Ask the “Blazing One”??? 4 4

[Sweet Lou 14]

2 hours ago, Red_Hood said:

Hey Bob, yours is a one of very few places I enjoy browsing and buying from.  From browsing your inventory it becomes apparent which 

books are your inventory ( priced within fair market value ) and what is usually consigned or uploaded by a third party trying to sell ( usually way overpriced )

My question, do you try to encourage people to price at FMV so not to undermine integrity?

For example, someone listing an Eternals #1 30¢ Price Variant for $6,000.

Full disclosure:  I've been buying from Bob since 1998, developing his web site since 2003, and consigning undercopies through his site since about a year ago.  I consider him a friend.

In my experience working with Bob over the years, he is always honest about his market assessment on a particular book.  If I want to buy a book that's consigned by a third party, and I think it's way overpriced, Bob will be very honest and direct with me about whether my expectations are justified.  On a couple of occasions where he agreed with me that a book was overpriced, he's spoken to the consignor about it.  In at least one case, he was able to broker a deal both sides were happy with.

[Bomber-Bob]

4 hours ago, Sweet Lou 14 said:

Full disclosure:  I've been buying from Bob since 1998, developing his web site since 2003, and consigning undercopies through his site since about a year ago.  I consider him a friend.

 

So if we have any complaints about the website we can direct these to you ?  I never understood the logic behind the New Arrivals. Clicking it automatically loads up the max content, very slowly I might add. After the max content is loaded, you can then select One Day, One week, etc. Why not wait to load only what the user selects. If I only want to see One Day, why make me suffer through a max content load ? 

[Bomber-Bob]

4 hours ago, Sweet Lou 14 said:

In my experience working with Bob over the years, he is always honest about his market assessment on a particular book.  If I want to buy a book that's consigned by a third party, and I think it's way overpriced, Bob will be very honest and direct with me about whether my expectations are justified.  On a couple of occasions where he agreed with me that a book was overpriced, he's spoken to the consignor about it.  In at least one case, he was able to broker a deal both sides were happy with.

I'm sure it's worth Bob's effort to intervene on a key or expensive book but for the run of the mill books, why bother. This topic isn't a 'Bob' problem, it's a consignor problem. I think we are just asking Bob why he bothers. 

[Sweet Lou 14]

13 minutes ago, Bomber-Bob said:

So if we have any complaints about the website we can direct these to you ?  I never understood the logic behind the New Arrivals. Clicking it automatically loads up the max content, very slowly I might add. After the max content is loaded, you can then select One Day, One week, etc. Why not wait to load only what the user selects. If I only want to see One Day, why make me suffer through a max content load ? 

Feedback is always welcome, but I'll just say the web site is stable and I only work on it in response to specific requests from Bob.  I'm not authorized to speak on his behalf or make changes without his permission.

I do not want to turn this thread into a web site feedback thread.  I'll only say that I just tested the New Arrivals link and the response was instantaneous, just like I remember it.    I'm sincerely sorry to hear that you're getting a slow response, but I couldn't reproduce that slowness so I would think it's not caused by anything server-side.

Finally I understand your point that the link could start you with a default that's less than everything, but by design we wanted to give visitors as much to look at as possible.  If we restricted the initial result set to, say, one week then there would be plenty of people who didn't realize they could see more by changing that setting, and would miss out.

Respectfully I would ask that any further feedback on the web site be taken to PMs.  And thanks.  

[Iceman399]

7 hours ago, Red_Hood said:

Hey Bob, yours is a one of very few places I enjoy browsing and buying from.  From browsing your inventory it becomes apparent which 

books are your inventory ( priced within fair market value ) and what is usually consigned or uploaded by a third party trying to sell ( usually way overpriced )

My question, do you try to encourage people to price at FMV so not to undermine integrity?

For example, someone listing an Eternals #1 30¢ Price Variant for $6,000.

Just curious what you would price it at?

a 9.2 30c variant is currently about 5x the regular 9.2 price.  Given it's a 9.8, recent 9.8 last sale at 828 with green arrows in all grades and only 2 30c variants is 6000 all that out of the question?

[blazingbob]

8 hours ago, Red_Hood said:

Hey Bob, yours is a one of very few places I enjoy browsing and buying from.  From browsing your inventory it becomes apparent which 

books are your inventory ( priced within fair market value ) and what is usually consigned or uploaded by a third party trying to sell ( usually way overpriced )

My question, do you try to encourage people to price at FMV so not to undermine integrity?

For example, someone listing an Eternals #1 30¢ Price Variant for $6,000.

