MegaCon 2023 - March 30 to April 2 - Orlando, FL 4 4

[alexgross.com]

On 4/3/2023 at 6:17 PM, blazingbob said:

I'm sorry that I am not a "Big dealer" to you.  I was at C2E2

how wazzit?

[Cman429]

On 4/2/2023 at 7:35 AM, HighRadArt said:

I asked to see one raw book and the price was way more than I wanted to pay.  Are they overpriced?  In todays world - maybe.  For me the pricing has made the hobby less enjoyable so I would say yes.

I did see quite a few exclusives.  I picked up a couple from a dealer that had mostly Will Jack covers. They even had a C2E2 exclusive from last year.  Ebas and his wife had some exclusives/limited books at their booth but $100 to $200 for a new comic book for me is on the pricey side.  The full nude was an eye opener. 

I go to several cons and half dozen card shows a year, in my experience dealers selling raw vintage/“wall books” are always way overpriced. They don’t even want to negotiate like dealers on whatnot or IG do. That’s bc they’re not looking for serious longtime collectors at shows, they’re hoping to sell to impulse buyers or rubes with no idea of FMV. 

As for the “exclusives,” you ain’t kidding there. I can’t be the only one over this gimmick? Every online dealer had a table full of “exclusive” variants. Don’t get me started on the nude variants. The McDonald guys had a table full of them priced at like $75+. I am embarrassed how they perpetuate the fanboy “has never touched a female” stereotype I thought we grew out of as a community. Meanwhile Black Flag was still selling the same Crain variants people are always trying to scalp on here or feebay so I’m not getting the scarcity argument. Finally, I bought two 2023 C2E2 variants at the Unknown table which I guess they split between the cons.

I guess I have a different definition of “exclusive” than comic dealers…

I was at Megacon three days and didn’t walk the entire space but the comic sellers seem to be shrinking every year. Maybe it was C2E2 splitting the attention tho. I passed that Dale Roberts booth several times and was tempted to say hi to joeypost but didnt want to bother anyone when vintage comics aren’t my jam. I wish I couldve found custom Lego mini figs but all I saw was guys selling ones pulled from sets. I did bit a few hundred in toys tho bc toy dealers seem willing to price things in line with ebay and even negotiate better prices. Or maybe they just had a bad weekend and wanted to salvage Sunday. This was my 6th Megacon in a row and I’m sad to see the comic selling aspect eroding away. 

[1Cool]

On 4/4/2023 at 12:17 AM, blazingbob said:

I'm sorry that I am not a "Big dealer" to you.  I was at C2E2

How did it go?  Setting up next year?

[blazingbob]

On 4/4/2023 at 6:42 AM, Cman429 said:

I go to several cons and half dozen card shows a year, in my experience dealers selling raw vintage/“wall books” are always way overpriced. They don’t even want to negotiate like dealers on whatnot or IG do. That’s bc they’re not looking for serious longtime collectors at shows, they’re hoping to sell to impulse buyers or rubes with no idea of FMV. 

As for the “exclusives,” you ain’t kidding there. I can’t be the only one over this gimmick? Every online dealer had a table full of “exclusive” variants. Don’t get me started on the nude variants. The McDonald guys had a table full of them priced at like $75+. I am embarrassed how they perpetuate the fanboy “has never touched a female” stereotype I thought we grew out of as a community. Meanwhile Black Flag was still selling the same Crain variants people are always trying to scalp on here or feebay so I’m not getting the scarcity argument. Finally, I bought two 2023 C2E2 variants at the Unknown table which I guess they split between the cons.

I guess I have a different definition of “exclusive” than comic dealers…

I was at Megacon three days and didn’t walk the entire space but the comic sellers seem to be shrinking every year. Maybe it was C2E2 splitting the attention tho. I passed that Dale Roberts booth several times and was tempted to say hi to joeypost but didnt want to bother anyone when vintage comics aren’t my jam. I wish I couldve found custom Lego mini figs but all I saw was guys selling ones pulled from sets. I did bit a few hundred in toys tho bc toy dealers seem willing to price things in line with ebay and even negotiate better prices. Or maybe they just had a bad weekend and wanted to salvage Sunday. This was my 6th Megacon in a row and I’m sad to see the comic selling aspect eroding away. 

Well based on this type of review would collector's want to go to shows?  People seem to think that nobody reads these posts.  Word of mouth can destroy a show as quickly as actually going and experiencing it yourself.  

