Comic Art Live 2 2

[skrilla1212]

There’s a thread in Marketplace that is also discussion so figured I’d start one here for any thoughts or comments on Comic Art Live which wrapped today. Share any panels you enjoyed, art you bought, or any other thoughts. I’ll start!

• Thanks to Bill Cox! I’ve really realized how much I appreciate CAF and all Bill does to make this community thrive. I haven’t been to any cons outside of Baltimore, but this was fun to see what everyone brought out, “walking the floor”.
• Enjoyed the panel with Tradd and Felix, another thank you to Felix for doing more than his share to bring a sense of community to the hobby.
• Anthony’s livestream from his warehouse was fun. The steam was “cinema verite”, but that added to it. Cool to see boardies @Unstoppablejayd and @AnkurJ wheeling and dealing.
• Caught a little of Matt Wagner’s video which was also insightful and cool.
• I thought there was a great variety of art for sale. Some new some old. Some priced to sell, some not. But still I applaud everyone who participated and made it eventful to check it all out.
• I bought one Page, which had been for sale forever on CAF and eBay which I’d always found myself checking out and figured I’d pull the trigger to participate. A Mark Texiera Black Panther page for a decent price. I don’t see a lot of those pages on CAF nor for sale and think it was a seminal run to introduce the modern Black Panther back in Marvel Knights era.

Thanks again to all, that was fun!

Edited November 16, 2020 by skrilla1212

[brettfes]

I threw up a couple things for sale and took a look around. what struck me most is at the end of the days i would search sold lots, and noticed that (except the ones that were not marked sold, but instead set to $0 - dont know what that was about?) there were big sales, but that of the 430 (maybe more after i searched) or so sold that came back in the late sunday... that more than 65% looked under 1k and 50% or so looked under 500. i found that interesting...although my numbers may be off... i am going by my memory. i wonder how this compares to sales data from comic art shops? or caf classifieds?

i would change what i am posting next time to adjust to spending. other than that comic art live makes a great reason to jump to a premium account... and a great event overall. i applaud all organizers and who engaged in it. 

[malvin]

12 minutes ago, brettfes said:

I threw up a couple things for sale and took a look around. what struck me most is at the end of the days i would search sold lots, and noticed that (except the ones that were not marked sold, but instead set to $0 - dont know what that was about?) there were big sales, but that of the 430 (maybe more after i searched) or so sold that came back in the late sunday... that more than 65% looked under 1k and 50% or so looked under 500. i found that interesting...although my numbers may be off... i am going by my memory. i wonder how this compares to sales data from comic art shops? or caf classifieds?

i would change what i am posting next time to adjust to spending. other than that comic art live makes a great reason to jump to a premium account... and a great event overall. i applaud all organizers and who engaged in it. 

hmm.. so your main question is that most sold pieces were under 1k or $500? I think that feels right. I threw up a few things over that amount and they didn't sell.  There are few people who fork out over $1k anyways and generally unless something feels like its a good deal, people don't quickly buy things over $1k.

One of my purchases was over $1K and I thought it was cheap.  Of course what I think and reality might not be the same thing. 

Malvin

[malvin]

Here are my thoughts, I'll start as an attendee and then as a seller.

Attendee

Unlike last time, I actually bought some art this time.  I generally find that there is less and less art that I can buy. I'm sure me no longer reading comics plays a part in that.  Of the 3 pieces I bought, 2 were from books I read and the 3rd was just a great Alan Davis image that I kept on going back to.

I think most prices for stuff that I collect were reasonable.

I did like the Sunday art drop, gave you a reason to look again, even though I didn't buy anything.

I'm not a panel guy so no comments there.  I did have it playing in the background tonight as I was packing the art I sold though

Exhibitor

I'm generally happy with my sales.  I sold 13 of 34 pieces.  Nothing over 1K though.  Because of the extra slots available, I put stuff up that I wasn't aggressively trying to sell, but wouldn't mind selling if I get my price.  Some of them actually sold.  Some of the pieces that I thought would sell for sure did not.

I think 48 pieces is too many, although as an attendee I didn't think there was too much art (can there ever be too much art)

Echoing my comments as an attendee, I like the Sunday art drop idea.

Malvin

[John E.]

