Anyone have experience buying art from The Artists Choice?? 3 3

[Michael (OML)1]

I have bought from Spencer for years.  He is terrific.  I 100% trust him.  

[Terry E. Gibbs]

When I first started collecting back in January 2016 about the second buy was some Howard Porter / Geoffs Johns Flash Rogues War pages. I asked how they had bought it and they said at a Con but I should look at Spencer's site. He was terrific. Yes there can be time lags and yes, the site can be difficult but if you know who he is repping and the pages you are after, are very recent, he will work with the artist to give you what you want and many of his artists are in my experience quite reasonable.

He is very time poor, so if you understand that and respect that then you can enjoy the dealings a bit more.

[MAR1979]

On 2/20/2020 at 6:03 PM, BCoffee said:

Hello,

Wondering if anyone has had any experience buying art from the Artists Choice. I have had a couple of really strange experiences, and was wondering if this was typical.

A couple of years ago I messaged them about a page that was for sale on their site that I wanted to buy. I didn't hear back, and after a week I emailed them. they let me know they had me in the que and would be getting back to me shortly. After another week I emailed them again, they apologized but let me know there were other people ahead of me, and they would get back to me when they could. Finally after a month they let me know that the page had already been sold....

There have been two more times that I have tried to buy art from them that they have for sale on their website. They typically take weeks to get back to me, seem mildly annoyed that I check back in every couple of weeks, and then end up never finally following through with selling me a page, and after a couple of months, I give up. 

Is this normal? Is there a secret code word I'm not using? I've bought art from art reps and dealers with what appears to be a lot more inventory, and I can't think of anything going over a week for just getting the artwork sold. They seem to rep some pretty great artists, so I'm not sure why this hasn't come up as a problem. If I had people trying to buy my art, but getting roadblocked by my rep, I would think that would be a problem. 

Maybe my experience has just been a total anomaly?

 

Dealt with Beck twice several years apart between. The first time like you I felt an anomaly, the next time was in person and after a bit of nonsense I simply (and literally) walked away. I'll leave you with this thought - never Trust ANY dealer.

 

Edited February 27, 2020 by MAR1979
modification

[Rick2you2]

7 hours ago, MAR1979 said:

 

Dealt with Beck twice several years apart between. The first time like you I felt an anomaly, the next time was in person and after a bit of nonsense I simply (and literally) walked away. I'll leave you with this thought - never Trust ANY dealer.

 

Harsh. I suggest you read some of the Donnelly Bros. threads if you want to see real “trust” issues. What was your complaint, other than organization, speed, or reliable communications?

[All-Star Squadman]

2 hours ago, Rick2you2 said:

Harsh. I suggest you read some of the Donnelly Bros. threads if you want to see real “trust” issues. What was your complaint, other than organization, speed, or reliable communications?

I do not feel it was a Harsh answer if anything a bit too general and vague   Perhaps a better way the statement could have been made is to mention that trust is something that needs to be earned not based on posting of "random" dealer opinions on a message board.

Edited February 27, 2020 by 35CentEra

[Rick2you2]

4 hours ago, 35CentEra said:

I do not feel it was a Harsh answer if anything a bit too general and vague   Perhaps a better way the statement could have been made is to mention that trust is something that needs to be earned not based on posting of "random" dealer opinions on a message board.

When I think of trust, I think of something approaching fraud. Do you feel he lied?

[comix4fun]

13 hours ago, MAR1979 said:

 

Dealt with Beck twice several years apart between. The first time like you I felt an anomaly, the next time was in person and after a bit of nonsense I simply (and literally) walked away. I'll leave you with this thought - never Trust ANY dealer.

 

That's a good thing Spencer's a rep and not a dealer then. 

You may want to clarify your trust comment as there's an ocean of distance between "untrustworthy" and "inconvenient" or "less than rapid communication".

[Kohei]

Patience is a virtue when dealing with Spencer. But I feel that's a given for several art dealers and reps out there.

