Some Comic Show/Convention Buying Tips16098
 Masculinity takes a holiday.
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EbayMafia private msg quote post Address this user | |
| A few people have mentioned disappointment that prices at their latest comic show were no lower than they could find everyday on Ebay. Working a show booth this weekend kind of reinforced for me some of the things that I already knew about convention buying. Here's a few tips: 1) Bring cash. Cash is your primary negotiating leverage. I was surprised how many people were hoping to get a deal and pay with credit card, Paypal or Venmo. 2) Go to shows primarily to buy raw, not slabbed. Dealers put a lot of time and money into attending shows, they are not there to sell slabbed books at prices lower than they could get on Ebay. Selling slabs on Ebay is actually often cheaper and easier than selling at shows. Most are there to sell the raw books that need to be inspected personally by buyers. 3) Try to consolidate your purchasing volume with one dealer or a few dealers. Volume gives you leverage. And buying 10 $100 books gives you far more leverage than buying 1 $1,000 book. Dealers enjoy moving large quantities of lower priced books. 4) Keep a broad "want list" and go after more obscure books that interest you, not just the ones that everyone else is looking for. Dealers are not likely to discount the books that everyone is asking for. Their current thinking is that they'd rather have the hot books for the next show than sell them at a discount. Much more likely to discount the books that they've been transporting to shows for the last 2 years. 5) Only ask to look at books that you are seriously considering buying. Dealers typically lose interest in a customer who has passed on the first 3 books that they asked to look at. 6) Be friendly and respectful. Setting up a show makes for a rough morning. If you can break through the "stranger" barrier dealers will open up to catering to you. 7) Look for booths run by guys who are not regular show dealers. Guys who only set up once a year or there for the first time are often likely to want to get the most sales they can out of their one opportunity to sell directly. Not always the case, but I think it's pretty common. Any good negotiations involve 3 things; Terms, Conditions and Price. If you want the best price, bend over backwards to give the dealer the optimal terms and conditions...including cash, quantity and being someone they enjoyed doing business with. Anyone else have some tips, feel free to add them. |
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 Collector
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SidTheSquid private msg quote post Address this user | |
| All solid tips. I do get a bit irritated when dealers have stuff priced at or above ebay. I'm there to spend cash, saving them 13%... let's split the difference and it's a win/win. That's how I try to price my stuff when I sell at a show. | ||
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Masculinity takes a holiday.
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EbayMafia private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @SidTheSquid I think for slabs in particular they are more likely to sell below Ebay prices at the end of a show than at the beginning of a show. So timing might play into it as well. Because, especially for the hotter items, they assume there will be people at the show who are willing to pay a premium to have it today, save the sales tax and not worry about shipping. Also I think that buying a few raw books along with the slab could help the negotiation process. Dealers are finding it harder and harder to replace the hot items, they want to get top dollar for them or use them as leverage in a bigger sale. | ||
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 Maybe they just like me better. Nah, that's not it.
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BPaxson002 private msg quote post Address this user | |
| While it has been a good deal of time since I have been to a show as a buyer or seller, my main tips are: Visit all the tables. As a walk in, don't buy at the first table. Make several rounds, picking out the books you are interested in. I don't even talk to the dealer in the first round. As been mentioned above, take cash. In my day, Sunday was the best day for haggling. Dealers don't want to pack things up and cart it off. |
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 I'm waiting.... (tapping fingers).Splotches is gettin old! |
Nuffsaid111 private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by EbayMafia This is the one biggie for me. Unfortunately, neither NYCC nor Baltimore had many (if any?) of these type of sellers. Baltimore has, in the past, had "one time" show dealers there but not this year. NYCC - generally never. This, for me, is why I rarely purchase books at large conventions. I save comic purchases for smaller local conventions where deals can be had. Not to pick on large dealers, but how good of a deal does one really expect from the big boys that set up shop at large cons, cross-country, time after time after time. I pass them by as if they dont even exist. |
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 I've spent years perfecting my brand of assholery.
