what am I missing with these prices? (Mile High Comics)15633
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ERB_in_CLT private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I got an email that Mile High was having a sale, so thought I would look through their Star Wars back issues to pick off some from my wish list. Is it just me or are their prices - even before a 60% discount - CRAZY HIGH? I got this book NM recently for about $5, definitely less than $10... their price? $160 ?!?! What am I missing? Or is it good old fashioned gouging? https://www.milehighcomics.com/cgi-bin/backissue.cgi?action=enlarge&issue=80641378418%201%20MOVIE%20CVR  |
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 Collector
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dfoster43 private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by ERB_in_CLT Sounds like there's a reason they're called 'mile high' |
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 Collector
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Briten private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Mile high has been around for a long time. They are well known and as a result their prices tend to be higher. | ||
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 Suck it up, buttercup!!
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KatKomics private msg quote post Address this user | |
| On the plus side there is almost always a 40% to 60% discount code. There are actually on occasion some deals to be had! |
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Collector
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dfoster43 private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Briten You said it. I remember my three main mail order places in the early 80's were Bud Plant, Lone Star (which later became MCS) and Mile High. Mile High always had higher prices but great selection of Golden Age and they were fast. |
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 Collector*
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Towmater private msg quote post Address this user | |
Oh, a Mile High thread... |
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 Beaten by boat oars
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Studley_Dudley private msg quote post Address this user | |
| My understanding is that over the years, Chuck has been quoted (I think, and I would need to find the source) as saying his prices are reflective of where he thinks a comic will be valued years down the road. MHC's prices weren't totally outlandish until a couple years ago. Before that, the prices were fine with his "code word" sales. I even remember doing mail order back in the 90s with them and was fine with it. Now, I shake my head and have a silent chuckle looking at the prices. | ||
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 If I could, I would. I swear.
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DrWatson private msg quote post Address this user | |
| What are you missing? My guess is by not buying you are missing a good screwing. | ||
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 It was a one trick pony show but always hilarious.
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GAC private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by dfoster43 Bud Plant? Are you sure its comics he was selling? lol!! |
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 You do know that the new guy brings the donuts, right?
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DWeeB1967 private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I've personally had two encounters with MHC back in the 1990s in which I felt that the raw back issues that I bought from them were SUBSTANTIALLY overgraded (bought NM, received FN at best). Chuck's response was that grading was subjective and that everyone grades differently. I haven't bought from them since and I never visit their website. |
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 Collector
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Scorpion private msg quote post Address this user | |
| its like this you have 2 T-shirt, both made out of 100% cotton, both are the same. then you put a label on it. 1 with a Fruit of the Loom label on it, 3 pack $17 1 with a Gucci label on it $480. lol for a t shirt  ebay other places you can get it cheep mile high comics, over priced. |
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 Collector
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Happyfacecomics private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Read the description, it’s for the full run 1-60 I believe . Not just number 1 . | ||
| Post 12 • IP flag post | ||
 would be nice to have a snugger fit.
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Sigur_Ros private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Happyfacecomics When I look, it's the single issue. Just another case of Mile High being a mile high. |
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Collector
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ERB_in_CLT private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Happyfacecomics the site is certainly old school, so I may have misread, but I don't think so (based on orders I placed a few years back) |
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 PLOD
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theCapraAegagrus private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by ERB_in_CLT By not buying from Mile High, you're missing out on paying extra money. |
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 Thank you sir. May I have another?
