Comic Shops when they have to break the news that comics aren't worth squat. 2 2

[Bird]

1 hour ago, fmaz said:

One of the big issues is that if that lady had brought in a pile of valuable comics to a comic shop... or a pile of worthless books with one gem in the middle of them, in MANY cases, the comic shop owner would have said they weren't worth very much and tried to get them for a song... or at least that's what people are inherently expecting when they come in. People are so afraid of being taken that, even when people in a comic shop are trying to offer friendly advice... advice, by the way, which they've been ASKED to provide... it's still going to almost always met with suspicion.

That's why when you see people getting bad news on Antiques Road Show they take it so much better... they go into that situation trusting that they're getting an objective opinion. 

Oh and by the way for personal experience? The few times I've checked out someone's collection and decided not to buy it because it was just a lot of junk?  What I have said is that those particular books are not what I collect, but that I've seen collections like that sell pretty often on ebay and they should check it out.    That seems to get me off the hook and, I always hope, points them in the direction of finding out what their books are really worth, if even by accident.

 

The LCS who orders my bulk paid a local couple $85K for their collection, which had some cherce GA books. He partnered with a national GA dealer to help defray the costs. This was a walk in deal that I mentioned here a few months ago. I missed on the Batman 2 and 3; I snoozed and I loozed!

He says that people know he will pay so he gets a lot of collections. I doubt that was the case with that older couple (they were local to the shop, less than 1 mile away) but even today when I was there he had some great new books.

[1950's war comics]

The comics have a recycle value, newsprint is worth $41.00 a ton these days so X 133 tons = $5400.00 

but it would be two full freight trucks to haul away .

 

EDIT wrong thread , supposed to be in the 400,000 of the same comic thread , cant delete??

Edited April 26, 2017 by 1950's war comics
wrong thread

[ProcessedMeatMan]

53 minutes ago, Bird said:

The LCS who orders my bulk paid a local couple $85K for their collection, which had some cherce GA books. He partnered with a national GA dealer to help defray the costs. This was a walk in deal that I mentioned here a few months ago. I missed on the Batman 2 and 3; I snoozed and I loozed!

He says that people know he will pay so he gets a lot of collections. I doubt that was the case with that older couple (they were local to the shop, less than 1 mile away) but even today when I was there he had some great new books.

SoCal Comics in San Diego?

[Bird]

2 hours ago, ProcessedMeatMan said:

SoCal Comics in San Diego?

nope, here in NJ.

[shadroch]

If it's who I think it is, I'm pretty sure Ben has a time machine in his basement. Don't believe that "I pay high so books find there way here" .

[kav]

If he paid 85K I wonder what the books were worth

[the blob]

On 4/26/2017 at 11:54 PM, shadroch said:

If it's who I think it is, I'm pretty sure Ben has a time machine in his basement. Don't believe that "I pay high so books find there way here" .

Ben has been at this a while, I doubt he started up with $85K.  I think he grew his business and inventory organically.

[the blob]

On an unrelated note, I was in a comic shop in Manhattan yesterday, one whose name many of us know, who had to move from a huge 2d floor space to a smaller basement space... had not been there for a couple of years ... but criminey, it seems like business is booming in this new location, which has tremendous foot traffic.  I hung out there for a couple of hours and he sold like $500-600 in mid-priced generic SA and BA books, priced by guide with a 10-30% discount depending on how big the stack was, mainly to 20/30 something hipsters and 1 or 2 older guys.  go figure.  he sure didn't need the $40 i dropped there.  the place was packed and not just for new comic day, people were rummaging through the back issue bins.  maybe the 5 o'clock tequila shots helped sell more comics.

[shadroch]

He offers shots of tequila? 

[BlowUpTheMoon]

You two have the same avatar!

[shadroch]

 I sorry you noticed that. Blob and I bought our avatars from a wandering avatar salesman.  He assured us only the finest quality people can see them.  To others they appear as an anti-silhouette.

