What comics DIDN'T you buy today?

[Lew Stringer]

I notice no one is paying attention to Phoenix's question of why Hen Broon isn't having a go at Geoff42 as well.
Gosh, what have I just written? There really is a 1st. time for everything.

As Hen Broon's comment didn't include a quote I presumed it was directed at both of them.

[abacus]

My trips to the charity shops have not yielded much of late.Today one shop had six annuals in the front of the window which you would be unable to look through without asking for the assistant to get them for you.The pick of them were a tiger annual 1966 a girl annual and an Eamonn Andrews annual and this was the one that interested me the most although I doubt it contained any picture stories.These were priced around £2.50 each but I decided not to bother making any inquiries.At another shop I found a Bionic man annual and a Knight rider annual these you could have with two other books for a pound.Not keen on the artwork so again didn't bother.The last shop I went to had pile of annuals on a table these consisted of roy of the rovers annuals recent Beano annuals plus two sonic annuals at 99p each .I picked out a Beezer 1987 annual and was going to purchase it when I noticed one of the stories had printng errors with shadowy images from other pages imposed ,therefore left it.This is how it goes sometimes ,well there's always another day

[geoff42]

My philosophy is this: a certain bidder bids one price and then, when no further bids have been bid, he or she decides to make a further bid on his own bid, when all is said and done; that just invites exploitation and mischief. I'm afraid that certain bidder is either dumb or naïve, and deserves exploitation. No mercy from me, i'm afraid. I will seek to exploit the second highest bid if offered. More stupid them, I say.

[geoff42]

ha, Phoenix, you won the Spellbounder with free gift: congratulations, you doubled my amount. Obviously, I didn't buy it

[geoff42]

we all know when the best time is to make a bid and it ain't with 7 days to go and then to make a second bid after a day or two after the auction has started... they'll learn, eventually... don't blame us mercenaries!

[Lew Stringer]

My philosophy is this: a certain bidder bids one price and then, when no further bids have been bid, he or she decides to make a further bid on his own bid, when all is said and done; that just invites exploitation and mischief. I'm afraid that certain bidder is either dumb or naïve, and deserves exploitation. No mercy from me, i'm afraid. I will seek to exploit the second highest bid if offered. More stupid them, I say.

I've placed two bids myself on a couple of occasions a day or two after my first bid. It's nothing to do with being "dumb" or "stupid" thanks Geoff. It's simply because on those occasions I've realized I wouldn't be online when the auction ended so I chose to up my bid early. Perhaps some of those you deride had similar reasons.

If I lose out, it was on the understanding that others were playing fair. It hadn't occurred to me that people like you might be overbidding out of spite just to make others pay more.

I wouldn't be too cocky about your "mischief" against your fellow collectors by the way. It's not coming across as very big or clever.

[geoff42]

Believe me, Lew, i'm not the only predator. If you're in a position where you might have to make a simultaneous bid... don't do it! You will get either maxed or shafted. Don't leave yourself open.

[geoff42]

If someone wants an item badly, they will not see fair play. I know this, and there are people out there with no mercy and a big wallet. From my experience, never make two simultaneous bids. I know the situation very well where I can't be here when the last minute arrives for a particular bid. That's when you're compromised - but don't make it easy for the predator by bidding simultaneously.

[geoff42]

I reiterate; I will exploit the second highest bid if necessary. If it's there to exploit, I will do it and feel no guilt about doing do so. And it ain't nothing to do with shilling. It's all to do with EXPERIENCE... believe me

[abacus]

To me as a none user of Ebay collecting is a fun hobby.I know that 99% of the comics and annuals that i have collected I would be easily able to sell at a slight profit.Paying high prices for comics that are then stored in boxes I can see is an OK ego prestige thing but some of the prices paid I can see that those people may have to take a loss when it comes to re-selling.

When buying I always have in mind whether I would be able to sell the item easily at a slightly higher price even though selling is not my intention at present.

[Hen Broon]

Predator Ha Ha Ha yes you are a real tough guy.
Does it make you feel like the big man when you bid up normal hardworking comic collectors just because they are not as smart as you Ha Ha Ha sorry con't stop laughing at you Mr Experience with only a few hundred feedback ask for more pocket money you might win a few more.
And now with your childish boasting all comic collectors know what you are up to and are not happy
Grow up

[AndyB]

The problem it creates for comic shops is that they're sitting buying and selling at a fair price, and people come in and wonder why they can't get more than £2 for a comic in good condition that someone sold on eBay yesterday for £50.

The artificial nature of the auction doesn't help anyone.

[Phoenix]

The artificial nature of the auction doesn't help anyone.

What is artificial about an eBay auction, Andy? Everybody surely knows what an auction is. Over the years I've been to a good few in auction rooms in various parts of the country. They are essentially identical. The auctioneer invites a bid for an item. Somebody accepts that figure and bids it. If there are no other bidders the first bidder wins the item, presumably getting a bargain. If there are other bidders they bid against each other until all bar one drop out. If there are no bidders at all the item doesn't sell, and is withdrawn. How does that system differ from eBay's?

[AndyB]

The process may be normal, but the resulting value is artificial, and in the case of comics, no guide to the true value.

[Phoenix]

the resulting value is artificial, and in the case of comics, no guide to the true value.

I would argue that there is no such thing as true value. When a dealer in anything second-hand, comics, books, light fittings, pottery, old football programmes, filing cabinets, or whatever, puts a price on the various items in his stock, he is essentially saying that that price is what he would like to get for any particular item. It is nevertheless an invitation to Joe Public to negotiate. The resulting agreement, if the dealer accepts a lower offer, is not an indication of some mythical true value, it is simply the value that that dealer and that customer have agreed to place on that item at that time. In a general sense, everything has a value, but precisely what that is will be determined at the point of sale, and on different days and in different places there will very likely be variations, perhaps even substantial ones. All we can really say is that if a customer in a shop, a hopeful bidder at an auction, or an eBayer, manage to buy or win an item at a price they are comfortable paying, then that is an agreed sale, and nothing more. The fact that others might look at the amount paid, amazed that anybody would pay that much, has absolutely no bearing on the agreed price for a similar item elsewhere at some other time. In a situation where one individual is prepared to pay, for example, £30 for a a 1938 F.A. Cup Final programme, where the dealer is asking £75, the fact that no agreement can be negotiated, and therefore no sale takes place, in no way indicates any kind of true value that can be placed on that programme. There is simply a potential buyer who might pay a bit more than the valuation he has placed on it, and a dealer who might take a bit less than his valuation.