A very different way to sell a colllection. 1 1

[fmaz]

Can’t wait to hear how this turned out.  Anyone with something of value to sell, wouldn’t have to use these ridiculous methods to sell them.

The idea, however, of taking your books... splitting them up into equally “stacked” boxes... meaning each box is 25% drek, 60% decent stuff and 15% desirable stuff (or whatever)... would assure that he wouldn’t be left with just his drek at the end of the day.  I’d have absolutely no issue with that method of selling.  In fact it’s perfectly reasonable.  

But his current method means he’ll be left with... by my calcutions... exactly 100% of all his books at the end of the day.  

[Robot Man]

3 hours ago, mrwoogieman said:

Offer him more than he asks for on the first box. That'll upset his apple cart!

Actually not as funny as it sounds. I did that with a dealer I regularly buy from at a flea market. Sometimes, I would negotiate lower, sometimes, I would pay his price straight up. One time, I gave him 50% more than he was asking for something. From that time on, I was "the man" to him. He will hold stuff back for me and usually let me set the price. Has paid off in spades!

[Robot Man]

3 hours ago, Raze said:

i understand wanting not to be "cherry picked" but the all or nothing is the best way. ask him flat out  how much he wants for all of it even the drek then view the whole collection and if he's price is right take it if not counter offer. 

when i look at a collection I'm very upfront with how i buy and i DONT just buy the keys my offer is for the whole collection. thats rude because now they have nothing but junk to offer to the next person that they call to sell and is now a waste of time for all parties. 

also id love to hear how people come across collections ethier hear or PM. maybe we can share ideas....if were not in the same state 

I never "kiss and tell". This kind of information is something I have worked on for close to 40 years. Sorry...

[FineCollector]

I'm setting the over/under on the first short box at $30.  Who's in?

[Bird]

7 minutes ago, Robot Man said:

I never "kiss and tell". This kind of information is something I have worked on for close to 40 years. Sorry...

Stingy Canucks!   I have been amazed at how hard it is unearthing collections. And how easily they walk into the LCS. Even a new LCS near me has been killing it. The problem as I see it is that those collections are not for sale until suddenly they are, and any early incidental contact with the collector will be ignored...until they want to sell. And then they will go to a LCS.

[Robot Man]

2 minutes ago, Bird said:

Stingy Canucks!   I have been amazed at how hard it is unearthing collections. And how easily they walk into the LCS. Even a new LCS near me has been killing it. The problem as I see it is that those collections are not for sale until suddenly they are, and any early incidental contact with the collector will be ignored...until they want to sell. And then they will go to a LCS.

I know the owner of a comic store who does not sell back issues. When collections come in, he refers them to me and I give him a commision. 

[Bird]

2 minutes ago, Robot Man said:

I know the owner of a comic store who does not sell back issues. When collections come in, he refers them to me and I give him a commision. 

yeah, that would be ideal. Good job. I tried to encourage the new (and newly graduated from college) owner of one LCS to call me if anything was too big for him but he hasn't. He passed on a shortbox of Star Wars #1 shortly after that first discussion and I had to work hard to remind him of my offer without showing my, shall we say, disappointment. But good for him as that shop has been open two years or so now.

[shadroch]

I'm back. Not as many books as I hoped for, but it worked out much better than you folks were thinking.  I'll call it a long single, with the possibility of  getting  into second. 

Nice house, in a nice neighborhood, nice seller. Easy to work with in person.  he showed me one room that had lots of comics, very disorganized but nothing caught my eye.  Next room had 30 new BCW short boxes, piled two high.  Told me to pick any one and go through it. After about fifteen possible dollar box books, was a decent BA run. Roughly 35 Marvel twenty and twenty five cent books, VFish overall.  Couple twelve cent DCs, some offbrand  twelve cent comics, Wolverine Mini #3 in real nice shape, dozen thirty five-forty cent FFs and Defenders, couple of early DH Star Wars books, ,bunch of fodder, more fodder, five twelve cent Hulks in VGish, couple of Watchmen and Crisis issues , bunch of NM X-Men pre-200.  He wanted $60. I took it, partially because it had a brand new BCW box . I used to use a better box than BCW but those are a fraction of an inch longer and don't fit onto the shelves properly.  An ice breaker. 

Picked another box and pretty much the same, less Defenders and bunch of C.A. Conan's   This box he asked $50 and I took it.

Then he said to pick any two boxes, sight unseen for $100. I hesitated and he said any four for $150. When I agreed, he said he was going to have to finish another time.

I paid $260 for six short boxes. Now I get to really examine them and see if it was worth it. 95% bagged and boarded with maybe  third in Mylites or mylar.

 

[Raze]

27 minutes ago, Robot Man said:

I know the owner of a comic store who does not sell back issues. When collections come in, he refers them to me and I give him a commision. 

