showcase newengland auction...

[nik]

Yup, they overgrade

[Nostalgic Attic]

what is going on with showcase newenglands auctions the last few times. it seems one person is sinning all the auctions...and bidding in my opinion. crazy prices on everything he is bidding on. i have seen auctions end with crazy final bids. hes winning thousands of dollars worth of books eack time out. worst yet...hes bidding on lots i have my eye on!!!! some are going off right now...and its more of the same....

 

I had the same thought...was watching a defenders lot 101-120, and I think they went for about $70.

[Tatterdamillion]

I wasn't happy with the grading and returned the books. Unfortunately I was so disappointed I returned copies of All American Men of War 81-83 which were about 7.0 but solicited as VF+. Also an Atom 5 solicited as a VF/Nm that had a 5 inch dog ear on the rear cover. They have cool books but they always go for top guide for ungraded books which is more than I can stand.

[lizards2]

I was pretty happy with the set of All American Men of War I got from them - some of it was high, some of it was low, but basically, the set was as described. As far as the crazy prices, they've got a loyal following that will pay high dollar for their stuff - and it's hard to compete with that. The same thing happens on the jscomics auctions - they are well respected by their loyal customers. As for the bidder who is currently winning lots of SNE auctions, it's probably just someone who is rich, and who is trying to recapture his childhood, or someone who recently came into a bunch of money.

[Foolkiller]

I was pretty happy with the set of All American Men of War I got from them - some of it was high, some of it was low, but basically, the set was as described. As far as the crazy prices, they've got a loyal following that will pay high dollar for their stuff - and it's hard to compete with that. The same thing happens on the jscomics auctions - they are well respected by their loyal customers. As for the bidder who is currently winning lots of SNE auctions, it's probably just someone who is rich, and who is trying to recapture his childhood, or someone who recently came into a bunch of money.

 

Their loyal following is obviously not terribly well educated on grading then. SNE's grading (not only by my account) but in general is routinely over and their "loyal customers" are likely receiving many books that they are happily putting in their collections believing they have more value than they actually do.

 

If the bidder is someone rich -- or someone who recently came into a bunch of money, well, I would say his bidding patterns represent the epitome of "A fool and his money are soon parted."

[lizards2]

I was pretty happy with the set of All American Men of War I got from them - some of it was high, some of it was low, but basically, the set was as described. As far as the crazy prices, they've got a loyal following that will pay high dollar for their stuff - and it's hard to compete with that. The same thing happens on the jscomics auctions - they are well respected by their loyal customers. As for the bidder who is currently winning lots of SNE auctions, it's probably just someone who is rich, and who is trying to recapture his childhood, or someone who recently came into a bunch of money.

 

Their loyal following is obviously not terribly well educated on grading then. SNE's grading (not only by my account) but in general is routinely over and their "loyal customers" are likely receiving many books that they are happily putting in their collections believing they have more value than they actually do.

 

If the bidder is someone rich -- or someone who recently came into a bunch of money, well, I would say his bidding patterns represent the epitome of "A fool and his money are soon parted."

 

Some folks aren't the picky graders/collectors that may be found amongst the elite on these boards. Remember, there are a couple different recognized grading systems - Overstreet comes to mind, and then there are those who guess at what CGC standards are. And then there are Mile High customers who live with MH's grading system, just to name a few. I'm not trying to defend SNE, but I would generally say they cater to a different customer base, who may be looking for the multiple book purchase to fill a hole in their collections. Maybe these customers don't sweat the grading so much for the convenience of knocking a big chunk of books off their list at one time. All I can do is guess at their motives.

 

I can't really speak with great authority as to the quality of their grading, because I never seem to bid high enough to win their auctions, with the exception of the example listed above, which I was happy with. Grading-wise, it was as described, well packaged, quickly shipped.

 

Additionally, some folks don't watch their pennies as closely as others - one person's estimation of a foolish purchase may be so below notice of another's that it wouldn't even raise an eyebrow. For example, I have a brother that pisses away more money on fluff in one year than I spend on essentials for my family. I've also spent way more on particular books than I normally would have if they hadn't been "complete your collection specials".

