Moderns that are heating up on ebay! 70 70

[Nico Esq]

1 hour ago, KEY ISSUES Comics said:

No, it's a loss leader in that scenario when I'm pricing normally $4-10 books at a buck a book to stimulate sales elsewhere. It's just not profitable at that price at the more expensive cons. Depends upon your definition of a "loss leader." I'm employing the one where it's sold at below it's minimum profit margin. 

Loss Leaders work best in places like super markets where a person shows up to get cheap paper products, soft drinks, etc. and ends up spending a few hundred dollars on other items.  I think your analysis of why it works for a dealer at certain conventions but not at others is spot on.    

[RockMyAmadeus]

9 hours ago, Lazyboy said:

9 hours ago, RockMyAmadeus said:

14 hours ago, KEY ISSUES Comics said:

You misunderstood.

3 longboxes = roughly 600 comics
600 comics x $1 each = $600.00
$600.00 = cost of 6' table at some shows

That equals a loss leader in my books whether you paid $1/book or $0.20/book. Simply not worth it to me if I have to sell 3 long boxes of stock just to cover the cost of the table.

Cheers!

 

That's not what loss leader means, so probably that's where the confusion lies...

I understand a dealer not wanting to bother with $1 boxes at a more expensive show, but that's something else.

But what kind of show charges $600 for a table and only provides 6' tables? That's awful.

Well...if that's Canadian dollars, that's what, like $14.73 US...?

That's not so bad....

 

[RockMyAmadeus]

4 hours ago, KEY ISSUES Comics said:

9 hours ago, RockMyAmadeus said:

That's not what loss leader means, so probably that's where the confusion lies...

No, it's a loss leader in that scenario when I'm pricing normally $4-10 books at a buck a book to stimulate sales elsewhere. It's just not profitable at that price at the more expensive cons. Depends upon your definition of a "loss leader." I'm employing the one where it's sold at below it's minimum profit margin. 

If you want people to understand you, you have to use terms as they are defined. A "loss leader" is an item that is sold AT OR BELOW ITS COST in an attempt to bring in business for other, profitable items. A "loss leader" isn't something that is sold "below its minimum profit margin" (which, itself, doesn't have meaning), as you are using it here.

If you are making SOME profit....even if it's not what you'd like to make...then you're not losing money, which is where the "loss" comes from.

No one's saying you cant define words whatever way you wish....but if you want people to understand you, you have to speak the same language.

[PeterPark]

10 hours ago, Lazyboy said:

I understand a dealer not wanting to bother with $1 boxes at a more expensive show, but that's something else.

But what kind of show charges $600 for a table and only provides 6' tables? That's awful.

If I am at a con and all the dealer has are low-priced-per-issue boxes, I move on to the next one. I figure whatever they have is picked over or common or some small company's 90's books that don't move. And if they have nothing they think is worth more than throwing in a box with other stuff they don't know what to do with, what am I going to find in there? I'd rather see wall books. It's not worth my time to look through the boxes that are crowded anyway, find nothing and then move on. I look for rare stuff a lot but I don't look at every book. If they have $5 or $10 boxes, I might peek through those to gauge the caliber of their offerings. If the wall books are bronze or newer with minor keys only, I'll probably move on again.

[spreads]

8 hours ago, PeterPark said:

If I am at a con and all the dealer has are low-priced-per-issue boxes, I move on to the next one. I figure whatever they have is picked over or common or some small company's 90's books that don't move. And if they have nothing they think is worth more than throwing in a box with other stuff they don't know what to do with, what am I going to find in there? I'd rather see wall books. It's not worth my time to look through the boxes that are crowded anyway, find nothing and then move on. I look for rare stuff a lot but I don't look at every book. If they have $5 or $10 boxes, I might peek through those to gauge the caliber of their offerings. If the wall books are bronze or newer with minor keys only, I'll probably move on again.

What's funny is that there are people that will dig for books, pick them out and then decide they don't want them or try to beat you up over a 50 cent comic.  No joke, I had a guy him and haw over a handful of 50 cent comics....I think I kind of laughed and said he can just have them for free.....honestly, sunk cost people....

Edited November 22, 2018 by spreads

[spreads]

8 hours ago, PeterPark said:

If I am at a con and all the dealer has are low-priced-per-issue boxes, I move on to the next one. I figure whatever they have is picked over or common or some small company's 90's books that don't move. And if they have nothing they think is worth more than throwing in a box with other stuff they don't know what to do with, what am I going to find in there? I'd rather see wall books. It's not worth my time to look through the boxes that are crowded anyway, find nothing and then move on. I look for rare stuff a lot but I don't look at every book. If they have $5 or $10 boxes, I might peek through those to gauge the caliber of their offerings. If the wall books are bronze or newer with minor keys only, I'll probably move on again.

