Are You Kidding Me...

[Sal]

Dont know who he is so how can I believe someone I dont know

 

 

His email

 

"Hello Nik,

I am not a member of the CGC message boards, but, I have decided to let you know what the situation is with the #114 to clear up the BIG MESS!!! I am the buyer of that book. Here's the story;

I have a fellow collector friend who was only missing #114 from his entire run of ASM's #100 - #200. He is retiring soon and he has been desperately searching for an ultra-high grade copy (this is one of his favorite covers). At the time, he told me to find him a copy. I couldn't. He offered up to $2500 if I could find him a superb copy!!

I contacted Doug Schmell and Doug obtained this book from some investment private collector. My EX friend/collector stiffed me on this book!!!! I shelled out the money to Doug and now I am desperately trying to recover some of the funds. It was a legitimate sale and I am now stuck with a $2600 mastercard bill for a book that I don't even need.

I just figured I'd let you know the real story so you guys on the CGC chat know what has happened. Neither Doug nor I, am trying to raise the GPA on this book or anything like that. It's just a big mess and I am definitely going to burn for a lot of $$$ which I am quite upset about.

Take care and please let people know this book is for sale on comiclink (and Doug has also relisted it on his site to help me out).

"

 

yeah, i'm thinking that if you are about to lay down two and a half large on a book for another person, you're gonna damn well make sure that said person is fully committed to the $$.

 

i mean, no good deed goes unpunished, but this is just a bit far fetched to take at face value

[THE_BEYONDER]

(this is one of his favorite covers)

 

[Sal]

(this is one of his favorite covers)

 

 

well Lord knows i would pay two point fifty large on a 9.6 copy of Showcase 79

[ft88]

I have never heard anything more weird in my life. Is it really that hard to set up an account at Pedigree and bid on something yourself? For a collector who has ASM 100-200 in ultra high grade you'd think he'd know how to buy comics online in some form or fashion. Did all 100 of those books get bought by an outside agency? Whats the point of being a crazy collector if you aren't the one deeply involved in the buying?

 

I know us comic folks are stereotypically weird and nerdy and introverts. And that leads to many an unscrupulous sale. But things are starting to get really weird. Is there a double full moon tonight. Has Mindworm made an appearance?

 

Ed

[Timmay]

I guess the CC receipt would be the only actual proof.

 

Sounds like bull shiet to me

[Park]

Wow. So if I am reading this right, Joe buyer wants a high grade ASM #114. He contacts Joe "agent" and says "Hey, I want to buy a high grade ASM and I will offer up to $2500 for it. Please find me one."

 

Joe "agent" then contacts Doug Schmell and says "Doug I have a collector that needs a high grade ASM #114 and he is offering $2500."

 

Doug Schmell "conveniently" finds a high grade ASM #114 (translation= Holy *spoon*, that thing only sells for X dollars. Thank you lord.) and conveniently lists it for that price on his website.

 

Joe agent buys the book, gets stiffed and says I will just try to cut my losses and sell it again for 1/2 what I just shelled out? WTF!!

 

Doug Schmell offers to "help" out by listing it on his site again??? Hoping the commission on that was on the house.

 

Correct me if I am wrong, but am I not seeing a lot of holes in this story? The situation could very well be true, but wouldn't anybody in their right mind be a little perturbed about this? I know that I would be more than a little ticked at not only Joe buyer, but Pedigree as well. I sure as hell wouldn't be listing it with the same company who basically just ripped me off.

 

Oh Mr. Customer you are looking for a high grade ASM #114, I will see what I can find and get back to you. Oh....$2500....ummm.....yeah, I seem to have one right here.

 

That's the read that I am taking from this situation. I know, buyer beware yadda, yadda. Highest graded, yadda yadda. But, CMON this is absurd.

 

Joe "agent"=uninformed buyer (trying to be nice here because if the situation as he states it is true, he got reamed royally)

 

Joe buyer=Utter scumbag. No way around that one.

 

Doug Schmell=Whole bunch of grey area. Regardless of his role in this as just a conduit for a buyer and a seller, it leaves me with a really greasy, unwashed feeling.

 

End of

Ignore as needed.