[Robot Man]

My LCS does not deal in back issues even though the owner is a collector. Kind of weird, but they turn down collections flat quite often. One day, while in the shop a guy came in with a box of SA and BA and they showed him the door. I followed him out and he had a whole trunk full of books in his car. I made him a fair offer and he was happy. He had to follow me to my bank for me to get the funds. Why would any shop just flat out say no without even looking? I know people who opened shops to specifically get collections that walk in.

[1Cool]

36 minutes ago, shadroch said:

 I sorry you noticed that. Blob and I bought our avatars from a wandering avatar salesman.  He assured us only the finest quality people can see them.  To others they appear as an anti-silhouette.

I saw something once and then I low balled a poor old widow and it's been a silhouette ever since

[BlowUpTheMoon]

1 hour ago, shadroch said:

 I sorry you noticed that. Blob and I bought our avatars from a wandering avatar salesman.  He assured us only the finest quality people can see them.  To others they appear as an anti-silhouette.

Here you go.  Now one of you can be the opposite of the other:

[shadroch]

20 minutes ago, BlowUpTheMoon said:

Here you go.  Now one of you can be the opposite of the other:

Say your prayers and eat your vegetables. Perhaps one day you'll revell in the glory that is my avatar.

Edited May 4, 2017 by shadroch

[shadroch]

1 hour ago, Robot Man said:

My LCS does not deal in back issues even though the owner is a collector. Kind of weird, but they turn down collections flat quite often. One day, while in the shop a guy came in with a box of SA and BA and they showed him the door. I followed him out and he had a whole trunk full of books in his car. I made him a fair offer and he was happy. He had to follow me to my bank for me to get the funds. Why would any shop just flat out say no without even looking? I know people who opened shops to specifically get collections that walk in.

 I suppose it all depends on your business plan. If a shop doesn't deal in back issues, is turning down a collection any different than passing on a coin collection or records?

Strikes me as strange but if he was a successful business and sticks to his plan, more power to him.

[kav]

Even if a shop offers 30% of value for SA collection and they dont deal in back issues, then that means a lot of time spent on ebay.  Time they might not have.  It's just not worth it to them.

[dem1138]

7 hours ago, the blob said:

On an unrelated note, I was in a comic shop in Manhattan yesterday, one whose name many of us know, who had to move from a huge 2d floor space to a smaller basement space... had not been there for a couple of years ... but criminey, it seems like business is booming in this new location, which has tremendous foot traffic.  I hung out there for a couple of hours and he sold like $500-600 in mid-priced generic SA and BA books, priced by guide with a 10-30% discount depending on how big the stack was, mainly to 20/30 something hipsters and 1 or 2 older guys.  go figure.  he sure didn't need the $40 i dropped there.  the place was packed and not just for new comic day, people were rummaging through the back issue bins.  maybe the 5 o'clock tequila shots helped sell more comics.

Roger is a great guy and I'm happy to hear that his shop is still doing well. I used to stop by on a semi regular basis and now I try to visit everytime I'm back in town. For whatever reason that location gets a ton more foot traffic than on the 2nd floor on 14th St. 

[lizards2]

7 hours ago, the blob said:

On 4/26/2017 at 8:54 PM, shadroch said:

If it's who I think it is, I'm pretty sure Ben has a time machine in his basement. Don't believe that "I pay high so books find there way here" .

Ben has been at this a while, I doubt he started up with $85K.  I think he grew his business and inventory organically.

Augmented by pot sales?  I would suspect as much from most "dealers"

[Robot Man]

1 hour ago, kav said:

Even if a shop offers 30% of value for SA collection and they dont deal in back issues, then that means a lot of time spent on ebay.  Time they might not have.  It's just not worth it to them.

There is always selling to another dealer for a little bump or turning another dealer to it for a commision. This was a nice collection with lots of keys and he didn't want much for it. Just seems dumb to turn it away...