Comic Book Dealer's Setting the Price? posted by 109

[CSJournals-migration]

Are Comic Book Dealer's trying to inflate comic book prices?

 

I search and purchase comics books off ebay all the time. I primarily collect Modern Age Independent type comics and few Marvel and DC comics. The comic books that I collect don't have the demand that Marvel and DC comics have since there is a smaller collective market, which at times makes it easier for me to purchase at a lower cost. Some of the bigger online Comic Companies which sell everything sometimes ask 10 times what there actual value of the comic is. I don't believe they sell at these outrages prices. I know some sellers do this to show off their collection and are in no rush to sell their comics, unless they get the high dollar price they are asking. But I don't understand why the bigger Comic Companies are doing this unless they are trying to set a higher price for these comics. Maybe after posting these comics for a high outrages price they place them on sale at 50% off and still hope to make a killing. Let me know what you think. Thx, 109 P.S. Check my Supergirl #1 signed by Peter David.

 

See more journals by 109

[Pinky Lee Zepplin]

That Supergirl rocks. I've been trying to find a nice NM copy for months myself and have had no luck yet.

[Clouded9]

I know this has been posted a million times on these boards, but comics like any other collectible are ultimately worth only as much as a person is willing to pay for them. With that in mind, I think the the prices are being driven up in large part by speculators trying to flip books and cash in on all the movie and TV hype and in small part by collectors who feel that if they don't get certain books they want now that they won't be able to afford them later because of the same hype driving prices up. There are many minor key books that right now are really hot due to new movies and TV shows coming out featuring minor or second rate characters that were not really known to the mainstream market before, but I've been staying away from buying them and lately have been selling my hot and hyped minor keys and only been buying the major keys that, in my opinion, have the staying power to hold their value once all of the Hollywood hype is over and the next movie making trend comes along.

 

Westerns once ruled the silver screen like super hero movies do now, but it won't last forever and they too will slowly go the way of the buffalo and the prices of many of these "flash in the pan" minor keys will come back down accordingly I think.

[Phillip]

I know this has been posted a million times on these boards, but comics like any other collectible are ultimately worth only as much as a person is willing to pay for them. With that in mind, I think the the prices are being driven up in large part by speculators trying to flip books and cash in on all the movie and TV hype and in small part by collectors who feel that if they don't get certain books they want now that they won't be able to afford them later because of the same hype driving prices up. There are many minor key books that right now are really hot due to new movies and TV shows coming out featuring minor or second rate characters that were not really known to the mainstream market before, but I've been staying away from buying them and lately have been selling my hot and hyped minor keys and only been buying the major keys that, in my opinion, have the staying power to hold their value once all of the Hollywood hype is over and the next movie making trend comes along.

 

Westerns once ruled the silver screen like super hero movies do now, but it won't last forever and they too will slowly go the way of the buffalo and the prices of many of these "flash in the pan" minor keys will come back down accordingly I think.

 

 

I completely agree with everything you are saying. Good examples of the film franchises driving up price of their comic counter parts are 1. The Walking Dead, 2. The Strain, and everything else follows people are paying 10k for a comic by overstreet standards is only like $1200. Another big factor is most or all of the variants coming out. If your not able to get out and goto the cons or stores that factors in price rise on ebay and other sites. It sucks but thats the way things happen these days.