How Do You Let Them Down Gently?

[Paratrooper]

heck the guy is probably in the Air Force, which doesn't count as the military anyway

 

Jealous?

 

Jim

 

Most days....expecially the ones where I have to actually work for a living

[MrBedrock]

As a store owner who is the local "authority" on old comics in a metropolitan area with 5,000,000 people, you can imagine I've had the opportunity to crush peoples dreams quite often. You just have to be honest. (It is just like disclosure!) It sounds like your co-worker is not interested in selling. So he won't think you are trying to rip him off. That is the initial reaction from most who are only interested in selling. I tell those to shop my "ridiculously low" offer around, it will still be good WHEN they come back. If your co-worker is still a fan, he will probably appreciate the insight, squelch the disappointment and start badgering you for info on what WILL make him tons of dough down the road.

[Paratrooper]

Now this is the type of thread that could actually use a poll.

[KingOfRulers]

Man, you're really taking it to Chuck hard this month. Is this burn Mile High at the stake month or something?

 

This is my first post against Chuck....but now that you bring it up, I've been banned from Metro, let's see if I can get banned from MH somehow.

 

I thought only Ewert and Dupack were capable of actually getting banned from a dealer Man, you're good if you can get MH too And I didn't really mean just you were taking it hard to Chuck, but much of the forum in general has been lately.

[Paratrooper]

Man, you're really taking it to Chuck hard this month. Is this burn Mile High at the stake month or something?

 

This is my first post against Chuck....but now that you bring it up, I've been banned from Metro, let's see if I can get banned from MH somehow.

 

I thought only Ewert and Dupack were capable of actually getting banned from a dealer Man, you're good if you can get MH too And I didn't really mean just you were taking it hard to Chuck, but much of the forum in general has been lately.

 

That's because Chuck is a piece of thieving

[OldGuy]

Man, you're really taking it to Chuck hard this month. Is this burn Mile High at the stake month or something?

 

This is my first post against Chuck....but now that you bring it up, I've been banned from Metro, let's see if I can get banned from MH somehow.

 

I thought only Ewert and Dupack were capable of actually getting banned from a dealer Man, you're good if you can get MH too And I didn't really mean just you were taking it hard to Chuck, but much of the forum in general has been lately.

 

I, and several others, were banned from MH a couple of years ago for posting on these forums what we thought about their grading. I tried buying a book from one of his Ebay auctions last year and was still banned. I guess it's for life. I just had a forum member buy the book for me.

[KingOfRulers]

Man, you're really taking it to Chuck hard this month. Is this burn Mile High at the stake month or something?

 

This is my first post against Chuck....but now that you bring it up, I've been banned from Metro, let's see if I can get banned from MH somehow.

 

I thought only Ewert and Dupack were capable of actually getting banned from a dealer Man, you're good if you can get MH too And I didn't really mean just you were taking it hard to Chuck, but much of the forum in general has been lately.

 

That's because Chuck is a piece of thieving

 

I wouldn't say that

[Paratrooper]

Man, you're really taking it to Chuck hard this month. Is this burn Mile High at the stake month or something?

 

This is my first post against Chuck....but now that you bring it up, I've been banned from Metro, let's see if I can get banned from MH somehow.

 

I thought only Ewert and Dupack were capable of actually getting banned from a dealer Man, you're good if you can get MH too And I didn't really mean just you were taking it hard to Chuck, but much of the forum in general has been lately.

 

That's because Chuck is a piece of thieving

 

I wouldn't say that

 

trying to get banned, remember

[garthgantu]

I, and several others, were banned from MH a couple of years ago for posting on these forums what we thought about their grading. I tried buying a book from one of his Ebay auctions last year and was still banned. I guess it's for life. I just had a forum member buy the book for me.

 

I hope and pray that I'm on that banned list at MH too - I sure deserve it!

 

I have no idea, 'cause I've never tried to buy a book from ol' Chuckie, and I never will...

 

But banishment from MH would look very complimentary to my suspension from these boards...it's shaping up like a bizarro world trophy case

[drice6900]

For some reason he thinks one (he thought it was #214) is worth $2500. I asked him why and he said it was because it's in nice condition.

 

I like how non-collectors are so used to seeing comics in Fair or Good, that in the rare occassion they see one in 4.0-5.0, they think it's in "nice condition" and price it at the NM price.

