Opinion on the 2021 value explosion across the board? 3 3

[VintageComics]

On 1/25/2022 at 8:50 AM, Mecha_Fantastic said:

I think money lost its value in a lot of people's eyes, and they became much more willing to splash the cash as a result of this newfound mental freedom, while their bodies were somewhat caged.

Yes, but money also lost it's value because people had more of it. That's how economics works. More supply = less value. 

[Cat]

On 1/25/2022 at 11:54 PM, VintageComics said:

Yes, but money also lost it's value because people had more of it. That's how economics works. More supply = less value. 

Very true. 

[Mr. Zipper]

On 1/25/2022 at 8:53 AM, VintageComics said:

 

Actually, stimulus money has a lot to do with it. 

You can't print trillions into an economy and expect it to not have an effect. That's ludicrous amounts of money and we've normalized it. The main reason we're experiencing the worst inflation in 40 years is because of this, and yet people wave it off and it's become normalized. It's not normal. It's insane. 

Stimulus money was not just lower class people getting a few $100 a week and spending it on beer and weed at home because they couldn't go out. Sure, my musician friends in LA have never been happier, getting more money to stay home than to play gigs, and they had their rent paid as well.

But the bigger companies and small businesses ALSO got stimulus money and many got more than they needed. That ended up pouring BILLIONS into the economy as these people spent money they didn't really need. 

My restaurant and bar owner friends, who got lots of stimulus money all tell me with a wink that 'they did really well' and 'have no complaints'

I have friends in LA that tell me all sorts of stories about how wealthy people were coming in and cashing 5 and 6 figure checks to buy jewelry for themselves.

If you drive around the Hollywood Hills where the ultra wealthy live, you could see that almost every other home was either a new build or getting renos that cost so much, would be enough for me and you to retire on. 

So, from our perspective it doesn't sound right that someone would get a few extra $100 a week to spend and the market would rise, but the wealthy got WAY more than we did and they did spend it.

Also, $1-2Trillion in Crypto money was pulled from the market last year. That money also came out of nothing and we saw more millionaires come into existence than any other time in history. THAT money went into the economy as well.

One of them bought the Staples Center name and named it after themselves. 

So, stimulus money ABSOLUTELY is the most likely cause for the cost of EVERYTHING going up and anybody who tells you otherwise has looked at the big picture. 

I agree with much of this.

Another factor in my opinion is the lack of travel, vacations, eating out, etc. left a lot of discretionary money in people's pockets. This money was then spent on fun tangibles like comic books, cards, guitars, etc.

[VintageComics]

On 1/25/2022 at 9:07 AM, Mr. Zipper said:

I agree with much of this.

Another factor in my opinion is the lack of travel, vacations, eating out, etc. left a lot of discretionary money in people's pockets. This money was then spent on fun tangibles like comic books, cards, guitars, etc.

For sure. For us poorer folks, that money we didn't spend eating out gets spent on other things like comics. 

But those things didn't cause GSX #1 to be an $80K book or AF #15 to be a $3.6MIL book. 

There are millionaires out there who profited from the pandemic and the stimulus money in ways we can't imagine and it's those people who drove the market on big purchases. 

[lizards2]

On 1/25/2022 at 6:54 AM, VintageComics said:

For sure. For us poorer folks, that money we didn't spend eating out gets spent on other things like comics. 

But those things didn't cause GSX #1 to be an $80K book or AF #15 to be a $3.6MIL book. 

There are millionaires out there who profited from the pandemic and the stimulus money in ways we can't imagine and it's those people who drove the market on big purchases. 

And don't forget all the white-collar crime associated with mining the government out of stimulus money to prop up businesses that never existed...., 

[VintageComics]

On 1/25/2022 at 10:11 AM, lizards2 said:

And don't forget all the white-collar crime associated with mining the government out of stimulus money to prop up businesses that never existed...., 

The common people have no idea how much of that stimulus money was used fraudulently. 

The LA Lakers got caught taking $4MIL and then handed it back when caught. Just imagine how many people with lower profiles didn't get caught. 

Like I said, I know a guy with a jewelry store and they were having massive government checks literally signed over to buy jewelry. They had to stop taking them, they were coming in so fast. 

What we've seen is just another massive wealth transfer from the poor to the rich, and the poor will be paying for it forever. 

 

Edited January 25, 2022 by VintageComics

[The bard]

On 1/25/2022 at 9:07 AM, Mr. Zipper said:

I agree with much of this.

Another factor in my opinion is the lack of travel, vacations, eating out, etc. left a lot of discretionary money in people's pockets. This money was then spent on fun tangibles like comic books, cards, guitars, etc.