I think I inadvertently touched-on a hidden point....I've had dealers tell me they've missed out on sales because they were too busy to deal with all their buyers.  What is the 'opportunity cost' for a seller using their time talking to a buyer of these cheap comics.  There's definitely a tangible (a book sold) and intangible (meeting new buyers, networking, looking at a collection for sale, looking at another dealer's table, etc. ) cost that should be factored in....

Edited November 22, 2018 by spreads

[aardvark88]

11 hours ago, RockMyAmadeus said:

Well...if that's Canadian dollars, that's what, like $14.73 US...?

That's not so bad....

 

e.g. Fan Expo Vancouver 8' x 8' booth is $970 plus $30/day parking but vendor does get 1 x 8' table for the 2.5 day con with projected attendance on a good weekend that may or may NOT  hit 27,000 ppl.

[the authority]

I've not visited in a month or 2 other than some very brief thread reads. Hello everybody 

Hope everyone is well. 

I've been either getting ready for a move, moving, or setting up our new ( to me ) house. Watching my daughter play ball or play ball myself when I can and working nearly every minute that I'm not doing any of the list above.

 

So the first thing I notice is that Black Hammer is doing well. Couldn't be happier. It's a fun book and I liked it so much that I bought a lot of them. Just need to find them. Haha. 😂. Awax got me hooked with a few of the SDCC #1s. I unfortunately sold 3 CGC 9.8s for less than $150 a while back but like many say, you can't lose money making money. I'm pleased. Thanks Geoff 👍🏻

 

I dont have a lot to add to add but I will as soon as catch up on my reading. Read my first 2 books in a while tonight. So happy to be able to get back it. 

Edited November 22, 2018 by the authority

[Brother J]

3 hours ago, spreads said:

What's funny is that there are people that will dig for books, pick them out and then decide they don't want them or try to beat you up over a 50 cent comic.  No joke, I had a guy him and haw over a handful of 50 cent comics....I think I kind of laughed and said he can just have them for free.....honestly, sunk cost people....

So because they are 50 cent books, people aren't supposed to double check the books they pull? When I go through cheap boxes, I pull any book that is of interest. Then, when I am done, I go through, check condition and also check to make sure it's something I really want, meaning I might find a book from a run I'd like to get, and I pulled it hoping I would find more issues of the run but didn't find any more. A book that has a defect that I didn't catch on the first go through isn't worth the 50 cents to me and it will likely go into my trash when I get it home and look at it closer, so wasted money.

[fastballspecial]

On ‎11‎/‎21‎/‎2018 at 6:04 AM, KEY ISSUES Comics said:

On ‎11‎/‎21‎/‎2018 at 12:50 AM, RockMyAmadeus said:

That's not what loss leader means, so probably that's where the confusion lies...

No, it's a loss leader in that scenario when I'm pricing normally $4-10 books at a buck a book to stimulate sales elsewhere. It's just not profitable at that price at the more expensive cons. Depends upon your definition of a "loss leader." I'm employing the one where it's sold at below it's minimum profit margin. 

Most of us understand what you mean and are not bound up in strict definition. They get the point even if they are stuck trying to give you a strict definition. 

[fastballspecial]

14 hours ago, spreads said:

23 hours ago, PeterPark said:

If I am at a con and all the dealer has are low-priced-per-issue boxes, I move on to the next one. I figure whatever they have is picked over or common or some small company's 90's books that don't move. And if they have nothing they think is worth more than throwing in a box with other stuff they don't know what to do with, what am I going to find in there? I'd rather see wall books. It's not worth my time to look through the boxes that are crowded anyway, find nothing and then move on. I look for rare stuff a lot but I don't look at every book. If they have $5 or $10 boxes, I might peek through those to gauge the caliber of their offerings. If the wall books are bronze or newer with minor keys only, I'll probably move on again.

I think I inadvertently touched-on a hidden point....I've had dealers tell me they've missed out on sales because they were too busy to deal with all their buyers.  What is the 'opportunity cost' for a seller using their time talking to a buyer of these cheap comics.  There's definitely a tangible (a book sold) and intangible (meeting new buyers, networking, looking at a collection for sale, looking at another dealer's table, etc. ) cost that should be factored in....

We are not the average buyer on this board. We cater to higher grade copies and collectors looking to invest or increase value of collections. Now many of still read comics, but many of have done this for 20+ years so we are upgrading our collections.

The buyer above is not a normal con goer. They are digging in dollar boxes looking to complete runs with a list in hand or asking the dealer if they have certain books. I look in dollar bins next to them all the time. Once they are done with the $1 books then they look at the wall books and decide what else they can afford. They don't look at the wall books first. They are the bread and butter of conventions. Over looking them is a mistake.

