1. FOMO vaccine
No fan is immune from this dreaded virus. It permeates the hobby and impacts almost every sale. You would not buy the first used car that was offered up for sale and yet so many people rush to buy the hottest book without even doing research.
2. One ticket to a convention
This bastion of knowledge is often ignored by the hobby community. Being forced into the basement to participate in internet sales diminishes the knowledge of what is happening out in the market. GoCollect provides analysis of the data but talking to people helps. That information explains the thinking that goes into the sales data.
3. Briefcase
How many times have you seen a major purchase of a book that is handled poorly after the sale? It is sad to see books go out in the rain with only a cheap plastic grocery bag to protect these treasures. People spend big dollars on bags, boards, and slabbing books but fail to invest in something to protect them after the purchase.
Imagine seeing a very high-grade early Spider-Man book sold at a live auction only to see it manhandled during the rest of the auction. I don't have to imagine because I saw it. Made me cry.
4. One iconic key
There is nothing that can feed the hunger of a collector than that one prized pick-up. People think they are out of the reach of most fans. "Barn finds" do exist if one only looks out for them. Everyone reading this column must have one transaction that fed the addiction to seek out more books.
5. A GoCollect account.
This may sound self-serving, but it is not. I have to pay for my subscription to GoCollect even though I write for them. That is not a negative, but rather a testament to the information on this site. It has prevented fans from getting burned with bad buys while providing insight into what is happening in the market.
This site also has some of the most knowledgeable hobbyists who comment all the time sharing their insight. Knowledge is power and anyone reading this has it. Just stop using it against me. I hate having my advice coming back to haunt me. It has cost me several books and I am starting to get angry...and you would not like me when I am angry!!!!
The greatest gift we can receive is to have the chance, just once in our lives, to make a difference. Do you understand how many times you made a difference? Enough for a hundred lifetimes.” – Doctor Strange speaking to Peter Parker.
