawing skills. He’ll enjoy it more, too. I actually asked for a specific image re-created traditionally. I specifically requested a dark piece with highlights here and there, and a flowing cape. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Andahaion, Kohei, Rick2you2 and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MOStateSuperman Posted September 28, 2021 Share Posted September 28, 2021 On 9/28/2021 at 2:32 PM, aqn83 said: ...and a flowing cape. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Maybe there was just a (much) lighter breeze that day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick2you2 Posted September 28, 2021 Share Posted September 28, 2021 On 9/28/2021 at 3:32 PM, aqn83 said: You're quite right. I sold it within a couple of weeks of owning it. I wanted it gone that badly. I actually asked for a specific image re-created traditionally. I specifically requested a dark piece with highlights here and there, and a flowing cape. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I actually like it a lot. The pose is unusual, and it shows his brooding character. I would have been very happy with it. Someone got a good piece at a low price. I recently got a commission which was not what I expected, either, but it was a skillful job and very much complimented (at least on Facebook). Yes, I will definitely be keeping mine. That’s the think about artists. Sometimes they insist on using their artistic skills, even if we weren’t expecting the result. You can reduce the risk of something radically different by asking for a preliminary before he does a final. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timely Posted September 28, 2021 Share Posted September 28, 2021 That’s not the $1500 commission piece, this is! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnkurJ Posted September 29, 2021 Share Posted September 29, 2021 On 9/28/2021 at 11:16 AM, aqn83 said: I really love Gerald Parel's art, and so I jumped on his commission list ( $1500 ) for an A3 figure. IMO, it didn't deliver. I actually hated it for the price I paid. So, I had the facilitator sell it for $1250. They took a 20% cut of the sale, so I ended up losing $500 and getting $1000 back. Lesson learned. Later it sells on HA for $480 (which includes the BP) lol. https://comics.ha.com/itm/original-comic-art/gerald-parel-batman-specialty-illustration-original-art-undated-/a/122108-17838.s So the facilitator took a cut from the the commission itself, and to sell it for you? Wow.... vodou 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnkurJ Posted September 29, 2021 Share Posted September 29, 2021 Bought a Frank Cho Dejah Thoris cover for around $6500. Put it in Heritage after about two years. Sold for $3200 (plus juice). vodou and John E. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick2you2 Posted September 29, 2021 Share Posted September 29, 2021 On 9/28/2021 at 6:50 PM, Timely said: That’s not the $1500 commission piece, this is! The other one is much better. I would consider $500 a little low, but not by much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodou Posted September 29, 2021 Share Posted September 29, 2021 How long till @delekkersteshows up and write at least 3 paragraphs? John E. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post MIL0S Posted September 29, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted September 29, 2021 I wouldn't consider dumping a disappointing commission a 'flip', that's just trying to recover something to keep it from being a total loss. To me flipping is buying something with the intent to sell it for a profit which is almost never possible with a commission. Whether or not you'll be happy with a commission is always a gamble, and that's if you even get your piece in a timely manner or at all! The cost used to be low enough to take the risk but with most commissions starting at several hundred dollars I've lost my appetite for them and I've sold several unsatisfactory ones for well below what I paid. The only instance I can think of where it was possible to flip a commission was when Adam Hughes was charging $400 for con sketches and people were immediately flipping them on ebay for much more. In that case he was undercharging but most artists prices now are way too high in my opinion. Why gamble on an overpriced commission when you can often buy a published page by the artist where you know exactly what your are getting for less? Someone on these boards put it best, commissions are the 'new car' of the OA hobby, they depreciate the minute you 'drive it off the lot'... MagnusX, John E., Noob19 and 5 others 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aqn83 Posted September 29, 2021 Share Posted September 29, 2021 On 9/28/2021 at 5:50 PM, Timely said: That’s not the $1500 commission piece, this is! Ha, thanks for clarifying for me. And yes, that image that you like above is what I was hoping for. You live and you learn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...