All I can do with a consignment is recommend a selling price.  Consignor's have plenty of options when it comes to listing so if I become a pricing hammer I'm basically handing that book and future consignments to my competitors.  I have to work to please both sides,  the seller as well as the buyer.  

[blazingbob]

8 hours ago, KirbyJack said:

Would you care to list the top 20 SA books in order of current FMV?

 

Isn't that the Overstreet advisor's job? 

Isn't that something that GPA could easily produce in a report?  What would I be basing my list on?  My database sales,  GPA sales?

Not sure why this is something I would have to work up when you can do it just as easily.

 

[blazingbob]

1 hour ago, Bomber-Bob said:

I'm sure it's worth Bob's effort to intervene on a key or expensive book but for the run of the mill books, why bother. This topic isn't a 'Bob' problem, it's a consignor problem. I think we are just asking Bob why he bothers. 

Having a "Why bother" attitude is taking a very small view of what that consignor brings to the table.  They bring books,  they bring customers to the website and frankly they are generating posts and comments about a book on the website.  At least people are looking at the books on the website to make a comment about them,  good or bad.  

[dem1138]

On 4/28/2018 at 8:47 AM, dem1138 said:

As a successful comic book dealer and assuming the market continues to thrive, do you have an end game?  Unlike at Verizon, as a comic book dealer, you can determine when you're ready to retire.  Is there a dollar amount that is your goal for you to retire or an age or do you think you'll be a comic book dealer until you're simply physically and mentally unable to do it any longer?

don't forget this one

[jimjum12]

2 hours ago, Bomber-Bob said:

So if we have any complaints about the website we can direct these to you ?  I never understood the logic behind the New Arrivals. Clicking it automatically loads up the max content, very slowly I might add. After the max content is loaded, you can then select One Day, One week, etc. Why not wait to load only what the user selects. If I only want to see One Day, why make me suffer through a max content load ? 

Bomber-Bob...perhaps it's time for you to upgrade from Windows 95 ?  GOD BLESS....

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

Edited April 30, 2018 by jimjum12

[blazingbob]

50 minutes ago, dem1138 said:

don't forget this one

Dave I don't feel I need to disclose what my plans are and why would I do that?

[dem1138]

36 minutes ago, blazingbob said:

Dave I don't feel I need to disclose what my plans are and why would I do that?

Apologies Bob.  Since its a non-traditional job I was genuinely curious if there was an end game, thats all.  Hopefully you'll find this question more appropriate:

Have you found that there's a generational shift in the collector base or do you think that the average age of the buyers continues to get older?  Personally I'm seeing a new generation coming up and I'm very hopeful for the future of the hobby.

Edited April 30, 2018 by dem1138

[Red_Hood]

9 hours ago, blazingbob said:

All I can do with a consignment is recommend a selling price.  Consignor's have plenty of options when it comes to listing so if I become a pricing hammer I'm basically handing that book and future consignments to my competitors.  I have to work to please both sides,  the seller as well as the buyer.  

I guess the answer I was looking for was more of personal thought then using the ol' business noodle.

For instance, your first reaction when you see someone list a book far above FMV on your site,

do you think to yourself, " What the hell is this person thinking, if you just want to show off your book and have it sit forever, just post it on some comic forum instead ?!?! " 

Later on, the integrity part is what I would be concerned with.  A small few who deal on your site would be able to distinguish between your books and a con-signor but most

people would not and just think its you listing books.  A site like mycomicshop makes the distinction between their own inventory and a consignor's book and as they should because

people consigning there put ridiculous prices on their books.

 

[DanCooper]

10 hours ago, blazingbob said:

Isn't that the Overstreet advisor's job? 

Hi Bob. Speaking of which, why aren't you an Overstreet advisor yet?

You probably have better qualifications than 75-80% of the advisors listed and are tuned into all current market situations (conventions, internet and HERE!)

It's like the Rock and Roll Hall in Fame in Cleveland currently not having Judas Priest, John Coltrane, Radiohead, Warren Zevon, Jethro Tull, etc. NOT in their establishment yet!

Edited April 30, 2018 by DanCooper

[blazingbob]

1 hour ago, Red_Hood said:

I guess the answer I was looking for was more of personal thought then using the ol' business noodle.

For instance, your first reaction when you see someone list a book far above FMV on your site,

do you think to yourself, " What the hell is this person thinking, if you just want to show off your book and have it sit forever, just post it on some comic forum instead ?!?! " 

Later on, the integrity part is what I would be concerned with.  A small few who deal on your site would be able to distinguish between your books and a con-signor but most

people would not and just think its you listing books.  A site like mycomicshop makes the distinction between their own inventory and a consignor's book and as they should because

people consigning there put ridiculous prices on their books.

