eBay Sellers Wasting Everyone's Time

[Funcha]

So I've been looking for another raw copy of Harbinger 0 pink that I can send to CGC and hopefully get the coveted 9.8. Going through the eBay listings and found a few decent contenders in right around the $100 range. Maybe slightly high for current raw prices. So I found what looks to be a respectable copy apparently sealed in a UV protective container since it arrived in the mail years ago. The seller is one of the type who personally grades everything as PERFECT, MINT or 9.8, which is already suspect but the pics looked fine. He also has several other Valiant comics selling for higher than what anybody is actually selling them for these days. The seller is asking $250 for the Harbinger 0, ungraded mind you, but is accepting "best offers." So I offer $100 straight away.

For *SQUEE* and giggles, I'm posting our "war of words" that ensued. Something about this guy's initial response annoyed me, so I tried to lay it all out for him as I saw it.

HIS FIRST RESPONSE:
"lol ... No Thanks. it it were $200.00 I'd turn it down"

MY RESPONSE:
"Look at completed sales on this. Nobody is going to give you more than $100 for a non-graded copy even if you think it's perfect."

HIM
"Fortunately I don't make decisions based on what others think, or the Status Quo. I belong to CGC, but I just can't see spending $100.00 to have it graded, being handled and passed around, not to mention the trips back and forth, only to have it sell for $100.00 more ... and IT WOULD BE $350.00 to $500.00 then. It's like gambling $100.00 to WIN $100.00. I'm sure you can find a Hungry seller here, keep fishing. I've had it for 25 tears, I'll hang on to it for another 25 if necessary."

So of course I couldn't help but respond back to that.
ME
"I wish ebay had a category for sellers who don't actually want to sell stuff so they price the items so high nobody will actually buy them. Enjoy rejecting all the actual reasonable offers you get on items because you want to get what you think they'll eventually be worth. Oh and by the way it's about $30 - $35 to get a comic graded counting fees back and forth. Nobody is even paying $350 - $500 for this item CGC 9.8. I'd love to know where people are buying that high because I'd sell to them!"

Of course, it's ON NOW!
HIM
"I AGREE ... and after they create that Seller Category, they need to Categorize people with a "Garage Sale" mentality "You want $5,000.00 I'll give you .50 cents for that 65 Mustang ... YOU want something for nothing STEAL in person, don't hide online with the other Trolls. From the sound of your *SQUEE* and moaning, you must be a Teenage Girl. Collect Barbie's instead of comics, you're clueless when it comes to comics, and CHEAP. I see you also send Valuable Items AS CHEAPLY as you can (Not Express $65.00) and take your chances. I guess you can do that buying for pennies."

ME
"Ha that's laughable. I offered you $100 for ... wait for it ... a comic worth only $100 ungraded. Yeah, really "cheap" of me. Hey, can I offer $1,000 for it? You clearly are a comic book pro since you say it's perfect. Anything else would be highway robbery of course. Forget CGC grading. And I don't know where you seem to think that I ship cheaply. With 0 unsatisfied customers over 20 years my reputation for shipping standards speaks for itself. But don't let that get in the way of a good insult. lolz"

I'm still waiting on his response. Wondering what new creative insults he's brewing for the next round.

[superman-prime]

[betterthanezra]

-Brian

[bobby97801]

He has several Valiant comics... All are over priced

[greg]

Sounds... familiar.

[Funcha]

I used to sell comics when I was in high school (circa 1991 and on). This was when new comics were like the stock market in 1928. There were a few shops in my home town having price wars so we could regularly get stacks of new titles for 40 - 50% off. I can't tell you how many times we'd go to a weekend show and make hundreds of dollars selling books we just paid half of cover price on days before. Even given the ridiculous prices, my business partner and I would always be quick to cut deals. If say Death of Superman was listed at $25 and someone really wanted a copy for $15 I'd be more than happy to sell to them. My profit margins were already through the roof anyway. Hell, we'd have dealers making bulk deals with us a lot. We knew the prices wouldn't last so why not make some money while the getting is good. I still have that philosophy today. If I can make a fair profit off of something, I don't need to get absolute top dollar for it. I've made some great returns on CGC-graded books because I have a great eye for 9.8 candidates and always tend to buy raw copies for grading (some for resale and some for my personal collection). Of course, I've even priced some gems on occasion with really high Buy It Nows, but if I put that I'll accept offers I'll take reasonable ones.

When I used to sell at mini cons I'd always see a few dealers who apparently believed that not getting TOP DOLLAR for every book was unthinkable. We'd be making deals left and right when these guys would be sitting *SQUEE* off. My favorite were the sellers who priced everything DOUBLE guide but had 50% off sales. Nobody was falling for it.

Today, I see these same type of sellers on ebay with the same "If you're not paying me double guide price you're ripping me off" mentality. Normally I won't even bother with them, but something about this particular one just rubbed me the wrong way. If you don't really want to sell stuff, GTFO I say. Ha.

[Funcha]

Oh, and apparently the seller seems to think that sending a comic to CGC requires Express shipping at $65? WTF?? Try Priority Mail, pal!

[myron]

Sounds... familiar.

[apacseller]

You should get the whole board to brigade him with $50-$75 offers, and then he'll think your $100 is a deal!

[nonplayer]

You should get the whole board to brigade him with $50-$75 offers, and then he'll think your $100 is a deal!

Agreed

[nonplayer]

I had a friend and he was the cheapest *SQUEE* out there. Actuelly the seller sounds just like him. I got his cheep *SQUEE* back. Scored 2 3d unity and one had scratches on the back. That's the one I sold him for cheep. Don't know if he ever knew.

[WrathOfArmstrong]

You should get the whole board to brigade him with $50-$75 offers, and then he'll think your $100 is a deal!

[superman-prime]

nice

[GGSAE]

That’s hilarious. In retrospect it’s best to end the discussion after his first response to your answer - you know there was no salvaging the negotiation.


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[kjjohanson]

You should get the whole board to brigade him with $50-$75 offers, and then he'll think your $100 is a deal!

Done.

[kjjohanson]

Considering that there are 3 CGC-graded 9.8s available for less than $260, this seller is smoking crack if he thinks he's going to get $250 for an ungraded copy at this point.

[superman-prime]

[Funcha]

That’s hilarious. In retrospect it’s best to end the discussion after his first response to your answer - you know there was no salvaging the negotiation.


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Yeah, normally I’m smarter than that. Ha. I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t a bit of stick poking on my part.


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[slack]

Offered $46. Asked this question:

"Why are you asking so much?
That's a price for a professionally graded and sealed book.
Look at the prices of other auctions for this same book... Don't bother looking at prices for CGC graded books, as yours is not graded, and has none of the value that professional grading brings.

If you actually want to sell the book, you'll have to accept a price similar to what the competition has. And you aren't in competition with CGC books, as yours has none of their protection/cataloguing."

[superman-prime]

my 48 got rejected

[apacseller]

His next response will probably be: "No way, I am getting a ton of offers on this hot book. It can only go up, up, up!!!!"

[superman-prime]

time to offer 43

[Shadowman99]

lol, you guys making all these *SQUEE* offers to troll this loser has me in stitches

[superman-prime]

keep them coming

[RDNacho]

It might not be worth the $50 people are offering for it especially if that is a color breaking spine tick on the back cover to the right of the S. That mark could be on the case but I can't tell.

Seller also has a "matte" Rai 0 that he is trying to pass off as a "glossy".

I would avoid.

Just my 2¢
Happy collecting!