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any theories on why prices seem to be dropping with a lot of books?
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194 posts in this topic

1 hour ago, Glassman10 said:

Indeed. Mastercard is up $30.00 per share since late Dec alone. I thinkI'll have mine pressed and slabbed. 

The average American owns more personal debt today than at any point in history. The term "overleveraged" doesn't even begin to describe it. So yeah of course Mastercard is smiling!!! 

Anyway I hate to say but the online tax will unfortunately have a negative impact on the market imo 2c. But hopefully not!

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well, if you have comics because you simply love having them in your hands, that's one thing. If on the other you love thinking about the day you cash them in, that's another. Those cards don't lend money, they just nick you for a fee every time you use them. My Thor's don't do that but selling my AF15 and getting MC was certainly a happy move on the money side. Neither comics or real estate are that easily liquifiable  while stocks are. I  keep reading the Thors because I wouldn't sell them. They haven't ever been real cash cows thank goodness.  A lifetime friend. 

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The market's collapsing for the same reason as the subprime crisis:  too much borrowed money fueled a bubble, and now it's unwinding.  People buying comics on credit cards, layaway plans, etc. -- everyone's a dealer -- all thinking they could flip the books anytime for more than they paid.  That only works in a rising market.  Once the comic prices stopped rising, the speculators and fast money shifted into video games, further depressing the comic prices.  

And the remaining buyers only want to cherry pick the cream of the crop - good page quality, no chipping, no writing, etc. It's simply not enough to just own a coveted key anymore (with the exception of certain grails, like Tec 27 and Action 1), the book has to be nearly perfect.  This is due to some OCD fool that started nit picking wrap centering, page quality, chipping and other previously irrelevant attributes.  That terrible trend caught on like fire, and now all the remaining buyers only want the best.  Collectors like me, that used to be happy just owning a book, are now forced to seek out the best, not because we're looking to sell or really care that there's a chip in a book, but because if you ever want/need to sell it, only the perfect copies sell for full value.  For example, look at all the orphaned copies of AF15 on eBay that will never catch a bid.  Some are beautiful, but because their page quality is cream or they have chipping, they are pariah. 

Not a good combination.  

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2 hours ago, FattyDaddyComics said:

 This is due to some OCD fool that started nit picking wrap centering, page quality, chipping and other previously irrelevant attributes.  That terrible trend caught on like fire, and now all the remaining buyers only want the best.  Collectors like me, that used to be happy just owning a book, are now forced to seek out the best, not because we're looking to sell or really care that there's a chip in a book, but because if you ever want/need to sell it, only the perfect copies sell for full value.  For example, look at all the orphaned copies of AF15 on eBay that will never catch a bid.  Some are beautiful, but because their page quality is cream or they have chipping, they are pariah. 

Not a good combination.  

God I know the feeling, people now want the most perfect centered book they can find. I can understand page quality to an extent. But it really is getting nuts.

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32 minutes ago, tth2 said:

I see so many mis-wrapped books still selling for a ton.  So I don't think the obsession with QP is nearly as strong as you guys make it out to be.

Its not,  does eye appeal get highest value.  of course... that's said with EVERYTHING. (Comics/ Sports cards / Cars / House / etc!)…. but poor looking copies ABSOLUTLEY still get their value... Its more the fools who price a chipped AF15 with cream pages to one without chipping at OW/W value that have the issue  :tonofbricks:

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17 minutes ago, october said:

The market isn't "collapsing". A handful of keys dropped in price because the movie hype wore off and dopey sheep speculators found other things to chase. The other 99.99% of the market is doing fine because it's actual collectors driving prices, not 24 year olds on Instagram buying AF 15s or LB Cole books on credit to show off for a week and then dump. 

^^

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I recently used gpa to value my collection.  I own lots of keys and many early silver age Marvels.  Some books went up and some went down but no dramatic changes.  Overall, my collection priced out in the ballpark of what it was a few months ago.  No major drops.  Even my AF 15 is doing fine per gpa.  Let's see how sales do after the holiday season lull is over.

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13 hours ago, Mercury Man said:

Agree.  I am at a stage in life (both age and financially), that at this point, I want the nicest copy I can afford, and sometimes you just have to be happy with that 4.0, or 3.5 or 2.0.  Just as long as you are paying fmv, somewhere down the line, you should be able to find another buyer who will be just as happy.   Do I want a 9.8 IH #181, sure, but I also want my kid to go to college.   

Agreed.  There are still people who buy NON white low grade copies... There's no way I can afford NM+, perfectly centered, white page silver age comics. 

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On 1/24/2020 at 9:33 AM, tth2 said:

Gee, your English suddenly got a whole lot better.

Went to top Moscow schools. When I say my English is terrible means I spell very bad and bad grammar like they`re,their or there.I always screw that up. I am great at science and math though.

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10 hours ago, RUSSIAN BEAR said:

Went to top Moscow schools. When I say my English is terrible means I spell very bad and bad grammar like they`re,their or there.I always screw that up. I am great at science and math though.

And yet you write your dates in the US format and not the European one, and know how to spell disappear correctly (which is one of the top 30 most misspelled words in English). Also if you studied English in a Russian (or any other school outside of North America) institute, you would use "maths" and not the American "math"

Curiouser and curiouser. (which is also incorrect by the way)

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11 minutes ago, chromium said:

Curiouser and

Curiouser

FTFY

Ironically, that phrase comes from the same book that featured Tweedledee and Tweedledum.

Edited by tth2
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25 minutes ago, chromium said:

how to spell disappear correctly (which is one of the top 30 most misspelled words in English)

Really ? Most of the mistakes I see on here are the misuse of they're and their.

Edited by Gotham Kid
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18 minutes ago, Gotham Kid said:

Really ? Most of the mistakes I see on here are the misuse of they're and their.

What I tend to see a lot here as well is people not being able to differentiate between slander and libel and of course the ubiquitous “I could care less” :pullhair: 

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On 1/27/2020 at 10:02 AM, chromium said:

What I tend to see a lot here as well is people not being able to differentiate between slander and libel and of course the ubiquitous “I could care less” :pullhair: 

What I see most on here and find even more annoying is the use of "sell" instead of "sale".

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