Interesting trend....

ZephyrWasHOT!! · Post by **ZephyrWasHOT!!** » Mon Nov 01, 2004 11:38 pm

Here's something I haven't seen in 6 years (as of YESTERDAY!) on eBay...I've not been able to TOUCH these books on eBay for anything less than $50+, and I've bought TWO on eBay in that time for MORE than $50.

Sold a couple for $100 each.

I've NEVER, in six years, seen prices dip below $50 for these, and yet:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... eName=WDVW

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... eName=WDVW

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... eName=WDVW

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... eName=WDVW

Very interesting, indeed.

$31 plus S&H? Wow.

ckb · Post by **ckb** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 9:02 am

My feeling on books like this one are:

Why would you want to buy one raw? They are showpieces, you are never going to read it.

When you find them raw like this, you have to assume they have not been sent to CGC for a reason.

I think if you find a sale from a dealer with a following, the price would hop back up to $100.

The Spider · Post by **The Spider** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 11:32 am

ckb wrote:My feeling on books like this one are:

Why would you want to buy one raw? They are showpieces, you are never going to read it.

When you find them raw like this, you have to assume they have not been sent to CGC for a reason.

I think if you find a sale from a dealer with a following, the price would hop back up to $100.

Wasn't there something in the Platinum variant that the regular book didn't have? Besides the cover minor differences, I mean.

ZephyrWasHOT!! · Post by **ZephyrWasHOT!!** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:45 pm

The Spider wrote:
ckb wrote:My feeling on books like this one are:

Why would you want to buy one raw? They are showpieces, you are never going to read it.

When you find them raw like this, you have to assume they have not been sent to CGC for a reason.

I think if you find a sale from a dealer with a following, the price would hop back up to $100.
Wasn't there something in the Platinum variant that the regular book didn't have? Besides the cover minor differences, I mean.

Yes.

And....you cannot assume there's 'something wrong' just because they haven't been sent to CGC. Not everyone sends everything to CGC.

But that wasn't my point. For six years, they didn't go below $50 on eBay...now....all of a sudden...they do?

Discuss.

sd2416 · Post by **sd2416** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 4:37 pm

It does seem odd, especially with 2 blockbuster movies out and a definate 3rd on the way. Seems like these books would be holding up on the market. What are the odds of those particular sellers not knowing the value of what they had?

Escaflown4 · Post by **Escaflown4** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 9:47 pm

sd2416 wrote:It does seem odd, especially with 2 blockbuster movies out and a definate 3rd on the way. Seems like these books would be holding up on the market. What are the odds of those particular sellers not knowing the value of what they had?

I think most people are banking in on ASM #300 instead of this issue since there's a high chance that they will be bringing Venom onto the big screen. But still, it's still a good time to pick up these books cheap while the going is good. You might never know they will shoot back up once the market gets hot again. I remember Dino brought up why Harbinger 0 pink was selling for so low a few months ago. Now the prices resumed back to normal and I was able to bag one cheap. So use it to your advantage and get them now.

whetteon · Post by **whetteon** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 10:46 pm

Good insight Escaflown4. I think the Platinum is undervalued and if I had some extra cash I'd be all over it. But instead I'm trying to stay focused on my very narrow "want" list! I'm a HUGE Venom fan since I first started to collect Spidey's and issue 300 was my first "big" buy. I still think it's a worthy issue but I suspect it will mostly hover for a few more years if the character isn't in the third movie.

Dino has heard rumors that they are heading towards Hobgoblin as the major baddie. At this point it could be only a handful of good Spidey villians. Venom, Hobgoblin, Green Goblin 2, Sandman, Kingpin and Lizard. I think two of those are cgi intensive so they studio will likely shy away from Sandman and Venom. Kingpin is now more of a Daredevil villian so that really leaves us with Hobgolin, Green Goblin 2 and/or Lizard. Green Goblin has already been done so I'm thinking they will explore the last two. Just my two cents.

God I love discussing the comics market. Glad others do too!

Escaflown4 · Post by **Escaflown4** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 11:36 pm

Well it's already been hinted at the end of Spidey 2 that they will be doing Green Goblin 2 with Harry Osborne. But there's also been rumors saying they will try to set up Venom as the next villain since they are planning to have JJJ's son venture into space in the 3rd film and 'possilby' bring back the alien symbiote. There's just way too many villains to choose from, but Venom, Carnage and Green Goblin tops the list.

depluto · Post by **depluto** » Tue Nov 02, 2004 11:39 pm

Bah! Green Goblin has been done, I hope they leave that alone.