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Siggy private msg quote post Address this user | |
| My only purchase from them was by an ad in a Marvel comic back in the mid/late 80's. It advertised an X-Men #50 at NM for $35. Twenty something years later I sent it to CGC and it came back 9.6 100% success rate with them, so considering their prices now I'll just quit there and stay happy about it. |
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 Collector
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NDS private msg quote post Address this user | |
| You're not crazy. I've asked Chuck about his prices and he basically has his own way of valuing books based on his historical knowledge and his current assessment of where he thinks the market is at or will be in the near term, whether it is a standard book (golden, silver, bronze, modern) or TPB. I think this comes from his success at establishing newsstand edition values. Currently he doesn't offer any discounts on TPB's. He decided at some point last year, I think, that there will be a crunch in the TPB market in the near future so the base price for any trade is cover price plus ~20%-30% added to that price. Which is ridiculous because its so hard to get clean copies of trades in the +VF to +NM range and those prices pull up a VG to F price to the point where it makes zero sense to buy. Bottom line is Chuck has been around forever, he owns a gi-normous warehouse and he's a hoarder. So when you've been around for so long, have more books than any normal human should own, you can dictate price. His staff aren't professional graders, so I never order from them online because they aren't good at grading (They're very nice people though!). Now it is a very cool place to go and find gems, because he is constantly buying collections from across the country which means lots of inventory. For example, I pulled some early Perez FF and JLA books from there. They were graded at VF and were half the price of the same NM graded books. I obviously new that they weren't graded properly. I sent several of those books into the CGC Perez signing a couple years ago (?) and they all came back 9.8. So you can find good deals and they do have the inventory to fill collections, but its best to be there in person to find the deals. Maybe you can get lucky with online orders, but you're better off on ebay in my opinion. |
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 Collector
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CatCovers private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I've bought from Mile High a few times, always when I was just trying to fill a run with some random and unremarkable issues. For that (provided you wait for a 60% or more off sale) it's arguably worth it for the one-stop-shoppiness of it. If I'm in the market for a key issue of some kind, I don't even consider looking there. | ||
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 Collector
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andy49 private msg quote post Address this user | |
| overgraded & overpriced | ||
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 Collector
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Eikkichi private msg quote post Address this user | |
| 99% of the comics Ive ordered from them have been badly damaged and no where NM. They're very over priced. |
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 " . "
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Davethebrave private msg quote post Address this user | |
| They are still selling comics even in current market with current prices. Says something about the market for comics. |
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Beaten by boat oars
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Studley_Dudley private msg quote post Address this user | |
| My thoughts on MHC's successes are due in part to the selection. They can get away with charging what they want because of it. MHC isn't there for the single issue collector. It's there for the run collectors who want that one-stop shopping experience of some random titles. Before they went insane in the last couple of years with the pricing, I put together extensive runs of Alpha Flight, Excalibur, Byrne's FF run, Punisher (Ennis MAX series), X-Force, several 1980s Marvel mini series, and some more through them. The code word sales made the prices reasonable in the $2-$6 range. I ordered everything NM and I would say the success rate was over 97% of items arriving in the NM range. Some of their grading misses were really bad. In the current market, I would not buy from them. | ||
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 Collector
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Triplecdad private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Watched a youtube video by a guy (treasure collector?)whose name I cannot recall. 40 minutes of walking around inside MH warehouse. Hard to describe why but i found it very depressing to watch. Maybe I am just jealous but it just got weirder and weirder looking at all the beat up boxes of books … 100s of thousands. It just made me think of the owner as a hoarder on steroids. Maybe some of you know him and i am wrong. | ||
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 Collector
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Drogio private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by KatKomics Quote: Originally Posted by Eikkichi I will say I’ve been fortunate with most of my orders from mile high. You just got to know when to strike, before books jump in price and even know you are taking a risk as who knows when they graded their books and whether they remain in the condition advertised. They come without boards, so you know they’re being graded (ha), then a label slapped on them, entered into their system and shoved into a long box with other non-boarded comics…they don’t validate a book is still in advertised grade when sold and pulled from that box. Here’s an example I lucked out with.  I knew Kanan 6 was going up, so jumped on two “NM” copies over priced at $60ea, but 50% off I got them just below FMV at the time. Threw in another hot Star Wars book to get free shipping. Sold that for good money. Wish I bought more of those. Arrived very nice shape. NM for sure. Had them pressed and graded.   I think I made out on that purchase. Not to say this will happen to you, but being savvy and knowing when to take a chance is sometimes key. I’ve done well with that philosophy at Mile High. |
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If I could, I would. I swear.
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DrWatson private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Sure, it's hard for a modern book not to be NM especially if it's left over stock from a new delivery. | ||
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Collector
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Drogio private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by DrWatson Ironically not having boards with their marvel books means they’re less likely to have the dreaded “marvel rub” along the r back spine and corners. Many new release books I order from online shops arrive with boards and a fair amount of ink has transferred to the backing board of marvel books…pretty much dropping them below NM less than a week old. Which has sent me back to my LCS to get my new releases except for ratio variants that my local smaller shops don’t qualify for. |
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Beaten by boat oars
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Studley_Dudley private msg quote post Address this user | |
Listed as a NM by MHC and came back an honest NM. It was FMV with a Chuck code word. |
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