Comic Book Investing and Collecting News You Can Use

Keeping current with comic news is important to both collectors and investors. The reason is that sometimes even the most savvy of hobbyists could make a mistake that results in a negative outcome if they are lacking a key piece of data. GoCollect is more than a price guide for collectibles. It is a trusted resource that is constantly providing news readers can use, so let us get down to business.

New books coming to market

The collecting population is getting older. There must be change. Many books that have not see the light of day are coming to market. News is coming out that some of those books are not all that they seem. Complaints are all over the internet about an issue many who buy slabs are not even aware exists.

All rise

Sellers and buyers rarely agree on a book's condition because even a slight difference in a grade could mean the difference of thousands of dollars. Many people believe that CGC, CBCS, and soon to be PSA are the final arbitrator when it comes to comic book grading. These grading companies do not have a vested interest in a comic book transaction so many entrust the grades affixed as probably the most accurate that can be achieved. Once slabbed the judge's grade is the final say... well

Hydrated Iron (III) Oxide

It pays to play it safe. The same cannot be said for putting comic books in a safe. Humidity in an enclosed environment breeds excellent conditions that promote the growth of mold and mildew. Slabs are not meant to be a sealed barrier to moisture. Staples will rust. Pages will cockle. Once this happens the grade is impacted. A 9.8 is no longer a 9.8, in fact the new grade may be a 9.0. Check pictures of the comic being purchased because many unscrupulous or uneducated dealers are selling books without disclosing these new defects. A dealer would inspect a slab before they bought it, so why not extend the same courtesy to buyers?

Did they ever leave?

Shill bidding. Fake bidders participating in online auctions to drive up prices. They have been around forever. Reports are that they are back in greater numbers because of the drop in prices since the pandemic. Many sellers were upset when the market price corrected down from the influx of money that came into the hobby. Dealers either lost actual or theoretical money on paper based upon the downward trend in prices. That is part of the game but some bad actors are now trying to game the system.

GoCollect questioned by a suspect?

This journalist gets many questions from buyers and sellers out in the field. One question was disturbing. An individual asked how long a bad sale would impact GoCollect's FMV. The question was not concerning GoCollect's formula for sales or how sales are screened but rather a time duration that some bad acts could go on undetected. This writer is also an attorney who has had criminals ask him the same type of questions when it came to crimes.

Be smart

Review the sales data for suspect sales and proceed accordingly. Likewise be suspicious of auctions or even sales on social media platforms. Hobbyists are reporting sellers are rescinding sales because they have been offering books in several auctions and taking the best outcomes. Finally eBay second offers or private message sales should be viewed with a great deal of caution. A seller once told me a winner backed out of a sale and I had the next winning bid. The problem was when I asked them how many other bids did they put in to drive up the price because I believed I should only have to pay on the bid that a third party stopped participating. The seller told me no thank you. Sound suspect to you?

Changing Demographics

Many vendors shout online that the only thing that matters is the sales prices of collectibles. All other data should be ignored. That is a short sighted view. The reason understanding other conditions is important is because these factors could be used in predicting future hobby trends. Different socioeconomic groups and age generations see collectibles in different lights. That is very important when a new entrant in the hobby emerges.

True Significance

PSA is going to be grading comic books and GoCollect is going to display their data. That is very important to the validation of PSA as a comic book grader. The problem is that CGC is the gold standard of comic book grading. Even with GoCollect using the data, of more importance was how would the comic book world accept the new participant. Many have attempted to dethrone CGC but they still are the champions when it comes to comic book grading.

Product or brand

Thermos is thought of by many incorrectly as a product and not a brand. CGC is what comic book buyers and sellers think of when it comes to graded comics. They are comic book grading. Other companies have been perceived up to now as poor imitators with a substandard pedigree. FMV is impacted by this perception. PSA will have to overcome this belief, but they may not be a problem because of a demographic that is prized among retailers.

GoCollect's data

This writer has been gathering data on the participants of the comic book collecting hobby. This has been done for not months but years. Imagine asking such questions to determine age, socioeconomic status, monthly hobby expenditures, con budgets and other data to better focus on the health of the comic book marketplace. Knowing this data helps predict future hits and discover undervalued books. Vendors want this data because knowledge means money. Some of the data collected indicates that PSA's transition into the comic book segment may be easier than one would assume.

New world order

When we talk to younger collectors they mention collectibles outside of the comic book segments. They are more passionate about baseball cards, Pokemon, and Funko POP!. They believe graded comic books are out of their price range now but possibly not in the future. When they talk about grading they do not think of CGC but rather PSA. The reason is that their interests are graded by PSA. If this younger generation accepts PSA then the cost benefit of a book being graded by CGC over others could be over. This is a barrier other companies have yet to overcome.

More research

During the rest of this year many visits will be made to conventions and comic book stores. A refinement of the PSA question will be added to the survey. If the younger generation accepts PSA much more readily than CGC it might behoove dealers to start to lose their aversion to PSA and belief that CGC is the final say in comic book grading. Both companies will benefit too from the competition and the hobby will be better for it.