What is the point of the Overstreet Price Guide?

[the blob]

"I would certainly not want to insure my comics based on the Overstreet."

 

if I got OPG back for my collection, let's say I had a fire, I wouldn't be very sad.

[skypinkblu]

It's very useful as a check list, to see when titles changed, and as a guide...not a price mandate...Timelys have been under valued for years, and Wonder Woman...while some books that were popular for a few years should have gone way down and they don't...but it's nice to have one at a Con, cause no one can remember all the info...and printing it all is a pain.

[Aces]

One of the problems with the OSPG is that it drives the market price for raw books. It was never designed to do that, but to reflect the value that books were selling for on the market. It's a small distinction.

 

Big distinction if you ask me.

1) Information to reflect prices.

2) Dealer tool to drive prices high.

 

I keep thinking more and more it's the later...

[Real Elijah Snow]

if i could get 20% of overstreet i would sell all my long boxes in a heart beat.

Of course, I am not going to be the one going through .50 cent boxes looking up New Warriors issues to get the exact total, so time is the greatest consideration here..The guide is fun for the market reports. It's about the only reason i buy it anymore. I like hearing about how mid-grade archies and such go for 2x guide. Being really into Fantasy, it's right up my alley.

[adams]

 

Quote:

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Remember when there were quarterly Pricing updates ?

 

 

Today, the Guide is there to clearly prop up the dealers and their investments

but, since everyone is a now a "dealer" thanks to the Internet,

the Guide has tuned into a bloated and disfigured pricing/valuation nightmare

for one and all.

 

 

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Clark Khaos

 

 

Your insight is mind-flushing. Er, blowing. Your insight is mind-blowing. It blows and flushes. Let's just leave it at that.

 

 

_______________

 

....your previous comments are the TP I used !

[lou_fine]

Interesting!

 

Seems like OS is in a no-win situation here. Half the posters seem to think the prices are way too high in the guide while the other half seems to think the prices are way too low in the guide.

 

I guess the best thing to do is to remember that it's just a guide. Virtually everybody in the industry still uses it as a reference point from which to either apply a discount or a premium for the prices to their books.

 

Personally, I don't have much of a problem with most of the prices in the guide. But that's probably because I am use to it after all these years. I can certainly see how new collectors would have a problem with it if they are totally reliant on it and didn't understand the market.

 

A big improvement would be to get rid of the cover price as the minimal valuation for Modern comics and show their true nominal value. At the other end of the spectrum, they do certainly need to break out more of the GA books to reflect issues that are trading substantially higher than their surrounding issues.

[G.A.tor]

hello all...

I think what most of us are facing is that the "print" media, for the most part, just seems out of date relative to the instant "internet" access we all have for information...10,15,20 years ago, OSPG was "The" tool used by most to approximate "value" of their collection, and a reference to set pricing structure...however, as our industry and the hobby has evolved, an incorporated GPA and ebay sales and heritage auctions, and Metro's site (and all sites for that matter), we have so many more tools at our disposal, that focus has shifted away from OSPG as our main "goto" tool....that said, there still are many new collectors entering the market that were not previously exposed to the guide, and so for them it is a valuable start....plus, it is a great advertising tool for many sellers/dealers/collectors to get their contact info out there to the masses (that is what I use it for)...

just my 2cents

rick

[Fazybones]

 

 

When I first started collecting four years ago the OSPG was invaluable to me with no other known references to refer to. Now that I've learned more about this incredible hobby and more sources to refer to I only buy one every two years or so and might cut back even more.

 

It seems to me that there are some new collectors starting later in life or I've recently sold some books on e-bay to some collectors coming back to collecting now that they have more resources and the guide is probably a good starting point for many of these people. I guess it depends on your level of experience and knowledge about the hobby and pratical prices or values. Maybe I should still buy it for a few more years after stating that.

[Flaming_Telepath]

It's very useful as a check list, to see when titles changed, and as a guide...not a price mandate...Timelys have been under valued for years, and Wonder Woman...while some books that were popular for a few years should have gone way down and they don't...but it's nice to have one at a Con, cause no one can remember all the info...and printing it all is a pain.

 

 

[blazingbob]

Prop up dealers and their investments?

 

Oh brother.

[blazingbob]

This thread has the sound of a toilet flushing and then getting stopped up.

 

No matter what is posted it just goes round and round.

 

Dealer tool to drive prices up?

 

How exactly are we doing that?

 

No collector is guilty of driving up prices?

 

I wish I've posted some of the "customer" emails I've gotten with offers of books and the prices they are asking.

[Foolkiller]

The vast majority of collectors still rely on the OS price guide -- it is still a reference point even when factoring "multiples" of a particular book.

 

If you walk into any comic book store, the stores still almost religiously price to guide. When you ask most people (not on these boards) -- some guide is used to figure out pricing, whether that's OS, CPG, or even Wizard. Since the vast majority of collectors are probably not as well educated or are aware of GPA and other data resources to track prices as many board members -- OS is still considered the bible of pricing information.

 

The boards is really a microcosm of the comics community -- a lot of other people rely, refer and hold to the OS guide as the price guide which sets the tone for comic books.

[blazingbob]

Oh, those monthly updates were great, it meant we could rip you off faster

[Flaming_Telepath]

The vast majority of collectors still rely on the OS price guide -- it is still a reference point even when factoring "multiples" of a particular book.

 

If you walk into any comic book store, the stores still almost religiously price to guide. When you ask most people (not on these boards) -- some guide is used to figure out pricing, whether that's OS, CPG, or even Wizard. Since the vast majority of collectors are probably not as well educated or are aware of GPA and other data resources to track prices as many board members -- OS is still considered the bible of pricing information.

 

The boards is really a microcosm of the comics community -- a lot of other people rely, refer and hold to the OS guide as the price guide which sets the tone for comic books.

 

Right. On. The. Money.

 

Sometimes we forget that there's a big wide world outside of these boards and not everybody swears by GPA/Heritage/eBay records as sole indicators of FMV.

 

OS remains what it says on the label...a 'guide' and when taken as a whole, it's still closer to the truth than any other vehicle.

[HouseofComics.Com]

You guys do realize that this has actually turned into the most positive thread on Overstreet ever.

[Aces]

Dealer tool to drive prices up?

 

I wasn't refering to high grade sellers like you.

When I walk into a LCS and see some Mid-Grade non-key SA books sitting on the wall for full guide I cringe. Rarely do those guys budge much. eBay rules.

[blazingbob]

Not that I'm disagreeing with your assessment but have you noticed if a dealer or collector doesn't see a lot of high grade books through their hands they tend to get a little overzealous on the grade when something as nice as a VF comes in?

 

Many board members are what I would classify as tight graders and not what I would call the mainstream. If everybody was grading like the boards we wouldn't have much to talk about grading wise, would we?

[grider67]

I think what everyone is trying to state (in my opinion)

 

The Overstreet gang needs to get with the times and hire more employees and update the book with "real time" numbers.

 

They are moving at a tortoise speed.

 

I've been collecting Overstreet since the 15th edition. I think Gemstone can do it. Anyone heard from Arnold or Robert to see what the future holds?

[Wally's Comics]

I used to know a LCS that bought comics 1/10 of OS and

sold comics full Wizard guide.

 

Needless to say the guy is out of business,

that's what happen when you hose others...

 

[chaos_ad-migration]

I've been collecting Overstreet since the 15th edition. I think Gemstone can do it. Anyone heard from Arnold or Robert to see what the future holds?

 

Arnold has nothing to do with Overstreet anymore, he works for Geppi at the GEM Museum.