What a deal, or reason 764 why I don't do Facebook deals 0

[Turtle]

15 hours ago, AndyFish said:

At Rose City Comic Con this year my wife and I signed about three dozen Sabrina the Teenage Witch #1's -- about a half dozen were CGC Witnessed, the people that brought those insisted on paying us for the signatures-- so we've now implemented a signing fee for non-personalized CGC witnessed books.  We had one person complain about it at Ace Comic Con but if you're slabbing a bunch of copies it's not because you're a big fan of the book (or of ours) so we charge a $10 signing fee.  Raw books no charge.

Comic creators definitely have the right to set their own rates as they see fit.  And I'd also add kudos to people who were getting books signed in bulk who insisted on paying for signatures despite the free notation.  If you're getting a big/repetitive stack of books signed...no matter whether they're for resale or for a personal collection, I whole-heartedly believe that the courteous thing to do is to compensate the creator for their time and generosity. 

That said, the practice of charging X price for raw books and Y price for books to be graded alienates a good number of collectors out there.  It's important to keep in mind that not everyone who is getting a book signed for Signature Series is a dealer or doing it for resale.  Some people enjoy having interactions with creators and then having signed books from those interactions graded for various reasons.  Some like the protection a slab gives.  Some like it for display purposes.  Some like it for the "certificate of authenticity" standpoint as CGC's signature series seems to be the most widely recognized verification method in this hobby.  Not all people fit in this category, but many do.  It just seems silly that a creator would tell that person "If you leave the comic in a bag and board, the signature is free, but if you send it somewhere for a special case, it'll cost you".  It shouldn't matter what I do with the item after the fact...it doesn't change what the creator is doing for me overall.

To give an example, if I go to a car dealership to buy a car, there is a price listed for each vehicle.  There is no sliding scale that says if you're going to drive your family around and pick up groceries, the price is X but if you're going to become a full time Uber driver, the price is Y.  And why would there be?  It doesn't matter one bit to the dealership what you plan on doing with the vehicle once you've purchased it.  Is there any item you can buy which has a price that fluctuates depending on what you intend to do with it once you have it?

On a personal level, the growing trend of charging more for witnessed signatures as opposed to raw ones has only served to kill enthusiasm for going to shows to meet artists.  I'm a big fan of TMNT and I enjoy the IDW series that's currently around issue #100.  The series features a lot of variant covers from a wide variety of artists.  Years ago, I'd seek out some of these variant cover artists I'd never really been exposed to and chat with them for a bit about TMNT and usually have them sign a copy for my collection (my collection was largely Signature Series books at the time).  The additional charge has dissuaded me from seeking these people out anymore.  Artists I've never heard of are charging $20 to sign a copy of a book if I intend on getting it graded.  I appreciate uniformity, so instead of meeting the artist and getting the book signed and left raw, I'm simply just not approaching the artist anymore.  This happened as recently as NYCC a few weeks ago...when I approached a few tables and saw these artists were charging extra for witnessed signatures, I decided to skip it.  Honestly, one of them even had a book I wanted to buy.  I waited until he was away from his table to buy it from his handler to avoid the awkward "Do you want me to sign this?" moment. 

As a fan of witnessed signatures for my own collection, my favorite approach to this is something along the lines of "first 1/2/5/whatever are free, $X for each signature after that".   Maybe a creator is best known for 1 or 2 really well-known issues...someone like Rob Liefeld.  Many years ago when I first saw him (around 2009 or so), he charged $20 to sign NM 87 or NM 98, but every other issue was free.  In both of these methods, people coming up with a lot of books for resale, personal collections, or whatever will still get charged, but it removes the barrier for entry for the personal collectors who may just want a single item signed and a brief conversation with a creator they appreciate.  In the past, creators like Len Wein, Larry Hama, and Marv Wolfman have all had different variations of this model and it was always a positive interaction.  They were able to make money from dealers/resellers while still engaging with fans at no cost.  Is it perfect?  Of course not.  No system is.  But at least it doesn't alienate fans and still allows creators to earn money for their signatures. 

 

[Hollywood1892]

3 hours ago, theCapraAegagrus said:

Self awareness is the first step in the evolution of existence

[theCapraAegagrus]

Are you incapable of learning?

[lordisam]

13 hours ago, Turtle said:

 In the past, creators like Len Wein, Larry Hama, and Marv Wolfman have all had different variations of this model and it was always a positive interaction.  They were able to make money from dealers/resellers while still engaging with fans at no cost.  Is it perfect?  Of course not.  No system is.  But at least it doesn't alienate fans and still allows creators to earn money for their signatures. 

 

To that point, at ACE Comicon in Rosemont, IL last weekend, Larry Hama charged 20 bucks per SS signature, but any raw signature was free.  I heard him tell one guy with a couple of raw books, "You're a dedicated fan.  No charge."