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Just how hot are comics right now?
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115 posts in this topic

2 hours ago, DavidTheDavid said:

My LCS just put out numerous bronze keys, including a Hulk 181. Seller needed the money, and owner expects them all to move, those that haven't already, once stimulus money hits. He seems like a pretty capable business owner, so I expect he'll see what he expects.

I am sure he is.  But, as others have stated there are record prices that are being paid for books that are outside the range of where a stimulus check will cover it.  As quite a few of us have said, we did not get a stimulus check.  (I mean proportionally to the cost of living here in NY several of us probably should have received it but we did not).  So are there people that are getting it and spending it on comics?  I am sure there are.  I watched people celebrate buying GI Joes with their check as a consolation for being out of work.  (Just a stupid move but... whatevs). 

We keep marveling and dropping jaws though as books in that $5000 range.  The guy that is buying that Hulk 181.  If the dealer has a mid to high grade, is that $600 check driving that sale?   The guy who spent north of $32k on the AF15 in 4.0 this week at Comiclink spent what could be considered a high sale for this time period.  Eleven copies in grade sold from 2019 and 2020 between $22,000 to $30,000.  The four books that sold in 2020 were between $20,000-$23,000.  An almost $10,000 jump from 2020 is not being driven by a $600 stimulus check.  If you have $32k to spend on a comic it is very likely that you do not even qualify for one to begin with.  

 

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47 minutes ago, Mercury Man said:

Hiiiigghly doubt $600 is the reason.   Or $1200.   What happened is when the Market dipped in March, there was a tremendous buying opportunity for people who already had money.  Some have seen 30%, 40%. 50% gains from then to now.   If you put money into the SPDR ETF in March, you are now up about 56%.

Point being-  The rich got richer.   This has nothing to do with our peasant tithes. 

Agree.  And it has affected the art world at large, as well, not just comics.  All kinds of sculptures and paintings going for new and outrageous sums.  I also believe there has been an uptick in money laundering which all art and collectibles is great for.  I tried to make this point in another thread and got shouted down by economy doom and gloomers.  Yeah, the economy is in the toilet, tons of people unemployed, etc etc--but this year has actually be fantastic for people with money.  Hell, this decade.  My clients are all richer than ever--by a lot.  And buying sculptures for tens of millions of dollars because, why not?  Stimulus checks might be helping some of the cheaper books, but I do not think they are moving the needle much or at all overall.

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1 hour ago, ADAMANTIUM said:

I have taken some of the boards thoughts to heart or tried. To buy things that no one is at the moment.

If gocollect.com  is to be trusted for fmv, I've picked up a few below it. Like $125's instead of $150's in cost, or $325 instead of $375.

They're probably books that no one really is too into though

Like hero for hire #2

Or ASM 96

Marvel premiere 16....

I take what I can get at this point, but i argue still deals to be had

 

 

After watching that Twitch show last week I have some serious hesitations about the validity of where Go Collect is sourcing their data.  There were "record sales" recorded that were far out of bounds in relation to GPA sales that could easily be identified. 

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57 minutes ago, Poekaymon said:

Agree.  And it has affected the art world at large, as well, not just comics.  All kinds of sculptures and paintings going for new and outrageous sums.  I also believe there has been an uptick in money laundering which all art and collectibles is great for.  I tried to make this point in another thread and got shouted down by economy doom and gloomers.  Yeah, the economy is in the toilet, tons of people unemployed, etc etc--but this year has actually be fantastic for people with money.  Hell, this decade.  My clients are all richer than ever--by a lot.  And buying sculptures for tens of millions of dollars because, why not?  Stimulus checks might be helping some of the cheaper books, but I do not think they are moving the needle much or at all overall.

I've said it before.  There have been quite a few art 'sales' that increased in value because they moved across the room at ComicArtCon.  Here is a perfect example.  Albert Moy has quite a few Romita Jr pages.  He bought them from Metro.  I know he did because I received the email from Metro notifying that they had gotten them in.  Many of the pages that I passed on sold over the next few days and are now featured on Moy's website.   It just so happens that Metro has a few things that I am pretty sure that Moy had at one point that I saw in NJ.

Are these actual 'sales' ?

Certain pages seem to be swapped back and forth from dealer to dealer with an increase in price at every turn, which I feel is artificially fueling the market. 

Edited by Buzzetta
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8 hours ago, Poekaymon said:

Agree.  And it has affected the art world at large, as well, not just comics.  All kinds of sculptures and paintings going for new and outrageous sums.  I also believe there has been an uptick in money laundering which all art and collectibles is great for.  I tried to make this point in another thread and got shouted down by economy doom and gloomers.  Yeah, the economy is in the toilet, tons of people unemployed, etc etc--but this year has actually be fantastic for people with money.  Hell, this decade.  My clients are all richer than ever--by a lot.  And buying sculptures for tens of millions of dollars because, why not?  Stimulus checks might be helping some of the cheaper books, but I do not think they are moving the needle much or at all overall.