As a seller

First, big thanks to Bill for putting this together. I think he mentioned that he did not have the big updates that he was hoping to have, but I think the updates helped a lot.

I was hoping to make more sales because the first show exceeded my expectations, but the good thing about that is the mailing is manageable. The money  I made will pay off a piece. Two of the three pieces sold were fresh to market, the other wasn't, i.e. I had it for sale at the first show. It was purchased by a new C.A.L. shopper which to me says there were definitely new eyeballs, so what didn't get sold this weekend, could get sold at the next show. I can also give my testimony to what Malvin says about the art that one thinks would for sure sell, didn't.

I also think 48 available slots was too much for the smaller seller; however, I posted 20 pieces--obviously more than the 18 open last at the first show--and my thought was, "Is this all I have?" One can scroll through 20 pieces in a second. For next year's show, I'll definitely know how utilize the slots better.

My most critical feedback is that I felt I wasn't given enough time to post. I think we were allowed to post 3 weeks out. On paper that sounds like a lot of time, but I need more. Minimum 4 weeks, maybe even 6 weeks. I have my daily obligations and little kids to work around with. I didn't rev up until week 2, and that week I was only-posting 1 piece a day, then I picked up the pace the week of. I'm one who pays close attention to the descriptions and I did new scans or photos on some pieces. I know some just like to put up with photo only--nothing about size or media. I'm not like that but maybe I'm just wasting my time? I know of one seller from the last show who would've like to have set up at this show, but didn't because he was preoccupied/prioritized a new endeavor. Had he more time, maybe he would've been able to. Since he didn't set up as a seller, I don't think he'll be able to fill out the seller survey. Also, Bill mentioned there were exhibitors posting at the last minute, so much so, he extended the deadline. Now, there will always be procrastinators, but that may be a consequence of the 3-week window.

Lastly, my prices are flat. It includes the PP fees and shipping and extra insurance and signature confirmation for higher items. That said, I really, really appreciate that all three of my buyers paid "friends and family" without my asking  

 

As a shopper

I didn't buy anything--again--partly because I'm super focused right now and another part is because I didn't make huge sales to justify compulsive spending. However, I looked at every piece of art available and was tempted by many good deals.

I'd say there were a lot of stuff that wasn't badly priced, but on the other hand, the seller left NO MEAT ON THE BONE either. Which is fine. I do roll my eyes at the dealers who brought in their old stock without even a slight, symbolic discount. I think that defeats the purpose of the spirit of the Comic Art Live.

My super favorite thing was the new "save/favorite" function. It was my go-to thing throughout the weekend!

Lastly, I will say that one of my buyers was a first-time CAF member and CAL shopper and that he found all the sellers to be super friendly and easy to work with. I'm really happy to hear that!

[RBerman]

* Much thanks to Bill Cox and all the others who worked to make this happen!

* I caught several of the panels yesterday and enjoyed them quite a bit. Makes me want COVID to end sooner so I can attent a con somewhere and hang out with some of you in person.

* I bought two pieces - a Fraim Brothers LSH poster and a Mico Suayan Rogue/Gambit pin-up. My approach was to just search for different artist names, and I was so grateful that most comic book artists have an uncommon first or last name that simplified searching.

* The "Saturday drop/Sunday drop" was a good idea.

[Varanis]

Great event!

I thought the second art drop and the save feature were great.

I missed out by a couple minutes on the only piece that got my interest, but I had fun browsing.

I really enjoyed the Tradd/Felix panel and the shout out of sorts from Felix for the SSB page I own.

I think the one thing I’d like next time is some sort of social feature. It’d be really fun to connect with other collectors like one would at a con. Maybe a discord server or chat function during the event?

[Latverian Tourism Board]

I didn’t set up to sell this time, because I knew I wouldn’t be available enough this weekend, but I did buy a cool Pelletier Wolverine page. It was great to see all that art, and I loved the 11 am art drops on both days to check out. I missed out on one Quitely Flex Mentallo prelim (some of you guys are FAST! ).
 

I thought it went really well this year. I’d like to echo that it would be nice to see more dealers discount a little in keeping with the spirit of this con, but otherwise, I had no issues. The save art idea was solid. Overall, no complaints. I can’t speak to the selling experience this time, but last time went great for me. Thank you, Bill!

