how to approach a dealer about books I think might be overpriced. 6 6

[NoMan]

1 hour ago, RockMyAmadeus said:

It's 3 AM? I must be lonely.

 

[miraclemet]

If we're talking about dealers at shows my usual lines are...

When I first start looking I ask two questions...

"any room on the listed prices?"  ....most will say yes, a few will say no.

"any more room if Im buying with cash?" ...again most will say yes cause they dont have to pay for the card transaction (and some might prefer less documented forms of transactions)

then after I've looked through his books and if Ive found a few I ask "will you work with me on price if Im buying mutliples books?" 

 

At this point you've got him on three different points for price adjustment (not that you're gonna state this explicitly, just that you're trying to get him in the mindset of the multiple ways he's benefiting from the transaction and thus being more pliable to a larger discount). 

Also remember there's cost for the dealer to make the books available and he's priced the books to offset that cost. eBay auctions will (amost) always be cheaper than purchases at shows, BUT at a show you a) get the book immediately with no shipping costs b) you can FULLY inspect the book, so theres zero chance of surprises (ok almost zero, pending restoration surprises) and zero chance for having to do a return. That's all to your benefit. Also it depends on availability. Sure a copy sold on eBay for $100 and he's asking $150, but there's no $100 copy on ebay right now, and his book is right in front of you... so maybe $130 is perfectly reasonable to land at. and $20 off a $150 book (what's that 12.5%) is a reasonable discount vs the sticker price on the wall. 

[Raze]

Hey So a little more info.

With his prices being pretty high and him admitting as much the books were a lot less than his asking prices of over $1000 for all the books. Now i spent less than that but still a fair amount. It was still the most id spent. I don’t have a lot of extra discretionary spending towards Comics.

Id like to say that in all honesty and transparency that a few books in the deal I had marked “to flip” (yes the dreaded term that everyone uses and is trying to do) in the deal and hope no one judges or thinks differently of me or my post. So when i sell something im chasing my passion books which are ECs. Everything else is read and release.

 

@Bird here are some of the books. Not all of them as id like to recoup some of the cost to keep the ones itd like to keep. I hope thats fair as a few will be offered here on the boards after I read them.

 

Edited June 25, 2019 by Raze

[Unstoppablejayd]

At shows at least by me (North Jersey) dealers are there to deal.. meaning they usually price a bit hi expecting to negotiate. I usually ask if they have room then offer about 25% off what their price is , especially if multiple books. All they can do is say no, but most just counter somewhere in between and I go from there. Good example- at a recent show I picked up a decent copy of Forever People 1- it was marked $110 - I asked if he had room.. he immediately said he could do $90 - I now knew he was motivated to sell, so I said I could do $75 he thought for a second and accepted. That was 32% below marked. I probably would have went a bit higher but he showed his cards with initial reaction. 

[ADAMANTIUM]

6 minutes ago, Unstoppablejayd said:

At shows at least by me (North Jersey) dealers are there to deal.. meaning they usually price a bit hi expecting to negotiate. I usually ask if they have room then offer about 25% off what their price is , especially if multiple books. All they can do is say no, but most just counter somewhere in between and I go from there. Good example- at a recent show I picked up a decent copy of Forever People 1- it was marked $110 - I asked if he had room.. he immediately said he could do $90 - I now knew he was motivated to sell, so I said I could do $75 he thought for a second and accepted. That was 32% below marked. I probably would have went a bit higher but he showed his cards with initial reaction. 

Lol if only I had started a thread at the last con...

At least 3 times I spent $140 on $100 value books marked at $150....

I must have looked silly ugh

 

[theCapraAegagrus]

27 minutes ago, Raze said:

...Id like to say that in all honesty and transparency that a few books in the deal I had marked “to flip” (yes the dreaded term that everyone uses and is trying to do) in the deal and hope no one judges or thinks differently of me or my post. So when i sell something im chasing my passion books which are ECs. Everything else is read and release...

You fool.

