SDCC 2018 A Dealer's Perspective? 3 3

[N e r V]

The biggest complaint on San Diego is that it’s gone “Hollywood” over the last 10-15 years. Well that’s exactly when the comic industry went “Hollywood” with the superhero and related comic book material becoming movie fodder so the SDCC has simply mirrored the events in the industry. 

There has always been a movie/TV connection with the SDCC going back to the 1970’s. It’s just escalated over time and we happen to be living in a high point of comics and cinema connected.

I buy comics every year in varying amounts at the convention. But I never attended a comic convention nor went with anyone who’s focus was solely to buy comic books. That’s a big part of a comic convention but it’s only a part. Buying old comic books today is mostly an online experience. Going to a comic convention is a multi faceted experience of which buying is only a part of. 

What the con did do is introduce me to Dale Roberts which I started buying books from online now because of my buying experiences with him at cons. Same could be said for Bedrock. I also ordered from highgradecomics recently because of my con experience with them and will do so again in the future. I could list others. My point is the cons do serve as creating future business for dealers if they provide a good experience for customers. That’s an intangible aspect of the business not registered in 5 days of sales. 

 

 

[Robot Man]

Thanks for chiming in Bob. I hoped you would. Always great to hear from the other side of the table. I rarely sell comics at shows but I do sell toys, advertising and antiques at many local shows. It is VERY hard to find good stuff anymore. In the case of comics, the demand FAR out weighs the supply. Most of the kinds of books I'm looking for are locked up in collections like mine. Can't blame people for not wanting to part with them. Can't blame dealers for needing to get the most they can for them and sell them wherever venue nets them the best results. I am a bit of an "advanced" collector. Heck I've been involved in this hobby even longer than you have my friend. I get the dealer side very well. It's a real tough job. I guess most do it because they love it, certianly not for the money. This grizzled old comics fan does appreciate what it takes to bring out such wonderful stuff to us.

Sounds like you did well. I'm glad. I want to hear that. If you do bad, you won't come and collectors won't have anything to buy. I do my best to try and buy at least something from every dealer possible at a show. Some of course, have a lot more of what I want and get the most of my cash. There are also some dealers that don't have much for me, grade bad, price high or I just plain don't care for. It is a business and a seller has a right to run it anyway they please.

Glad you liked the Torpedo show. I came by a couple of times but you looked real busy. I thought it was killer. I got one big "pretty" and a bunch of just decent stuff off my want list. Also, a couple of surprises I didn't know existed. This is what I want in a comic book show. Not to mention, just talking comics with a lot of you guys that I rarely get to see in my area. Pretty much "scratched my itch" for SDCC. I do miss going to SDCC a little mostly, at this point, to catch up with old friends and make new ones.

I get your point about Chuck and Terry. I don't buy from either of them. They are just characters that come along with this hobby. I have known them both for longer than I can remember. Them, like you yourself, have your quirks. One you understand the "quirks" you can choose to interact with them or not. Luckily, I "get" all of you and always if nothing else, like to say hi. I would REALLY miss Bud for sure. Nothing like going through his boxes at a con. Buying from a real collector, he always had stuff I needed. A heck of a nice guy as well and one of the god fathers of this hobby. I guess them being gone doesn't matter much in the business side of comics but it is more of the history they represent to the con and the hobby that I would miss.

Other than FF#1 any other fast sellers? What did you get asked for over and over? What do you have that just sits like a lead balloon? Always interesting to see what is happening sale wise from a dealer perspective.

Hey, Ritchie? You promised a report...

[Cat-Man_America]

7 hours ago, blazingbob said:

Of the three oldtime dealers that were gone from SDCC the only one of the 3 I missed was Bud Plant who still has an idea on how to sell books retail.  Terry Stroud was not at San Diego because Terry seems to have an issue with showing up on time and responding to Freeman emails/charges.  He waits until the last minute and the promoters finally had enough and sold his booth.  Now there were a few guys who gave me the "Ahhh the poor Terry story" but business is business.  If you want to show up on preview night or Thursday and expect to waltz in for free maybe its time to look at only yourself to blame for why you aren't at the show.   

As far as Chuck goes and having experienced the same thing since we also freight ship he finally had enough with the freight trucking load-in with San Diego and waiting for his pallets to be brought onto the floor.  Again,  having experienced this for a few years with freight load-in's myself we made some adjustments around the load-in issue.  Chuck decided it wasn't worth his time/cost/effort and said goodbye.

I know San Diego is marketed as the best show but do sellers have to save any of the books you list - I didn't see a Suspense #3, Dynamic #8, Punch #12. Groups of Speed, Catman, Super Mystery, Four Favorites, MLJs, Centaurs, odd ball WWII bondage and war covers ect. didn't seem to be there. Not saying, there were none, I don't know, I wasn't there but I suspect these were in VERY short supply.

Why do I need San Diego to sell any of those?  And why would I save them for a show when I could easily sell them on my website?  

Both of my shows were very strong,  I sold a lot of big ticket "Pretties" as you call them.  I also spent a lot of money at both shows.  I'm sure there are a lot of dealers that were very happy with my purchases.

There was a lot of business discussed in my booth these past 10 days.  I sometimes wonder if buyers really know how hard it is to find quality books. 

The LA show for those who don't want to deal with the SDCC cost,  crowds expenses etc was a Preview/Preview night for me.  Nothing was held back on my end.  Any buyer showing up at that show had first shot at what I brought.  

I had books walk up to my booth at the LA show,  I bought a collection that was delivered to the show,  I was relaxed at San Diego because the LA show give me some time to look at dealers books in a calm environment.   

From a seller perspective San Diego is exhausting.  It is 6 straight days of hard work.  I am on my feet 13 hours a day.  I look at thousands of books all while competing with other guys doing the same.  Those books you see on those dealers walls don't fall into their lap.  They all work hard to get them.  In addition you compete with the weekend warriors with no booth costs running around trying to buy the same material you are.  