[ShallowDan]

The first Comic Art Live snuck up on me and hit during a weekend when i was really busy, so it wasn't able to participate.  This go-around I made an effort to have some time set aside so I could enjoy the panels as they were being streamed.  I mentioned it in the thread for Felix's podcast, but his two-part stream with Tradd and Bill was a particular favorite from the weekend.  I'd been hoping Felix would eventually interview Tradd for his podcast, so I was excited for the chance to see them discuss the business and hobby.

I also ended up being able to cut a deal for something I've had my eye on for a while, so the weekend was a success on that front as well. 

Like others have said, it can be eye-rolling when you see some of the same pieces at the same prices that you've seen 'em at before, but that's very often the case with real-life cons as well. 

 

[Benedict Judas Hel]

1 hour ago, Varanis said:

Great event!

I thought the second art drop and the save feature were great.

I agree.  I like not having to search back to find the pieces I would be interested in again and the addition of more art the next day was excellent.

I didn’t buy anything because nothing presented fulfilled my criteria (late 60’s-early 90’s Marvel large panel pages with a focus on villains up to $1000) but it was cool browsing.
 

Also, I didn’t commission an artist this time because I already have too many commissions pending, there was not an artist who grabbed me as a “must have” (tempted by Mike Allred but $1500 was a little too rich for me so close to the holidays) and I wasn’t really looking for any more at the moment.

But it was still entertaining and a welcome respite during these times.  I would also like to join the chorus of individuals thanking Bill Cox for putting this together again.

[Rick2you2]

25 minutes ago, Benedict Judas Hel said:

I agree.  I like not having to search back to find the pieces I would be interested in again and the addition of more art the next day was excellent.

I didn’t buy anything because nothing presented fulfilled my criteria (late 60’s-early 90’s Marvel large panel pages with a focus on villains up to $1000) but it was cool browsing.
 

Also, I didn’t commission an artist this time because I already have too many commissions pending, there was not an artist who grabbed me as a “must have” (tempted by Mike Allred but $1500 was a little too rich for me so close to the holidays) and I wasn’t really looking for any more at the moment.

But it was still entertaining and a welcome respite during these times.  I would also like to join the chorus of individuals thanking Bill Cox for putting this together again.

I did see a Baronness commission up for sale.

[Rick2you2]

I enjoyed it, seeing new things I had not seen before. I didn’t really expect any discounts on pricing, at least from dealers, but that didn’t mean I had to buy them, either. Unfortunately, there was nothing new for me in any event.

Let me second the idea of a separate area for attendees to “chew the fat” like in a real show. Perhaps artists could sign in, too, since they not only get to hear from their fans, but maybe score some commission work or sell unposted things they have lying around in their basements. I’ll even supply the virtual beer. 

[NelsonAI]

Fyi - Burkey bought a large stake in CAF.  I wonder if he previewed the for sale galleries before they went live.

I know Bill did because he asked me to take down 2 photos I had as placeholders while I was trying to figure out functionality.  This was my first time trying to set up.  I was using my phone so did not have access to my art pics from my computer files and was just testing.  I complied but this was on Friday and the photos were nothing outrageous.  One was of Lizzo, the other a bikini model.  I had downloaded the pics from the NY Post onto my phone before loading onto CAF.  Lol.

Again, I complied, so not a big deal.

 

[Unstoppablejayd]

15 hours ago, skrilla1212 said:

Anthony’s livestream from his warehouse was fun. The steam was “cinema verite”, but that added to it. Cool to see boardies @Unstoppablejayd and @AnkurJ wheeling and dealing.

You saw ?? Nice!

Thank you @Bill Cox

The show was great! I thought it was awesome that he took the feedback from the first one and corrected a lot of stuff. Although I missed the save function until the second day- had a ton of windows open on Saturday for pieces I wanted to go back to. I thought there was a ton of new art, of course there were old stand byes too. The big dealer art was mostly stuff from there sites.. but Albert had a bunch of new stuff. and Glen and Will had some fresh things too. But the show for me is really for collector to collector sales, things that are not on the market and a way to sell stuff before trading it to a dealer. I personally bought two pieces, a Yu X-men piece I honestly have never seen before published or OA from someone in the phillipines and A cover from a smaller dealer that I had been eyeing before, he discounted it and then we negotiated a bit more of discount so it worked out.  I sold a couple pieces too.. the buying and selling aspect allows you to have the opportunity to self fund some of your purchases unlike a show usually would . 