 

The reason I don't note a consignor book versus my own is because there are buyers out there that will attempt to go directly to the person selling the book.  If the owner is honest they won't sell the book to that person while it is up for sale on my website,  some will. 

Since the buyer is basically attempting to cut me out and save the commission I generally don't look too kindly on that type of buyer.  They seem to miss the fact that if it wasn't up on MY website they wouldn't have even known it was for sale if they know the book.  They basically minimize my work, my business expense and value to having the book for sale.

 

[blazingbob]

32 minutes ago, DanCooper said:

Hi Bob. Speaking of which, why aren't you an Overstreet advisor yet?

You probably have better qualifications than 75-80% of the advisors listed and are tuned into all current market situations (conventions, internet and HERE!)

It's like the Rock and Roll Hall in Fame in Cleveland currently not having Judas Priest, John Coltrane, Radiohead, Warren Zevon, Jethro Tull, etc. NOT in their establishment yet!

I have always felt that being an Overstreet advisor was more like being in the "Good ole boys club".  Get a couple of recommendations from a few people and welcome to the club.  

Except for the market reports which to me except for a few have always been "Let me push/hype a part of the market I want to move a bit" I didn't find them doing much else. 

Now there are always excuses on why this can't happen but when was the last time they all met?

Are they a good representation of the dealer community?

Are some of them still alive?

Who decides if they should or should not be Overstreet advisor's any longer?  Bob Overstreet who I very rarely see?  

Are they a business representation of the hobby?

Do they present solutions on how to grow the comic business?

Are they generally giving a cross section representation of the overall hobby when any of the grading companies make label changes or design changes?

Do they present solutions on how to improve the comic convention experience for buyers and sellers?

As a collector what are they bringing to the table as far as experience goes?   

Doesn't mean I don't like any of them,  I just wonder what do they do and why would I be one.  Just so I can put a 20 year old picture up of myself when I had hair?

[blazingbob]

9 hours ago, dem1138 said:

Apologies Bob.  Since its a non-traditional job I was genuinely curious if there was an end game, thats all.  Hopefully you'll find this question more appropriate:

Have you found that there's a generational shift in the collector base or do you think that the average age of the buyers continues to get older?  Personally I'm seeing a new generation coming up and I'm very hopeful for the future of the hobby.

There have been multiple "waves" to extend the comic book hobby over the years.

Monthly print media such as Comic Buyers Guide which is no longer,  Comic Book Marketplace which was very well written and frankly used to result in certain titles and issues becoming hot again.  

Wizard magazine which added to the speculation in the market of what's hot,  what's not in the new book market.  

The internet as a viable business model

Third party grading,  Third party hosted websites,  registry sets which appeal to the ego's of most buyers in the quest for the best and a way to measure ones self in the collecting universe.

TV/Movies which we are still currently in

I still do a lot of shows and it is not uncommon to see Grandpa,  Dad and son/daughter buying books.  Each has a different love of what they are buying and each character brings a different response.

It is one of the few hobbies where thankfully my customer base is not pulling oxygen tanks behind them or 99% old guys talking about the old days.  

 

[Jeffro.]

I think Bob's questions above regarding overstreet advisers are valid and fair.
For me, a recent issue is the watering down of the adviser base. You can fairly question why some of the dealers are still advisers but now the adviser group is being opened widely to non-dealers.  A couple years ago, after not having bought a OPG for several years, I bought one and when I read through the market reports, I saw a bunch of names I'd never heard of. I was saying to myself, who are these people? I suppose it adds diversity and other voices to what was predominantly a dealer only club in the old days but I have to seriously question how and why some of these people are qualified to be advisers? And don't even get me started on people who write market reports and then don't even report on the market or write something so brief and generic as to not be of any use whatsoever.

 

Edited April 30, 2018 by Jerkfro

[Sweet Lou 14]

51 minutes ago, blazingbob said:

Just so I can put a 20 year old picture up of myself when I had hair?

Now you've done it Bob.

Obviously, now the world needs to see this.

[blazingbob]

On 4/28/2018 at 7:29 AM, NoMan said:

When someone walks up to you at a con with a box of books to sell can you figure out what books are In the box based on what seller looks like? 

Also, what are some of the things buyers do at cons that you hate?

Probably the #1 comment that results in a most dealers doing a complete emotional shutdown is the opening question "I'm just curious".