 

I'm pretty confused by how he came to this number...OS NM is $785. Either he completely misunderstood the price somehow or saw a CGC slabbed copy go for that amount and thinks his copy is also worth this...

 

Jim

 

I think he got his numbers off the Mile High website...

[Big Daddy]

I can relate to your co-worker. After being told new comics were going to be worth a mint in the 90's with all of those chromium editions, I thought my collection was worth something until I decided to downsize. Boy was I surprised, everyones prized comics are Mint in their eye's. Imagine my surprise when I tried to sell my issues to the LCS and found out I could get $100.00 for 3,000 issues. I eventually traded most of my modern collection for a handful of descent silver and bronze issues. But that was a kick in the crotch education. Hopefully he only buys what he enjoys reading otherwise you will hear the wailing and knashing of teeth. But using the OS and showing him Ebay will definitely be an eye opener.

[Shadow]

Honesty is the best policy. It sounds like a gentle education on the hobby is in order.

[Mac Man]

Paratrooper, great sig. I had that scratched on my wall while living in my cottage on the beach... and by beach I mean the sandbox w/o water, and if by cottage you understand it to mean Saddam's old servant's quarters

 

And you shoud be nice to the Air Force... they're the branch of the military with all of the good looking women! And when you're waiting for two weeks in Kuwait, you find a special appreciation for the Air Force's presence

 

Awe4One, another option you could always suggest is for him to simply sell his stuff on eBay if he's seriously looking at making any money on these back issues. The sheer number of non-sales and low-sale prices will definitely convince him if he doesn't believe you right now.

[sterlingcomics]

Honesty is the best policy. It sounds like a gentle education on the hobby is in order.

Short, sweet, and the correct course of action.

[mrwoogieman]

Tell him the truth and do it all at once like ripping off a bandaid. Don't leave any room for doubt.

[Moondog]

My boss has a huge SA/BA collection and I know that some of them are very nice. He's funny - he continually downplays them as being worth very little. I believe it's because he has absolutely no intention of selling them.

 

He turned me on to one of his friends (that he collected with when they were in their teens - he's now 45 or so) and his friend sent me his Avengers and X-Men collection. All were G and VGs. I made a decent offer which was quickly rejected.

 

In retrospect I think I made a mistake since my boss may think I was trying to rip off his friend.

 

Better to keep work and comics separate!

[grider67]

I don't... I go for the jugular

[Smokinghawk]

Tell him that you admire his passion for comics since the hobby needs new blood, but that sadly there are fewer and fewer collectors who are willing to invest in many modern books anymore, and then feign allied frustration that this is a form of prejudice in which books like his are commnonly regarded as "accumulations" rather than "collections."

[Sharkey]

I have been in that situation a lot (not with co-workers but people who want to know what their collection is worth).

 

I agree you need to be honest with the guy. When I appraise people's collections, I take copies of slabbed books in various grades (high and low) so they can get a realistic sense of what kind of shape their comics are in. Once you show somebody a nice, clean looking book with a couple minor creases and spine dings in a 5.5 or 6.0 holder, their expectations get tempered pretty quick. The power of the slab.... worship it!!

 

Definitely show them some ebay auctions for modern drek like that.

 

Good luck!

[spoonerism]

I see these on Craig's List all the time:

 

"For sale: About 1200 MINT condition comics from the 80s and 90s. $3500 or best offer. Will not respond to lowball, pennies-on-the-dollar offers."

 

I had a boilerplate somewhere that I would send, talking about huge print runs and speculation, et cetera, but now I don't respond at all to these types of ads.

 

I'd say talk to the guy about print runs and the bust, and the difference between an OS price and an actual price.

 

To me, OS is the price you should expect to pay for a comic that is sitting, sorted, bagged and boarded in someone's comic shop, waiting for you to buy it. It includes the overhead of all that and the ease of filling a hole in your collection by pulling it out of a lot of other well-organized comics.

 

When I try to explain to people selling collections that they are selling in bulk and can't even expect to get half guide for their stuff, it can be a hard sell.

 

Like the other guys said, though, it doesn't have to be all bad news. A comic's worth is what the buyer and seller agree it is. Negotiating one by one on eBay (or something) is going to make the books "worth" a lot more than as a big lot.