You compare a Whatnot or IG seller to a comic convention dealer?  A video stream with a quick look at the book versus you physically looking at the book in your hand?  Sorry but I think I would like to physically see the book,  see if I agree with the grade before I start negotiating it down if the price doesn't meet my expectation.  

And speaking of expectations it is very hard for comic dealers to know every buyers "Pricing/Grade wanted Expectations".  The GPA only guy,  the OSPG guy,  the 10% off GPA guy,  the dollar book guy,  the champagne taste/beer wallet guy,  etc.  I had two buyers at C2E2 turn a book down after I asked them what they wanted to pay.  I agreed to their price and they still had to think about it.  So while buyers may think that dealers are difficult to deal with try standing on my side of the table for awhile.  

Here is a honest assessment of what I think most and I say most buyers really feel.

The less travel they have to do the better.  

They don't want to pay a lot to get in.  If they can score a dealer badge even better.  

They don't want to pay a lot to park,  Free comes to mind for most

They don't want to pay a lot for a hotel

They don't want the show too crowded

They want good food at a good price.  Every dollar spent at dinner is one less available to buy something.

They want to see lots of books in the genres they collect at prices that they want to pay.

They want dealers to take their trade at their numbers,  save themselves the time and cost of selling it themselves so they can get the books they want at their numbers.     

The flippers want to find the collector selling his collection at OSPG prices in high grade before the dealers do.  They can then proudly show the purchases off to their friends while dollar signs dance in their eyes.  

They want a really nice venue for all of the above

Edited April 4, 2023 by blazingbob

[blazingbob]

On 4/4/2023 at 8:34 AM, 1Cool said:

How did it go?  Setting up next year?

I did good based on resetting my sales expectations.  

I had so many great shows last year that it is VERY unlikely that I would repeat the numbers I was doing.  

Bought some great books,  sold some great books.  

Show was steady.  

[Robot Man]

On 4/3/2023 at 9:17 PM, blazingbob said:

I'm sorry that I am not a "Big dealer" to you.  I was at C2E2

I said a “lot” of dealers. Wasn’t referencing YOU specifically. My point is there are a lot less vintage comic dealers at big cons these days. Would you not agree?

NOBODY can touch Harley though. He was at WonderCon 2 weeks ago on Friday then flew to Big Apple Friday night. The next week he was at C2E2 and Mega in FL in the same weekend I believe. The man is a machine and the hardest working dealer in the business. His stock is amazing. Something for everybody. I can’t remember the last time I left his booth without buying stuff.

From a buyer’s perspective, I really appreciate the dealers who keep this business moving. It isn’t an easy job. 

[blazingbob]

The man is the hardest working "Convention" dealer.  If you have a great website you don't have to kill yourself flying all over the place to be at shows.  I have no problem with working hard,  I do try to do it as efficiently as possible.  

And frankly the convention model isn't exactly the strongest selling or most cost effective way to do business.

Covid clearly showed the flaws in the convention model way of doing business.  

[Robot Man]

On 4/4/2023 at 8:02 AM, blazingbob said:

The man is the hardest working "Convention" dealer.  If you have a great website you don't have to kill yourself flying all over the place to be at shows.  I have no problem with working hard,  I do try to do it as efficiently as possible.  

And frankly the convention model isn't exactly the strongest selling or most cost effective way to do business.

Covid clearly showed the flaws in the convention model way of doing business.  

I would agree with that. Problem is for me, is that websites very rarely have the books I am looking for. The stuff I look for is more likely to turn up at a live show. Anything I want rarely makes it to a website or if it does, it’s long gone before I see it. A very cost effective way of doing business though. It obviously works for you.

How did you do at WonderCon? I came by your booth a couple times but missed you  I guess. I was there on Friday and it looked pretty sparce. I spoke to a few boardies and friends that mostly collect GA like I do. Most were just looking to buy that one big book or two. A lot of those people went home with their money. People are really getting selective.

I was hoping for that as well but didn’t have much luck. So I changed my tactic. I rolled up my sleeves and did some serious box diving. I came home with a small pile of cool less expensive books. I still left with most of my money. But I was still happy. Hey, a bad day at a comic con is still better than a good day at work…

[blazingbob]

On 4/4/2023 at 11:23 AM, Robot Man said:

I would agree with that. Problem is for me, is that websites very rarely have the books I am looking for. The stuff I look for is more likely to turn up at a live show. Anything I want rarely makes it to a website or if it does, it’s long gone before I see it. A very cost effective way of doing business though. It obviously works for you.

