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Wish Lists - good, bad, or indifferent
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11 posts in this topic

I am contemplating populating my CAF wish list with items I am looking for. What has been your experience? Does populating your CAF wish list work? Does posting "WTB...." on the CGC boards work? My concern is this: once you let it be known you want the art - wont anyone with any intention of selling it look to sell it to you for a much higher premium? I assume I'll get maybe more opportunities to buy but also at a much higher cost.

 

Curious what your experiences have been and what your thoughts are on using the CAF wish list or posting on CGC boards to hunt down art.

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I just sold a batch of art to folks by specifically looking at the wish lists and then reaching out to folks.  I know I didn't gouge on my pricing and if I did try high, I expect that most would have knocked me back due to that.

I do wish CAF did a better job of integrating the wish list matches with the full site to help them rise up more.  To me they are an easily overlooked part of a CAF display.

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I have been collecting comic art for over 30 years and have had my wantlist out there publically. I have been contacted by many other collectors and they offer me pieces from my collection. Never been offered something at crazy high prices. Many times fellow collectors will email me about pieces offered by others or on auctions, which fall into my collecting wantlist. I have does the same for others. I do not see a public wantlist as bad, it lets others know what you are after. Many times when something comes on the market for the first time which I am after. I am one of the frst ones contacted.

Public want lists are good for collecting.

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3 minutes ago, Brian Peck said:

I have been collecting comic art for over 30 years and have had my wantlist out there publically. I have been contacted by many other collectors and they offer me pieces from my collection. Never been offered something at crazy high prices. Many times fellow collectors will email me about pieces offered by others or on auctions, which fall into my collecting wantlist. I have does the same for others. I do not see a public wantlist as bad, it lets others know what you are after. Many times when something comes on the market for the first time which I am after. I am one of the frst ones contacted.

Public want lists are good for collecting.

Thanks - between your comments on the buying side of things and @GotSuperPowers? comments on the selling side of things I will populate my wishlist . Let the Universe know what I am after :)

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After hesitating for a little while I decided to post some pages I was seeking as "gallery pieces" in my CAF gallery.  I also posted about the pieces I'm seeking everywhere I could think of (here, comicart-l, Statue Forum).  I was also hesitant on being potentially "gouged" on price, but since I had absolutely zero leads on these pieces, I figured it was better to post about them in case someone knew their whereabouts (no luck yet).

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5 hours ago, Rick2you2 said:

Where is the wish list on CAF? Is that the same as the Want List?

Yes. Though - (after taking the plunge and adding a few things to my "want list") it seems the want list has zero visibility on CAF - not sure exactly how someone would go about trying to match up what they have to sell with potential buyers. Is the "work around" that people create a wish list folder in their galleries and then post images of what they want there? Seems counter to the whole idea that you post what you own. 

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9 minutes ago, Stefanomjr said:

Yes. Though - (after taking the plunge and adding a few things to my "want list") it seems the want list has zero visibility on CAF - not sure exactly how someone would go about trying to match up what they have to sell with potential buyers. Is the "work around" that people create a wish list folder in their galleries and then post images of what they want there? Seems counter to the whole idea that you post what you own. 

you can search want lists.

Malvin

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2 hours ago, malvin said:

you can search want lists.

Malvin

Yeah, go to this page: https://www.comicartfans.com/wlsearchresult.asp

As I said, I feel like it could be better integrated and matches included in search results in some meaningful way.  Right now the page I linked above is in the "Art for sale" navigation bar.

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I'm probably mildly obnoxious on this point, as I maintain BOTH the 'Want List' feature CAF has (and have made use of the 'image upload' feature in the list, as well):

https://www.comicartfans.com/wantlist.asp?gcat=27108

...AND a 'Most Wanted' gallery room.

https://www.comicartfans.com/galleryroom.asp?gsub=117052

In addition, all of my postings in my frontispiece 'Featured' gallery are from the above 'Most Wanted' gallery room.  So, the first thing any visitor to my gallery sees is what I'm looking for.  Like I said, potentially obnoxious.  (But, nobody's complained... yet.  :devil:)

As for How Successful This Approach Has Been... well...


Since I established my 'Want List', seven pieces from the list I now own.  Five of the seven were purchased at auction; the other two took lucky breaks to locate, and generous negotiations with their (TBH, sympathetic) previous owners to be able to secure.  Being on my 'Want List' did not come into any of them.

My 'Most Wanted' gallery has been about the same.  A few successes, mostly crickets.
- the Angel Medina cover for Karza #2 walked into a comic shop off the street, and the owner spotted my CAF post while researching the art.  He ended up happy.
- my post after a specific GrimJack cover was spotted by the current owner, and he was kind enough to contact me.  The cover is currently NFS, but it's nice to know where it is.
- the cover for Marvel's MICRONAUTS #11 was secured as part of a larger deal.  The previous owner was unaware of my interest before said deal.
- the back cover for Image's MICRONAUTS #11 fell into Snyder's lap out of the blue, and I was able to snap it up quickly.

I think that's all from my 'Most Wanted' gallery.  Slim pickings, possibly... but there is the satisfaction of seeing the 'hit counter' tick away, supporting the assumption that the Hobby At Large is well aware of what I'm looking for, and the possibility that the Current Owners are also well aware of my interest.

One drawback may well be that said Owners might be that much less inclined to communicate with me, given the public nature of my interest.  Unknowable, but a likely risk...

Edited by thethedew
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