Are signature series worth getting and should artists charge more for CGC book?

[1Cool]

I've not been posting much on E-Bay during the summer but I've been hearing sales are way down for most sellers. With comic cons pulling in tens of thousands of people you would have to think some of them are buying books that would normally be bought off of E-Bay. Have you noticed any slow down this summer and do you think it could be due to the huge amount of Cons?

 

I've also seen a slow down in sales on the Sales Threads of late so is this just the summer lull or something else?

[Columbia Comics]

I think that the issue here is that the equilibrium of the North vs. South Poles is out of whack.

 

I mean, when seals and elephants are considering the overthrow of the polar bears as the dominate species in the artic, then we must consider possible outliers.

 

Couple that with the increased T5 speeds they're experiencing in Bangladesh and New Zealand, I'd say that the people there are eating more avocados than ever.

 

 

[jcjames]

 

I've noticed it.

 

I suppose if a seller has a large enough volume (wow) they'll sell just about everything they throw up there, but for small volume seller like me, yeah, I've noticed smaller looksies and less watchers and buyer numbers over the summer.

 

 

[mysterio]

Or, the bubble is getting ready to pop.

[Transplant]

It's the late con season lull.

[mycomicshop]

Think it's due to higher level issues at eBay more than anything seasonal or specific to comics. My understanding is that traffic and sales are down across the board at eBay for the past 6-12 months. Part of the problem started when Google made a change that reduced the visibility of eBay's listings in Google search results, but there are other issues too.

 

http://marketrealist.com/2015/02/ebay-reveals-mixed-performance-4q14/

 

http://www.businessinsider.com/ebays-q4-earnings-call-was-brutal-2015-1

 

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/Ebay-sales-way-off-since-start-of-April-2015/td-p/23848160/page/3

[Dale Roberts]

I've not been posting much on E-Bay during the summer but I've been hearing sales are way down for most sellers. With comic cons pulling in tens of thousands of people you would have to think some of them are buying books that would normally be bought off of E-Bay. Have you noticed any slow down this summer and do you think it could be due to the huge amount of Cons?

 

I've also seen a slow down in sales on the Sales Threads of late so is this just the summer lull or something else?

 

I've been selling on ebay since 1998. Summer has been slower every year during that time. Generally ebay starts slowing down about tax day and picks up again after Labor Day. People are busy having fun during the summer. Kids are out of school. Families are on vacation. It has nothing to do with the current market and it never has.

 

 

[comicstock]

I haven't auctioned anything for months but I do have a small eBay Store.

The last two months have been pretty quiet though I've made a half dozen sales within the last 10 days or so. I expect more activity as we get to the second half of September.

[blazingbob]

Back to School

 

August is the month where I notice a seasonal lull in Sales.

 

After the kids are back to school sales start to pick up again.

 

 

[towards2112]

I've been reading about the ebay / paypal disassociation, and even though

I am a layperson when it comes to high end fiduciary statements, and all the

forward looking statements, I see ebay becoming as obsolete as GeoCities,

which I thoroughly enjoyed for a few years. Now I see that Paypal has far more

gross than ebay, and the experience to interact with an auction marketplace,

is there any possibility that Paypal would consider opening it's own branded

market.

And yes, sales are in a severe lull. Of course I sell , but even is

wanted by someone.

[1Cool]

I've been reading about the ebay / paypal disassociation, and even though

I am a layperson when it comes to high end fiduciary statements, and all the

forward looking statements, I see ebay becoming as obsolete as GeoCities,

which I thoroughly enjoyed for a few years. Now I see that Paypal has far more

gross than ebay, and the experience to interact with an auction marketplace,

is there any possibility that Paypal would consider opening it's own branded

market.

And yes, sales are in a severe lull. Of course I sell , but even is

wanted by someone.

 

The sellers are probably the ones I'd see getting affected by the Cons the mosts. Why pay $5 to ship a few $1 books when you can grab a handful of books for Dad when you are at Con. I know not everyone is close to a Con but it seems like if you wait a month there will be a fairly big one in your area.

[Robot Man]

I think people are busier in the summer and on vacation. Also it is con time and a lot of people save their cash for a convention.

 

As a buyer, I have noticed a LOT less quality books to buy in the past couple years overall on fleabay. I look at new today auctions every day but don't bother with "buy it nows". The only day of the week that is consistancy decent is usually Sunday. And, when good stuff comes on it is often a fierce battle to be the high bidder.

 

As a seller, I have really cut back on my listings. I sell all kinds of vintage "Americana" as well as just comics. The high consignment fees, and paypal fees have cut into what I can make there. You also have to list stuff at the right price to sell. I have also been sick and tired of the way they treat sellers for some time. They don't get the fact that if they don't have sellers, they won't have buyers.

 

Without PayPal floating them, they are really going to have a struggle with the way they are going.

[NewWorldOrder]

I have 30 auctions ending tonight and tomorrow.

 

Not seeing any slowing. This might be my best sales month of the year actually.

[1Cool]

I have 30 auctions ending tonight and tomorrow.

 

Not seeing any slowing. This might be my best sales month of the year actually.

 

Good to know that ultra high grade key books are doing well. But I'd guess ASM 300 CG 9.8 will do well no matter what month they are listed.

[the blob]

Or, the bubble is getting ready to pop.

\

 

happens every summer. not just cons, but people, even comic nerds, may have lives over the summer. i know i wasn't messing around with bidding on or listing comics when i rented a beach house or going on long road trips or whatever. plus, putting aside money for those sorts of trips may reallocate budgets.

[GACollectibles]

I think your assumption that more people at cons = more comics being sold may be faulty.

[NewWorldOrder]

I have 30 auctions ending tonight and tomorrow.

 

Not seeing any slowing. This might be my best sales month of the year actually.

 

Good to know that ultra high grade key books are doing well. But I'd guess ASM 300 CG 9.8 will do well no matter what month they are listed.

 

My point would be a book like that never has a slow month.

 

I can think of many pros/cons for each of 12 months for selling in the calendar year.

 

So sure maybe if you are selling a raw X-men 101 in Fine condition on eBay during August it could go slightly lower. Sure that could happen.

 

I figure if you have a product people want then selling is pretty easy no matter when you auction it off at.

[RockMyAmadeus]

I had three auctions end last night for disappointing prices on some pretty key books, so maybe.

 

In one case, a double signed book sold for less ($305 vs. $350) than an unsigned book sold for last week. That always frosts me. All that extra work and trouble for a loss. Yet, when priced at $450 with best offer, nothing. No bites, no offers, nothing.

 

:shrug:

[NewWorldOrder]

I had three auctions end last night for disappointing prices on some pretty key books, so maybe.

 

In one case, a double signed book sold for less ($305 vs. $350) than an unsigned book sold for last week. That always frosts me. All that extra work and trouble for a loss. Yet, when priced at $450 with best offer, nothing. No bites, no offers, nothing.

 

:shrug:

 

That is why I let others such as yourself play the yellow label game since I do believe there are more Universal buyers than Yellow label buyers for the same book in grade.

 

 

 

 

[the blob]

i know summer is con season, but i guess i start getting more interested in the fall with nycc and all. i prefer cons when the weather is a little cooler. summer cons with potentially bad AC are hell. those shows at the penn pavilion in nyc can get gross.