[Nostalgic Attic]

Dont know who he is so how can I believe someone I dont know

 

 

His email

 

"Hello Nik,

I am not a member of the CGC message boards, but, I have decided to let you know what the situation is with the #114 to clear up the BIG MESS!!! I am the buyer of that book. Here's the story;

I have a fellow collector friend who was only missing #114 from his entire run of ASM's #100 - #200. He is retiring soon and he has been desperately searching for an ultra-high grade copy (this is one of his favorite covers). At the time, he told me to find him a copy. I couldn't. He offered up to $2500 if I could find him a superb copy!!

I contacted Doug Schmell and Doug obtained this book from some investment private collector. My EX friend/collector stiffed me on this book!!!! I shelled out the money to Doug and now I am desperately trying to recover some of the funds. It was a legitimate sale and I am now stuck with a $2600 mastercard bill for a book that I don't even need.

I just figured I'd let you know the real story so you guys on the CGC chat know what has happened. Neither Doug nor I, am trying to raise the GPA on this book or anything like that. It's just a big mess and I am definitely going to burn for a lot of $$$ which I am quite upset about.

Take care and please let people know this book is for sale on comiclink (and Doug has also relisted it on his site to help me out).

"

 

This is just hilarious. None of it makes sense. So the final sale price happens to end up at the buyer's max $2500 at a crazy 3.5 X GPA high sale in a NEGOTIATED sale? The agent had to reveal the buyer's max to Doug. If it ever comes out who the agent is, I'll know who NOT to have look for a book for me.

 

It sounds like this book wasn't sitting on the Pedigree site, so Doug sells it, then puts it on his site with that silly flowery description about how it could be a 9.8?

 

The buyer had to have the book because he is about to retire?

 

Weird.

[Nostalgic Attic]

I have never heard anything more weird in my life. Is it really that hard to set up an account at Pedigree and bid on something yourself? For a collector who has ASM 100-200 in ultra high grade you'd think he'd know how to buy comics online in some form or fashion. Did all 100 of those books get bought by an outside agency? Whats the point of being a crazy collector if you aren't the one deeply involved in the buying?

 

I know us comic folks are stereotypically weird and nerdy and introverts. And that leads to many an unscrupulous sale. But things are starting to get really weird. Is there a double full moon tonight. Has Mindworm made an appearance?

 

Ed

 

GPA doesn't see anything wrong with it; the sale is already posted. 12 month average is about $1200.

[sterlingcomics]

As Judge Judy sez, "If it doesn't make sense, then it isn't true!"

[Aman619]

I agree, that story from the agent sounds as leaky as the Ebay comics found in grandpa's closet! Assuming the story were true, wouldnt the agent "force" the buyer to take the book? Even at a loss of a few 100 rather than just blow off his agent friend? And if teh agent failed to get buyer to do so, wouldnt Doug help reverse the sale by appealing to the books prior owner to laugh it off as too good to have been true???

 

Why do people write these little backstories and expect people to take them at face value? Its like a 7 year old standing next to a broken lamp holding a football telling mommy the dog broke it! He did, ma! I mean it!!!

[joe_collector]

Sounds like BS to me.

 

Me too. There is no way this fairy tale is true, no way, no how.

[joe_collector]

GPA doesn't see anything wrong with it; the sale is already posted. 12 month average is about $1200.

 

 

Now I think we all see how easy it is to abuse market prices.

[BronzeBruce13]

to all:

 

I think it would be a better idea to just email Doug to confirm if it was a real sale. It is certainly more likely than not. Doug could certainly attest to whether the deal was "consummated" or not. That's the real question. Buyers not following through on a purchase is not unheard of. Its happened to me as a seller on Pedigree roughly 6-7 times so far. Buyers reneging on a private agreement to buy is also not uncommon.

 

I think its a bit unfair at this stage to just assume it was not and that some diabolical market manipulation must be taking place. I'm not saying such manipulation is impossible, but more likely "improbable" in this case... knowing what we know so far.

