Typical Mile High

[october]

Are we comparing Raw or CGC copies?

 

CGC isn't in october's vocab.

 

Yeah, all raw copies.

[Timulty]

Man, that price variability would drive a man insane. And again, only thing I buy from MH is reference books.

[Jokerman]

Man, that price variability would drive a man insane. And again, only thing I buy from MH is reference books.

 

 

Like thesauruses?? or is the plural thesauri...

 

 

 

Joker--

[tth2]

People love to say how accurate this dealers grading is, or that dealers, but I have purchased many books from many big dealers and I haven't been impressed by their grading abilities AT ALL. Board members and a few good eBay sellers will get you a better book at a fraction of the cost virtually every time. You may have to wait a few months, but patience pays off.

Totally agree with you on the grading. On the availability and cost, I totally agree with you if you're talking about books that come up frequently on ebay (i.e., late SA to Modern). But if you're into GA and early SA, particularly on the high grade end of things, people shouldn't have any illusions that it's just a case of waiting a few months before a copy will surface on ebay. This area is where the dealers earn their keep.

[shrunkenhead]

But if you're into GA and early SA, particularly on the high grade end of things, people shouldn't have any illusions that it's just a case of waiting a few months before a copy will surface on ebay. This area is where the dealers earn their keep.

 

Bingo. Passing on a desirable GA book because the price is a little high could come back to bite a collector in the butt. Some books almost never appear on ebay, and some absolutely never appear in better than a VG, at best.

 

I'm sure that I own at least 5 GA books that I could not hope to recoup my costs on, books that all came from name dealers. Buying this type of book is not a practice I regularly engage in, but once in awhile I find it essential to take the plunge. If I hold them for the next 10 years (which I likely will), I might be able to get my money back out of them or turn a profit, but even then I couldn't say for certain. On those books, I knew that would be the case when I was going into the deal. But, I also believed that I was buying absoutely irreplaceable stuff, and so far I've turned out to be right.

[Timulty]

Man, that price variability would drive a man insane. And again, only thing I buy from MH is reference books.

 

 

Like thesauruses?? or is the plural thesauri...

 

 

 

Joker--

 

More like Photo-Journals.

[Norrin_Radd]

Bingo. Passing on a desirable GA book because the price is a little high could come back to bite a collector in the butt. Some books almost never appear on ebay, and some absolutely never appear in better than a VG, at best.

 

I'm sure that I own at least 5 GA books that I could not hope to recoup my costs on, books that all came from name dealers. Buying this type of book is not a practice I regularly engage in, but once in awhile I find it essential to take the plunge. If I hold them for the next 10 years (which I likely will), I might be able to get my money back out of them or turn a profit, but even then I couldn't say for certain. On those books, I knew that would be the case when I was going into the deal. But, I also believed that I was buying absoutely irreplaceable stuff, and so far I've turned out to be right.

 

What are the 5 GA books?

[Timulty]

But if you're into GA and early SA, particularly on the high grade end of things, people shouldn't have any illusions that it's just a case of waiting a few months before a copy will surface on ebay. This area is where the dealers earn their keep.

 

Bingo. Passing on a desirable GA book because the price is a little high could come back to bite a collector in the butt. Some books almost never appear on ebay, and some absolutely never appear in better than a VG, at best.

 

I'm sure that I own at least 5 GA books that I could not hope to recoup my costs on, books that all came from name dealers. Buying this type of book is not a practice I regularly engage in, but once in awhile I find it essential to take the plunge. If I hold them for the next 10 years (which I likely will), I might be able to get my money back out of them or turn a profit, but even then I couldn't say for certain. On those books, I knew that would be the case when I was going into the deal. But, I also believed that I was buying absoutely irreplaceable stuff, and so far I've turned out to be right.

 

Exactly, I have been having a time finding good quality copies of some of my books. I shop around but the rare stuff, is almost always, at a dealer. So, I buy there. I also keep an eye out for times, some of the less rare books are on sale at the dealer. That helps some.