This also means that with what is happening in the markets and likely to happen should omicron be the last COVID wave that prices likely will dip/fall from here. The sports card market rolled over last year and comics likely follow suit at some point (again, everything is still higher than 1/1/20, but far lower than peak). Money to buy collectibles has to come from somewhere and without stimulus or higher markets/crypto, coupled with more spending options as COVID wanes and drop is likely. 

[Robot Man]

Roy, In a round about way you are correct.

Stimulus money is directly affecting inflation. You just can’t print out that much free money and not affect the economy and cause inflation. Anybody who could not see this coming is delusional or not thinking about the theory of cause and effect.

Now let’s take a look at the bigger effect. If it wern’t for our current pandemic, stimulus money would not have been necessary.

 A sad side effect is the impact it has had on people like your “friends”. People who are very happy and content to sit on their butts and let the government support them instead of taking one of the millions of jobs that have been created during this unfortunate situation.

Back to the topic on hand. I stand by my statement that the current huge rise in comic prices have very little to do with stimulus checks. My $600. Payment wouldn’t go very far in this current market even if I was stupid enough to blow it on comics.

And, I live in LA. There are a LOT of wealthy people here. Always have they are getting richer in a lot more better ways than stimulus checks.

By the way, you must be a big player in “Cali”. I usually get turned around at the border of the Hollywood Hills and Beverly Hills…

Edited January 25, 2022 by Robot Man

[VintageComics]

On 1/25/2022 at 10:48 AM, Robot Man said:

Roy, In a round about way you are correct.

Stimulus money is directly affecting inflation. You just can’t print out that much free money and not affect the economy and cause inflation. Anybody who could not see this coming is delusional or not thinking about the theory of cause and effect.

Now let’s take a look at the bigger effect. If it wern’t for our current pandemic, stimulus money would not have been necessary.

 A sad side effect is the impact it has had on people like your “friends”. People who are very happy and content to sit on their butts and let the government support them instead of taking one of the millions of jobs that have been created during this unfortunate situation.

Back to the topic on hand. I stand by my statement that the current huge rise in comic prices have very little to do with stimulus checks. My $600. Payment wouldn’t go very far in this current market even if I was stupid enough to blow it on comics.

And, I live in LA. There are a LOT of wealthy people here. Always have they are getting richer in a lot more better ways than stimulus checks.

It's not a round about way. It's a 100% direct correlation. People need to stop sugar coating things. 

Sure, the little guys with $600 a week didn't buy a GSX #1 CGC 9.8 but you might be unaware of how much money millionaires got when they didn't actually need it. 

And we can't talk about the pandemic here, but I'll just say that you are 100% wrong. 

On 1/25/2022 at 10:48 AM, Robot Man said:

By the way, you must be a big player in “Cali”. I usually get turned around at the border of the Hollywood Hills and Beverly Hills…

Not sure what you mean by 'turned around'? I'm not a 'big player'. When I'm in LA I hang out at the Whiskey, the Rainbow and the Viper. Those are at the base of the Hollywood Hills and I've driven through them to sight see. Anybody can. 

Edited January 25, 2022 by VintageComics

[VintageComics]

On 1/25/2022 at 10:23 AM, The bard said:

This also means that with what is happening in the markets and likely to happen should omicron be the last COVID wave that prices likely will dip/fall from here. The sports card market rolled over last year and comics likely follow suit at some point (again, everything is still higher than 1/1/20, but far lower than peak). Money to buy collectibles has to come from somewhere and without stimulus or higher markets/crypto, coupled with more spending options as COVID wanes and drop is likely. 

Prices only drop when people oversell and if comics were mostly bought with discretionary income, most people won't sell unless they have to, Especially the wealthy. 

Having been back into comics full time for only 20 years, even in those 20 years I've seen lots of up and down cycles, but the down cycles were a shift in focus, plateaus and minor pull backs only to march forward again. 

I think short of a cataclysmic meltdown in the world economy, you're not going to see prices cut dramatically across the board. The wealthy are going to stay wealthy unless they do something dumb. 

[Poekaymon]

On 1/25/2022 at 10:48 AM, Robot Man said:

 A sad side effect is the impact it has had on people like your “friends”. People who are very happy and content to sit on their butts and let the government support them instead of taking one of the millions of jobs that have been created during this unfortunate situation.

Wrong.  The longstanding myth, in all of its forms (now stimulus) of the "lazy Welfare recipient" is very popular in certain misinformed circles, but the data has shown, and continues to show, that it is false.