[RockMyAmadeus]

Here's a lesson that was hard for me to learn, but which might help if someone likes to buy in bulk. I like to buy a lot of books at a time, and have always used this as leverage when asking for deals. But I ask before I start looking and making a stack if they're willing to work on the price if I buy "a lot." That way, I don't get too involved, and end up annoying the dealer by walking away with a large stack pulled without buying anything.

Fun story about that...

I was at Heroes and found a dealer with books I wanted..so, before I started searching and making a stack, I asked the seller if there was any movement on his prices. He said no, that they were priced where he wanted. He then pointed out that he had "half off books" (which means nothing, but ok.)

I respected that, and did NOT pull out quite a few books that I would have bought if he had any movement. After about an hour or so looking at and through books, I handed the seller a small stack of books I was willing to pay his full asking price for. He then gave me a discount...about 10%. 

I should be happy that he gave a discount, right..? Well, sure, of course...but that wasn't the point. I would have bought substantially more if he had let me know that he would give even a small discount. I didn't have the time to go back, so his loss, my loss. But I was happy with the books I got, at the price I paid.

But I always ask before I start looking, to not waste anyone's time.

[Raze]

Just now, TwoPiece said:

You fool.

Sorry but i love it here!!! And i feel that I asked a question and got Great information I feel it’s only fair that people are upfront and honest with me that I try to be as upfront and honest with everyone here on the boards!

[theCapraAegagrus]

1 minute ago, Raze said:

Sorry but i love it here!!! And i feel that I asked a question and got Great information I feel it’s only fair that people are upfront and honest with me that I try to be as upfront and honest with everyone here on the boards!

Honesty is a grave mistake.

Or best policy?

I forget which one.

You fool!

[the blob]

On ‎6‎/‎22‎/‎2019 at 11:05 PM, Raze said:

Hey guys and gals i was at a con today and saw a dealer with a few books that id like to get. i thought his prices were a little high. The books were in a box off to the side and seemed not to get flipped through because they were GA, his booth was focused towards new/modern. Id like to make and offer but like i said his prices were a little to high. 

So how would/do you go about buying from someone that you think has overpriced books? Do you ask how he prices them? when do you bring OSPG or ebay into the conversation? Do you walk away with your head down thinking of what could have been?

The total for the books would be over $1000 and this would be my first big purchase in bulk so what kind of percentage would be a fair offer? Keep in mind that i think the books are overpriced and my research would suggest that im right.

Offer what you think is fair. Maybe a bit less so that you can move up a little. You are in the $ ballpark where negotiation is assumed.

 

[joeypost]

16 hours ago, joeypost said:

I find open dialogue and being a repeat customer helps with negotiations. 

I’d like to add that buying a dealer lunch or dinner from time to time doesn’t hurt. Having spent 30 years dealing with sales and services, I have found that developing these types of relationships (friendships actually) are mutually beneficial compared with the quick score. After a while the well of quick scores drys up, while a dealer that knows you spend a reasonable amount of money for reasonably priced books will contact you when they get in a collection. 

[Bird]

1 hour ago, Raze said:

Sorry but i love it here!!! And i feel that I asked a question and got Great information I feel it’s only fair that people are upfront and honest with me that I try to be as upfront and honest with everyone here on the boards!

It is fine, you showed the books. Its not like you showed the books AND said what you paid for each one. Selling them on here is fine but this IS a tough crowd.

[Raze]

24 minutes ago, joeypost said:

I’d like to add that buying a dealer lunch or dinner from time to time doesn’t hurt. Having spent 30 years dealing with sales and services, I have found that developing these types of relationships (friendships actually) are mutually beneficial compared with the quick score. After a while the well of quick scores drys up, while a dealer that knows you spend a reasonable amount of money for reasonably priced books will contact you when they get in a collection. 

Yeah my former boss did this a lot.

[VintageComics]

On 6/22/2019 at 11:05 PM, Raze said:

Hey guys and gals i was at a con today and saw a dealer with a few books that id like to get. i thought his prices were a little high. The books were in a box off to the side and seemed not to get flipped through because they were GA, his booth was focused towards new/modern. Id like to make and offer but like i said his prices were a little to high. 

So how would/do you go about buying from someone that you think has overpriced books? Do you ask how he prices them? when do you bring OSPG or ebay into the conversation? Do you walk away with your head down thinking of what could have been?