[blazingbob]

When somebody posts that they are not impressed with my grading I am always willing to check out their books when they are selling. Most of the time I am meet the eagle eye buyer and when he/she is a seller develops a strong need for glasses.

 

Also people who complain about my pricing are always one who I make this statement to.

 

When a person wants to pay under guide I ask them as a high grade collector would they sell me their collection for less 50-60% of guide. Of course they state absolutely not. If fact they tell me they would want more than guide for their books. Therefore, in order for me to satisfy the "underguide" buyer I need to overpay for the book and sell to them at a loss. Hmmm, wonder how many people are willing to do this?

[Scrooge]

Tim and SH, I agree 100%. I was going to point that out to October but you beat me to it. The point is made even stronger by the fact that the example used is a book that Andy could find on all dealers' inventory and in grade! On the other hand, let's take the well-known example of Norinn chasing a copy of All-Star 57 and still looking for one as far as I know. Should Norinn not buy the one copy a dealer might have and wait for it to turn up on eBay? I don't think he should because he's going to regret not having bitten the bullet and will have to wait a while before getting his copy.

 

Does that mean I shop MH? No but I will go to dealers for books I know will not turn up on eBay damn the cost.

[october]

People love to say how accurate this dealers grading is, or that dealers, but I have purchased many books from many big dealers and I haven't been impressed by their grading abilities AT ALL. Board members and a few good eBay sellers will get you a better book at a fraction of the cost virtually every time. You may have to wait a few months, but patience pays off.

Totally agree with you on the grading. On the availability and cost, I totally agree with you if you're talking about books that come up frequently on ebay (i.e., late SA to Modern). But if you're into GA and early SA, particularly on the high grade end of things, people shouldn't have any illusions that it's just a case of waiting a few months before a copy will surface on ebay. This area is where the dealers earn their keep.

 

I think I am having deja-vu....again. Yes, you are correct. There are some high grade silver and gold books that don't come up, that's pretty obvious to everyone. I guess I was talking about the rest, which comprise 99.9% of comic sales. Those rare and old high grade books represent such a small fraction of comic purchases I didn't think it was worth mentioning.

[october]

When somebody posts that they are not impressed with my grading I am always willing to check out their books when they are selling. Most of the time I am meet the eagle eye buyer and when he/she is a seller develops a strong need for glasses.

 

Also people who complain about my pricing are always one who I make this statement to.

 

When a person wants to pay under guide I ask them as a high grade collector would they sell me their collection for less 50-60% of guide. Of course they state absolutely not. If fact they tell me they would want more than guide for their books. Therefore, in order for me to satisfy the "underguide" buyer I need to overpay for the book and sell to them at a loss. Hmmm, wonder how many people are willing to do this?

 

You should be happy. Out of the dealers I listed, your price was probably the most reasonable. You certainly came across better than others.

[shrunkenhead]

What are the 5 GA books?

 

My HG Superior (pre-code publisher) book immediately comes to mind. Back when I was collecting PCH on a lower budger, I became very conscious of how hard the Superior books were to get in anything even approaching a VF. So, I bought a Strange Mysteries #1 that slabbed out at 9.2...paid through the nose, but don't care (I believe it guides at about $750, and I paid, um, more.) I realize the market for a book of this type is somewhat thin, so it's certainly not flipper material. In 10 years time it may not guide out at what I paid, but again, don't care. It's not for sale.

 

Sorry for the lousy, fuzzy half-scan. Would try to re-scan but I don't keep this book at home:

 

 

 

So Norrin, quid pro quo. Did you buy an AS #57 yet?

[Tomega]

 

Should he be happy also that you are -

- not impressed with his grading?

- not impressed with his service?

- not impressed with his prices?

- or that you will never buy from him ?

 

Sounds like he should be ecstatic.

 

You made a blunder by lumping all online dealers in same category. We are both in agreement about Mile High and general dealer pricing. You can get better pricing in almost all situations by waiting for it to appear on eBay or Heritage. Pricing is one thing, but customer service and grading is pretty good with Metro and Highgrade. If you noticed , I left out Sulipa when I was mentioning that service, pricing etc is pretty good and that is because I never did business with him. How much business have you done with Blazing Bob that you can say that you are not impressed with his grading, service , and pricing?

