Who here be man enough to attend Super-Con, Oakland?

[sckao]

That means teamsters! I don't know if I will set up if they keep raising the booth prices but the sales keep getting lower and lower. I was a little upset with the turn out. People came out because Adam Hughes and some other great artists were there but they sure as hell weren't buying anything very big.

 

You only have to look at this board to see that spending on comic books in general have slowed. And I would hazard to guess that the people on this board spend a fair amount on comics in general.

 

I bought a bunch of 9.8 and 9.6 modern slabs from Coastline and that was pretty much it. Even those were priced pretty close to the cost of the slab itself. $15

 

In a way, I think that Colossus comics has helped put a ceiling on the general slab market. 9.8s are now only 3x a 9.4 whereas they used to be 8-10x.

 

When I offered to buy people's cheap CGC slabs in the Marketplace, I managed to buy a large amount of cheap slabs.... many for less than the real cost of the slabbing.

[jimm94]

I also agree that a number of dealers at this show did a poor job of grading and/or pricing, but that's par for the course at any con. I actually think it's better when someone puts a price only on a book and doesn't mark it with a grade. Dealers lose a lot of credibility with me when they have the cahones to mark a book as NM+ that is barely a 9.0. Maybe the book got damaged from being at so many shows, but it's even more likely that the person doesn't know or care how to grade probably. It seems like a lot of people must bag grade front covers only or something.

 

Indeed, insanity manifests itself in a variety of forms. One dealer had a CGC 4.0 Boy Commandos # 1 with extensive amateur restoration. A total frankenbook. I asked to see it and he said he was asking $1,000 but was considering offers. He started to tell me how the CGC grade of 4.0 is "pre-restoration" - that the grade given is based on what the book would have been before it was restored. I proceeded to educate him on how that is NOT the case, and I pointed out the flaws on the book that caused it to be graded 4.0. I also directed him to the CGC booth where Steve Borock could further explain how apparent restored grades are derived if he was interested in knowing more. It's pretty freakin' sad when someone overgrades a book that is already slabbed!!!

[HouseofComics.Com]

Well, for my business the habits of this board or slab-buyers/HG buyers in general is pretty much a non-issue. But to not be able to move any of your reasonably priced ASM 2-20, etc. at clearly the second-biggest NorCal show of the year is disappointing.

 

I had one guy dig in the boxes for an issue of What If he wanted. $4 guide so with our special con sale I took it all the way down to $2.50. He put it back. Then came back later and asked if I'd take $1 for it.

[CW]

You see this is why I am reluctant to pay more for a booth next year and I am sure they will be more. I would have purchased stuff from the other dealers if I had sold much stock to begin with. As it is I had enough cash for the CGC subs I was doing and managed to buy 1 book for the business. It really is a shame because I feel the show has potential. I suppose I shouldn't complain, it must be hard running a show. I guess if the promoters get people in the door that is the best they can do. You can lead a horse to water..... As for the over grading thing, that kind of scares me. I try to undergrade and I encourage people to call me on a bad grade job before they buy or if they notice something after. Of course 75% of my stuff is already graded so I guess that doesn't help much.

[HouseofComics.Com]

At least no one is offering you $1 for your books.

[Forbush-Man]

At least no one is offering you $1 for your books.

 

 

I'll give you $1.05 for it........................

 

[HouseofComics.Com]

With our regular $4 shipping on orders under $33, it's yours!

[CW]

Actually...

As a rule of thumb to buyers, if the book is less than $5 and the seller offers it to you for less don't be an hole and try dickering on the price. Either take it or leave it. That reminds me of this one guy I see at all the local shows. At the first Wondercon I set up at he spent 20 mins telling me how CGC was so stupid and how prices were insane . I finally pointed out to him that there were people in the show that would love to have that discussion but the guy selling them wasn't a good place to start. Maybe people are narrow minded or can't see when they have crossed the line. I agree that when a buyer starts to bad mouth a person or demand a better price they have to realize that the book belongs to the seller and it is their perogative to sell it how they like. "Don't go into someone's home and tell them how to live."