I don't know why but I love the idea of someone using a Tec27 to launder money. Irony, I guess. Also good taste.

My sales for the last year and a half have been dramatically above GPA. I'm guessing the recent bump in my FF sales is film related. The rest... (shrug)

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47 minutes ago, MatterEaterLad said:

I don't know why but I love the idea of someone using a Tec27 to launder money. Irony, I guess. Also good taste.

My sales for the last year and a half have been dramatically above GPA. I'm guessing the recent bump in my FF sales is film related. The rest... (shrug)

If it isn't in GPA it isn't a sale because nobody besides the GPA store can sell a comic book.

Just my morning one coffee sarcastic fueled comment.

 

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4 minutes ago, blazingbob said:

If it isn't in GPA it isn't a sale because nobody besides the GPA store can sell a comic book.

Just my morning one coffee sarcastic fueled comment.

 

Curious. How do you price your books? I've bought from you a few times and the prices were always fair. 

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My database goes back to 1990,  GPA pricing,  OSPG, some competitor's in case the first two are light on numbers.

When there is no sales data you have to "figure it out".  And if it is a large number be prepared to explain how you came up with it.

When at a show I can tell when there is light sales data from the GPA button pusher on the phone taking longer then usual.

 

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1 hour ago, blazingbob said:

If it isn't in GPA it isn't a sale because nobody besides the GPA store can sell a comic book.

Just my morning one coffee sarcastic fueled comment.

 

That's just crazy talk! 

Instagram selling and live selling seems to have taken off in the past year. I get on those and see sales of books well past GPA, due to the rush of the auction or whoever is in the room. I also saw a pretty big dealer who is on here and has a flintstone type moniker (I would tag but not sure that is in good taste) sell a X-men 1 for below market in his live sale, while everyone else is selling 20-30% above last sale. And when he posted it, there were about 7 folks responding with the claim. A 6k sale with an army of people trying to buy it. I was one of them, but must have the slowest internet known to man as I was 4th.

At the same time on Instagram Star Wars comics are selling for twice what ebay is selling. I have complained about this since ebay started collecting taxes, with taxes ebay is a tough buy for me now, it increases the actual purchase price 7% in my state, so I would look elsewhere.

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Any platform that provides "free" abilities to sell comics have taken off.  Been on the CGC forum selling threads lately?  As far as your Ebay comment goes ebay is following the law and collecting sales tax like it is supposed to.  Sellers who are in that state and not collecting sales tax are risking an audit and frankly state tax authorities are not the ones you want chasing you.  

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Just now, blazingbob said:

Any platform that provides "free" abilities to sell comics have taken off.  Been on the CGC forum selling threads lately?  As far as your Ebay comment goes ebay is following the law and collecting sales tax like it is supposed to.  Sellers who are in that state and not collecting sales tax are risking an audit and frankly state tax authorities are not the ones you want chasing you.  

What is this CGC selling thread you speak of? JK just sold two GA Tec's this week to avoid the fee's myself.

I get it, but most of the Auction houses I deal with are not in my state or collect taxes, therefore as a buyer I am more apt to purchase from them. As long as all the big dealers do not move to Georgia I guess I can avoid it for a little while.

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11 hours ago, Buzzetta said:

I've said it before.  There have been quite a few art 'sales' that increased in value because they moved across the room at ComicArtCon.  Here is a perfect example.  Albert Moy has quite a few Romita Jr pages.  He bought them from Metro.  I know he did because I received the email from Metro notifying that they had gotten them in.  Many of the pages that I passed on sold over the next few days and are now featured on Moy's website.   It just so happens that Metro has a few things that I am pretty sure that Moy had at one point that I saw in NJ.

Are these actual 'sales' ?

Certain pages seem to be swapped back and forth from dealer to dealer with an increase in price at every turn, which I feel is artificially fueling the market. 

Buzzetta - agree.  Dealer-to-dealer "sales" should not be included in sales data, IMO.  I do not allow "anonymous private seller to anonymous private buyer" sales into the Nostomania database, to the extent I can detect them, which isn't all that difficult.  I'll go a step further - I could (but won't go there) provide documented cases of of some big dealers inflating the sale prices of pedigree sales in Overstreet market reports.  I know this with 100% certainty because on a few occasions I was the one who purchased the book. 

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7 minutes ago, PKJ said:

What is this CGC selling thread you speak of? JK just sold two GA Tec's this week to avoid the fee's myself.

I get it, but most of the Auction houses I deal with are not in my state or collect taxes, therefore as a buyer I am more apt to purchase from them. As long as all the big dealers do not move to Georgia I guess I can avoid it for a little while.

All of the major auction houses are collecting taxes if it is meeting GA's state tax rules and does business in that state.  Ebay will collect sales tax in GA because it does business in that state.  

Edited by blazingbob
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