Question: Best months for selling/buying slabs? Answers inside. 3 3

[valiantman]

I saw the topic being discussed in one of the subcategories, but I figured this might be more useful in Comics General.

 

Edited November 15, 2018 by valiantman

[Ryan.]

Awesome! 

[valiantman]

Here's one with totals/averages for the 4 years covered:

[bc]

So sell your $50K+ books in August and the rest in November. 

[shadroch]

I'm surprised there were that many ebay sales over 50K.

[valiantman]

9 minutes ago, shadroch said:

I'm surprised there were that many ebay sales over 50K.

It's just 22 sales over a four year period, but they had the potential to skew the results (especially $3M for Action #1 in August), so I took them out.

[shadroch]

Just 22 books over $50,000K. 

When I started collecting, Action 1 was a couple hundred dollars. I suspect I could have bought out the entire dealer room at the 1974 Thanksgiving Con for $50,000.

[bc]

6 minutes ago, shadroch said:

I'm surprised there were that many ebay sales over 50K.

I have to keep reminding myself that he is using a 4 year sample set.

Sort of surprised the totals are that low seeing that a single HA auction could push $5+ million.

If it is over a 4 year sample set, those metrics show about 10K slabbed books sold at $2 million per month on the 'bay. That's about 333 slabs sold at a price of $66,666 per day with an average sale price of $200 a slab.

Not bad chump change for them when you think about their fees.

[sfcityduck]

Those numbers are actually pretty frightening.  The average price for a slab is $196.  That's a thin profit margin for folks trying to buy raw, press, and slab.  I wonder how many slabs sell for less than $100 per month, and how many top $500 per month.

[bc]

12 minutes ago, sfcityduck said:

Those numbers are actually pretty frightening.  The average price for a slab is $196.  That's a thin profit margin for folks trying to buy raw, press, and slab.  I wonder how many slabs sell for less than $100 per month, and how many top $500 per month.

Knowing some of the other data that vailantman has supplied about submissions per age of books, my guess would be that the sub-$100 slabs are at least at a 5 to 1 ratio compared to the over-$500 slabs.

I agree, when you put it all together, it is really frightening.

[kav]

44 minutes ago, valiantman said:

It's just 22 sales over a four year period, but they had the potential to skew the results (especially $3M for Action #1 in August), so I took them out.

So all them thousands of listings over $50,000 for like Youngblood #1 arent gonna sell you're saying?

[1Cool]

I wonder why November pops up as such a high number.  Tax time in spring makes sense but November just seems to be kind of bland and people are gearing up for spending all their money on Christmas gifts.

[kav]

7 minutes ago, 1Cool said:

I wonder why November pops up as such a high number.  Tax time in spring makes sense but November just seems to be kind of bland and people are gearing up for spending all their money on Christmas gifts.

I buy books in november if I am buying gifts due to possible mail delays.

[comicdonna]

7 minutes ago, 1Cool said:

I wonder why November pops up as such a high number.  Tax time in spring makes sense but November just seems to be kind of bland and people are gearing up for spending all their money on Christmas gifts.

I expect some have to sell books to buy gifts.   

[1Cool]

Both make sense.

[mysterio]

55 minutes ago, comicdonna said:

1 hour ago, 1Cool said:

I wonder why November pops up as such a high number.  Tax time in spring makes sense but November just seems to be kind of bland and people are gearing up for spending all their money on Christmas gifts.

 I expect some have to sell books to buy gifts.   

Some people give slabs as Christmas gifts too. 

[LordRahl]

7 hours ago, sfcityduck said:

Those numbers are actually pretty frightening.  The average price for a slab is $196.  That's a thin profit margin for folks trying to buy raw, press, and slab.  I wonder how many slabs sell for less than $100 per month, and how many top $500 per month.

Really? What's a modern cost these days? 5 bucks? Slabbing fees of $20 so that's $25 all in. Not taking into account discounts for slabbing when you are an elite member. $196 average sales price would net you about $170 after fees. Seems ok to me as far as margins go.

[theCapraAegagrus]

I don't expect that a seller is netting a loss when I buy a Modern SS book for $100+. Doesn't add up for me. They're making at least a few bucks at that price.

[Turtle]

6 hours ago, LordRahl said:

Really? What's a modern cost these days? 5 bucks? Slabbing fees of $20 so that's $25 all in. Not taking into account discounts for slabbing when you are an elite member. $196 average sales price would net you about $170 after fees. Seems ok to me as far as margins go.

I don't necessarily disagree with you, but ebay/paypal fees will clear an additional $20, plus there's shipping to CGC, shipping back from CGC, shipping to the buyer, and any fees associated with pressing.  Add in $10 for fast track if you're dealing with moderns where hitting the market early is important.  All things that factor into the cost.

[mysterio]

1 hour ago, Turtle said:

7 hours ago, LordRahl said:

Really? What's a modern cost these days? 5 bucks? Slabbing fees of $20 so that's $25 all in. Not taking into account discounts for slabbing when you are an elite member. $196 average sales price would net you about $170 after fees. Seems ok to me as far as margins go.

I don't necessarily disagree with you, but ebay/paypal fees will clear an additional $20, plus there's shipping to CGC, shipping back from CGC, shipping to the buyer, and any fees associated with pressing.  Add in $10 for fast track if you're dealing with moderns where hitting the market early is important.  All things that factor into the cost.

Exactly. There is a lot more that goes into the cost than the price of the book and the slabbing fee.