 

I do speak from experience... I ran into a similar situation 2-3 years ago. A one-time forumite (not active for quite some time - and no I won't dish any further dirt - its besides the point) agreed to buy a book from me that he desperately wanted and publicly sought. After locating the book, I checked with him again to reaffirm his commitment and our agreed upon price (a multiple K item) before I paid for it. I then paid for the book, received it, contacted the fellow to arrange payment/shipment and then he pulled what I feel was BS. Semantics arose as to "if" the conversation we had when the deal was made was intended (on his part) to be a commitment/binding verbal agreement or not. He was fully aware at that point that I laid out the cash on the item. His position was that he felt it was OK for him to change his mind about what he was willing to pay. I was very pizzed but held my cool and "allowed" myself to be negotiated out almost all the profit on the deal because I did not have another buyer in mind as an alternative. A year later, I found someone willing to pay significantly more than the sales price he leveraged from me. I contacted him only to find that he sold the book months earlier (surprise). I don't know if I was played from the get go or not, but this kind of "compromised deal" or "no deal" after a verbal agreement (and purchase for) happens. In my case it was more than the amount of the ASM 114 in question.

[joe_collector]

But Bruce, in this case, an "agent" supposedly purchased the book from Pedigree for $2500, was told NO by his supposed buyer, then proceeds to relist it at $1300? For a book that one minute he believed was worth $2500 (which was the buyer's max - where is his profit margin?), and then the next, he's listing it at 1/2 off?

 

This is not the same as your scenario, and I find it impossible to believe things played out that way.

[joe_collector]

He offered up to $2500 if I could find him a superb copy!!

 

Okay, so this supposed "agent" paid $2500 for a copy of a book that he was to resell at $2500 (good business plan Jack!), and then subsequently relisted it for $1300?

 

Either this is a total BS scam or this "agent" is the dumbest person that has ever existed on the face of this Earth.

 

Another possibility is that the "agent" is a scammer who told Doug he "had a big fish on the line to the tune of $2500", and both decided to sell the book to the rube, with Doug paying the agent on the back end. Once the buyer got wind of the rip, he backed out and there was no sale.

 

That's why the book is back on Pedigree, as it NEVER CHANGED HANDS and $1300-$1800 was the true price range that was wanted.

 

The above is just a theory, but it fits. After all the attention we've given the sale, admitting it was all a ruse would be bad for business.

[BronzeBruce13]

That does seem odd... agreed.

 

However, if he's stuck with the book at an obvious unattainable price, consults with Doug and others as to what a "realistic" aggressive price for the book would "really be" and then resigns himself to the fact that he will take a significant loss, but wants out a soon as possible... wouldn't this be a logical course of action?

 

Clearly he has no remaining option with the original buyer who was at one point willing to pay "serious multiples of reality" to lock down thew one HTF missing book form a significant run.

 

If you were this guy for arguments sake (and I know you personally would never get in such a situation) and were stuck with the book in theory... what would your next step be?

 

[fanfourforever]

Disbarred doug should just cancel the sale @ 2500 and give the guy his money back, since it sounds like doug was the original owner.

[THE_BEYONDER]

None of this makes any sense at all. Story is complete BS as far as I'm concerned.

[joe_collector]

If you were this guy for arguments sake (and I know you personally would never get in such a situation) and were stuck with the book in theory... what would your next step be?

 

I would return the book for a refund, as is offered through customer protection laws in most states. If that failed, I would contact my CC and get them involved in a return.

 

Done.

 

But like I said, none of this really happened, and it's likely a cover-up for some guys trying to take an old man to the cleaners.

[BronzeBruce13]

That's one aspect that I really hadn't focussed on. Its obviously a lousy business plan and I can see why that aspect of the story doers not add up to you and others. That sways my position somewhat as well although I would like to hear his explanation. Its possible that this guy was not really acting as an agent and more as a friend. I've laid out significant $$ for friends when I located a book I knew they wanted and had to act... luckily I never got burned in that respect.

 

Anyway, point taken on that... I would like to hear more on that front before giving the guy "too much benefit of the doubt"

 

He offered up to $2500 if I could find him a superb copy!!

 

Okay, so this supposed "agent" paid $2500 for a copy of a book that he was to resell at $2500 (good business plan Jack!), and hs subsequently relisted it for $1300?

 

Either this is a total BS scam or this "agent" is the dumbest person that has ever existed on the face of this Earth.