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AZ News, "unrestored" Hulk#1 bought from LCS was actually restored, buyer angry
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Started by jcjames,

100 posts in this topic

jcjames

jcjames

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2 hours ago, slg343 said:

I shop here sometimes.  Mostly for collected edition books as they have the best inventory in town.  Their store set up is also one any new shop should study.  Clean, organized and well stocked.  With that said all of their keys are over priced and over graded waiting on a sucker.  I didn't get the impression they were purposely dishonest, I just get the feeling they want to run things like they used to be when they started 25 years ago.  It is like the internet doesn't exist to them, very strange. 

Anybody in phoenix area I would recommend newer shop in Scottsdale ( Fantastic worlds)  Also a large selection of back issues and keys, many graded books with fair prices and the owner is more of a passionate hobbyist then a cut throat penny squeezer. 

I have been to that place too - they have a big OA stock as well (at least they did when I was last there early this year).

 

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VintageComics

VintageComics

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5 hours ago, slg343 said:

I shop here sometimes.  Mostly for collected edition books as they have the best inventory in town.  Their store set up is also one any new shop should study.  Clean, organized and well stocked.  With that said all of their keys are over priced and over graded waiting on a sucker.  I didn't get the impression they were purposely dishonest, I just get the feeling they want to run things like they used to be when they started 25 years ago.  It is like the internet doesn't exist to them, very strange. 

Anybody in phoenix area I would recommend newer shop in Scottsdale ( Fantastic worlds)  Also a large selection of back issues and keys, many graded books with fair prices and the owner is more of a passionate hobbyist then a cut throat penny squeezer. 

I've been to both stores (on the same day no less) and I disagree with what you say about All About Books and Comics.

They're not spot on with their grades (very few sellers are) but their stuff is not out to lunch either. 

I bought several books from them which tells me that they are not so bad.

At Fantastic Worlds I found that the better books were ALSO priced at market (and I've known the owner for over a decade). I didn't buy anything from FW (which means nothing other than I didn't find anything of interest).

So your post is very subjective and calling one dealer a cut throat penny squeezer is over the line IMO.

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zosocane

zosocane

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There seems to be a factual disagreement on whether the book was sold as unrestored:  Buyer alleges he was told it was unrestored; Seller alleges it made no such representation, and then says there are signs that all comic book sales are sold "as is" (meaning warranties are disclaimed) and all sales are final.  Of course, if the Seller didn't see those signs, he can argue that the disclaimers were not effectively communicated to him and he is not on notice of the disclaimer.  

For a 3.5ish-looking book that Buyer claims he was told was unrestored, that was a very, very low price he agreed to pay.  My guess is that he consignor knew the book was restored, didn't tell the shop, the shop didn't know better, and priced the book at the price the consignor wanted, which is probably pretty close to market value (a 3.5ish resto copy).

Edited by zosocane
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01TheDude

01TheDude

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I'm no expert on this stuff and certainly have never ventured into the nose bleed comic book purchase world. But....

Whether restoration was disclosed or not, I find it alarming that a well known comic book store does not have any one on its staff who can adequately evaluate a book for restoration. From what I understand, the restoration in question on this book was fairly obvious-- and while I agree that the buyer is also at fault for not doing their legwork in the process, no comic book store that is competent should ever throw their hands in the air and claim they are not restoration experts. Seems like it is their job to understand this process or at the very least, have some sort of method (local, CGC, or staff) who can properly evaluate a book before it sells that book. I get that some books might slip past some inspection on occasion depending on the level of restoration-- but I would want any LCS I am buying a multiple thousand dollar book to back up the sale and know what it is they are selling-- be that their own stock or something on consignment.

How it shakes out seems less important to me than knowing this store has access to the comic expertise required to handle non-authenticated (raw) transactions. Ultimately though-- let this be a lesson to anyone thinking about plunking down serious money for any book-- don't skimp on really looking it over and knowing what you are buying-- even if it is in a CGC case for that matter.