 

[spreads]

10 hours ago, Brother J said:

So because they are 50 cent books, people aren't supposed to double check the books they pull? When I go through cheap boxes, I pull any book that is of interest. Then, when I am done, I go through, check condition and also check to make sure it's something I really want, meaning I might find a book from a run I'd like to get, and I pulled it hoping I would find more issues of the run but didn't find any more. A book that has a defect that I didn't catch on the first go through isn't worth the 50 cents to me and it will likely go into my trash when I get it home and look at it closer, so wasted money.

Almost none of the books were bagged and boarded and are not being sold for their condition.  I'm talking about a guy that pulled a stack of several comics and didn't want any of them, big difference then someone who takes a basket of books and put one or two back which is fairly common.

[spreads]

5 minutes ago, fastballspecial said:

We are not the average buyer on this board. We cater to higher grade copies and collectors looking to invest or increase value of collections. Now many of still read comics, but many of have done this for 20+ years so we are upgrading our collections.

The buyer above is not a normal con goer. They are digging in dollar boxes looking to complete runs with a list in hand or asking the dealer if they have certain books. I look in dollar bins next to them all the time. Once they are done with the $1 books then they look at the wall books and decide what else they can afford. They don't look at the wall books first. They are the bread and butter of conventions. Over looking them is a mistake.

 

I'm not overlooking them, I sell bulk collections to these guys all the time.  If this guy I mentioned above was completing a run, he would have had a list or known about the books he's looking for.  This isn't the case - he saw a few things of interest, sat on the fence, then decided he didn't want to spend 50 cents each on a basket of books after spending an hour of his time looking through boxes.  And we're not talking about a big con, small local monthly comic and card show that's been running for 25+ consecutive years with a wide-variety of dealers (both selections). 

Edited November 22, 2018 by spreads

[fastballspecial]

I agree I wasn't using your example but talking more in general. Obviously that type of buyer you just have to let go and move on.

 

[Brother J]

Yeah, If I spent hours in front of a dealer pulling books and then put them all back, I'd be pretty much a toolbag. Being experienced with cheap boxes, I also can tell pretty quickly if I want to invest the time going through all the books a dealer has, or if they might not be the right books for me, so I don't waste either of our time. I have a 9 page paper list that I use to try to complete runs, and many people look at me like I'm a dinosaur! Probably over half the things I pull are NOT on my list, but catch my eye for one reason or another.

[ygogolak]

14 hours ago, the authority said:

I've not visited in a month or 2 other than some very brief thread reads. Hello everybody 

Hope everyone is well. 

I've been either getting ready for a move, moving, or setting up our new ( to me ) house. Watching my daughter play ball or play ball myself when I can and working nearly every minute that I'm not doing any of the list above.

 

So the first thing I notice is that Black Hammer is doing well. Couldn't be happier. It's a fun book and I liked it so much that I bought a lot of them. Just need to find them. Haha. 😂. Awax got me hooked with a few of the SDCC #1s. I unfortunately sold 3 CGC 9.8s for less than $150 a while back but like many say, you can't lose money making money. I'm pleased. Thanks Geoff 👍🏻

 

I dont have a lot to add to add but I will as soon as catch up on my reading. Read my first 2 books in a while tonight. So happy to be able to get back it. 

What's that have to do with $1 con stock? 

Chilling Sabrina is moving pretty well.

[Awax]

So what’s going on here ?  50 cent books are heating up ? 

 

Im confused.  

[bababooey]

Stan sigs on modern keerap are hot!  Thread integrity restored. 

[fastballspecial]

Hard speculators are really chasing Dead Rabbit right now. Why because the book got pulled before it was completed.
I can think of a lot of reasons to chase an indy book, but that's not really one for me.

Several Spawn issues between 140-200 are doing really well from low print runs.

Moon Knight 25 is still moving well.

Thor Knull issues continue to do well.

The Rejected continues to sell well in every print 1,2 and 3rd print. I am completely sold out
and It was the most profitable indy book I have sold in awhile.

Black Hammer I am now sold out off. Don't believe anyone that this book is hard to find. Its not.

Young Avengers issues continue to sell well for 1st appearances.

Tomb Raider Hughes issues are still killing it.

Please be aware of the dangerous game of buying those 1/100 variants. Scarce as they are, both spec sites
and market manipulation are causing prices to spike wildly. Wait a few weeks and let the prices stabilize if you want
a copy for your collection. Just doing that will save you quite a bit of money.

 

Edited November 22, 2018 by fastballspecial

[KEY ISSUES Comics]

6 hours ago, fastballspecial said:

Most of us understand what you mean and are not bound up in strict definition. They get the point even if they are stuck trying to give you a strict definition. 

Oh, I know!