october Posted August 10, 2023 Share Posted August 10, 2023 (edited) On 8/10/2023 at 1:38 PM, EastEnd1 said: You also probably shouldn't be in this business... Nevermind. Edited August 10, 2023 by october lizards2 and greggy 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeniorSurfer Posted August 10, 2023 Share Posted August 10, 2023 Pretty general info and very one-sided towards the buyer (better "thumbs up" ratings that way). As others have pointed out, he doesn't take into account the legwork a dealer has to do to get the book, the immediate out-of-pocket expense that he's invested in that book (and hundreds of others), con fees, possible hotel/travel expenses, etc. There's also having to listen to buyers tear down your wares for a better price as, strangely enough, customers might not be too friendly either and look to beat down the prices as much as possible. And I'm a buyer, not a dealer. I've only been to small/medium cons and it's great to see some HTF books in hand. I'll try to put a few together, make an offer and hope for the best, but I'm not going to whine about it if it's not accepted. Everyone has their costs so I'll move on. If it is accepted then great. Maybe there's an ensuing chat about what I collect and if he can be on the lookout for certain books, but I've never thought there's anything else to it and whether he can give me a better price just because I say hello to him all the time or there's any other close ties ("C'mon Fred, give me a break here... I'm sleeping with your sister!"). gumption 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadroch Posted August 10, 2023 Share Posted August 10, 2023 price GUIDES aren't useless. They guide you on what people were paying for a book last year. I want one that tells me what people will pay next year, but no one has perfected that. George tracks what a segment of the market has been paying for books. It's useful but not scripture. If I walked into a store and the counter guy told me he had to check GPA before selling me his stock, I'd walk out. I'd also not tell a dealer that someone somewhere bought this same book cheaper three months ago. I honestly don't care if a dealer used GPA or rolls Bones to determine his prices. If a book is priced too high, I'll make what I consider a fair price. It can be accepted, rejected, or a counter-offer can be made. Telling a dealer his book is overpriced is not a good way to negotiate, IMO. Other opinions may vary. Gonzimodo 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Cman429 Posted August 10, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted August 10, 2023 I think it’s entirely reasonable to ignore what people have been actually paying for the past 3-6-12 months and instead price things based on what your crystal ball predicts they’ll be selling for in 2035 RockMyAmadeus, Danno616, october and 3 others 1 1 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EastEnd1 Posted August 10, 2023 Share Posted August 10, 2023 On 8/10/2023 at 2:57 PM, october said: I've successfully been "in this business" for 15 years. I'm the guy that sells at reasonable price levels, you must be that other guy. Good luck with the museum. There's a lot of room between refusing to listen to GPA sales and a slavish devotion to it. That wasn't directed at you... it was directed at the hypothetical seller with the sign... sd2416 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
october Posted August 10, 2023 Share Posted August 10, 2023 On 8/10/2023 at 2:17 PM, EastEnd1 said: That wasn't directed at you... it was directed at the hypothetical seller with the sign... Ah. Sorry. I misinterpreted! sd2416 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post F For Fake Posted August 10, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted August 10, 2023 (edited) On 8/10/2023 at 2:55 PM, FlyingDonut said: If that's your argument, then all price guides are useless and you should make prices up based on the tides. I'm good with using this system for Aquaman and Sub-mariner books. Edited August 10, 2023 by F For Fake silverseeker, jcjames, Azkaban and 2 others 1 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EastEnd1 Posted August 10, 2023 Share Posted August 10, 2023 On 8/10/2023 at 3:18 PM, october said: Ah. Sorry. I misinterpreted! No worries... I could have been clearer now that I'm re-reading it. I'm actually agreeing with you. If a dealer doesn't have the patience to listen to a potential buyer quoting GPA, then they probably ought to do something else for a living. sd2416 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alecholland Posted August 10, 2023 Share Posted August 10, 2023 Wait, are you telling me that when I go to a con looking for comics, the people who have set up booths to sell comics will actually try to sell me comics? They might be friendly to me and say things like "are you looking for anything specific?" or "those books are 30% off." That's just crazy! RockMyAmadeus, Gonzimodo and rlextherobot 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor Dositheus Posted August 10, 2023 Share Posted August 10, 2023 When I'm at a con, I expect prices to be a little high. I look at it as I'm supporting the continued presence of dealers and comic conventions in general. It only takes one walkthrough to realize which dealers are sellers motivated to move product, and which would rather sell less books at higher markup. After a few years, I might even start to remember which are which!. I generally don't make offers, but gladly accept them with a