Is everyone flipping now??

[1Cool]

I graded and large scanned a bunch of Silver-Age Atom and Green Lantern comics and they sold for about $140. This is exactly the amount a friend was offered for the sets with ok pictures and very little discription. It just is discuraging to put that amount of effort into putting all the facts together and get the same as a vague listing. It makes me wonder if most people are buying in hopes of a deal in order to flip instead of buying to own.

 

Ok, enough griping from me today!!

[trevorlsmith]

I have never flipped a comic, i.e., I have never sold a comic.

 

I'm not saying it is out of the question. I just haven't needed to yet.

[action1kid]

I never flipped a comic for a profits purpose.

[shiverbones]

i often notice *spoon* scan, no info listed auctions going for more then mine with large scans and complete disclosure. I can only assume people are trying to "Score". Its liek playing the lottery, but I guess the odds a re a LITTLE better.

[SolitaireOne]

As a seller: I too find it sad that a poor listing/ write-up does well while I like to take particular care to insure that my listings look good and read though well.

 

Sometimes I'll list items just for the "look", this way when they don't sell I still feel good about them looking so good !

 

As a buyer: I love a poor write-up as it does sometime lead to a bargain !

[rodan57]

Keep the good scans coming. I know I appreciate it.

[DeeDee-migration]

I've never "flipped" a comic but I have sold a few out of my own collection just because I got tired of them (yeah, that sometimes happens).

 

I didn't have a scanner at the time but I took crappy photos with a digital camera and wrote an exhaustive description (thats just how I roll). I have never noticed any vague listings doing better than large scan listings. Personally, I like to see huge scans myself, or at least a very detailed description, gives me that fuzzy sense of security.

[action1kid]

its the next best thing to being there.

[sterlingcomics]

The title of this thread should've been: "Why do poor auction listings do well?"... I for one think that people feel like they have the "upper" hand on a "poor" listing...it's reverse psychology at its finest. I've seen small images, vague listings do well while their CGC counterparts do not. People want a deal..and figure a poorly worded auction with small pics is worth a gamble while a well constructed, large image auction (raw/CGC) is already being bid on since it's "safe".

 

I swear I'm going to try that on some raw books I have next time and see what happens.

[the blob]

sometimes they do well, sometimes they don't. I've sold misc. lots both ways just to see (never being deceptive, of course). Mind you, we're talking about cheap comics, but I found that I did not better listing the individual comics than simply presenting a pile or spreading them out over a table or whatever. And never did I get a bidding war of any magnitude where anyone thought there was anything great sprinkled in there.

 

And I've paid very little for some poorly described lots and did pretty well. What I don't understand is paying real money for these. When I see some fuzzy photo silver age group and a description like "I can't grade, these don't look too bad" and someone is bidding like they can assume they're all VG or VG/Fine type books I scratch my head.

[skybolt]

The title of this thread should've been: "Why do poor auction listings do well?"... I for one think that people feel like they have the "upper" hand on a "poor" listing...it's reverse psychology at its finest. I've seen small images, vague listings do well while their CGC counterparts do not. People want a deal..and figure a poorly worded auction with small pics is worth a gamble while a well constructed, large image auction (raw/CGC) is already being bid on since it's "safe".

 

I swear I'm going to try that on some raw books I have next time and see what happens.

 

When I first started collecting back-issues back in 2003 (mostly mid grade SA and BA Marvels), I took many chances with small scan, less descriptive auctions and got burned 90% of the time. Like others have mentioned, I was hoping to score a great deal by being more savvy than the average joe seller. By the time I realized my folly and found some decent sellers on Ebay (or these boards), I had already moved on to collecting CGC graded books.

[kc120us]

I typically only sell the books i have upgraded from in order to further future upgrade purchases.

[MutantKeys]

I never want to sell a book but with my income if there is a book I want or I need money I have no choice but to part with a book from time to time.

[Norrin_Radd]

I sell comics all the time. Why? I never know how much I'll like something until I own it. And my priorities have a way of changing.

 

I have no problem selling a comic if I decide I no longer need it in my collection.

[shrunkenhead]

I've "flipped" in two situations: 1) a hot modern that is in demand for a few months, and then won't be, or 2) the few times I've bought a whole collection at a wholesale price and then taken them elsewhere (awhile ago I bought a rather large tpb collection, and that worked very well for me). When I sell a single issue of some worth, it is generally because my focus is shifting...I do try to make a meager profit (maybe 10-15%), but I've also willingly sold at up to a 30-35% loss when it suits my collecting goals.

 

It's a hobby, I figure, you're allowed to lose a little money.

[dudeman5000]

I typically only sell the books i have upgraded from in order to further future upgrade purchases.

 

Same here. Generally, I will not sell any of my books. I went through a time when I was pushing some hot moderns and my early slabbed ASM's. I regret now pushing everything I did without having an upgrade, especially my ASM's. Good news is some of the hot slabbed moderns I sold I am buying back now very cheap! Ahh moderns .....

 

Chris

[BuckeyeChaos]

At one end, the people who never sell aka squatters. At the other, the people who constantly sell aka the flippers.

 

I fall in the middle but lean significantly towards the squatters. I'm mostly selling off doubles and undercopies as I grow my collection. I dabbled in a couple of flip deals with some books I got "deals" on through ebay. Lets just say Ebay 3, me 0 on that so I avoid that aspect entirely.

[all4comics]

I love to flip I love to cherry pick ebay for comics, CGC them and flip them right away for multiple return

[Alex DeLarge-migration]

I love to flip I love to cherry pick ebay for comics, CGC them and flip them right away for multiple return

 

You make it sound sooo easy

[codfish]

The only time in the last 12 years I bought a book or books with only the intention of resale was when I owned a store. Other than that I have not bought a book since then with the sole intention to flip it.