The total for the books would be over $1000 and this would be my first big purchase in bulk so what kind of percentage would be a fair offer? Keep in mind that i think the books are overpriced and my research would suggest that im right.

Communication is so simple, it's a wonder that it's being forgotten as an art form.

hru?

tho

hmu

btw

brb

Those sorts of things make me cringe

The art of communication is being lost to laziness and impatience.

How to approach a dealer about books if you think they are overpriced?

It's a simple answer: politely and honestly.

I can't tell you how many times I get a message making me an offer quoting a GPA all time low, as if that's the only data point.

Or how often I get an offer at 30% off my asking price (and I generally price at fair market value, not an inflated price).

Sometimes they throw in the 'I have Paypal to spend right away' as if that's some sort of incentive. I'm going to assume that if you have an offer to bring you plan on paying for it so telling me you're going to pay for it doesn't exactly reinforce me confidence.

Anyhow, asking questions respectfully is a pretty easy thing to do but it seems to be something that is becoming more difficult as time passes.

[Raze]

17 minutes ago, Bird said:

It is fine, you showed the books. Its not like you showed the books AND said what you paid for each one. Selling them on here is fine but this IS a tough crowd.

I dont think this is a tough crowd at all!  Everyone’s been super nice in this thread and I greatly appreciate it !

[Raze]

 How did this thread get unlocked ?yesterday it was locked.

[Bird]

11 minutes ago, Raze said:

I dont think this is a tough crowd at all!  Everyone’s been super nice in this thread and I greatly appreciate it !

Yes, they are generally nice. Pitchforks haven't been seen around here in a while.

I was not clear though, and meant that they are a tough buying crowd. Things that sell on ebay sit here, even at lower prices. This crowd can be...shal we say...discerning.

 

[joeypost]

15 minutes ago, Raze said:

 How did this thread get unlocked ?yesterday it was locked.

They lock it to clean up Unnecessary noise. Once the cleanup happens they unlock it. 

[Krismusic]

23 minutes ago, VintageComics said:

Communication is so simple, it's a wonder that it's being forgotten as an art form.

hru?

tho

hmu

btw

brb

Those sorts of things make me cringe

The art of communication is being lost to laziness and impatience.

How to approach a dealer about books if you think they are overpriced?

It's a simple answer: politely and honestly.

I can't tell you how many times I get a message making me an offer quoting a GPA all time low, as if that's the only data point.

Or how often I get an offer at 30% off my asking price (and I generally price at fair market value, not an inflated price).

Sometimes they throw in the 'I have Paypal to spend right away' as if that's some sort of incentive. I'm going to assume that if you have an offer to bring you plan on paying for it so telling me you're going to pay for it doesn't exactly reinforce me confidence.

Anyhow, asking questions respectfully is a pretty easy thing to do but it seems to be something that is becoming more difficult as time passes.

damn I must be getting older as I don't know what HRU? stands for guessing how are you? and tho? and HMU? 

[blazingbob]

3 hours ago, Unstoppablejayd said:

At shows at least by me (North Jersey) dealers are there to deal.. meaning they usually price a bit hi expecting to negotiate. I usually ask if they have room then offer about 25% off what their price is , especially if multiple books. All they can do is say no, but most just counter somewhere in between and I go from there. Good example- at a recent show I picked up a decent copy of Forever People 1- it was marked $110 - I asked if he had room.. he immediately said he could do $90 - I now knew he was motivated to sell, so I said I could do $75 he thought for a second and accepted. That was 32% below marked. I probably would have went a bit higher but he showed his cards with initial reaction. 

If I had the book at $110 and came down to $95 am I motivated to sell?  If it came from a show inventory box I generally will knock up to 15% off a book which is noted on signs on my boxes.  Was $90 a fair price for the book in "decent/whatever that translates to grade wise" condition?  Or did you feel that because he was "motivated" you went for the lower number?  Does him showing his cards as you say prevent you from negotiating a price that was fair to both?  I'd love to hear the other side of this transaction from his perspective.  

Edited June 25, 2019 by blazingbob