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

[kav]

The best way to deal with dealers if a book is overpriced is say "this book is overpriced"  

[kav]

Alternately, you can say "You gotta be _______ me"

[VintageComics]

16 minutes ago, blazingbob said:

23 minutes ago, Unstoppablejayd said:

I assume you took this from my response, so as you said.. there is an implied/expected discount. you said you even post what discount is on the box. well if that discount is happening why not just price the books at that number? Is the higher number there to make it look attractive? Or to take advantage of a newbie or someone shy about asking for a discount (not necessarily you who posts them but the avg dealer)

The higher number is not there to make it attractive.  It is because most buyers want to negotiate a deal.  Should you "earn" the best price or just have it handed to you on a silver platter?  That's the art of negotiation.  I can't help if you are shy or are uncomfortable negotiating. 

No matter how low of a price you put on a product someone will unquestionably ask for a better price. Even if it is below market.

I had a key book priced below market. Some still offered me 20% less. They are free to but I consider it uncouth.

The reason sellers price books the way they do is to be able to hit the broadest client base possible. You can't cover all of the bases but you try to cover most, including people who don't want to negotiate.

I can always go down, but if I raise my price during negotiation (which is actually a totally fair thing to do) how will that make the person opposite me that is negotiating feel?

I have done it though. When someone is exceedingly difficult and I don't care to sell the book, I'll just start raising my price. Problem solved.

 

 

[Jim Corrigan]

3 hours ago, VintageComics said:

When someone is exceedingly difficult and I don't care to sell the book, I'll just start raising my price. Problem solved.

[oakman29]

7 hours ago, Bird said:

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.

 

That's an understatement. 

[kav]

If you're @oakman29 you can merely say 'ahem I'm Oakman my good man' and prices immediately drop or become free.

[oakman29]

2 minutes ago, kav said:

If you're @oakman29 you can merely say 'ahem I'm Oakman my good man' and prices immediately drop or become free.

[RockMyAmadeus]

15 hours ago, Raze said:

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

Someone reviewed it, and determined the lock was hasty. There were no posts removed from this thread; at least, none from before the lock.

[OrangeNemesis]

19 hours ago, RockMyAmadeus said:

Is that the amount of money as expressed in porn...?

 

Just secretly letting him know his options. 

[Prince Namor]

Dealers get a bad name in a generalized way on these boards... I constantly hear, "He's way over priced", as if there is some magical knowledge of EXACTLY what a book is worth. Factor into that the subjective nature of grading and there are but a handful of people on these boards that can really make a definitive claim of price, but a LOT of people that have less informed opinions on the subject. 

I saw a guy haggling over the price of a Silver Age Avengers book at SDCC one year, completely unaware that they had just announced Ultron as the next villain in the Avengers movie. Boy was he sure that it was overpriced. The dealer was highly amused and waited a bit to let on.

Two know-it-alls at Wizard World Chicago one year were complaining about some dealer's Superboy and the Legion of Superhero books (Cockrum issues) he had on his short wall and how high priced they were. Of course, that piqued MY interests, so I picked them up and discovered they were a couple of the most cherry copies I'd ever seen of those books and snapped them up on the spot for... about $30 a piece. Ended up being two 9.8's and a 9.6 - keep your eyes open - a lot of great deals out there...

The BIGGEST gripe I have is on HOT books - Really? The book you're chasing, the same one EVERYONE else is chasing is going up in price? Sorry, THAT is how the market works. Don't jump into the hobby thinking you're going to make a fortune off the next hot book just like that. I hoarded Marvel Preview #4's for decades, because I personally loved the book as a kid - real comic book collectors make the most off of flips by pure accident. 

The worst thing you can do is walk up and tell a dealer he's over priced on something. If I see something with a price that I think MIGHT be high, I'll ask, "Wow, what's going on with THIS book?" That's not playing dumb - I really DON'T know. You'll be AMAZED at what you can learn from dealers (at least the good one's). I've been lucky to deal with dealers on both a national level as well as a local level who were all awesome to do business with.

As less and less stores even bother with old comics any more, and the reliability of eBay being what it is, I'm grateful we have good dealers out there that have those WALL OF BOOKS and endless long boxes of books to pour over at shows... its EASY to walk up and criticize a price of book in an instantaneous observance - try pricing a couple of long boxes of comics the night before a show and see if it doesn't turn your brain to mush...

Start a conversation... get to know the good dealers... it'll benefit you the whole time you spend collecting.