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DrWatson private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by BPaxson002 This is only true if you are dealing with a local dealer. Someone who only sets up at one or two shows a year with little to no web presence. If the dealer does several shows, then the books that are stale to you on Sunday will be new at the next show the following weekend to a different set of eyes. |
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QuaBrot private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I would add a point or three about pricing: I price based on a few things - eBay SOLD prices, GPA, and if it's a particularly rare or odd book I'll look at Heritage and sometimes the CGC boards. When I look at eBay sold prices, I also take into consideration the shipping cost - what the buyer paid for that $10 book wasn't $10 - it was $17.99. And that isn't even taking into consideration sales tax. So if you see a book all over eBay for $10 and find it at the shows for $15, realize that you are not only getting a better price but you KNOW WHAT YOU ARE GETTING. eBay can be a crapshoot, even reputable dealers don't get what you are looking for in grade (for example, I don't like tape. I may look at a 4.0 book and say I would buy it, but if it's a 5.0 with tape I wouldn't. You may not mind rough spines but hate creasing on the cover, or interior issues. You won't know every issue with the book until you get it in the mail. At a show, you see what you are getting). And sometimes I do price above GPA for slabbed books. If it's a hot book especially. But GPA is not the definition of what a book is worth. It's merely a report of what others have paid for it, and not even a complete report (some sites don't give their sales data to GPA, and show sales don't get reported to GPA). If it's a hot book and I think I can get a good price, I'll ask it. I am always willing to listen to decent offers and work out deals, which means I can always lower my price in negotiations - I can't raise my price in the middle of negotiations. And yes, stock is getting harder (read: more expensive) to get. Rare is the purchase of a collection of Keys for Wholesale prices. Sellers know what they have, can look up almost all the same sales data dealers can, and sometimes just decide to sell the keys on their own, bypassing dealers. So when dealers get good items, they don't have a lot of room to negotiate (if they bought a key for $1,000, asking $1,200 and you offer them $1,050, that's a non-starter), they don't have the need to blow the book out the door, and as prices are moving upwards why would they jump at a low price when waiting a month or so will bring them a better return? Of course, prices could start falling, so smart dealers will deal, long term dealers will wait, and other dealers will lower their prices too slowly. Finally, dealers spend a lot of time getting all those comics together for you to browse through at the show. Prices are not just for the book, they represent the time and energy it took to find the deals, process the books (organize, grade, bag & board, price, and lug them to the show). I personally enjoy it, but I also like making a few bucks (that I can then spend on more junk, er, I mean comics). |
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 I showed my wife and she was so happy for me she started to cry.
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Batman66 private msg quote post Address this user | |
| When I do my rounds, I take pictures of the books I'm interested in where I can remember what booth the book is located. Cons are a great place to upgrade keys. I bring books that I wouldn't mind upgrading, being able to give the lower grade book and paying the difference in cash. On bigger books, it's a win/win. It's quicker to move a book for a few thousand than say 10k | ||
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 Captain Corrector
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CaptainCanuck private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by EbayMafia Also, new vendor’s stock usually gets pillaged by veteran vendors before the show even opens up to the public. |
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Masculinity takes a holiday.
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EbayMafia private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by CaptainCanuck Truer words were never spoken. |
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Masculinity takes a holiday.
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EbayMafia private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Nuffsaid111 I've come to realize that the big dealers are mostly there to offer selection, not so much deals. Guys like us who are hybrid buyer/seller only represent a part of the market. There is another part of the market that will pay a premium if you have what they want when they want it. |
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Towmater private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @QuaBrot I'd point out that many who attend conventions bear the costs of hotels, gas, food, lodging, costs of tickets, etc. So, they are not getting a better price vs. paying for shipping on eBay. One would have to pay a lot in shipping to equal those costs. Also, if the book comes in and isn't as described or shown then it goes back for free (seller pays the freight). A refund is automatic once it gets delivered. The way this thread reads, it is more beneficial for a buyer to buy off eBay using a credit card. They get all the protections associated with a credit card sale, get mileage or whatever their credit card provide them, and get the float of up to 30 days until it needs to be paid off. |
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Masculinity takes a holiday.
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EbayMafia private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Towmater That's all sunk cost once they are at the show. Sunk costs shouldn't factor into the next decision. You could argue that vendor costs are also sunk costs but the difference is they don't know if the next person to come to their booth will be willing to pay the higher price. An attendee can go around the show and figure out where the best price is on a slabbed X-men 94 6.0. A dealer can't walk around the show and figure out the highest price an attendee is willing to pay. If they sell too cheap, they won't have it for the next customer that comes by their booth. |
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Collector
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QuaBrot private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @Towmater for the bigger cons, maybe. But the local cons I go to no one is getting a room, the price of driving there is negligible, and food for the day is probably no more than they'd spend on a regular weekend. | ||
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I'm waiting.... (tapping fingers). Splotches is gettin old! |
Nuffsaid111 private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @QuaBrot Spot on! | ||
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Masculinity takes a holiday.
