I'm noticing an increasing number of WTB posts in the WTB section with no grade ranges OR price ranges in the listing. 10 10

[VintageComics]

The buying and selling forums have really heated up over the years. Used to be you couldn't fill a page with new posts in 24 hours and now, sometimes you have fresh posts several pages deep. 

If you can't at least post a grade OR price range for the copy you're looking for, you end up having lots of vague posts taking up all sorts of real estate space that others could be using more effectively. 

Should there be a minimum requirement of posting EITHER a grade range OR a price range for WTB posts?

Thoughts?

 

Edited January 8, 2022 by VintageComics

[MetalPSI]

Make me an offer I can't refuse 

[Buzzetta]

On 1/8/2022 at 1:08 AM, VintageComics said:

The buying and selling forums have really heated up over the years. Used to be you couldn't fill a page with new posts in 24 hours and now, sometimes you have fresh posts several pages deep. 

If you can't at least post a grade or price range that you want to spend for the copy you're looking for, you end up having lots of vague posts taking up all sorts of real estate space that others could be using more effectively. 

Should we start removing vague posts?

Thoughts?

 

In the few times I have used it over the years, it was for moderns Amazing Spider-man issues so no price was really needed. (I cannot be bothers looking for or traveling to a comic book store for the one title and they are certainly not going to hold four months worth of one title for me so I look here or MCS)

When I am looking for a particular issue I will post a grade range and ask those that have the book that wish to sell me a copy to let me know what they have and what the price is that they are looking for on it.  This is basically the same thing I would do at a comic con.  I walk up to a dealer and ask, "Do you have this issue of this title?"  He will take a look and show me the books and the price range. 

I never walk up to a dealer and say, I am looking for this issue of this title, and I am looking to pay this amount.  

Why play my cards if I do not have to?

[Cat]

When I used it I honestly didn't know what a reasonable price range was. I only had a vague idea from ebay listings that never sold, they were my only reference point, so they were useless. Sometimes you just don't know, in my case it was rare modern 'drek'. 

[chrisco37]

I think one should list a grade range to save potential sellers time.  

Whenever I’ve done a WTB, I’ve posted a price range as well (also to save people time).  But I do understand the thought behind “not playing all your cards.”

I’m sure there’s a lot of “tire kickers” looking to get a good deal or a flip book. When I’ve done a WTB it’s always been for a book for my PC, so getting the best deal to flip at profit wasn’t the motivation and I didn’t “need” to be super secretive.  
 

FTR, I voted Yes to the poll question.

[Brock]

On 1/8/2022 at 6:41 AM, chrisco37 said:

I’m sure there’s a lot of “tire kickers” looking to get a good deal or a flip book. 

This is the bigger issue to me on WTB… when someone says that 25% below confirmed eBay sales is “too expensive” they’re clearly just trying to pull one over on a fellow boardie.

[Bird]

On 1/8/2022 at 8:58 AM, Brock said:

This is the bigger issue to me on WTB… when someone says that 25% below confirmed eBay sales is “too expensive” they’re clearly just trying to pull one over on a fellow boardie.

sure but when sellers can set their own prices, why can't WTBers set theirs? We allow the market to set the highs, let it set the lows as well.

I have seen boardies get a page full of and    in their sales threads when all I see is someone trying to pull one over on a fellow boardie.

[blazingbob]

On 1/8/2022 at 8:58 AM, Brock said:

This is the bigger issue to me on WTB… when someone says that 25% below confirmed eBay sales is “too expensive” they’re clearly just trying to pull one over on a fellow boardie.

Technically if a poster is complaining that the asking price is too expensive that would be considered thread crapping which I believe is already covered in the rules.  Or should I assume because Ebay is in the comment that the item is 25% overgraded?

Edited January 8, 2022 by blazingbob

[Ryan.]

Whenever I list a grade and the price I'm willing to pay I get PMs offering copies at half my listed grade and three times my listed offer. 

[djpinkpanther67]

Sigh…someone is always trying to identify and fix a problem that simply isn’t there.

Just because someone posts a WTB in a way you don’t approve of, doesn’t mean it’s wrong.

I agree people should post their desired grade ranges, but disagree they need to post what they will pay. Why is that necessary? It’s none of anyone’s business what someone is WILLING to pay. If you have a book someone needs, offer it at the price you want to sell it for. It will either sell at your price, or you will receive a counter offer which you can accept or reject.

When I list WTB, I generally don’t list a price. I list the grade I want, and leave the asking price up to the seller. I do this because I don’t want my asking price to be unnecessarily too low (or high).

99% of the time when I am presented with a book I need, I have bought at the sellers offer without asking for a discount. 

 

 

Edited January 8, 2022 by djpinkpanther67

[Roger66]

I've always thought and expected the WTB posts were more lax and all about the inviting of private messaging as in "hey I have that book in a VG or I know a dealer, who has a copy etc" and not about public monitoring-educating so far as telling someone how vague or how specific their post need-ought to be.  Just move-on IMO if you don't like how the WTB is posted. my 2-cents 

“If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; but if you really make them think, they'll hate you.”
― Harlan Ellison

Edited January 8, 2022 by Roger66

[djpinkpanther67]

On 1/8/2022 at 9:30 AM, Ryan. said:

Whenever I list a grade and the price I'm willing to pay I get PMs offering copies at half my listed grade and three times my listed offer. 