[Bookery]

16 hours ago, VintageComics said:

My favorite: negotiate a price and then don't take the book. It happens.

Yep.  They usually end up saying "Thanks... I'll keep that in mind."  

[october]

15 hours ago, blazingbob said:

Of course Andy can be reasonable when pricing on the boards,  there is 0 cost to selling on the boards except if paypal is involved.  

This is true, but it's offset by the fact that there are few, if any, non-knowledgable buyers on the boards. 

I HAVE to be reasonable with my pricing if I actually want to sell things. Not trying to run museum threads. Way too much work.

[Bookery]

I don't do shows anymore, and I realize that is a whole different animal.  But here in the shop I no longer negotiate.  My prices at their highest are in line with market, and most books are priced significantly below that.  I post a volume discount chart, 10%, 15%, 20% off depending upon how much you spend.  Sometimes I don't make much on a given book at the higher discount level, but the hope is that you make it up on other items that the customer might be encouraged to buy to get the best discount.  Collectors and dealers get the exact same deal.  If you spend like a dealer, I see no reason you shouldn't get that level of discount.  Once buyers get used to the idea, it's been working pretty well.  It also keep consistency, for if I'm not around the staff isn't put in the position of haggling.  Of course, you have to be reasonably priced to begin with.  If you jack up prices 50% over FMV then offer discounts, few are going to be fooled.

[Bookery]

Here's what I say to a dealer I think is over-priced....   I don't.  I just move on.  Comic collectors forget that there are millions of books out there.  The selection available is mind-boggling.  In fact, it's probably a good thing for dealers that most folks really aren't aware of just how many copies of many books exist, or else much of the market might be worth half of what it currently is.  Unless you're collecting Centaurs, or other uncontested rarities, or are looking for a grade in which there are only 5 existing copies... sooner or later you should be able to find the book you need at a fair price.  And if you ARE seeking those kind of rarities... there is little reason to expect a seller to negotiate on them.

[blazingbob]

36 minutes ago, Bookery said:

Yep.  They usually end up saying "Thanks... I'll keep that in mind."  

More like I'll just walk around the show to think about it and never come back.

Another is can you hold it for an hour,  just have to check my finances.

Last one is "I've been looking for this book for years".  Doesn't buy it because the hunt would end.

All of these generally result in no shows/no sales.

Edited June 26, 2019 by blazingbob

[NoMan]

I dislike people way too much to be a dealer at a public show. 

[Bookery]

1 minute ago, blazingbob said:

Last one is "I've been looking for this book for years".  Doesn't buy it because the hunt would end.

I have this happen most often with books (hardbacks, paperbacks).  It will be some obscure paperback that they go on about at some length... how it was their favorite book as a youth, been looking for it for a decade, etc.  They usually begin their saga with "I know you don't have this, but...", or "I know you've never heard of this, but...".  Of course, I have a massive stock of vintage paperbacks (because they seldom sell, so they accumulate), and can usually come up with a copy for them.  Price?  $2.  Answer... "Great!  I'll come back and get that sometime when I have the money!".  Never do of course.  This is not a bizarre one-shot.  This happens probably a half-dozen times every year.

[NoMan]

I figure a well-known long time dealer deserves what he/she's asking cause you guys gotta deal with so many dumb people. 

[Unstoppablejayd]

32 minutes ago, Bookery said:

I don't do shows anymore, and I realize that is a whole different animal.  But here in the shop I no longer negotiate.  My prices at their highest are in line with market, and most books are priced significantly below that.  I post a volume discount chart, 10%, 15%, 20% off depending upon how much you spend.  Sometimes I don't make much on a given book at the higher discount level, but the hope is that you make it up on other items that the customer might be encouraged to buy to get the best discount.  Collectors and dealers get the exact same deal.  If you spend like a dealer, I see no reason you shouldn't get that level of discount.  Once buyers get used to the idea, it's been working pretty well.  It also keep consistency, for if I'm not around the staff isn't put in the position of haggling.  Of course, you have to be reasonably priced to begin with.  If you jack up prices 50% over FMV then offer discounts, few are going to be fooled.

This is a very good approach and evens the playing field.. I like it!

[VintageComics]

1 hour ago, Chuck Gower said:

Dealers get a bad name in a generalized way on these boards...

Dealers have great stories about customers. We just can't share them the same way customers talk about dealers...because then it makes us worse dealers.