A (potentially) concerning trend for Comic Cons? 1 1

[theCapraAegagrus]

On 4/12/2022 at 8:30 AM, sonicyouth1 said:

Facebook Twitter Instagram discord and tiktok are becoming more detrimental to society.

What did Discord do to anyone!?

[jsilverjanet]

[jsilverjanet]

It’s possible quite possible that because of the cost of the booth, some dealers have been forced to maximize that time and space in other ways. It’s also possible that their customer base is primarily online vs on-site 

finally it will not be the first or the last time a dealer does something that causes potential buyers to look elsewhere 

as buyers there are more options than ever to find comics

the same for sellers

[jsilverjanet]

A greater topic to discuss is why comic cons have converted into its current state 

whos to blame 

the consumer

the industry 

or the retailer 

[1Cool]

On 4/12/2022 at 11:53 AM, jsilverjanet said:

A greater topic to discuss is why comic cons have converted into its current state 

whos to blame 

the consumer

the industry 

or the retailer 

Define what you think is the current state of Cons (pros and cons).

[ExNihilo]

On 4/12/2022 at 8:51 AM, jsilverjanet said:

It’s possible quite possible that because of the cost of the booth, some dealers have been forced to maximize that time and space in other ways. It’s also possible that their customer base is primarily online vs on-site

I'm not terribly informed on the economics of it, but I would expect that by expanding auction items to users online, you increase the final hammer price as more people are able to bid on a good.  If you limit the auction to only people in attendance at Wondercon, then it's possible that you're excluding a lot of people with deep pockets who didn't attend.  Sure as a buyer you're hoping that by attending the con, you've gained access that others don't and thus have a smaller pool of competitors to worry about, but isn't that a little entitled?  You still can get books signed, request remarks, buy other pieces of work that are in person only, etc.  On the flipside, I agree with others, it is annoying to have to register for yet another app.

[jsilverjanet]

On 4/12/2022 at 11:47 AM, 1Cool said:

Define what you think is the current state of Cons (pros and cons).

i think cons are doing extremely well and every dealer I've spoken to at the last big ones I've attended say business has been great

however here on the boards, the consumer seems to think differently, and for quite some time.

 

[Robot Man]

As a dealer if you aren’t doing well it’s probably one or more reasons. Either your prices are high, your grading is off, you don’t bring the right stuff or maybe you don’t have “people skills”. People go to buy in person not “on line”. 

I have set up at a couple of shows since Covid has slowed down. I have found a lot of people like to buy in person like I do. Many show up with fists full of cash and are ready to buy.

Everything sells at the right price. People are literally buying everything and often a bunch of cheap books add up. My best sales are to run collectors on a budget. Sure I sell a number of bigger books but mostly under $300. I bring a wide variety of mostly GA and SA in all genres. Pays to have some humor, Dell, and even dead titles. The kind of stuff most dealers don’t bring.

Shows out here on the West Coast are strong! 

Edited April 12, 2022 by Robot Man

[fatlab123]

The smaller cons that have been held in socal have been great.  As far as the question do apps hurt cons . It just another way to get customer to your booth.  Just because you setup at a show doesn’t mean that customer is coming to your booth or you have what they want or price they want. The idea is to make money or at least that is why I setup at a con

[blazingbob]

I'm not sure what the issue is with maximizing the use of Convention time by offering a "interactive" experience with your online base.

My website is working while I'm at a show,  instagram as well as emails are constantly poring in as I'm at a show.

If I had the time, the staff or the energy to conduct onsite sales while at shows I would.  I think it is a strong use of your employee base to online sell items that were just picked up or acquired at the show.  Business is all about cash flow so frankly it is more productive having the staff creating income versus sitting around doing nothing if there is no one to help.  

Imagine if you knew before you got to a show what the retailers had?  Or what they had just picked up? 

There are so many ways to improve the comic con experience.   

 

[GACollectibles]

On 4/12/2022 at 2:44 PM, blazingbob said:

There are so many ways to improve the comic con experience. 

Doing a live stream Rants & Raves from your next convention would be a good start.

[blazingbob]

On 4/12/2022 at 3:01 PM, GACollectibles said:

Doing a live stream Rants & Raves from your next convention would be a good start.

Yawn,  Quoting Chris Rock "I ain't talking about it until I get paid"

[supapimp]

On 4/12/2022 at 12:11 PM, blazingbob said:

Yawn,  Quoting Chris Rock "I ain't talking about it until I get paid"

Hey Bob, do you have a wondercon market report 

[blazingbob]

On 4/12/2022 at 3:46 PM, supapimp said:

Hey Bob, do you have a wondercon market report 

Buying was good,  selling was good.

Comic buying traffic was good.  

Thought there was more material on the floor then at past shows.  

[troydivision1]

My question for sellers / buyers / collectors is whether Whatnot / IG / FB sales should be logged into GPA.
Knowing from these boards that "XX Day GPA Average" is the often quoted in sales, what happens when new media outpaces / shifts away from legacy media?
As a seller or buyer how does that affect the collectible market overall if those above average (sometimes record breaking) Whatnot / IG / FB sales aren't an equal part of the recorded sales data?

Edited April 13, 2022 by Troy Division

[fastballspecial]

I am pretty much burned out on cons. If I can't get in free as a setup man or dealer I am not going anymore.
There are not enough dealers to justify the prices for what I am looking for which is comics. Ive gone back to attending small shows and putting one on myself as a protest.

 

 

Edited April 13, 2022 by fastballspecial

[fastballspecial]

On 4/12/2022 at 8:58 PM, Troy Division said:

My question for sellers / buyers / collectors is whether Whatnot / IG / FB sales should be logged into GPA.
Knowing from these boards that "XX Day GPA Average" is the often quoted in sales, what happens when new media outpaces / shifts away from legacy media?
As a seller or buyer how does that affect the collectible market overall if those above average (sometimes record breaking) Whatnot / IG / FB sales aren't an equal part of the recorded sales data?

Tough question. Hard to justify overall.