 

Metro's ( and Harley Yee's) pricing is absurd in some respects but Bob's is more tempered to reflect the market. Sure, some of it is high but some of it is about right especially since Bob has the flexibility of coming to an agreement in price whereas Metro will never come down on a price.

 

I am not trying to just defend Bob , he is perfectly capable if it is warranted, I am just surprised that you feel the pricing, customer service and grading is so far off that you would put them all in the same boat and never do business with them.

[october]

I am just surprised that you feel the pricing, customer service and grading is so far off that you would put them all in the same boat and never do business with them.

 

Frankly, I was surprised as well. I expected better. In any case, others might feel differently, but I don't see much difference between the large dealers (excepting Mile High). My experiences have not been positive ones, and I won't bother to buy from any of them again. For what I paid, the grading was loose across the board. As for the pricing, the numbers speak for themselves. Not sure how you can say I made a "blunder" by roping them all together. That was what my experiences dictated...none of them stood out, all were basically mediocre transactions at best. It's an opinion, not a blunder.

[tth2]

I think I am having deja-vu....again. Yes, you are correct. There are some high grade silver and gold books that don't come up, that's pretty obvious to everyone. I guess I was talking about the rest, which comprise 99.9% of comic sales.

Yes, but unlike me, you never qualify your general statements to make it clear you're only talking about post-1966 mainstream titles.

 

Those rare and old high grade books represent such a small fraction of comic purchases I didn't think it was worth mentioning.

In terms of transactions, yes, a very small fraction. In terms of dollar value of total comic purchases, I would say they make up a very very large percentage. Takes a lot of ASM 300s sales to equal one Action 1 sale.

[Scrooge]

I think I am having deja-vu....again. Yes, you are correct. There are some high grade silver and gold books that don't come up, that's pretty obvious to everyone. I guess I was talking about the rest, which comprise 99.9% of comic sales.

Yes, but unlike me, you never qualify your general statements to make it clear you're only talking about post-1966 mainstream titles.

 

Those rare and old high grade books represent such a small fraction of comic purchases I didn't think it was worth mentioning.

In terms of transactions, yes, a very small fraction. In terms of dollar value of total comic purchases, I would say they make up a very very large percentage. Takes a lot of ASM 300s sales to equal one Action 1 sale.

 

We've had this discussion / problem before. Here I will take Andy's side for a minute. While Tim is correct in that for the CGC market, GA outsells SA (by a nose) which itself outsells BA as can be seen in GPA's Market Report numbers. On a trailing 12-month basis, GA and SA are neck to neck at 37% each and BA has 17% and modern at 10%. Once we take into account the non-graded market, I would imagine that SA wins over GA and we know these SA books are available with good regularity on eBay. Now on a high grade versus any grade basis, obviously availability is another beast. Andy, how much would it cost you to get that Cap Am 100 in the grade you want from a dealer versus the prices you put up from eBay?

[october]

Andy, how much would it cost you to get that Cap Am 100 in the grade you want from a dealer versus the prices you put up from eBay?

 

Interesting question. I will have to take a look.

[october]

Yes, but unlike me, you never qualify your general statements to make it clear you're only talking about post-1966 mainstream titles.

 

Have I told you how much I regret going to law school lately?

[FFB]

Should he be happy also that you are -

- not impressed with his grading?

- not impressed with his service?

- not impressed with his prices?

- or that you will never buy from him ?

 

Sounds like he should be ecstatic.

 

You made a blunder by lumping all online dealers in same category. We are both in agreement about Mile High and general dealer pricing. You can get better pricing in almost all situations by waiting for it to appear on eBay or Heritage. Pricing is one thing, but customer service and grading is pretty good with Metro and Highgrade. If you noticed , I left out Sulipa when I was mentioning that service, pricing etc is pretty good and that is because I never did business with him. How much business have you done with Blazing Bob that you can say that you are not impressed with his grading, service , and pricing?