 

Yes, a fool and his money are soon parted, and this is an apt description of someone who collects comics primarily for their investment potential. I don't think "investor" fits the average SNE customer profile. I'm guessing they are "collectors", so their spending habits are a little tougher to psychoanalyze.

[Foolkiller]

I was pretty happy with the set of All American Men of War I got from them - some of it was high, some of it was low, but basically, the set was as described. As far as the crazy prices, they've got a loyal following that will pay high dollar for their stuff - and it's hard to compete with that. The same thing happens on the jscomics auctions - they are well respected by their loyal customers. As for the bidder who is currently winning lots of SNE auctions, it's probably just someone who is rich, and who is trying to recapture his childhood, or someone who recently came into a bunch of money.

 

Their loyal following is obviously not terribly well educated on grading then. SNE's grading (not only by my account) but in general is routinely over and their "loyal customers" are likely receiving many books that they are happily putting in their collections believing they have more value than they actually do.

 

If the bidder is someone rich -- or someone who recently came into a bunch of money, well, I would say his bidding patterns represent the epitome of "A fool and his money are soon parted."

 

Some folks aren't the picky graders/collectors that may be found amongst the elite on these boards. Remember, there are a couple different recognized grading systems - Overstreet comes to mind, and then there are those who guess at what CGC standards are. And then there are Mile High customers who live with MH's grading system, just to name a few. I'm not trying to defend SNE, but I would generally say they cater to a different customer base, who may be looking for the multiple book purchase to fill a hole in their collections. Maybe these customers don't sweat the grading so much for the convenience of knocking a big chunk of books off their list at one time. All I can do is guess at their motives.

 

I can't really speak with great authority as to the quality of their grading, because I never seem to bid high enough to win their auctions, with the exception of the example listed above, which I was happy with. Grading-wise, it was as described, well packaged, quickly shipped.

 

Additionally, some folks don't watch their pennies as closely as others - one person's estimation of a foolish purchase may be so below notice of another's that it wouldn't even raise an eyebrow. For example, I have a brother that pisses away more money on fluff in one year than I spend on essentials for my family. I've also spent way more on particular books than I normally would have if they hadn't been "complete your collection specials".

 

Yes, a fool and his money are soon parted, and this is an apt description of someone who collects comics primarily for their investment potential. I don't think "investor" fits the average SNE customer profile. I'm guessing they are "collectors", so their spending habits are a little tougher to psychoanalyze.

 

I agree on one thing: if someone is using comics as an investment vehicle they are indeed being foolish. But if you are buying a product (comics) that is far over what it should actually sell for (read, you think you are buying a VF+ and get F/VF) you got ripped off for a substantial amount, no matter what your motive is for buying.

 

Who knows what the average SNE customer is. Apparently it's one guy right now. I understand your points, but in terms of grading, the problem is that many of these people will try and sell their collections thinking they have something worth far more than it is -- and then remember comics dealers as "the guys who ripped me off" without remembering who it is specifically.

 

Incidentally, in terms of "investors" and SNE, Showcase Dan cares about one thing: the $ first, integrity second.

[skybolt]

I agree on one thing: if someone is using comics as an investment vehicle they are indeed being foolish. But if you are buying a product (comics) that is far over what it should actually sell for (read, you think you are buying a VF+ and get F/VF) you got ripped off for a substantial amount, no matter what your motive is for buying.

 

Who knows what the average SNE customer is. Apparently it's one guy right now. I understand your points, but in terms of grading, the problem is that many of these people will try and sell their collections thinking they have something worth far more than it is -- and then remember comics dealers as "the guys who ripped me off" without remembering who it is specifically.

 

Incidentally, in terms of "investors" and SNE, Showcase Dan cares about one thing: the $ first, integrity second.

 

I agree with this. When I tried to resell the raw books I purchased on Ebay back in 2003, I probably lost about half of what I originally spent. This wasn't because the market tanked, but because of massive overgrading of books I had purchased on Ebay. On the average, a listed VF book was really a FN. However, I didn't know this until I started submitting these books to CGC myself.