As I've said before in previous "Death of conventions" if you are holding out for that "retail guy" who may buy your book when I'm standing there buying thousands of dollars of books good luck. 

Sales are not just made at a show,  relationships are built and consummated after the show.  I may sell a customer a $1K book but that $1K sale may translate into thousands across the calendar year.  

And while you think that the Whales swim in LOL I sold all of my FF #1's - 8.0,  two 5.5's and a 4.5 over the course of 10 days.  Not just at the show but while I was AT the show. 

I had one customer who came with his wife/2 kids to the show.  He/they have never been to San Diego.  They had a great time.  My neighbor down the block bought 4 attendee badges for their daughter's 16th birthday.  I bought my full dealer allotment of badges and attendee badges.  If you as a dealer are not doing this you are contributing to the "We can't get in" problem that the promoters don't seem to care about.  If everybody was helping customers who couldn't get in wouldn't this help alleviate some of the complaining?  Bar stool/forum posting doesn't get things done.  San Diego promoters aren't reading these threads going "Oh yeah,  we are going to fix that".  

For some dealers conventions are just a way for them to put up their walls so that they can post their pictures for Instagram sales.  

Grow,  change or die.  It is ok to fawn for the old days but remember that businesses evolve.  If San Diego goes the wayside I'm sure another promoter will capitalize on the opportunity.  

 

 SDCC is on solid ground as a mega-con, appealing to a broad cross-section of fans who are into events, toys, cosplay, limited edition Preview Night premiums (many of which are immediately resold on eBay), movie/TV promo-trailers, signings, guest panels, networking projects, and so on.  Comics and collecting has moved farther down the list, but as a glass half-full kind of guy, I'm grateful for the big ticket dealers who still do this show.  And when I say big ticket, I mean most dealers have to make quite a few sales just to break even, including set-up costs (booths), hotel expenses and travel, before ever seeing a profit.

I've never set-up at SDCC, but I do at smaller shows which are more focused and overall much less expensive. That said, I only deal comics part time as my other passions are art and acting.  I have nothing but admiration for those who do this year round, many of whom also run stores in their home towns.  I'm never going to compete with the big boys, but that doesn't bother me.  Most dealers I know, big and small, are also collectors who love the hobby.  That's what matters.  It may be their primary business, but it isn't ALL business.  Yeah, as a fan I love SDCC because there's never a dull moment.  I can usually find books I want & attend functions that are important to me. At the smaller shows, I can sit around, shoot the breeze with other dealers & collectors and usually make money too.

 

My OAFcon set up from several years ago (many thanks to author Rosemary Clement-Moore who assisted that weekend).

Edited July 29, 2018 by Cat-Man_America
Refinement. ;0)

[jimbo_7071]

I've never been to a SDCC, and based on what I've read here, I have no reason to ever go. I don't like crowds, and I have zero interest in anything going on there other than the selling of GA comic books--zero interest in the celebrity appearances, zero interest in the non-comic-book merchandise, etc. What I'm gleaning is that the best merchandise is more likely to be found online than at SDCC.

Edited August 1, 2018 by jimbo_7071

[BakerFanOne]

3 hours ago, jimbo_7071 said:

I've never been to a SDCC, and based on what I've read here, I have no reason to ever go. I don't like crowds, and I have zero interest in anything going on there other than the selling of GA comic books--zero interest in the celebrity appearances, zero interest in the non-comic-book merchandise, etc. What I'm gleaning is that the best merchandise is more likely to be found online than at SDCC.

I totally understand your perspective.  It makes me think about the Super Bowl.  If you are a football fan, would you ever attend a Super Bowl?  It would cost a ton of money and there are huge crowds as well as the challenge of getting decent tickets and hotel rooms.  Then there is the over the top spectacle of the halftime show and the complete over commercialization of the event.  But it would be incredibly memorable and at the end of the day, it could be a great game.   

Personally, I have attended the past two SDCC and am glad I did even though this year’s pickings were pretty thin.  Last year, the golden age selection and prices were fantastic and I enjoy some but not most of the spectacle.  You do see some amazing books in person and get to chat with dealers and fellow collectors.  But I also am somewhat local and don’t have to worry about travel arrangements and have been provided tickets by dealer friends.  There is no doubt San Diego has changed a ton since my first SDCC but as another dealer noted, the times are changing and online dealings cannot match the in person excitement and energy of SDCC.

[blazingbob]

If you want to conduct your social life and business entirely behind a keyboard I find the world gets very small.  You rely on third party information for what is hot,  you have to assume that the information is or isn't correct.  Doing shows rekindles relationships,  I learn new things,  I make new customer contacts and actually meet them in person instead of awkwardly responding when I don't immediately remember their "Screen name".  

[Dale Roberts]

I think Bob pretty much hit the nail on the head. As far as the dealers who were not there, I miss Bud. Always enjoyed talking to him and he typically comes around and actually buys comics. Terry's booth I believe was filled by Greg Reece, so the net quality of comics was probably higher than before. 

I've been doing SDCC for 20 years. And certainly it has changed greatly in that time. As a dealer, you either adapt to those changes, or you are left behind in the dust. It is not a cheap show to set up at. Most dealers are going to have a minimum of $10,000.00 of expenses, before the show starts, some considerably more than that. However, there are still buyers at that show that I see nowhere else. And I meet new customers every year. Like Bob, I am trying to use the convention not only for sales, but also for making long term customers for my website. I have added a couple of dozen new customers to my website in the 2 weeks since the show.  Between that and the still very good sales, the show is more than worthwhile.  And there are still more quality comics at this show than any other in my opinion.