PS:

Marc,

Next time you get a buyer like that send them to my booth.

-Chris

[HouseofComics.Com]

Usually they don't want to have the conversation with me. 2005 Oakland show a guy muttered that "I don't agree with your prices" on my unread sharp DC Tarzans. When I said, they are high-grade and priced at Overstreet he said, "I don't agree with Overstreet" and walked away. His opinion is probably just based on his preference--he has no idea about market trends, how much we pay for a freaking booth, or probably even how to grade.

 

That's still better than the passive-aggressive guy from Wondercon who wanted additional discounts for just 1-3 sub-$10 books but wasn't able to handle any debate either, preferring to say that "he would think that I was there to make money" as he walked away. After buying the books.

 

I don't blame these guys too much--comics are out of their price range, at $10-15 each for 30 year-old HG or $5-10 each for 50-year-old low-grade.

 

But as Chris says, don't make it like I'm out to get you or say I don't know what I'm doing.

 

Marc

[Forbush-Man]

There are a lot of collectible hobbies out there, but this is one of the few where I think buyer's feel a discount is manditory. I may be wrong, but that's just MHO. For the most part, 10% isn't out of the question for most books, but I've come across folks who think the discount should only begin at 30%.

 

Dealer's do have money tied up in their purchases, over-head, materials,....

 

 

[HouseofComics.Com]

You know, maybe a bit of that attitude comes from the fact that they are being ripped by the dealers we've discussed earlier. So some must assume it's a cat and mouse game and they always have to beware.

 

Almost all the customers I talked to over the weekend were a complete delight--it's the ones who aren't who are notable and thankfully rare.

 

Marc

[Forbush-Man]

You know, maybe a bit of that attitude comes from the fact that they are being ripped by the dealers we've discussed earlier. So some must assume it's a cat and mouse game and they always have to beware.

 

Almost all the customers I talked to over the weekend were a complete delight--it's the ones who aren't who are notable and thankfully rare.

 

Marc

 

[HouseofComics.Com]

I do like carrying the light-hearted comics as a change of pace. My favorite customer of the weekend might have been the last. She was there with her husband and two kids and spotted the Uncle Scrooge Goes to Disneyland Dell Giant on our rack. She bought that one and then when I showed her the rest of our Disneys she agonized between the Mary Poppins adaptation and Mickey Mouse Goes to Fantasyland Dell Giant. She chose the latter and then we had a discussion about Penguins and then I failed to remember which series had some Chilly Willy backups. Is it Woody Woodpecker? That would make sense.

 

Marc

[Forbush-Man]

I think it was two SD Con's ago, maybe last one......I don't remember. There was this one really cute girl going around, looking for Rex the Wonder Dog's for her boyfriend...........that girl is a keeper! Lucky Dog!!!

 

[HouseofComics.Com]

[tth2]

There was this one really cute girl going around, looking for Rex the Wonder Dog's for her boyfriend...........that girl is a keeper! Lucky Dog!!!

 

There's another Rex collector in the world besides you and Adam?!

[HouseofComics.Com]

Hey, always remember that Chuck kept the Rex's as long as he could from the Church collection. IIRC.

[tth2]

Hey, always remember that Chuck kept the Rex's as long as he could from the Church collection. IIRC.

So Chuck has a cute girlfriend?

[Scrooge]

There was this one really cute girl going around, looking for Rex the Wonder Dog's for her boyfriend...........that girl is a keeper! Lucky Dog!!!

 

There's another Rex collector in the world besides you and Adam?!

 

[Scrooge]

I had one guy dig in the boxes for an issue of What If he wanted. $4 guide so with our special con sale I took it all the way down to $2.50. He put it back. Then came back later and asked if I'd take $1 for it.

 

Sheesh, even I am not that cheap!