Edited by 01TheDude
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Dark Knight

Dark Knight

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Quite shock reading this post regarding all about book and comics, I actually had to read the title store name twice (thought it was seller all things comics from ebay) but from my personal experiences, even having done a huge cash transaction with them when they met me in LA, they are nothing but professional, a huge passion for the hobby, and the books I bought were as described.  They were very nice people to deal and talk to and I would be in touch with them every now and then for any new books.  They know exactly the kind of books I'm looking for and would let me know their new stock.  

I'm sorry to hear about the OP's experience with them, but would like to hear both sides first before coming up with a conclusion.  So far, we are only hearing one side of the story, and that is not fair in my opinion.  

I do agree though that if a book was described and/or sold as unrestored than the seller/store owner should stand by it.  If it does come back restored, trimmed, etc. than store should refund the buyer minus any grading fees.  It is also the responsibility of the buyer to be educated in looking through the book for any missed restoration, pages missing, etc. I mean if you are throwing out thousands in cash, you better damn know what you're doing and what exactly you are paying.  

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thehumantorch

thehumantorch

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56 minutes ago, 01TheDude said:

.Whether restoration was disclosed or not, I find it alarming that a well known comic book store does not have any one on its staff who can adequately evaluate a book for restoration. From what I understand, the restoration in question on this book was fairly obvious-- and while I agree that the buyer is also at fault for not doing their legwork in the process, no comic book store that is competent should ever throw their hands in the air and claim they are not restoration experts. Seems like it is their job to understand this process or at the very least, have some sort of method (local, CGC, or staff) who can properly evaluate a book before it sells that book. I get that some books might slip past some inspection on occasion depending on the level of restoration-- but I would want any LCS I am buying a multiple thousand dollar book to back up the sale and know what it is they are selling-- be that their own stock or something on consignment.

Any vendor selling items for someone else on consignment should have the expertise to correctly ascertain it's legitimacy, quality and value. 

This is a comic book specialty store with many years experience selling rare and/or valuable comics and they should be experts in grading, pricing and detecting restoration. It appears that they're not and this is a very dangerous business model for them to pursue.

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N e r V

N e r V

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I’m confused about the following with this story after watching video and reading comments.

1) how anyone in the market for a Hulk #1 could not be aware of the restoration on it. It’s not subtle and so much so that my baby sister could spot that a mile away and she had no interest or knowledge in comics.

2) based on the market value of a Hulk #1 why would you expect a book in that shape to be unrestored for $5500.00??? Seriously why not ask to see if they have an Action #1 unrestored in back for 10k too. Whatever you buy at those price levels unless you are trying to steal something from a little old lady it makes no sense that someone would have an unrestored copy at that price.

3) given the books value it seems neither party would be out anything by just selling it as a restored copy and likely make a profit yet neither one wants to keep it or take it back???

 

You see a lot of horror stories about rip offs or crazy buyers but so much in this story lacks logic if all the facts have been presented as stated I kind of wonder if buyer and seller aren’t related to the dumb and dumber cast (I’m sorry to if that seems insulting to either but I’m really mystified over the whole story).

Really very odd story on several levels.

Could it all be a publicity stunt between the two? Lol

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N e r V

N e r V

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2 minutes ago, jcjames said:

 

According to another news article, AABC said that the Hulk1 was heavily water-damaged and they mistook the color-touched areas for water-damage.

https://www.abc15.com/news/region-phoenix-metro

 

That helps explain some things at least.

Maybe it’s not worth it’s selling price at least.

Edited by N e r V
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kav

kav

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1 hour ago, N e r V said:

That helps explain some things at least.

Maybe it’s not worth it’s selling price at least.

In honor of your sigline:
 

1 (47).jpg

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kav

kav

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15 minutes ago, N e r V said:

I like it! (thumbsu

 

 

”I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.”

I'll send you the drawing if you so desire:
 

1 (48).jpg

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kav

kav

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11 hours ago, N e r V said:

Damn, that could have been a 1970’s DC romance cover... :golfclap:

as I said I'll be happy to send it to you.  I'm always trying to give away my drawings.

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