 

Just to give you an example of what people were buying at the show/shows (Torpedo and SDCC)

Phantom Stranger #1 CGC 5.0 (Golden age)

Western Comics #65

Shock Suspenstories #5 

Haunt of Fear #18

Famous Funnies #216

Strange Adventures #55

Tales from the Crypt #41

Weird Science-Fantasy #27

Weird Science #15

FF #49

Batman #158, 217, 189, 232

Journey into Mystery #83 CGC 2.0

JIM #114

Spirit #22 CGC 7.0

GL #85

Haunt of Fear #12

X-men #14

Black Terror #22

Western Bandit Trails #9 

Women Outlaws #1

Star Spangled Comics #125,129

Strange Adventures #38

ASM #129

Batman #55 CGC 5.5

Authentic Police Cases #18

Fantastic Four #52 CGC 8.5

Pep #79

Conan #2 CGC 9.6

Dr. Strange #178 CGC 9.6

Spooky #1

Ghost Breakers #2

Tomb of Dracula #10 CGC 9.6

Adventures into the Unknown #53,54

Friday Foster #1 CGC 9.6

Beware #13

X-Men #101 CGC 9.6

Web of Mystery #5,13

Tomb of Terror #5

Hand of Fate #11, 15

Mysteries #2

Avengers #4 CGC 3,5

Amazing Detective #3

Superman #138 CGC 9.0

Batman #68 CGC 7.0

Marvel Mystery #77 CBCS 7.5

Kaanga #13

Daredevil #181 CGC 9.6

Tales of Suspense #81 CGC 9.2

TTA #53

Silver Surfer #12,13

Beware Terror Tales #4

Adventures into the Unknown #20, 55

Vic Flint #1

Blue Ribbon vol1 #4

Detective #247

Aquaman #1

Navy Combat #96

ASM #28

Shock Suspenstories #15

Avengers #11

Silver Surfer #16 CGC 9.6

Marvel Family #30,34, 61

Special Marvel Edition #15 CBCS 9.2

HOM #156m157, 158, 164

All American Men of War #58

Battle #34

Frontier Fighters #4

Our Army at War #33

HOM #29

All True Crime #36

Western Comics #64,82

New Mutants #98

Wonder Woman #203

Spy Fighters #5

Men in Action #2

Marines in Battle #2

Amazing Spider-man #361

Avengers #87

Two Fisted Tales #33

Captain America #102 CGC 9.6

Beware the Creeper #1 CGC 9.4

Detective Comics #411

Tales of Suspense #43

X-Men #66

Strange Adventures #205

Wonder Woman #187

GL #26

Big stack of Atlas war and crime from new collection (28 books)

Strange Adventures #100

JIM #91

Avengers #104

Superman #199

Marvel Spotlight #43

Batman #171, 244

Batman #251 CGC 7.5

ASM #33

X-men #100 CGC 9.4

Amazing Spider-man #14 CGC 8.0

Gi Combat #77,78

Our Army at War #38

Star Spangled War #29,67

X-Men #101 CGC 8.5 

FF #121,122,123

Batman #239,255

Detective #426, 422, 423, 439

GL #84

Black Panther #15,17

Superman #247

Jungle Action #11,12,14

USA #12 CBCS 5.0

Our Army at War #70

Teenage Temptations #9

Flash #182

Menace #5

ASM #141

ASM #59 CGC 9.4

Rangers #33,39

Fight #57

Captain America Ann 1 CGC 9.4

Captain America #149 CGC 9.6

FF ann #4

TTA #2

Mystic #45

Marvel Tales #132

True Complete Mystery #7

GS Invaders #1

GS Spider-man #4

Fantastic Four #5 CGC 3.5

Amazing Spider-man #31 CGC 8.0

Avengers #181 CGC 9.6

ASM #102 CGC 9.2

Our Army at War #41, 35

Western Comics #77,81

HOM #31

X-men #138,49, 122

Captain America #130,132,123

Action #124

Action #60 CGC 6.5

World's Finest #47, 52

Wow Comics #28

More Fun Comics #100

Secret Hearts #48

Captain Marvel Adventures #41

ASM #252

GL #47

Iron Man #95,134,169,149,150

ASM #134

ASM #62

Hulk #104,150, 153

Strange Adventures #22 CGC 7.0

Silver Surfer #1

DC Comics Presents #26

Mr. District Attorney #53

Flash Comics #18 CGC 4.5

New Mutants #87

Phantom Stranger #11

Wonder Woman #102

All Star #12 CBCS 6.0

X-Men #49

Conan #1 CGC 9.6

Adventure #288

Action #284, 287, 289

Superboy #89

Doom Patrol #99

ASM #28

ASM #5

Batman #44

Flash #116, 153

Blackhawk #38,40

All Top #15 CGC 8.5

Aquaman #3, 29

Amazing Spider-man #64 CGC 9.8

Marvel Premiere #61

X-Men #5

Batman #81 CGC 6.0

Cowgirl Romances #10 CGC 5.0

ASM #361

Wonder Woman #213,216,223,225,226

Thing #17,3

Web of Evil #8

Witches Tales #5

Frankenstein #2

Startling Comics #35 CGC 6.5

Eerie #6,12

Alarming Tales #4

Batman #123 CGC 9.0

Black Cat #52

Chamber of Chills #25

ASM #300 

Daredevil #42,43,50

ASM #83

ASM #239, 300

WWBN #1

Inhumans #1

Flippity and Flop #13

Hulk #181 CGC 4.5

Hulk #141

Secret Origins #1 CGC 9.0

Iron Man #128

Amazing Spider-man #129 CGC 7.5

Amazing Spider-man #121 CGC 7.5

ASM #131 CGC 9.6

ASM #72

Marvel Premiere #13

X-Men #128 CGC 9.8

Wonder Woman #163

Batman #208

Wonder Woman #98 CGC 4.0

X-men #100

TTA #8 CGC 7.5

Walt Disney Comics & Stories #80,100

Iron Man #128

Ghost Comics #1 CGC 5.0

Hulk #107,108

JIM #103 CGC 7.5

FF #49

DD #22,23

Hulk #112, 113, 140

X-Men #117

Jumbo #153

Rulah #24

Tales of Justice #53

Action #273,274

Action #56

Batman #54

Air Fighters vol 2 #9

Action #81, 85, 88

TOS #40

Wonder Comics #6

Wartime Romances #14 CGC 3.5

Captain Marvel Adventures #3 CGC 5.0

Action Comics #66 CBCS 8.5 

Fighting Yank #9 CGC 5.5

ASM #238

Adventures into Weird Worlds #23

JIM #89 CGC 7.0

ASM #5 CGC 6,5

Uncle Scrooge #11

Batman #113,115,118

Marvel Premiere #47 CGC 9.8 

Hulk #130, 105

ASM #78, 97, 98

HOM #183,190

X-Men #94

Lois Lane #17, 51

GI Combat #16,18,59

Plus a bunch of other cheap stuff which I didn't bother to write down individually. Suffice it to say, there are still plenty of comics buyers at San Diego. 