How did you do at WonderCon? I came by your booth a couple times but missed you  I guess. I was there on Friday and it looked pretty sparce. I spoke to a few boardies and friends that mostly collect GA like I do. Most were just looking to buy that one big book or two. A lot of those people went home with their money. People are really getting selective.

I was hoping for that as well but didn’t have much luck. So I changed my tactic. I rolled up my sleeves and did some serious box diving. I came home with a small pile of cool less expensive books. I still left with most of my money. But I was still happy. Hey, a bad day at a comic con is still better than a good day at work…

Wondercon was my first show since October.  Was a typical Wondercon,  decent sales.  This year was very sparse buying even though I really really tried.  There is definitely a shortage of certain material.  Was going to sell my box inventory to another dealer but somehow the rules changed from the last time he bought my inventory to this time.  Wound up not doing it. 

 

[Robot Man]

On 4/4/2023 at 8:45 AM, blazingbob said:

Wondercon was my first show since October.  Was a typical Wondercon,  decent sales.  This year was very sparse buying even though I really really tried.  There is definitely a shortage of certain material.  Was going to sell my box inventory to another dealer but somehow the rules changed from the last time he bought my inventory to this time.  Wound up not doing it. 

 

Good to hear. It’s a long trip from the East Coast. Us West Coast collectors sure appreciate you guys making the trip.

Hopefully, Torpedo goes off this year. Always a great buying/selling show for vintage material. 

Edited April 4, 2023 by Robot Man

[joeypost]

How crazy were the crowds on Saturday?

[Cman429]

On 4/6/2023 at 7:28 AM, joeypost said:

How crazy were the crowds on Saturday?

It was literally a sea of humanity. If you were in the middle of an aisle you couldn’t see what booth was to your left or right and I’m 6’2. My brother told me meet him at CGC, I got somewhere around your/Dale Robert booth and lost my bearings bc you were just in a crowd of people. The Frank Miller line stretched from his booth across the black curtain to across the back wall. Practically every celeb line was a 2 hour wait. Just chaos. 

[Dale Roberts]

MegaCon was great and I walked around pre-show, and there was a ton of vintage books there. Not every big dealer in the country, but lots of guys with good solid material. I actually bought some late 1950s Archies titles out of boxes for less than $5. And I bought some super nice GA Batman's from another dealer, including some highest graded copies. 

I know I did well, the Reece's did well. I heard mixed reviews from dealers. It seemed to be about having the right books at the right prices. If you are still priced in 2021, your sales are slow. If you have adjusted to the new 2023 reality, you did well. I talked to one modern dealer who said it was one of the best MegaCons he has had since the mid to late 2000s. I'm guessing all told, there were somewhere around 30 guys at the show with some decent vintage books. As far as how they were priced, I don't know, as I didn't check everyone. 

Thankfully, Megacon is scheduled in February next year and C2E2 is in April. I have already booked both shows. 

[jeffreyk]

Megacon was a great show. I was there on Saturday and it was packed. I picked up several cgc books from Reeces Rare Comics as well as from Dale Roberts.  I thought their prices were fair and they got all of my business.

[Vegas021]

Did anyone make an in-person submission while attending Megacon this year? If so, have your submissions been entered into the system yet? I submitted a standard tier submission on Thursday (03/30) and it has still not been entered.

[Cman429]

On 4/12/2023 at 10:58 PM, Vegas021 said:

Did anyone make an in-person submission while attending Megacon this year? If so, have your submissions been entered into the system yet? I submitted a standard tier submission on Thursday (03/30) and it has still not been entered.

Yes and yes

[CCComics]

On 4/10/2023 at 3:36 PM, jeffreyk said:

Megacon was a great show. I was there on Saturday and it was packed. I picked up several cgc books from Reeces Rare Comics as well as from Dale Roberts.  I thought their prices were fair and they got all of my business.

I totally agree, it was a great time....good to see Dale and the Reeses.  Alot of people, alot of good vibes from con goers, artists and dealers. And the best part...none of the "gotta wear a mask" BS. 

[SpineTic]

$20,000 Comic Book STOLEN at MegaCon 2023!