What's more rewarding? Spec scores or Finds in the wild 0

[FineCollector]

I don't speculate, and don't have room to set aside boxes of bulk to forget about, so I vote "find" as well.

[jsilverjanet]

One involes luck, the other involves skill.

its interesting to hear that the one that involves luck is the most rewarding.

The one that involves skill requires patience, risk and sometimes more money. It may not be instant gratification but it’s validation that you know/can predict the market. 

I find spec more rewarding. And I’ve been far more succcessful at “finding in the wild” than I have been at “speculating”

Sometimes finding in the wild is speculating for me. I once found a modern comic that I had no idea what the value was but it looked like something worth some money. I paid a $1 and later sold it for $1000. I buy a lot of books like that. I may not know the immediate value when I pick them up but get a spider sense feeling about them and it turns out to be true.

Edited June 4, 2018 by jsilverjanet

[valiantman]

I like to combine the two and try to find books on the 'bay that are poorly described or hidden in the photo of the stack, which requires both luck and skill.

[Old Fashion PB and J]

 "I don't care how I get it, as long as I get it" - Myself

[1Cool]

As Hector said - one is just luck and the other is basically foretelling the future which involves a lot of skill and a little luck.  If I can foresee a hot book and stock up for cheap I love it a lot more then stumbling on a cheap key.  But in the long run - found money is found money no matter where it comes from.

[Cocomonkey]

Definitely wild. I don't care if it's a key or not, there's just something more exciting about finding something unexpected.

[Aweandlorder]

2 hours ago, 1Cool said:

As Hector said - one is just luck and the other is basically foretelling the future which involves a lot of skill and a little luck.  If I can foresee a hot book and stock up for cheap I love it a lot more then stumbling on a cheap key.  But in the long run - found money is found money no matter where it comes from.

Both this & @jsilverjanet post parallel my thoughts. I suspect that the majority have experienced AMAZING finds. Where the minority have experienced AMAZING spec wins. Which is why we don't hear from them here. 

A little bit of both gets the job done. But predicting the future is truly a skill and it does involves a few risks. The more you're at it, the better you get. 

Sometimes there are risks buying collections/books you have no knowledge about as well. I risked spending a grand on some anime books which came across my way. Not only did I flip them for over 3 x my investment money. But it also happened in a few short days. 

[Robot Man]

Finding stuff in the wild has a LOT of luck involved. But there is often speculation involved as well. There is also the years of knowledge and research that it takes to know what to buy and what to leave when you do get "lucky". Market trends also factor in. Then there is the massive amounts of time you have to put in to "get lucky". Doesn't happen every time. Your odds increase when you arrive real early and the more shows you go to. Nothing quite getting rewarded well for your efforts and when you least expect it.

Oh, and there is often considerable "luck" in speculation as well...

Edited June 4, 2018 by Robot Man

[WeR138]

A deep feeling of satisfaction and vindication OR an adrenaline-fueled rush?

Hmm.........

 

[Aweandlorder]

3 hours ago, Robot Man said:

Finding stuff in the wild has a LOT of luck involved. But there is often speculation involved as well. There is also the years of knowledge and research that it takes to know what to buy and what to leave when you do get "lucky". Market trends also factor in. Then there is the massive amounts of time you have to put in to "get lucky". Doesn't happen every time. Your odds increase when you arrive real early and the more shows you go to. Nothing quite getting rewarded well for your efforts and when you least expect it.

Oh, and there is often considerable "luck" in speculation as well...

While I agree, still, at the very basic level, any person can walk to a garage sale and find a Batman Adventures 12 for a song. The probability of that happening is much higher than someone speculating on the same book and getting it right. 

[fastballspecial]

Everyone talks about it being luck finding books in the Wild and sometimes it is. 
I don't know about others, but I do a lot of research in areas I am looking. I eliminate places by calling
and looking at their Facebook sites.My time is valuable I don't want to waste it especially if I am driving
a good distance. That's not luck.

 

 

[kdoginohio]

lucky finds are great, but I enjoy a good hunt for something rare.

[Aweandlorder]

2 minutes ago, kdoginohio said:

lucky finds are great, but I enjoy a good hunt for something rare.

I can only find that on eBay. No way will I ever be able to come across a rare book I wanted in the wild as easy as on eBay. May take a while but I always find it there eventually 

[Kramerica]

I stink. I chose to speculate between two zombie books: "Remains" by Steve Niles and "The Walking Dead." Guess which one I chose? And chose poorly?

[october]

I don't understand how anyone thinks finding and profiting on books in the wild is "luck". 

It takes years of research, practice and experience to be able to properly identify, grade and value a wide range of comics. I could be the luckiest person in the world, but I am not going to make dollar one off of rare pottery, stamps, furniture, records or any dozens of collectible categories that I know nothing about. It also take patience, perseverance and yes....skill.....to then find the books themselves. Yes, whether or not I find comics at a single garage sale on a single given Saturday is "luck". Over years and years of doing this it becomes less and less about luck and more and more about perseverance and leveraging the tricks of the trade acquired through hard work. 

[jsilverjanet]

My definition of "in the wild" is finding a valuable comic in a time/place where it's not supposed to be. If there's a garage/estate sale with silver age books, I don't consider that in the wild. If I put in the time (finding the sale, going there early etc) that to me is "part of the job" aka the work involved. I expect to find something of value there.

On 6/3/2018 at 12:33 PM, Aweandlorder said:

Spec wins or finding keys in the wild?

This line to me suggests something that comes up, unexpected, an anomaly. To me that's luck especially when I haven't been the first one through the door, or in the box etc.

[jsilverjanet]

Luck plays a factor. I never said it's the only factor but it plays a part. Knowledge, hard work help tip the scales in your favor. If I happen to go into HPB on a random day, and on that day i find a book worth more money that it's priced I attribute luck to that. Yes my knowledge played a factor in me identify the book.

Luck isn't a 4 letter word.

 

[october]

18 minutes ago, jsilverjanet said:

Luck plays a factor. I never said it's the only factor but it plays a part. Knowledge, hard work help tip the scales in your favor. If I happen to go into HPB on a random day, and on that day i find a book worth more money that it's priced I attribute luck to that. Yes my knowledge played a factor in me identify the book.

Luck isn't a 4 letter word.

 

Well sure, but luck plays a factor is pretty much everything. 

[jsilverjanet]

1 minute ago, october said:

Well sure, but luck plays a factor is pretty much everything. 

I win the internet today

[october]

Just now, jsilverjanet said:

I win the internet today

Lucky you.