 

[MrBedrock]

14 minutes ago, Dale Roberts said:

I think Bob pretty much hit the nail on the head. As far as the dealers who were not there, I miss Bud. Always enjoyed talking to him and he typically comes around and actually buys comics. Terry's booth I believe was filled by Greg Reece, so the net quality of comics was probably higher than before. 

I've been doing SDCC for 20 years. And certainly it has changed greatly in that time. As a dealer, you either adapt to those changes, or you are left behind in the dust. It is not a cheap show to set up at. Most dealers are going to have a minimum of $10,000.00 of expenses, before the show starts, some considerably more than that. However, there are still buyers at that show that I see nowhere else. And I meet new customers every year. Like Bob, I am trying to use the convention not only for sales, but also for making long term customers for my website. I have added a couple of dozen new customers to my website in the 2 weeks since the show.  Between that and the still very good sales, the show is more than worthwhile.  And there are still more quality comics at this show than any other in my opinion.

 

Just to give you an example of what people were buying at the show/shows (Torpedo and SDCC)

Phantom Stranger #1 CGC 5.0 (Golden age)

Western Comics #65

Shock Suspenstories #5 

Haunt of Fear #18

Famous Funnies #216

Strange Adventures #55

Tales from the Crypt #41

Weird Science-Fantasy #27

Weird Science #15

FF #49

Batman #158, 217, 189, 232

Journey into Mystery #83 CGC 2.0

JIM #114

Spirit #22 CGC 7.0

GL #85

Haunt of Fear #12

X-men #14

Black Terror #22

Western Bandit Trails #9 

Women Outlaws #1

Star Spangled Comics #125,129

Strange Adventures #38

ASM #129

Batman #55 CGC 5.5

Authentic Police Cases #18

Fantastic Four #52 CGC 8.5

Pep #79

Conan #2 CGC 9.6

Dr. Strange #178 CGC 9.6

Spooky #1

Ghost Breakers #2

Tomb of Dracula #10 CGC 9.6

Adventures into the Unknown #53,54

Friday Foster #1 CGC 9.6

Beware #13

X-Men #101 CGC 9.6

Web of Mystery #5,13

Tomb of Terror #5

Hand of Fate #11, 15

Mysteries #2

Avengers #4 CGC 3,5

Amazing Detective #3

Superman #138 CGC 9.0

Batman #68 CGC 7.0

Marvel Mystery #77 CBCS 7.5

Kaanga #13

Daredevil #181 CGC 9.6

Tales of Suspense #81 CGC 9.2

TTA #53

Silver Surfer #12,13

Beware Terror Tales #4

Adventures into the Unknown #20, 55

Vic Flint #1

Blue Ribbon vol1 #4

Detective #247

Aquaman #1

Navy Combat #96

ASM #28

Shock Suspenstories #15

Avengers #11

Silver Surfer #16 CGC 9.6

Marvel Family #30,34, 61

Special Marvel Edition #15 CBCS 9.2

HOM #156m157, 158, 164

All American Men of War #58

Battle #34

Frontier Fighters #4

Our Army at War #33

HOM #29

All True Crime #36

Western Comics #64,82

New Mutants #98

Wonder Woman #203

Spy Fighters #5

Men in Action #2

Marines in Battle #2

Amazing Spider-man #361

Avengers #87

Two Fisted Tales #33

Captain America #102 CGC 9.6

Beware the Creeper #1 CGC 9.4

Detective Comics #411

Tales of Suspense #43

X-Men #66

Strange Adventures #205

Wonder Woman #187

GL #26

Big stack of Atlas war and crime from new collection (28 books)