Being on Anthony's panel was cool and caught some of the other ones too which were pretty interesting. 

All and All a great time and hope it continues.

 

[AndyFish]

We did the first show last May and we did this one-- the first one was pretty good for us, and this one was gangbusters, doing about 5x what we did in May.   Easily our top #3 show of all time, never mind the fact that it was virtual, this one was right up there with Rose City and C2E2 for sales for us.   We sold every sketch we had done for the show, a bunch of pages from some old projects and we filled out commission slots by the end of the day on Saturday.

  The 24/24 art drop was great.  For the first show we did 100% of our sales on Saturday and then nothing on Sunday-- for this show it was probably a 70/30 split.   48 pieces sounds like a lot but as a buyer I loved it.   I loved that art is locked in so that a dealer can't change what's in the booth mid show.  My only complaint is that there needs to be some kind of message board or announcement section so you can announce markdowns or whatever.   I picked up a couple of really great pieces although I was on an extreme spending limit because of some serious expenses we've had, but had a lot of fun.   The only panel I watched was Bill's closing remarks which are always interesting which I also watched while I was packaging up the orders Sunday night.

I'd third the idea of some sort of social area.   It would be kind of neat to have a virtual "bar" or something be it a chat room or something, that's probably my favorite part of doing these shows, besides having dinner in a new restaurant with my wife.

Super mega kudos to Bill Cox for putting this on.   It's a lot of work for him, and it's a lot of work as a seller but if you put the work into it you'll see a payoff.

[Twanj]

37 minutes ago, AndyFish said:

My only complaint is that there needs to be some kind of message board or announcement section so you can announce markdowns or whatever.

Was there a way to see (search) by pieces that had been marked down?

There were a few pages I like but nothing priced what I thought was fair, so it would've been nice to see what prices had lowered.

I didn't realize there was a save feature either.

[John E.]

16 minutes ago, Twanj said:

Was there a way to see (search) by pieces that had been marked down?

There were a few pages I like but nothing priced what I thought was fair, so it would've been nice to see what prices had lowered.

I didn't realize there was a save feature either.

As I far as I can tell, there is no way to find out what pieces were marked down, this is where the “save/liked” button came in handy. I didn’t find out about this function until after the preview. I happen to go back to re-read a CAF email and happened to catch it (I think). It was essentially a save button located directly underneath the “purchase” button. 

[Benedict Judas Hel]

3 hours ago, Rick2you2 said:

I did see a Baronness commission up for sale.

Really?  I missed that one completely.  But then again, I used the search function (which was also awesome) to only focus on interior pages, splashes and covers.

But thanks for the info!  Now I’m curious who the artist was for that Baroness commission.

[LastRaven]

This was pretty fun.  I will say that I did fork out for two pieces of Transformers Issue 2 from Chuck.  

I think it was worth it for what I did pay, but I do have an impulse control issue, haha.  Next time, probably won't pull the trigger so fast, but sometimes, you gotta roll with it.  Other than that, I didn't see much as a pure Transformers OA collector. I think some people are winding up for a few big TF pieces coming up in the near future. 

I didn't sell anything because I generally keep my stuff to a one way street.  Maybe I will next time, IDK.  Not a huge fan of selling and would rather trade cash + art for my wants since they're particularly based on subject matter rather than artist.  

[pkveronese]

3 hours ago, NelsonAI said:

Fyi - Burkey bought a large stake in CAF.  I wonder if he previewed the for sale galleries before they went live.

I know Bill did because he asked me to take down 2 photos I had as placeholders while I was trying to figure out functionality.  This was my first time trying to set up.  I was using my phone so did not have access to my art pics from my computer files and was just testing.  I complied but this was on Friday and the photos were nothing outrageous.  One was of Lizzo, the other a bikini model.  I had downloaded the pics from the NY Post onto my phone before loading onto CAF.  Lol.

Again, I complied, so not a big deal.

 

Wait wait wait...Burkey bought part of CAF?