Ask Gator 13 13

[rjpb]

15 minutes ago, piper said:

They are definitely not going to my comic shop either!

They wait until you leave.

[N e r V]

So maybe it's more like these guys....

 

[N e r V]

So back to a real question for Gator.

I realize the financials vary according to your area, costs, etc. but if you were entering your business (old comics) for the first time today what would you do differently from the time you first started your business? Would you have a brick & mortar shop, website only, auctions in sites like eBay,etc. only? 

You started your business from the ground up in an entirely different era from today so I'm picking your brain as to how you might do things in today's world. 

I was talking with a dealer on the phone recently about a small article I read where Greg Reece was talking about some of the ins and outs of when he started his business.

So in a nutshell where would you focus your energies first in the hobby and how would you market them (and no I'm not thinking of starting my own comic book business again. Just curious.) 

I like to see how peoples business perspectives change with experiences.

Edited June 19, 2017 by N e r V

[Chicago Boy]

1 hour ago, N e r V said:

So maybe it's more like these guys....

 

Was in Newark the other day and stopped by their shop.  Mike, Ming, and Walt were there.  Ming went out of his way to say hi to a new customer.  Went in hoping to buy something but Nothing really of interest to me. ....was still cool to see the shop the way it looks on TV with the guys working there  

[batman_fan]

On 6/18/2017 at 7:53 PM, G.A.tor said:

I haven't run a sales thread in years 

So that means you are overdue, high grade graded GA Batman's priced below GPA please 

Edited June 20, 2017 by batman_fan

[G.A.tor]

5 minutes ago, batman_fan said:

So that means you are overdue, high grade graded GA Batman's priced below GPA please 

After heroes con I need to buy buy buy!

[Jking3437]

Hey gator 

 

any idea what the price per point for all American comics 61 is? 

Also what do you think the lone 9.8 would sell for ? 

[G.A.tor]

22 minutes ago, Jking3437 said:

Hey gator 

 

any idea what the price per point for all American comics 61 is? 

Also what do you think the lone 9.8 would sell for ? 

Seems to be at least 2500 for lower grade

verzyl not selling the 9.8 so that is moot

[miraclemet]

On 4/12/2017 at 11:39 PM, G.A.tor said:

Seems for everyone that gets out, another enters to replace. 

Would think Metro would have pretty good estimate base on the number of unique bidders in the Berks auction...can't imagine there were many GA collectors who steered clear of that opportunity....

[Chicago Boy]

Mr G.A. tor,  Has AS 8 in your opinion been experiencing "realistic growth " ?

[G.A.tor]

5 minutes ago, Chicago Boy said:

Mr G.A. tor,  Has AS 8 in your opinion been experiencing "realistic growth " ?

from 2013 to today, it has increased , what, about 700%...not sure if that is just the book "catching up" or if anyone would consider that "realistic"...that said, the growth has been sustained in prices realized, so certainly it is "realized growth"

[Chicago Boy]

MF 73 question please : Either the Aquaman or the Green Arrow story  at the start of the issue or the last story ? Love the book but without a cover appearance I'm just not as interested in purchasing one unless I could find a coverless copy and one of 2 of the stories were visable in the encapsulation ( just my preference ).  Prefer Aquaman over Green Arrow as well.......( I have a lot of requests for this book )  According to what I was able to find on the net is appears Aquaman is the last story but even so I was wondering if there was an ad after the story, etc. 

[G.A.tor]

2 minutes ago, Chicago Boy said:

MF 73 question please : Either the Aquaman or the Green Arrow story  at the start of the issue or the last story ? Love the book but without a cover appearance I'm just not as interested in purchasing one unless I could find a coverless copy and one of 2 of the stories were visable in the encapsulation ( just my preference ).  Prefer Aquaman over Green Arrow as well.......( I have a lot of requests for this book )  According to what I was able to find on the net is appears Aquaman is the last story but even so I was wondering if there was an ad after the story, etc. 

 I believe that green arrow is the second story after a doctor fate intro and yes aqua man is the last story and I'm not aware of any ad page between it and the back cover 

[Knightsofold]

[G.A.tor]

9 minutes ago, Knightsofold said:

Splash page and last page

[Chicago Boy]

Those sure are Purdy!  Thanks guys for posting and commenting.  What do you think a .5 (no back cover) would fetch these days?

[G.A.tor]

38 minutes ago, Chicago Boy said:

Those sure are Purdy!  Thanks guys for posting and commenting.  What do you think a .5 (no back cover) would fetch these days?

There's nothing particular special about the bc that would have it likely missing. In fact I've never seen one without cover  

[ender]

Since we are on the topic of covers, is there any real value to a double cover?  I understand that the outer protects the inner and that you grade based on the inner, but does a double cover have more real value than a single cover book?  I have a double cover batman 7.  It has a water stain and the outer cover is probably a 3.5 and the inner a 4.0 to 5.0.  If I were to sell the book would it be expected to sell for more than another Batman 7 with the same grade and similar eye appeal and page quality?  Sorry if this seems elementary but I have gotten very conflicting advise about it.  Thanks!

[G.A.tor]

18 minutes ago, ender said:

Since we are on the topic of covers, is there any real value to a double cover?  I understand that the outer protects the inner and that you grade based on the inner, but does a double cover have more real value than a single cover book?  I have a double cover batman 7.  It has a water stain and the outer cover is probably a 3.5 and the inner a 4.0 to 5.0.  If I were to sell the book would it be expected to sell for more than another Batman 7 with the same grade and similar eye appeal and page quality?  Sorry if this seems elementary but I have gotten very conflicting advise about it.  Thanks!

 There are some collectors that value double covers more than a single

it's an anomaly

so I suspect it would go for a slight premium for the right buyer 

[ender]

7 minutes ago, G.A.tor said:

 There are some collectors that value double covers more than a single

it's an anomaly

so I suspect it would go for a slight premium for the right buyer 

Ok thanks