Strange Adventures #100

JIM #91

Avengers #104

Superman #199

Marvel Spotlight #43

Batman #171, 244

Batman #251 CGC 7.5

ASM #33

X-men #100 CGC 9.4

Amazing Spider-man #14 CGC 8.0

Gi Combat #77,78

Our Army at War #38

Star Spangled War #29,67

X-Men #101 CGC 8.5 

FF #121,122,123

Batman #239,255

Detective #426, 422, 423, 439

GL #84

Black Panther #15,17

Superman #247

Jungle Action #11,12,14

USA #12 CBCS 5.0

Our Army at War #70

Teenage Temptations #9

Flash #182

Menace #5

ASM #141

ASM #59 CGC 9.4

Rangers #33,39

Fight #57

Captain America Ann 1 CGC 9.4

Captain America #149 CGC 9.6

FF ann #4

TTA #2

Mystic #45

Marvel Tales #132

True Complete Mystery #7

GS Invaders #1

GS Spider-man #4

Fantastic Four #5 CGC 3.5

Amazing Spider-man #31 CGC 8.0

Avengers #181 CGC 9.6

ASM #102 CGC 9.2

Our Army at War #41, 35

Western Comics #77,81

HOM #31

X-men #138,49, 122

Captain America #130,132,123

Action #124

Action #60 CGC 6.5

World's Finest #47, 52

Wow Comics #28

More Fun Comics #100

Secret Hearts #48

Captain Marvel Adventures #41

ASM #252

GL #47

Iron Man #95,134,169,149,150

ASM #134

ASM #62

Hulk #104,150, 153

Strange Adventures #22 CGC 7.0

Silver Surfer #1

DC Comics Presents #26

Mr. District Attorney #53

Flash Comics #18 CGC 4.5

New Mutants #87

Phantom Stranger #11

Wonder Woman #102

All Star #12 CBCS 6.0

X-Men #49

Conan #1 CGC 9.6

Adventure #288

Action #284, 287, 289

Superboy #89

Doom Patrol #99

ASM #28

ASM #5

Batman #44

Flash #116, 153

Blackhawk #38,40

All Top #15 CGC 8.5

Aquaman #3, 29

Amazing Spider-man #64 CGC 9.8

Marvel Premiere #61

X-Men #5

Batman #81 CGC 6.0

Cowgirl Romances #10 CGC 5.0

ASM #361

Wonder Woman #213,216,223,225,226

Thing #17,3

Web of Evil #8

Witches Tales #5

Frankenstein #2

Startling Comics #35 CGC 6.5

Eerie #6,12

Alarming Tales #4

Batman #123 CGC 9.0

Black Cat #52

Chamber of Chills #25

ASM #300 

Daredevil #42,43,50

ASM #83

ASM #239, 300

WWBN #1

Inhumans #1

Flippity and Flop #13

Hulk #181 CGC 4.5

Hulk #141

Secret Origins #1 CGC 9.0

Iron Man #128

Amazing Spider-man #129 CGC 7.5

Amazing Spider-man #121 CGC 7.5

ASM #131 CGC 9.6

ASM #72

Marvel Premiere #13

X-Men #128 CGC 9.8

Wonder Woman #163

Batman #208

Wonder Woman #98 CGC 4.0

X-men #100

TTA #8 CGC 7.5

Walt Disney Comics & Stories #80,100

Iron Man #128

Ghost Comics #1 CGC 5.0

Hulk #107,108

JIM #103 CGC 7.5

FF #49

DD #22,23

Hulk #112, 113, 140

X-Men #117

Jumbo #153

Rulah #24

Tales of Justice #53

Action #273,274

Action #56

Batman #54

Air Fighters vol 2 #9

Action #81, 85, 88

TOS #40

Wonder Comics #6

Wartime Romances #14 CGC 3.5

Captain Marvel Adventures #3 CGC 5.0

Action Comics #66 CBCS 8.5 

Fighting Yank #9 CGC 5.5

ASM #238

Adventures into Weird Worlds #23

JIM #89 CGC 7.0

ASM #5 CGC 6,5

Uncle Scrooge #11

Batman #113,115,118

Marvel Premiere #47 CGC 9.8 

Hulk #130, 105

ASM #78, 97, 98

HOM #183,190

X-Men #94

Lois Lane #17, 51

GI Combat #16,18,59

Plus a bunch of other cheap stuff which I didn't bother to write down individually. Suffice it to say, there are still plenty of comics buyers at San Diego. 

 

Quoted simply because I love long, double spaced lists!

[Dale Roberts]

Thats why I posted it. 

[MrBedrock]

On 7/28/2018 at 8:40 PM, Robot Man said:

Hey, Ritchie? You promised a report...

I did. Here goes...

We had a blast at the L.A. show and sales there for a one-day shindig were outstanding. I definitely plan on doing that again. We sold a broad range of stuff, from art to high-end comics to cheap beaters (I brought a box with a couple of specific folks in mind - and they came through!). I think this show might need to move to a different venue in the future for a couple of reasons. First, the maximum capacity for attendance is 1000 and I think they had about half that for this show on short notice. Secondly, parking was atrocious. It is close to a large casino though, so acquiring some supplemental income is pretty easy.

On to San Diego - we got set up on Tuesday. We were between Bob and the amazing High-Grade Comics booth and Harley Yee and all of the cool stuff he brought. Fortunately my inventory is pretty strong right now so we weren't completely overwhelmed by our neighbors' brilliance. Sales on Wednesday and Thursday were great. We started off with a bang, selling stuff like an 8.0 Whiz 3(2) for $20,000, a Fantastic Four 3 for $5300, a beautiful CC Beck original pin-up art piece, and lots of random gold and silver. It was very busy each of the first two days and early on Friday. But here is where I think the show has changed- Friday afternoon and most of the day on Saturday the Golden Age pavillion (the fancy name for the show floor area where the vintage guys are congregated) was a ghost town. I had a few tumbleweeds blow down my aisle. These used to be the busy days. Obviously there are various theories as to why this is and I am sure we will discuss them here. Whatever the reason, it is very disconcerting to me that the prime time of the show is set up, and my best sales were to other dealers and not to the general public on the supposedly busiest days of the show.

All of that being said, this show had a super highlight for me. One of my favorite bands is Tool. I sold some comics to the guitar player in Tool. Talk about being a fanboy. That alone was worth the price of admission and certainly wouldn't have happened if we weren't set up.

[shortboxed]

1 hour ago, Dale Roberts said:

And there are still more quality comics at this show than any other in my opinion.

This. With all the doom & gloom talk of SDCC, it's a con that draws the best books in the industry to a single place. The breadth and scope of the books at SDCC is amazing and unlike any other cons I've attended. 

1 hour ago, MrBedrock said:

It was very busy each of the first two days and early on Friday. But here is where I think the show has changed- Friday afternoon and most of the day on Saturday the Golden Age pavillion (the fancy name for the show floor area where the vintage guys are congregated) was a ghost town. I had a few tumbleweeds blow down my aisle. These used to be the busy days. Obviously there are various theories as to why this is and I am sure we will discuss them here. Whatever the reason, it is very disconcerting to me that the prime time of the show is set up, and my best sales were to other dealers and not to the general public on the supposedly busiest days of the show.

I find this to be common at multi-day shows. The comic book collectors who come to spend money tend to show up on the first day, while the stock is fresh. Many don't return once they've done all their buying. 