sincere thank you! That said, I am that guy (old school), with his handwritten buy list on a piece of paper, and current GPA written down across a spread of grades. I generally like to make a little weekend vacation of it, so I understand that they have expenses like gas, hotel rooms and meals. Also some con dealers don't overprice, they overgrade the old-fashioned way! I prefer slightly more accurate grading with maybe a 10-15% markup. If I get a deal on a stack, BONUS! gumption, southern cross, factory sealed and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingDonut Posted August 10, 2023 Share Posted August 10, 2023 I need to take a screen shot of that guy so I know when he comes to any table that I'm manning to instantly close for the day. There's NO WAY the sale to that guy would be worth the hassle. StingerMcK, ComicsAndCode and devald 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Aldred Posted August 10, 2023 Share Posted August 10, 2023 It’s possible. I’m terrible at compartmentalisation and reading people, so as a safety mechanism it’s not something I let myself get too bothered about nowadays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
batman_fan Posted August 11, 2023 Share Posted August 11, 2023 My general rule for comic conventions is to walk around to see what people have. If I see something I really want I buy it immediately otherwise I write it down, finish looking at stuff then go back and pick up a few more things. Then I go home. F For Fake 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadroch Posted August 11, 2023 Share Posted August 11, 2023 If you want a friend, get a dog. If you want an accurately graded book at a fair price- see Bob Storms. Off Panel and Larryw7 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoMan Posted August 11, 2023 Share Posted August 11, 2023 (edited) I volunteered with the guy at the local comic shop I like to help him set up and man his booth at a con. I wanted to see first hand what is was like. It was labor intensive moving in. It was annoying and exhausting talking to 75% of the mentally challenged that came up to strike a conversation with me behind the counter and not but anything I respect most dealers at cons, severely. The others I stay away from. wonder if this You Tube r e t a r d had ever done one day of manual labor in his life. Edited August 11, 2023 by NoMan thehumantorch, B2D327, Comicshows and 1 other 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Aldred Posted August 11, 2023 Share Posted August 11, 2023 (edited) On 8/11/2023 at 5:02 AM, shadroch said: If you want a friend, get a dog. Good suggestion. For an experience that provides the best of both worlds, a friendly companion that’s also a mammalian apex predator, I personally like cats. Edited August 11, 2023 by Ken Aldred Azkaban 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Domo Arigato Posted August 11, 2023 Share Posted August 11, 2023 On 8/10/2023 at 11:02 PM, shadroch said: If you want a friend, get a dog. If you want an accurately graded book at a fair price- see Bob Storms. He talked to Bob Storms at Heroes Comic Con (video queued up below).....and apparently Bob could tell immediately. Also....where is this guys video for dealers letting them know that customers aren't their friends? At the 13:17 mark in this same video.....he pulls a Saga #1 in CGC 9.8 and says it's a $500 book all day long. The dealer has it priced at $350. So, what does he do? He offers the dealer even less ($300), and ends up buying it for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post blazingbob Posted August 15, 2023 Popular Post Share Posted August 15, 2023 (edited) On 8/11/2023 at 4:31 AM, Domo Arigato said: He talked to Bob Storms at Heroes Comic Con (video queued up below).....and apparently Bob could tell immediately. Also....where is this guys video for dealers letting them know that customers aren't their friends? At the 13:17 mark in this same video.....he pulls a Saga #1 in CGC 9.8 and says it's a $500 book all day long. The dealer has it priced at $350. So, what does he do? He offers the dealer even less ($300), and ends up buying it for that. Update: I have now watched this video through its entirety. I do remember this encounter. He asked me to see the first appearance of the Haunted Tank GI combat issue which is the planes dive bombing. I told him that I didn't have the first appearance issue. I believe he asks to see the first cover appearance issue of G.I. combat Haunted tank which is issue #91, I do not and did have that issue either. Whether he made a mistake or not what else am I supposed to say? I have spent years behind the table to know that if people are asking for specific books that is their "quest for the show". If somebody is asking me to see a FF #48 and I don't have one I'm sorry but I don't show them every other Galactus issue I have. Doing that very very rarely results in a sale. And no I wasn't judging him an insufficiently_thoughtful_person. Edited August 15, 2023 by blazingbob ADAMANTIUM, silverseeker, Off Panel and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southern cross Posted August 15, 2023 Share Posted August 15, 2023 If dealers aren't our friends, why did one invite me onto his boat for a day out on the harbor? drmccoy74 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
namisgr Posted August 15, 2023 Share Posted August 15, 2023 I've had dealers over to my house. Does that make them more than acquaintances? drmccoy74 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