 

Metro's ( and Harley Yee's) pricing is absurd in some respects but Bob's is more tempered to reflect the market. Sure, some of it is high but some of it is about right especially since Bob has the flexibility of coming to an agreement in price whereas Metro will never come down on a price.

 

I am not trying to just defend Bob , he is perfectly capable if it is warranted, I am just surprised that you feel the pricing, customer service and grading is so far off that you would put them all in the same boat and never do business with them.

 

Anyone who says that Metro's, Sulipa's, and Bob's service is no better than a random ebay purchase is full of you know what.

 

I have had positive and negative experiences with Metro's grading, but for the most part, I think they get it pretty close. The more expensive the book, the more likely it'll be accurately graded. Metro isn't a vendor I'd use to fill a bunch of cheap runs if I were looking for 9.6+ copies of bronze or copper age stuff, but for high dollar books, I trust their grading -- and more importantly, I know that if I need to return an expensive raw book, I will get NO HASSLE and a prompt refund. How many random ebay sellers will do that? Answer: virtually none. There is tremendous value in the peace of mind that comes from that level of service from Metro and that is why I'll use them for purchases even though I've had some low-dollar books show up at my door a couple grades lower than advertised.

 

Doug Sulipa is a bit pricey, but not outrageous. And his grading and service are flat out second to none and his silver/bronze/copper inventory is vast. Refunds are given if requested, without any attitude. Doug's grading is solid across the board (he is, in my opinion, the most accurate and most consistent grader out of all major dealers), even on lower dollar comics in the $20 to $100 range. I've received far more undergraded books from Doug (dozens) than overgraded books (one). And on the overgraded book, the defect was interior tanning that Doug apparently missed, and he cheerfully gave me a refund on the book and apologized for missing the tanning. That kind of thing is going to happen when you've got over a million books in your inventory. How the dealer addresses the situation is just as important as the fact that the situation happened. On ebay, you just cannot expect to get a professional response when a problem arises. The typical response you get is denial, indignation, and then usually radio silence. When you do get a refund, it is the exception, not the rule, and nothing short of a miracle.

 

Bob Storms' pricing is also little higher than OS guide, but his pricing is reasonable, and who isn't charging above guide on high grade books that have any real demand behind them? I have historically been very pleased with Bob's grading, and although I've disagreed with a grade here and there, overall I've found his grading to be reliable, consistent, and generally very accurate. On the one or two times I've disagreed with him, he has either offered a refund or in the one case where I sent the book to CGC instead of arguing with Bob about it, CGC gave the book the exact same grade that Bob did (my Amazing Adventures #11 CGC 8.5, purchased from Bob as a raw VF+. At the time, I thought the big production scrape defect common to that book would knock it down to 7.5, but CGC disagreed.) Again, as with the others, the experiences I have had buying from Bob and the peace of mind that comes from the fact that I know that I won't have to chase him down or threaten him to get a prompt refund has real VALUE to me -- and thus, I'm far more comfortable buying a book that costs more than $100 from Bob or one of the other guys on this list than I would be with rolling the dice on ebay and taking my chances in the hope that I might find a cheaper, accurately graded copy. I've had some great successes buying on ebay (my raw ASM#86 NM+ comes to mind), but for every great success there has been at least an equal number of disasters (my raw TOS#52 advertised as VF/NM that came back from CGC as a 7.5 -- and when I returned the book for a refund, the dealer kept the book AND my money and then disappeared).

 

Which reminds me -- if you ever meet the guy behind the ebay user ID toysandmore03@aol.com, please kick him in the nuts for me.

 

The bottom line is that if all one is buying is ultra-common filler books from the 1970s and 1980s, Joe Koch or some of the other wholesalers on ebay can probably get your runs filled with warehouse copies far more cheaply than any of the major dealers could. But for higher dollar purchases of over $100 per book, relying on ebay is like going hog-wild in Bangkok without a jimmy sack.

 

And as a parting comment to bring this back in line with the original topic, I have had great success buying magazines from Mile High Comics at reasonable prices. The magazines were all accurately graded except for one early Vampy, and for that book, I politely and unemotionally asked for a refund and they refunded my money promptly and without attitude.