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EbayMafia private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Towmater I think if someone is just buying slabbed books that is probably true often enough. But if someone is just going to conventions purely in hopes of buying slabbed books cheaper than Ebay, then they probably shouldn't go to conventions. |
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kidhuman private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by EbayMafia I cannot tell you how many people will not charge tax on cash purchases. If they need to use the other methods, they have to cover fees, taxes, etc. Cash is king for sure. Quote: Originally Posted by EbayMafia Yup, my latest example(not a big one) but I bought like 5 books totaled $48 bucks from a vendor at a flea market, said give $40 cash and we are good. So yes, Cash helped and so did buying a few things. One last thing I do at all shows, big or small is make a loop and look at many different prices. Never buy from the first guy as the next one could save a few bucks. Always make that loop and remember where you saw which books you wanted. It will help consolidate and get to point #3. |
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CatCovers private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Cash and consolidation of purchases are primary points. I think timing is underrated in the discussion so far. I've gotten some fantastic deals offering cash in hand as they were turning out the lights on the last day of a show. |
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Towmater private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by EbayMafia If the costs associated with attending the convention outweigh the shipping costs on eBay then it should factor into the buyer's choice of where to purchase. The costs associated with a purchase are one of the reasons why I stopped bidding at HA.com. I could find similar items are Comic Link that were much cheaper when I factored in the buyer's premium HA.com charged. As this thread has shown and you agreed with... Quote: Originally Posted by EbayMafia Dealers walk around before the show starts. While I have seen vendors' booths that were just one person operations, most have 2 or more people working in them. Vendors walk the show looking around at books and what prices others are selling them for. While conventions may provide deals. The best way to get "deals" is to build a relationship over time with a local shop. You'll get a call when new collections come in before others, you'll get first crack at books on your want list, and you'll get to hold and look at the books before you buy them. Oh, and you'll get your normal discount. The true win-win is when you get all of the above and don't have to walk around with the hordes of convention goers that smell like they never bath, sometimes brush you as they waddle by, or try and push their way in to look at the 1.00 long box next to where you are standing forcing one to flee due to the nasty aroma that waffs off them. |
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Captain Corrector
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CaptainCanuck private msg quote post Address this user | |
| . Quote: Originally Posted by kidhumanHere’s a tip that applies to most cash transactions, not just comics. If anyone tries to levy a fee in addition to the purchase price, ask for a receipt. Otherwise, they may just be pocketing it. |
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Masculinity takes a holiday.
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EbayMafia private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Towmater Again, the thing with a sunk cost is that it's sunk. You've spent it whether you buy something at the convention or not. So it won't factor into a rational persons decisions on buying things once they are at the show. In fact if anything it would nudge them towards making purchases. Worst thing would be to spend all that money and go home with nothing. |
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Collector*
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Towmater private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by EbayMafia I think you misunderstood my post(s). My original post was in reference to just buying off eBay. My second response was comparing costs. Same at the section you pulled out. If one weighs the cost associated with attending a convention, and you know that the books are going to cost about the same as buying them on eBay then the choice is obvious. Buy the comics from home, use a credit card, and collect the points. As an added bonus one gets to avoid the smells too. |
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Danno private msg quote post Address this user | |
| All good tips and what I experienced attending a local con in September, my first con in more than 20 years. Quote: Originally Posted by EbayMafia I bought all but one book from the same dealer. He had a huge selection with a lot of variety, plus a group of boxes set aside that had nothing but hot keys. As he saw me going through a number of boxes and pulling comics, he offered extra discounts on top of the already 40-50% off. Between the good selection and appreciating the extra discounts, I was more than willing to spend a lot at this booth. Quote: Originally Posted by EbayMafia I went in with a huge list but I left myself open for buying something I wasn't expecting to buy. With the aforementioned dealer, I pulled out a big key that wasn't on my list and that I had no intention of buying. But then the dealer said he had three copies of the issue and would give me an additional discount if I bought one. I put it back and went through the rest of his boxes. Then I went back and pulled out all three copies of the key, and bought one that looked to be around a 9.8. Quote: Originally Posted by EbayMafia The dealer with whom I gave a lot business traveled a long distance to this con, which runs regularly throughout the year and which he likes supporting. I got to know him on a first-name basis. That buyer-seller relationship that we formed will be beneficial to each us the next time we're both at the con. |
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cesidio private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I've sold at locals belive me when I say offer no more than 85% of FMV | ||
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 I live in RI and Rhode Islanders eat chili with beans.
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esaravo private msg quote post Address this user | |
Today at Rhode Island Comic Con. |
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 I don't believe this....and I know you don't care that I don't believe this.
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GAC private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Is that Steve Paulus? | ||
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 Collector
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50AE_DE private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Tips? Start from the back and work your way to the front since most attendees will start hitting booths as soon as they walk in. Hit up the "little guys" first and wind your way back to the big dealers. | ||
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 I'm a #2.
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BigRedOne1944 private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Towmater I have absolutely no desire to attend any comic book conventions for all of the additional time and cost involved. Its just so much cheaper,safe and convenient to buy online for all of the reasons @Towmater has noted. |
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Darkseid_of_town private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I do not go to cons looking for comics, for the dealers that is like shooting ducks in a fone booth. I go to get signatures, visit cosplayers and find figures, statues, cards and the like. I can get books anytime, much simpler, and cheaper from home. At least the books I collect...I can relate for those buying ultra rare golden age, one of a kind type stuff and super high grade silver books but that is all outside my pay level |
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 Beaten by boat oars
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Studley_Dudley private msg quote post Address this user | |
| The dealers I see at the shows are priced to the moon. Good on them but I won't pay their Rozanski-esque prices. My stores are better than the bigger shows in the area. There is a store that puts on smaller shows at Wright State University quarterly and I've heard those are good for collectors. I'll report back in December when it occurs. | ||
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