That’s why I don’t list what I’m willing to pay. They want you to post what you’re willing to pay and use that as the baseline. 

When I go to show and see a book I want, and ask the seller how much, I am given an asking price. I have NEVER been asked how much I am WILLING to pay. 

[skypinkblu]

I don't use it often, but if I can't determine the going rate of something I really want, I don't want to list a price. What if someone has the Sensation 15 I've been looking for and they want XXXX instead of the XXX I listed...and since I don't get ANY other offers, once I see the XXXX I realize that if I really want that book...I need to pay XXXX? If I listed a price then the person with the XXXX copy never would have contacted me.

No one seems to have a decent Sensation 15 for sale, so it's probably moot;)

[CGC Mike]

So, it used to be required that a price you are willing to pay needed to be listed in a WTB thread.  Moderation discussed this nearly 2 1/2 years ago.  Someone was going into every WTB thread telling them they needed to list a price.  The problem was, nearly all of the WTB threads didn't list a price.  I we enforced that rule, nearly all of the threads would need to be removed and warnings issued.  So, the rule was changed, and a price one is willing to pay is currently not required.  

There is a requirement to list a grade or grades.  This is another rule that has not been enforced.  I just went through the first page, and found 4 threads that were in violation of that rule.  Should these 4 threads be removed and a warning issued?  I would like to hear from board members feeling on enforcing this rule.  

[VintageComics]

On 1/8/2022 at 3:31 AM, Buzzetta said:

In the few times I have used it over the years, it was for moderns Amazing Spider-man issues so no price was really needed. (I cannot be bothers looking for or traveling to a comic book store for the one title and they are certainly not going to hold four months worth of one title for me so I look here or MCS)

When I am looking for a particular issue I will post a grade range and ask those that have the book that wish to sell me a copy to let me know what they have and what the price is that they are looking for on it.  This is basically the same thing I would do at a comic con.  I walk up to a dealer and ask, "Do you have this issue of this title?"  He will take a look and show me the books and the price range. 

I never walk up to a dealer and say, I am looking for this issue of this title, and I am looking to pay this amount.  

Why play my cards if I do not have to?

Now you're being silly. 

If someone is posting a WTB for modern books that are $5-10 a pop there isn't a very big price range. There's no need to put a price range. 

But ia real world example that just happened (and I'm not picking on the seller, just using a recent example) f someone is looking for an All Star #8 and saying 'show me what you've got' do you want a $10,000 copy or a $million copy, because I can get you the $million dollar copy if you are serious.

----------------------------------------------- 

How about a Hulk #181? 

"WTB Hulk #181 - show me what you've got:"

"Well, I have a 9.8 and want $90K for it."

"Oh, that's a little out of my price range....I'm looking for a VG."

------------------------------------------------

How about this:

"WTB a high grade ASM # xx"

"I have a CGC 9.4 copy. I want $15K for it"

"Oh, I was just looking for a VF copy."

Well, why the heck wouldn't you put that into your listing then?

--------------------------------------------------

I understand that some people don't want to peg themselves with a price and negotiate 'against themselves' by throwing a number out there.

That's why I said to use either a PRICE OR A GRADE range. 

 

But for people who scan the WTB listings regularly it's pretty annoying when there are dozens of listings with no specifics and people are just using this place like Craiglist 

This place was never a Craigslist and I don't think people should allow it to slide into becoming one. 

Edited January 8, 2022 by VintageComics

[VintageComics]

On 1/8/2022 at 9:59 AM, CGC Mike said:

So, it used to be required that a price you are willing to pay needed to be listed in a WTB thread.  Moderation discussed this nearly 2 1/2 years ago.  Someone was going into every WTB thread telling them they needed to list a price.  The problem was, nearly all of the WTB threads didn't list a price.  I we enforced that rule, nearly all of the threads would need to be removed and warnings issued.  So, the rule was changed, and a price one is willing to pay is currently not required.  

There is a requirement to list a grade or grades.  This is another rule that has not been enforced.  I just went through the first page, and found 4 threads that were in violation of that rule.  Should these 4 threads be removed and a warning issued?  I would like to hear from board members feeling on enforcing this rule.  

That's great info. 

I agree that a grade range of some sort should be the bare minimum.

[VintageComics]

Many seem to only be focusing on the price aspect of the discussion. 

If you DON'T want to peg your price point, that's fine. 

But the bare minimum should be a grade range IF THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT PRICE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GRADES.

If you're buying $1 moderns that are common as dirt that's an entirely different matter and I think everyone in the hobby gets that. 

Edited January 8, 2022 by VintageComics

[Bird]

when I use WTB I generally talk about recent gpa and what I am willing to do in relation to that

I do agree that a grade, or dollar, range would certainly be helpful

like "looking for Sensation 99 but nothing too expensive, less than $1K only" (I am looking for Sensation 99, had one at CC but the checkout process lost my card info and that ended that.)

It will never be perfect but some sort of guideline of what you are looking for should be there, I guess a loose range would be preferable to me

[Ryan.]

On 1/8/2022 at 10:00 AM, VintageComics said:

This place was never a Craigslist 

Have I been looking at the wrong WTB forum all this time? It's been more Craigslist than not for many years. 

[VintageComics]

On 1/8/2022 at 9:31 AM, djpinkpanther67 said:

Sigh…someone is always trying to identify and fix a problem that simply isn’t there.

You're just sore because I schooled you on Facebook.