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The rise of Instagram sellers
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239 posts in this topic

16 hours ago, entalmighty1 said:

I guess I thought the GPA reference was for the raffles, but he could have meant sales in general too. (shrug) 

sorry for the confusion on sales.  GPA reference is for direct sales and raffles.  I sold the Turtles 1 cgc 9.0 for $5500 in OCT of last year which was about GPA 90 day.  Book is up to $6800 on GPA!  I've sold from raw to other four figure books by direct sales and always use GPA for reference.  Seems like comiclink and private sales are over GPA on several keys and wished it was reported or tracked, but that is another conversation. 

Typically, raffles are slightly higher at 10-20 percent of FMV, but I try to stay at GPA.  Also, the ig community will tell you if a book is too high, because if a book doesn't close or fill all the spots, it is an indicator the price is too high.  

I totally understand not following folks that raffle on IG, because there are constant reposts to try and fill spots.  I had to create another account bc several of my friends had to unfollow.  

Edited by Chickenwings
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6 hours ago, Chickenwings said:

sorry for the confusion on sales.  GPA reference is for direct sales and raffles.  I sold the Turtles 1 cgc 9.0 for $5500 in OCT of last year which was about GPA 90 day.  Book is up to $6800 on GPA!  I've sold from raw to other four figure books by direct sales and always use GPA for reference.  Seems like comiclink and private sales are over GPA on several keys and wished it was reported or tracked, but that is another conversation. 

Typically, raffles are slightly higher at 10-20 percent of FMV, but I try to stay at GPA.  Also, the ig community will tell you if a book is too high, because if a book doesn't close or fill all the spots, it is an indicator the price is too high.  

I totally understand not following folks that raffle on IG, because there are constant reposts to try and fill spots.  I had to create another account bc several of my friends had to unfollow.  

I was referring to your comment about having a sales venue with no fees.  You're posting on one. :foryou: 

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6 hours ago, Chickenwings said:

sorry for the confusion on sales.  GPA reference is for direct sales and raffles.  I sold the Turtles 1 cgc 9.0 for $5500 in OCT of last year which was about GPA 90 day.  Book is up to $6800 on GPA!  I've sold from raw to other four figure books by direct sales and always use GPA for reference.  Seems like comiclink and private sales are over GPA on several keys and wished it was reported or tracked, but that is another conversation. 

 

Turtles 1 in 7.5 went for $5,475 last month on CL

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Ebay reaches the widest audience. As a buyer, you are always protected, which is why I do most of my buying on ebay. I find good deals and in my history of buying (15 years) I have had maybe 2-3 instances where I was unhappy. I never returned the item but the seller usually gave me a slight refund or in one case, refunded me fully and told me to keep the books.

The problem with Ebay is that, as a seller, it can be hard. There are people who will be hellbent on nitpicking something to get a refund or try to force a return and cause problems. Luckily, I have encounters this again only 2-3 times in 15 years. But when it happens, it hurts. I sold a stack of Wolverine #1's back in the day and did not use tracking (was very early selling and was trying to keep prices lower to gain some selling power). Tracking was optional, buyer declined. Then he claimed he never got the books so I lost about $100). Since then, only a few issues where a partial refund sufficed.

Instagram is a much more close knit community. There are people to beware of. I always ask for references if I am unsure. Generally, you can ask a few regulars on there about others and get an honest opinion. There are even hashtags to follow where various community members alert you to fraudulent people using Instagram. The deals are a little harder to find but you get good books. As a seller, I like it more. No complaints in 2 years of using it and I have saved on stupid Ebay fees which is great. Plus, it is great to look at other people's finds, network and learn about stuff and share your own purchases. Right now, it is my preferred method to sell. Sadly, there is no way (that I know of anyway) to "bump" an old post. So you have to copy it all and repost a new one if you are trying to sell something so that it appears again on someones post feed again and maybe catches a few more eyes. 

Facebook I have had no luck with. Maybe I am in the wrong groups?? If anyone can recommend a good one, I would love to join but generally for buying it seems everything is overpriced. I am sorry but if I can buy on ebay for $200 and am guaranteed safe, why would I pay $300 on a platform where I feel unprotected? Instagram has me feeling the same way sometimes buy you also see more books on Instagram that are obscure (and may not always pop up on Ebay....especially Golden Age books). As a seller on Facebook, I love the marketplace. It is a perfect way for me to sell off junk I dont want. Most of the time, I am selling stuff as a lot and for 50 cents to $1.50 per book so its a quick way to get cash and sell to locals who just want comics for cheap.

 

Those are my experiences/opinions for anyone who cares :)

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8 hours ago, LionLarge99 said:

I was only a sit and watcher for a while and barely posted anything. Within the past year, I post something at least 1-2 times a week and I am almost at 500 followers without really trying. I find the hashtag #igcomicfamily gets a lot of views. In addition to this, once I sold a few things it seemed I gained more followers. 
 

Other things people have tried include doing a giveaway. A decent book is to be given away if you get to "x" amount of followers. You tag 3 people and if they tag three they are entered to win. Have not done this personally but it seems to boost followers. 
 

 

 

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8 hours ago, Buzzetta said:

Some of you are clouding my IG feed thanks to the IG/ FB algorithms. 

 

I follow a very limited amount of people, just because I get tired of seeing the same books over and over and over again.  I'm about to unfollow some of the statue people as well, waaaaaay too much spam.

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1 minute ago, entalmighty1 said:

I follow a very limited amount of people, just because I get tired of seeing the same books over and over and over again.  I'm about to unfollow some of the statue people as well, waaaaaay too much spam.

I agree, some people post too much to advertise their store/etsy/whatever. And as mentioned, it is often stuff I have seen a million times before. 

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I buy and sell on Instagram a lot. Met a lotta great people there. Make sure to use hashtags #goldenagecomics #comicsforsale #comics4sale #silveragecomics etc

Follow those who post mostly GA SA books. And If you don't like what they post you can still follow them and put them on mute

Pablo

IG : @dreamtoreal1

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Not to resurrect an old thread (I guess that's exactly what I'm doing here) but I started my own IG comic account and have really enjoyed it to be honest.  It's most certainly a tight knit community but having said that, it's a pretty large group!  There are tons of great books constantly being shown/sold. 

One thing I have noticed is that it's much more "modern" oriented.  While Gold/Silver and Bronze age to an extent are showcased, they seem to be in the minority.  A lot more Modern and Copper type of stuff.  Still... it's been a cool platform to discover and has actually allowed me to enjoy my collection more via posting pics, etc.

Follow me! (Shameless plug)

@Capcitycomicbooks 

Edited by Erndog
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One thing that has annoyed me a little is all the live auctions.  

I have 2 young kids.  I run my own business.  I can't watch your IG live for 3 hours to bid on the couple books I'm interested in.  Virtually impossible.  

Claim posts (just like on these boads) are MUCH better imo but to each their own.

 

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Hope nobody minds if I resurrect this thread again to ask if we could crowdsource a list of good and reliable Instagram sellers.  Speaking for my own selfish interests, I would be looking for certified Silver Age / Bronze Age books -- I'm curious whether there are specific hashtags that will help me filter out the books that don't match my collecting interests (namely, all the moderns and raws).  But of course I think any list should be of value to all.

Thanks in advance for any ideas!

Edited by Sweet Lou 14
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