What if there was no Ebay.....?

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speedracex
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What if there was no Ebay.....?

Post by speedracex »

I was thinking, what if there was no eBay, or any auction site for that matter, I wonder what books we would of never had the opportunity to obtain?....I mean all of our LCS only have so many back issues available, I mean I know as a kid I went to my LCS, if they didn’t have it, there was really no where I could get it. I mean I guess there would still be online retailers like Mile high and all, but till the internet came around, I feel there were allot less resources.

thoughts?

I wonder what the supply/demand for Valiants, and any comic would be like

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Post by jedimarley »

If there was no ebay......I'D BE RICH!!

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Post by DawgPhan »

mile high would have all of the comics..

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Post by wrunow »

If there was no ebay, I probably wouldn't have a Unity Red or too many other special books, I also doubt we would all have multiples of rare books like Harby 1 and 0 pink.
I am selling "nothing" on ebay-yet.

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Post by GGSAE »

There would still be the big cons, so the rare items like unity reds would still be known, but probably only for sale at astronomical prices.

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Re: What if there was no Ebay.....?

Post by magnusr »

speedracex wrote:till the internet came around, I feel there were allot less resources.
It used to be obvious that Valiant suffered from the buyers and sellers not finding eachother in the old days. Comics that could be sold to the right buyer were just lying around, probably not even advertised in printed catalogs. Something had to show up, question is just what. Internet auctions existed long before eBay (before the web actually) in newsgroups, and worked well. Still, it was a big work to go through all auctions to find the gems. eBay provided one place to search. Had not eBay existed, surely lots more searchable on-line catalogs would have existed (I've found several comics and other Valiant collectibles on such sites). Had not any kind of internet came along, then it would have been tough. Then items having a small group of possible buyers (like Valiant comics), would probably not have been listed in a way that would have allowed us to find the hidden gems. Then we would have been limited to random comic shop finds.

/Magnus

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Post by Technique »

jedimarley wrote:If there was no ebay......I'D BE RICH!!
I second that :thumb:

It's hard for me to imagine how much more money (and space) I would have if there was not an internet auction service.

I'd bet my total ebay bill over the last 8.5 years tops $50,000 easy.

Don't tell my wife :?

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Post by Daniel Jackson »

Hmm.. no ebayhuh?

I would have spent gobs more time, gas money and a lot of shoe leather getting the incentive and gold books. I probably would not have a CEAR either, cause I've never been able to find one in any LCS I've went to so far.

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Post by inmyblood »

if there was no ebay i would have a bigger bank account.

i love and hate that company. :littlesmile: :!:

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Post by ZephyrWasHOT!! »

Daniel Jackson wrote:Hmm.. no ebayhuh?

I would have spent gobs more time, gas money and a lot of shoe leather getting the incentive and gold books. I probably would not have a CEAR either, cause I've never been able to find one in any LCS I've went to so far.
I wouldn't have my CEAR eithe....hey, WAIT A MINUTE! ;)

Can't believe it took me until Oct 30, 1998 to find eBay.

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Post by ZephyrWasHOT!! »

Technique wrote:
jedimarley wrote:If there was no ebay......I'D BE RICH!!
I second that :thumb:

It's hard for me to imagine how much more money (and space) I would have if there was not an internet auction service.

I'd bet my total ebay bill over the last 8.5 years tops $50,000 easy.

Don't tell my wife :?
I've spent, according to Paypal, $60,000 on comics in the last 4 years.

It's my addiction.

Thank GOD there's a return possible.

And that's just Paypal.

That doesn't include all the $$$ I've spent through other methods.

Yowza.

But hey....it could have been crack, fast cars, gambling, or cheap women I could have been addicted to.

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Re: What if there was no Ebay.....?

Post by The Spider »

If there was no eBay, I think a lot more people would still believe that comics are supposed to fetch prices similar to the price guide's.

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Re: What if there was no Ebay.....?

Post by magnusr »

The Spider wrote:If there was no eBay, I think a lot more people would still believe that comics are supposed to fetch prices similar to the price guide's.
Very good point!

/Magnus

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Post by jedimarley »

ZephyrWasHOT!! wrote:
Technique wrote:
jedimarley wrote:If there was no ebay......I'D BE RICH!!
I second that :thumb:

It's hard for me to imagine how much more money (and space) I would have if there was not an internet auction service.

I'd bet my total ebay bill over the last 8.5 years tops $50,000 easy.

Don't tell my wife :?
I've spent, according to Paypal, $60,000 on comics in the last 4 years.

It's my addiction.

Thank GOD there's a return possible.

And that's just Paypal.

That doesn't include all the $$$ I've spent through other methods.

Yowza.

But hey....it could have been crack, fast cars, gambling, or cheap women I could have been addicted to.
Yowza is right!

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Post by Valiant OCD »

Technique wrote:
jedimarley wrote:If there was no ebay......I'D BE RICH!!
I second that :thumb:

It's hard for me to imagine how much more money (and space) I would have if there was not an internet auction service.

I'd bet my total ebay bill over the last 8.5 years tops $50,000 easy.

Don't tell my wife :?
:o Is that all on comic books!!!!? :o I thought I was bad, at around 3,000.00 a year or so,....
When I was five, I dragged my dad into "Mike's Comic Hut"... If only I'd known..

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Re: What if there was no Ebay.....?

Post by billandedsdeals »

magnusr wrote:
The Spider wrote:If there was no eBay, I think a lot more people would still believe that comics are supposed to fetch prices similar to the price guide's.
Very good point!