That said of all the dealers/reps I've worked with he's my favorite.

He's gone above and beyond for me more than once and he's fair, honest, and has a good rep among the artists I've spoken to.

[Stat Monsters]

I've bought from Spencer Beck over the years, many years.  He's always been very professional.  His communication precise and detail oriented

At one time he was one of the top sources of art for me to buy from, primarily because his website was updated continually on a very regular and frequent basis.

About 2 maybe even 3 years ago, it seems he stopped updating his website.  I'd always had friendly emails with him and at one point maybe 2 years ago he mentioned updating his website to become more modern and user-friendly.

Flash forward years later, I've not seen any updates, I've not seen any new website, and I believe 2019 was the first year he's not had his formerly annual discount sale.

QUESTION:

Is he winding down his business?  

Is there a reason why he doesn't update his old original website?

Is there a reason why he's not been able to upgrade his website as he's been wanting to for the past few years?

I really miss his updates and sales (the last sale in 2018 I passed on because basically, everything that I've wanted and seen from 2017 and before was there, but there was no new material that entire year).  There's a few websites I miss seeing updates from as well, like Albert Moy, who used to have frequent updates through the year.  Right now, I feel the top art dealer/reps who have frequent updates are Anthony Snyder, Romitaman, Felix Comic Art, Splash Page Art and Cadence.  

 

[exitmusicblue]

Happy to report my Bagley commission's in transit to me.

All in all, less than a month since the original request was made... Bags deserves a lot of the credit, but Spencer also came through.

I put in a word of encouragement (mentioning his support on the boards), and he really responded in kind, above and beyond the call o' duty.  Which leads me to believe he'd do the same for everyone if there were 24 more hours in the day.  Mentioned that over 100 pieces were mailed in a single day.

[MAR1979]

Redacted

 

  

 

Edited February 29, 2020 by MAR1979
correction

[Kohei]

10 hours ago, Stat Monsters said:

Is he winding down his business?  

Is there a reason why he doesn't update his old original website?

Is there a reason why he's not been able to upgrade his website as he's been wanting to for the past few years?

No, he has had an unusually large kick in the tenders from life last year.

Yeah, hours in the day. He started working a major, modern update last year. But grandiose ideas require time and assistance and while he did have a helper he definitely needs more than one. And he works full time outside of his business. AND-see above.

You already asked that question 

[wurstisart]

I had many deals with Spencer.

My experience is that you clearly need to say what it is and what you want, and you get an answer. Vague emails seem to get no response.

I second the before mentioned, I also decided to get a Bagley commission.

My commission is not done yet but all the communication was easy and straight forward.

He also helped in the past to get in touch with various artist to either buy art or get a commission.

Is the website awful, yes no question asked. And I have a feeling he knows. 
 

But to sum it up, I had many good communications and purchases with him.

[jjonahjameson11]

Hi, all:

i had a quick chat with Spencer regarding your posts, questions, and curiosities regarding secret codes, trustworthiness and so on.

Spencer conveys his appreciation and thanks for the kind words, comments and questions.

I’ll be the first to heap praise to Chris’ (comix4fun) response earlier in this thread.  He did an excellent job of responding to most of the questions I’ve read on this thread.

And now, a few things you may be unaware of:

1. Spencer’s mother passed away during the 1st half of 2019

2. His father passed away during the 2nd half of 2019, so he lost both parents in the same year.  

Needless to say, the loss of both parents in such a short time takes quite a toll on a person, and especially if you had a very close relationship with your parents.

3.  Spencer’s continued to have various ailments throughout 2019, totalling nearly two months during which time he was unable to work or could only work limited hours

As a result of the above noted items, a response from Spencer may have been slower than usual.  Additionally, that website update has also been delayed, and last but not least, there hasn’t been/will not be an annual winter sale this year.

thanks for your time and patience in reading this note.