[MrBedrock]

6 minutes ago, shortboxed said:

1 hour ago, MrBedrock said:

It was very busy each of the first two days and early on Friday. But here is where I think the show has changed- Friday afternoon and most of the day on Saturday the Golden Age pavillion (the fancy name for the show floor area where the vintage guys are congregated) was a ghost town. I had a few tumbleweeds blow down my aisle. These used to be the busy days. Obviously there are various theories as to why this is and I am sure we will discuss them here. Whatever the reason, it is very disconcerting to me that the prime time of the show is set up, and my best sales were to other dealers and not to the general public on the supposedly busiest days of the show.

I find this to be common at multi-day shows. The comic book collectors who come to spend money tend to show up on the first day, while the stock is fresh. Many don't return once they've done all their buying. 

San Diego used to be different for me. Our sales tended to spread out fairly evenly over all days. This year I had some decent sales even on the slow days but I didn't have much of the general public even browsing or tire kicking on Friday and Saturday.

[Robot Man]

1 hour ago, Dale Roberts said:

I think Bob pretty much hit the nail on the head. As far as the dealers who were not there, I miss Bud. Always enjoyed talking to him and he typically comes around and actually buys comics. Terry's booth I believe was filled by Greg Reece, so the net quality of comics was probably higher than before. 

I've been doing SDCC for 20 years. And certainly it has changed greatly in that time. As a dealer, you either adapt to those changes, or you are left behind in the dust. It is not a cheap show to set up at. Most dealers are going to have a minimum of $10,000.00 of expenses, before the show starts, some considerably more than that. However, there are still buyers at that show that I see nowhere else. And I meet new customers every year. Like Bob, I am trying to use the convention not only for sales, but also for making long term customers for my website. I have added a couple of dozen new customers to my website in the 2 weeks since the show.  Between that and the still very good sales, the show is more than worthwhile.  And there are still more quality comics at this show than any other in my opinion.

 

Just to give you an example of what people were buying at the show/shows (Torpedo and SDCC)

Phantom Stranger #1 CGC 5.0 (Golden age)

Western Comics #65

Shock Suspenstories #5 

Haunt of Fear #18

Famous Funnies #216

Strange Adventures #55

Tales from the Crypt #41

Weird Science-Fantasy #27

Weird Science #15

FF #49

Batman #158, 217, 189, 232

Journey into Mystery #83 CGC 2.0

JIM #114

Spirit #22 CGC 7.0

GL #85

Haunt of Fear #12

X-men #14

Black Terror #22

Western Bandit Trails #9 

Women Outlaws #1

Star Spangled Comics #125,129

Strange Adventures #38

ASM #129

Batman #55 CGC 5.5

Authentic Police Cases #18

Fantastic Four #52 CGC 8.5

Pep #79

Conan #2 CGC 9.6

Dr. Strange #178 CGC 9.6

Spooky #1

Ghost Breakers #2

Tomb of Dracula #10 CGC 9.6

Adventures into the Unknown #53,54

Friday Foster #1 CGC 9.6

Beware #13

X-Men #101 CGC 9.6

Web of Mystery #5,13

Tomb of Terror #5

Hand of Fate #11, 15

Mysteries #2

Avengers #4 CGC 3,5

Amazing Detective #3

Superman #138 CGC 9.0

Batman #68 CGC 7.0

Marvel Mystery #77 CBCS 7.5

Kaanga #13

Daredevil #181 CGC 9.6

Tales of Suspense #81 CGC 9.2

TTA #53

Silver Surfer #12,13

Beware Terror Tales #4

Adventures into the Unknown #20, 55

Vic Flint #1

Blue Ribbon vol1 #4

Detective #247

Aquaman #1

Navy Combat #96

ASM #28

Shock Suspenstories #15

Avengers #11

Silver Surfer #16 CGC 9.6

Marvel Family #30,34, 61

Special Marvel Edition #15 CBCS 9.2

HOM #156m157, 158, 164

All American Men of War #58

Battle #34

Frontier Fighters #4

Our Army at War #33

HOM #29

All True Crime #36

Western Comics #64,82

New Mutants #98

Wonder Woman #203

Spy Fighters #5

Men in Action #2

Marines in Battle #2

Amazing Spider-man #361

Avengers #87

Two Fisted Tales #33

Captain America #102 CGC 9.6

Beware the Creeper #1 CGC 9.4

Detective Comics #411

Tales of Suspense #43

X-Men #66

Strange Adventures #205

Wonder Woman #187

GL #26

Big stack of Atlas war and crime from new collection (28 books)

