How many is “too many”? 5 5

[csaag]

I bought between 1500-2000 on a paper route and then a Burger King salary over a 10 year period starting back in the late 70's

[astrometric]

When it comes to something tangible like a comic, vinyl record, or toy that has the most absolute incredible power to catapult you and your senses back in time defying the laws of physics, I place no limits. I stopped bothering to count after 10,000. 

[badback83]

I’m pretty certain that just about anyone here owns more comics than I do.  If I decide I’d like to purchase a book that is a couple grand, often I have to let a few things go to fund the purchase. 
 

This is a bit off topic, but I’ll share.  At a store near me a while back, one of the employees was quite animated about the fact that everyone is a “dealer” these days.  He asked me if I was a dealer or a collector.  I said collector.  He asked if I had ever sold a comic.  I said yes.  He said, you’re not a collector, you’re a dealer.  No amount of argument was going to change his mind.  
 

There was definitely a bit of a sour undertone to the conversation, but who knows for sure.  He’s probably just salty that the store can’t buy keys as cheaply as they once did.

Of course I think it’s ridiculous to classify myself as a dealer.  I’m not.  Have I sold books in the past, sure.  Anyway, I don’t really even know exactly what requirements one must achieve to be classified as a dealer.   

[FineCollector]

 A collector sells to curate his collection.  A dealer sells to profit from the book.  If you buy books with no intention of keeping them, but instead want to put the proceeds towards other ends, that sounds like a dealer to me.

[Black_Adam]

1 hour ago, DocHoppus182 said:

I’m pretty certain that just about anyone here owns more comics than I do.  If I decide I’d like to purchase a book that is a couple grand, often I have to let a few things go to fund the purchase. 
 

This is a bit off topic, but I’ll share.  At a store near me a while back, one of the employees was quite animated about the fact that everyone is a “dealer” these days.  He asked me if I was a dealer or a collector.  I said collector.  He asked if I had ever sold a comic.  I said yes.  He said, you’re not a collector, you’re a dealer.  No amount of argument was going to change his mind.  
 

There was definitely a bit of a sour undertone to the conversation, but who knows for sure.  He’s probably just salty that the store can’t buy keys as cheaply as they once did.

Of course I think it’s ridiculous to classify myself as a dealer.  I’m not.  Have I sold books in the past, sure.  Anyway, I don’t really even know exactly what requirements one must achieve to be classified as a dealer.   

So if you've upgraded a comic in your collection and sold your undercopy you are now a dealer and no longer a collector? 

The guy sounds like he has issues, and I don't mean comics...

 

[Ryan.]

32 minutes ago, FineCollector said:

 A collector sells to curate his collection.  A dealer sells to profit from the book.  If you buy books with no intention of keeping them, but instead want to put the proceeds towards other ends, that sounds like a dealer to me.

What about people who do both? 

[badback83]

1 hour ago, Black_Adam said:

So if you've upgraded a comic in your collection and sold your undercopy you are now a dealer and no longer a collector? 

The guy sounds like he has issues, and I don't mean comics...

 

Exactly.  I usually get along with this guy, but he seemed particularly agitated this day.  I really don’t know what ultimate point he was trying to make.  I basically got irritated because he didn’t really want to even hear my logic.  I walked away.

[Ken Aldred]

3 hours ago, DocHoppus182 said:

 

I’m pretty certain that just about anyone here owns more comics than I do.  If I decide I’d like to purchase a book that is a couple grand, often I have to let a few things go to fund the purchase. 

 

Many of us do this on a limited budget, in a time when the prices asked for many back issues are sky-high, with other priorities to contend with and afford as well, and so in the current market it’s quite obvious that a collector might on occasion need to liquidate some items, in order to afford a book that’s more important to them. 

We don’t all have deep pockets.

Edited September 19, 2020 by Ken Aldred

[FineCollector]

1 hour ago, Ryan. said:

What about people who do both? 

Then you are both.  There's no harm in admitting it, but some people hide the dealer part, and that's where hard feelings come from.

[500Club]

Bigamy is having one wife too many.  Monogamy is the same.

-Oscar Wilde

[Primetime]

No long box hell for me. I’ve always had a small collection filled with prime, choice books and childhood memories. I have a healthy collection of 500 plus books in the vault. 

[F For Fake]

On 9/19/2020 at 8:34 AM, DocHoppus182 said:

I’m pretty certain that just about anyone here owns more comics than I do.  If I decide I’d like to purchase a book that is a couple grand, often I have to let a few things go to fund the purchase. 
 

This is a bit off topic, but I’ll share.  At a store near me a while back, one of the employees was quite animated about the fact that everyone is a “dealer” these days.  He asked me if I was a dealer or a collector.  I said collector.  He asked if I had ever sold a comic.  I said yes.  He said, you’re not a collector, you’re a dealer.  No amount of argument was going to change his mind.  
 

There was definitely a bit of a sour undertone to the conversation, but who knows for sure.  He’s probably just salty that the store can’t buy keys as cheaply as they once did.

Of course I think it’s ridiculous to classify myself as a dealer.  I’m not.  Have I sold books in the past, sure.  Anyway, I don’t really even know exactly what requirements one must achieve to be classified as a dealer.   

I've always considered a "dealer" to be someone who sells as their primary source of income. Not necessarily their ONLY income (though in my eyes that would make one a "Professional Dealer"), but a major part of it.

 As a collector, it seems pretty common to sell books to buy more books. It's practically the same as trading books, just with some cash involved, and no one seems to get their panties in a bunch about trading. I guess I'm a "part time" dealer, as I used to sell enough to qualify as a small business in the eyes of the IRS. Once that happened, I scaled back, and now make sure I don't hit that magical $20k threshold where I have to pay taxes, register for my tax id, all of that stuff. Does that make me a "dealer"? I wouldn't think so, but this guy probably would.

To me, wheeling and dealing is a part of the hobby. Selling or trading stuff you don't necessarily want in order to get funds to get something else you DO want, I dunno, that's always just been part of collecting, to me.   Like many, I can't afford to buy everything I want, I have to be selective with my funds. But I truly believe that even if money WASN'T an issue, I'd still enjoy selling/flipping/"dealing". For me, the biggest thrill of collecting is the hunt and the chase. Once I have the book in hand, there aren't many that I feel I couldn't live without. Selling the books off allows me to begin the chase again. It's fun!

[FineCollector]

6 minutes ago, F For Fake said:

 As a collector, it seems pretty common to sell books to buy more books.
...

To me, wheeling and dealing is a part of the hobby. Selling or trading stuff you don't necessarily want in order to get funds to get something else you DO want, I dunno, that's always just been part of collecting, to me. 

A collector buys a stack/box/collection, keeps the ones he wants, and sells the ones he doesn't.  100% agree, you have to focus, and sometimes make hard choices when space or funds are limited.  The difference is when you buy the books knowing you don't want any of them.  That's not collecting.  If anything, you're getting in the way of collectors.  Someone's going to say they're helping collectors by bringing books to market that wouldn't be found.  I call BS on that, and that's still not collecting.