Bring on Venom!

I woulnd't mind seeing a little bit of a lot of villains ... Shocker, Kraven, Sandman ... and they can build the bulk of the movie around whatever real plot they decide on.

dino · Post by **dino** » Wed Nov 03, 2004 12:46 am

What I've heard, and this could easily have changed by now, is that Green Goblin 2 comes into the picture (of course) but so does the hobgoblin.

ZephyrWasHOT!! · Post by **ZephyrWasHOT!!** » Wed Nov 03, 2004 1:06 am

Hijackers!

Ok, but seriously...the book's market is totally different from the Valiants, in that it's never sold below $50 more than once in a blue moon since at LEAST 1998.....until now.

There has GOT to be a reason for it.

lobo · Post by **lobo** » Wed Nov 03, 2004 10:35 pm

Chalk it up to a blip on the aftermarket radar. I've seen some really cheap deals on eBay lately. We will only have to wait to see if things sustain themselves... maybe its signs of the dread second coming comic crash since the early 90s.

ckb · Post by **ckb** » Thu Nov 04, 2004 8:49 am

I think you may be underestimating the effect of CGC on 'showpiece' books like this. If you buy any showpiece books that you want in super-high grade, even in person (triply so sight unseen), the fact the book has not been slabbed has to enter your thought process.

Assuming there is 'something wrong' with a non-slabbed showpiece $300 book going for $50 is pretty wise. Caveat emptor.

The thing with CGC is that a 10.0 with a single defining defect, like a subtle bend or a tiny edge tear or a not-so-sharp corner - and you are back down in the 9.0-9.4 range. 99 out of 100 people don't grade this way. What's a good price for a 9.0-9.4 Spidey plat? I can't see even bothering to pay anything for one that wasn't a 9.6.

ZephyrWasHOT!! wrote: And....you cannot assume there's 'something wrong' just because they haven't been sent to CGC. Not everyone sends everything to CGC.

ZephyrWasHOT!! · Post by **ZephyrWasHOT!!** » Thu Nov 04, 2004 2:00 pm

ckb wrote:I think you may be underestimating the effect of CGC on 'showpiece' books like this. If you buy any showpiece books that you want in super-high grade, even in person (triply so sight unseen), the fact the book has not been slabbed has to enter your thought process.

Assuming there is 'something wrong' with a non-slabbed showpiece $300 book going for $50 is pretty wise. Caveat emptor.

You're TOTALLY missing the point. Point: NON slabbed copies of this book have sold for WELL OVER $50 for six years, sometimes as high as $125, consistently, because I have put in a bid of at least $53 every single time they came up (that I knew of, and that's pretty near 100%.)

Then, all of a sudden, a $50 copy doesn't sell, and two more sell for less than $50.

Has nothing to do with slabbed copies, or people being mischevious, or overgraded books, or anything of that nature. All other things are equal, except the price.

August of 2004 = $50+
August of 2003 = $50+
August of 1999 = $50+

October of 2004 = $50 -

The thing with CGC is that a 10.0 with a single defining defect, like a subtle bend or a tiny edge tear or a not-so-sharp corner - and you are back down in the 9.0-9.4 range. 99 out of 100 people don't grade this way. What's a good price for a 9.0-9.4 Spidey plat? I can't see even bothering to pay anything for one that wasn't a 9.6.

Now...as a totally new aside...Plat Spidey is a tough book to get in 9.6+, which is why the one 9.6 up sold for well over $100. I have personally sold an 8.5 copy (2001) for $70.

Anyways...re: the non slabbed books, it's very interesting. Is it an indicator of something? If it continues, then it just may be. How significant remains to be seen.

Chuck · Post by **Chuck** » Fri Nov 05, 2004 12:37 am

Hey, zeph. Things just went back to normal.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... RK:MEWA:IT

depluto · Post by **depluto** » Fri Nov 05, 2004 12:41 am

Chuck wrote:Hey, zeph. Things just went back to normal.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... RK:MEWA:IT

Ebay is fricking weird.