Strange Adventures #100

JIM #91

Avengers #104

Superman #199

Marvel Spotlight #43

Batman #171, 244

Batman #251 CGC 7.5

ASM #33

X-men #100 CGC 9.4

Amazing Spider-man #14 CGC 8.0

Gi Combat #77,78

Our Army at War #38

Star Spangled War #29,67

X-Men #101 CGC 8.5 

FF #121,122,123

Batman #239,255

Detective #426, 422, 423, 439

GL #84

Black Panther #15,17

Superman #247

Jungle Action #11,12,14

USA #12 CBCS 5.0

Our Army at War #70

Teenage Temptations #9

Flash #182

Menace #5

ASM #141

ASM #59 CGC 9.4

Rangers #33,39

Fight #57

Captain America Ann 1 CGC 9.4

Captain America #149 CGC 9.6

FF ann #4

TTA #2

Mystic #45

Marvel Tales #132

True Complete Mystery #7

GS Invaders #1

GS Spider-man #4

Fantastic Four #5 CGC 3.5

Amazing Spider-man #31 CGC 8.0

Avengers #181 CGC 9.6

ASM #102 CGC 9.2

Our Army at War #41, 35

Western Comics #77,81

HOM #31

X-men #138,49, 122

Captain America #130,132,123

Action #124

Action #60 CGC 6.5

World's Finest #47, 52

Wow Comics #28

More Fun Comics #100

Secret Hearts #48

Captain Marvel Adventures #41

ASM #252

GL #47

Iron Man #95,134,169,149,150

ASM #134

ASM #62

Hulk #104,150, 153

Strange Adventures #22 CGC 7.0

Silver Surfer #1

DC Comics Presents #26

Mr. District Attorney #53

Flash Comics #18 CGC 4.5

New Mutants #87

Phantom Stranger #11

Wonder Woman #102

All Star #12 CBCS 6.0

X-Men #49

Conan #1 CGC 9.6

Adventure #288

Action #284, 287, 289

Superboy #89

Doom Patrol #99

ASM #28

ASM #5

Batman #44

Flash #116, 153

Blackhawk #38,40

All Top #15 CGC 8.5

Aquaman #3, 29

Amazing Spider-man #64 CGC 9.8

Marvel Premiere #61

X-Men #5

Batman #81 CGC 6.0

Cowgirl Romances #10 CGC 5.0

ASM #361

Wonder Woman #213,216,223,225,226

Thing #17,3

Web of Evil #8

Witches Tales #5

Frankenstein #2

Startling Comics #35 CGC 6.5

Eerie #6,12

Alarming Tales #4

Batman #123 CGC 9.0

Black Cat #52

Chamber of Chills #25

ASM #300 

Daredevil #42,43,50

ASM #83

ASM #239, 300

WWBN #1

Inhumans #1

Flippity and Flop #13

Hulk #181 CGC 4.5

Hulk #141

Secret Origins #1 CGC 9.0

Iron Man #128

Amazing Spider-man #129 CGC 7.5

Amazing Spider-man #121 CGC 7.5

ASM #131 CGC 9.6

ASM #72

Marvel Premiere #13

X-Men #128 CGC 9.8

Wonder Woman #163

Batman #208

Wonder Woman #98 CGC 4.0

X-men #100

TTA #8 CGC 7.5

Walt Disney Comics & Stories #80,100

Iron Man #128

Ghost Comics #1 CGC 5.0

Hulk #107,108

JIM #103 CGC 7.5

FF #49

DD #22,23

Hulk #112, 113, 140

X-Men #117

Jumbo #153

Rulah #24

Tales of Justice #53

Action #273,274

Action #56

Batman #54

Air Fighters vol 2 #9

Action #81, 85, 88

TOS #40

Wonder Comics #6

Wartime Romances #14 CGC 3.5

Captain Marvel Adventures #3 CGC 5.0

Action Comics #66 CBCS 8.5 

Fighting Yank #9 CGC 5.5

ASM #238

Adventures into Weird Worlds #23

JIM #89 CGC 7.0

ASM #5 CGC 6,5

Uncle Scrooge #11

Batman #113,115,118

Marvel Premiere #47 CGC 9.8 

Hulk #130, 105

ASM #78, 97, 98

HOM #183,190

X-Men #94

Lois Lane #17, 51

GI Combat #16,18,59

Plus a bunch of other cheap stuff which I didn't bother to write down individually. Suffice it to say, there are still plenty of comics buyers at San Diego. 

 

Thanks Dale but where are the sale prices?  

Seriously, thanks for posting. Looks like a pretty wide variety of stuff. Pretty hard to hit all markets I'm sure.  I think it is very important for those who are not dealers to understand what is involved in bring us quality material to buy at shows. I've been around a long time so I "get it" but many do not. Looks like you did well at both shows. I know your quality inventory, accurate grading and fair prices have a lot to do with it. 

I even see a few of my Torpedo purchases on your list!  

[circumstances]

1 hour ago, MrBedrock said:

I did. Here goes...

We had a blast at the L.A. show and sales there for a one-day shindig were outstanding. I definitely plan on doing that again. We sold a broad range of stuff, from art to high-end comics to cheap beaters (I brought a box with a couple of specific folks in mind - and they came through!). I think this show might need to move to a different venue in the future for a couple of reasons. First, the maximum capacity for attendance is 1000 and I think they had about half that for this show on short notice. Secondly, parking was atrocious. It is close to a large casino though, so acquiring some supplemental income is pretty easy.

On to San Diego - we got set up on Tuesday. We were between Bob and the amazing High-Grade Comics booth and Harley Yee and all of the cool stuff he brought. Fortunately my inventory is pretty strong right now so we weren't completely overwhelmed by our neighbors' brilliance. Sales on Wednesday and Thursday were great. We started off with a bang, selling stuff like an 8.0 Whiz 3(2) for $20,000, a Fantastic Four 3 for $5300, a beautiful CC Beck original pin-up art piece, and lots of random gold and silver. It was very busy each of the first two days and early on Friday. But here is where I think the show has changed- Friday afternoon and most of the day on Saturday the Golden Age pavillion (the fancy name for the show floor area where the vintage guys are congregated) was a ghost town. I had a few tumbleweeds blow down my aisle. These used to be the busy days. Obviously there are various theories as to why this is and I am sure we will discuss them here. Whatever the reason, it is very disconcerting to me that the prime time of the show is set up, and my best sales were to other dealers and not to the general public on the supposedly busiest days of the show.

All of that being said, this show had a super highlight for me. One of my favorite bands is Tool. I sold some comics to the guitar player in Tool. Talk about being a fanboy. That alone was worth the price of admission and certainly wouldn't have happened if we weren't set up.

We're big Tool fans over here as well. I've been friends with Danny (Carey) for quite awhile. Had no idea anyone in the band collected funny books.

[Robot Man]

1 hour ago, MrBedrock said:

I did. Here goes...

We had a blast at the L.A. show and sales there for a one-day shindig were outstanding. I definitely plan on doing that again. We sold a broad range of stuff, from art to high-end comics to cheap beaters (I brought a box with a couple of specific folks in mind - and they came through!). I think this show might need to move to a different venue in the future for a couple of reasons. First, the maximum capacity for attendance is 1000 and I think they had about half that for this show on short notice. Secondly, parking was atrocious. It is close to a large casino though, so acquiring some supplemental income is pretty easy.