Same here

[1950's war comics]

56 minutes ago, Robot Man said:

Actually not as funny as it sounds. I did that with a dealer I regularly buy from at a flea market. Sometimes, I would negotiate lower, sometimes, I would pay his price straight up. One time, I gave him 50% more than he was asking for something. From that time on, I was "the man" to him. He will hold stuff back for me and usually let me set the price. Has paid off in spades!

@Robot Man that is brilliant !!....you are savvy  ..... and shrewd !!!!

[TheFifthHorseman]

29 minutes ago, shadroch said:

...decent BA run. Roughly 35 Marvel twenty and twenty five cent books, VFish overall.  Couple twelve cent DCs, some offbrand  twelve cent comics, Wolverine Mini #3 in real nice shape, dozen thirty five-forty cent FFs and Defenders, couple of early DH Star Wars books, ,bunch of fodder, more fodder, five twelve cent Hulks in VGish, couple of Watchmen and Crisis issues , bunch of NM X-Men pre-200.  He wanted $60

Not a bad pickup!

[thehumantorch]

48 minutes ago, shadroch said:

I'm back. Not as many books as I hoped for, but it worked out much better than you folks were thinking.  I'll call it a long single, with the possibility of  getting  into second. 

Nice house, in a nice neighborhood, nice seller. Easy to work with in person.  he showed me one room that had lots of comics, very disorganized but nothing caught my eye.  Next room had 30 new BCW short boxes, piled two high.  Told me to pick any one and go through it. After about fifteen possible dollar box books, was a decent BA run. Roughly 35 Marvel twenty and twenty five cent books, VFish overall.  Couple twelve cent DCs, some offbrand  twelve cent comics, Wolverine Mini #3 in real nice shape, dozen thirty five-forty cent FFs and Defenders, couple of early DH Star Wars books, ,bunch of fodder, more fodder, five twelve cent Hulks in VGish, couple of Watchmen and Crisis issues , bunch of NM X-Men pre-200.  He wanted $60. I took it, partially because it had a brand new BCW box . I used to use a better box than BCW but those are a fraction of an inch longer and don't fit onto the shelves properly.  An ice breaker. 

Picked another box and pretty much the same, less Defenders and bunch of C.A. Conan's   This box he asked $50 and I took it.

Then he said to pick any two boxes, sight unseen for $100. I hesitated and he said any four for $150. When I agreed, he said he was going to have to finish another time.

I paid $260 for six short boxes. Now I get to really examine them and see if it was worth it. 95% bagged and boarded with maybe  third in Mylites or mylar.

 

I think the saving grace of this deal is that he was a dealer and has a good idea of what he would pay for this stuff.  He might try to get a little more but he's rational about the market.  Sounds like you did ok.  Let us know what else you find.

[Dick Pontoon]

Looking forward to the pix!

[shadroch]

Run of Captain Marvel 3-11, a 6.0 Shazam 28 and another that is about3.0., 35 X-Men from 144-195, wolverine 2,3, Special Marvel Edition 16 in about 6.0.

[1Cool]

Sounds fun - sounds like he is playing the old mystery box sales thread on you.  No idea what is in the boxes and gets your hopes up with a couple quick peeks and in the end you end up wondering if you would have bought them if you would have known what was in the boxes.  Life is a gamble but as always - the house always wins.

[jhutton2]

Sounds like the experience was all right in the end and his prices OK for the books.  I was expecting an experience that was going to be frustrating and a waste of precious time for you, but the seller seems reasonable from your description of how things went.

Warmest Regards,

Jason

[BlowUpTheMoon]

12 hours ago, Pontoon said:

Looking forward to the pix!

+1

[shadroch]

3 hours ago, 1Cool said:

Sounds fun - sounds like he is playing the old mystery box sales thread on you.  No idea what is in the boxes and gets your hopes up with a couple quick peeks and in the end you end up wondering if you would have bought them if you would have known what was in the boxes.  Life is a gamble but as always - the house always wins.

That's pretty ironic ,seeing how I make my living beating casinos out of their ill gotten gains.

Edited November 16, 2017 by shadroch

[Jimbo749]

41 minutes ago, shadroch said:

That's pretty ironic ,seeing how I make my living beating casinos out of their ill gotten gains.

What game has potential for this?  Video poker with "perfect play" like Bob Dancer?  I actually have a copy of his old video poker training software. 

[shadroch]

VP, with near perfect play  can get you close to even. Add in cashback and comp club points and you turn the game positive. The real money is in exploiting casinos loyalty clubs. Not too difficult to do, once you learn how clubs work.  In some cases, losing $1,000 today will get you $50 in freeplay and a meal each week for a year. 

Blackjack is exploitable, but VP is your best shot.  Lots of double, triple and even ten times points day in Vegas. Lots of over 55 specials as well.  Today, I'm eating lunch in a place that gives a free lunch for cycling $20 thru a video poker machine.  Nice fried clams, fries and a beer for an expected loss of less than fifty cents. 

Edited November 16, 2017 by shadroch