/Magnus
I agree wholeheartedly...I always knew Overstreet and Wizard were just "guides", but I never realized how much it could vary...when I was younger I thought I could get the 10 dollars that my Darkhawk # 1 was listed in Wizard for...it amazed me when I first found ebay the actual prices people were willing to pay for high grade cgc, multiple of guide, and some other books went for a fraction of their overstreet prices...Ebay seems like the great equalizer...remember...it is the comic shops that are telling overstreet what the books that THEY OWN are worth... :!: ...and now with ebay we can set the prices of books :thumb:

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Re: What if there was no Ebay.....?

Post by Valiant OCD »

The Spider wrote:If there was no eBay, I think a lot more people would still believe that comics are supposed to fetch prices similar to the price guide's.
I agree completely. So the question is begged... Why do they keep putting out the guide? It seems to have very little bearing on reality.
When I was five, I dragged my dad into "Mike's Comic Hut"... If only I'd known..

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Post by tarheelmarine »

The guide is for the speculators that continue to think that comics will make them rich. A comic may be worth lots in the guide, but if no one is willing to pay that amount for the book then it's useless to the seller (unless it's worth something to him).

Ebay is great because it allows people to actually pay what they think a comic is worth.

Too many people forget this is a hobby. Hobbies generally don't make you rich--because hobbies are for enjoyment.

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Post by YourPlace2 »

tarheelmarine wrote: Too many people forget this is a hobby. Hobbies generally don't make you rich--because hobbies are for enjoyment.
Now ya tell me! :!: I'm throwing my 30 long boxes in the dumpster now. :lol:
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Post by Daniel Jackson »

YourPlace2 wrote:
tarheelmarine wrote: Too many people forget this is a hobby. Hobbies generally don't make you rich--because hobbies are for enjoyment.
Now ya tell me! :!: I'm throwing my 30 long boxes in the dumpster now. :lol:
Just tell me where you live and you can dump them in the back of my pickup.

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Post by mrwoogieman »

I like to have people turn the guide upside down and shake it and then collect the money that falls out. It seems the guide doesn't pay those prices either, hmmm.

Then I suggest that they call the publisher of the guide and ask where they can redeem their comics for the prices listed in the guide.

:wink:
:hm:

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Post by oldjello »

I have made quite a bit of $$ in the years of selling on e-bay. For about a year I sold old SSI video games and made a mint, as well as vintage video eqipment to TSR Dragon Dice. If some one wants it, I sell it at a reasonable amount, always starting the auctions at a penny (with a few, rare exceptions). It helped me pay partially for college.

Over 500 positives, and 1 negative later... I'll keep doing it-- I just wish other Ebayers were somewhat intelligent.
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Post by whetteon »

If eBay wasn't around I definately wouldn't have the collection I do today. I'd still be swapped with 90's Image books and mabye an early Amazing Spider-Man or two if I was lucky. :p
The Site for Tracking Collectible Comic Trends on Ebay
http://www.lyriacomicexchange.com/

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Post by YourPlace2 »

oldjello wrote:I have made quite a bit of $$ in the years of selling on e-bay. For about a year I sold old SSI video games and made a mint, as well as vintage video eqipment to TSR Dragon Dice. If some one wants it, I sell it at a reasonable amount, always starting the auctions at a penny (with a few, rare exceptions). It helped me pay partially for college.

Over 500 positives, and 1 negative later... I'll keep doing it-- I just wish other Ebayers were somewhat intelligent.
How are you making money starting at a penny? I tried that and took a huge milking giving stuff away for less than I got after listing fees, PayPal fees, etc. What are you doing right? :?

Ofcourse, if the books I'm listing are junk, that's one thing, but they aren't really junk. I have learned that Ebay has grown into a very competive source for low cost comics. I think the only ones making money are the huge volume sellers, who buy up really huge lots and then can give them away at what ever price they get. For example, if I spend a couple grand on a lot of 10,000 comics, my cost each is .20 ea before shipping. Now add a minimum .03 to list (Ebay Store listing fee), that's .23 cents already on the book invested. Add Ebay's seller commision, boarding and baging, and PayPal fee's if used, the cost can go up to .99 cents or more before you collect a penny in sales. Profit margin grows if shipping/orders are combined, you pay less to PayPal then. But reality is, this is still a losing proposition or long term deal before profits accumulate for your expenses invested. There are some big buyers out there (Lange's Comics, Mile High Comics to name a couple) who buy 50k+ book collections then sell them indiviually on Ebay and their own websites.

Anyone like to add to this?
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Post by oldjello »

I have taken a hit a couple of times, which I think everyone had. It was when I was beginning to sell and I mucked up when it came to charging what to ship. I sold some out of print widescreen versions of movies on VHS, but grossly underestimated the cost to ship. I essentially gave them away and paid an extra couple of bucks.
I have researched Ebay through the years and started to slow my sales because of a decreasing demand in the goods I was selling. I usually bought items in lots to split them up for individual sales. I never touched the comic market to sell, because the market is dead for titles newer than 2 years old... which 99% of my collection is.
The only time I will auction my books will be when all is lost and I need money for bills, but I will post a list on this board before I go to Ebay, where snipers wait at the last minute to rob real collectors.

My friend, who attends Purdue (going after a PhD.) had paid for over 50% of his tuition using Ebay. We both have analyzed the collectable markets and found that silver age and older are now the way to sell (if you have the money to initially invest).

When I was selling my SSI games, I knew they would fetch a pretty penny, so that's why I started them out low. I just clicked on the link for "completed auctions" and did the researched-- averaging the sales.

Also... pictures are the life and death of auctions. If you're buying, and smart, inquire with a sellar who has no pictures in an auction and discuss conditions, etc. I know with comics, this can be a risky deal, but other goods-- such as out of print music, can prove to be an investment.

If you sell, make sure your pictures are not bad, or poorly reflect the item you are selling. Plus, I try to answer all questions, even if they are stupid (and I get some doozies).

-P
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