On to San Diego - we got set up on Tuesday. We were between Bob and the amazing High-Grade Comics booth and Harley Yee and all of the cool stuff he brought. Fortunately my inventory is pretty strong right now so we weren't completely overwhelmed by our neighbors' brilliance. Sales on Wednesday and Thursday were great. We started off with a bang, selling stuff like an 8.0 Whiz 3(2) for $20,000, a Fantastic Four 3 for $5300, a beautiful CC Beck original pin-up art piece, and lots of random gold and silver. It was very busy each of the first two days and early on Friday. But here is where I think the show has changed- Friday afternoon and most of the day on Saturday the Golden Age pavillion (the fancy name for the show floor area where the vintage guys are congregated) was a ghost town. I had a few tumbleweeds blow down my aisle. These used to be the busy days. Obviously there are various theories as to why this is and I am sure we will discuss them here. Whatever the reason, it is very disconcerting to me that the prime time of the show is set up, and my best sales were to other dealers and not to the general public on the supposedly busiest days of the show.

All of that being said, this show had a super highlight for me. One of my favorite bands is Tool. I sold some comics to the guitar player in Tool. Talk about being a fanboy. That alone was worth the price of admission and certainly wouldn't have happened if we weren't set up.

Thanks Ritchie. Sounds like you also had two good back to back shows, did well and had fun in the process. Great seeing you at Torpedo and very happy with my purchases especially the Bats 40 with the great story.

SDCC Wednesday and Thursday is the dealers, heavy hitters and serious crowd. Always has been. I have rarely stayed past Friday when I went. Saturday is a bit of a surprise but not really. Lots of average buyers just can't get in or don't want to bother to anymore. People work and can't take off work so they go on Saturday. I would have probably blown my budget long before Saturday anyway. It would be a day to do the "other things" if I were there. I just don't think vintage comic buyers, for what ever reason are coming there as much anymore. 

Oh, this weekend, a couple of teams with injury problems go head to head. Should be a good series though. Have fun in LA. I'm on the road so I'm going to miss it 

[Robot Man]

28 minutes ago, shortboxed said:

This. With all the doom & gloom talk of SDCC, it's a con that draws the best books in the industry to a single place. The breadth and scope of the books at SDCC is amazing and unlike any other cons I've attended. 

I find this to be common at multi-day shows. The comic book collectors who come to spend money tend to show up on the first day, while the stock is fresh. Many don't return once they've done all their buying. 

I think that when people talk about the "best books" they are refering to the usual big GA and SA keys. These aren't the "best books" to me but that is irrevelant. Seeing 7 or 8 copies of AF#15 or multiple copies of Bat #1 ect just aren't that impressive to me any more. I'd rather see stuff you just never see rather than the usual same o same o. Good for the news media I guess...

Your second point is very true. On a multiday show, I would assume 78-80% of the spendable cash is spent day one. The coolest books, the best deals are usually gone after day one. This is why shows like Torpedo, Terry's show and the Berkley show I am told are so great. Lots of buzz and excitement because you know you gotta pull the trigger or risk losing that great book. I set up at Terry's show with my crappy books. I couldn't stuff the money in my pocket fast enough ALL DAY. Buy it or wish you did. Great for dealers. 

[sacentaur]

27 minutes ago, Robot Man said:

Thanks Dale but where are the sale prices?  

Not to mention front and back cover scans of all those books, he's just lazy. 

Seriously, Dale's inventory keeps getting better and better. I picked up a Baker from him at Torpedo Con, and I was very pleased with the purchase.

Pro Tip: DON'T take the tape off the back of the mylite flap if you want to look at one of Dale's books! 

[N e r V]

3 hours ago, MrBedrock said:

San Diego used to be different for me. Our sales tended to spread out fairly evenly over all days. This year I had some decent sales even on the slow days but I didn't have much of the general public even browsing or tire kicking on Friday and Saturday.

Friday and Saturday are the big days for panels. Also there is the mentality that was mentioned already about dealer stock getting more picked over each day so people try to buy earlier.

 

I used to actually hold back some books to change my daily “look” at the con with what I had available. 

[Dale Roberts]

12 hours ago, Robot Man said:

I think that when people talk about the "best books" they are refering to the usual big GA and SA keys. These aren't the "best books" to me but that is irrevelant. Seeing 7 or 8 copies of AF#15 or multiple copies of Bat #1 ect just aren't that impressive to me any more. I'd rather see stuff you just never see rather than the usual same o same o. Good for the news media I guess...

Your second point is very true. On a multiday show, I would assume 78-80% of the spendable cash is spent day one. The coolest books, the best deals are usually gone after day one. This is why shows like Torpedo, Terry's show and the Berkley show I am told are so great. Lots of buzz and excitement because you know you gotta pull the trigger or risk losing that great book. I set up at Terry's show with my crappy books. I couldn't stuff the money in my pocket fast enough ALL DAY. Buy it or wish you did. Great for dealers. 

This was not at all the case. My worst day was Weds. night. Preview night is just so short. If you don’t get in early, it’s really not enough time to get much done. I was steady throughout the weekend and my best day was Sunday, followed by Thursday and Saturday (basically even) and Friday bringing up the rear and it wasn’t bad. I always feel like the mistakes are bought on weds and then the people shop for what they want til they find the deal/ book they are looking for depending on how many days they are at the show. Sunday is often my best day anymore at shows. Not always but many times. 

[jimjum12]

13 hours ago, sacentaur said:

Not to mention front and back cover scans of all those books, he's just lazy. 

Seriously, Dale's inventory keeps getting better and better. I picked up a Baker from him at Torpedo Con, and I was very pleased with the purchase.

Pro Tip: DON'T take the tape off the back of the mylite flap if you want to look at one of Dale's books! 

People who restrict their buying to the website never even see a lot of Dale's stuff..... I'm always amazed at what he has tucked in his boxes when I'm lucky enough to run into him at a show. GOD BLESS....

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)