Exploring The Ethics and Realities Of Comic Book Dealing with Bucky's Books I Swagglecast 005
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- Опубліковано 30 лип 2024
- In this video we have our next video podcast episode of "Swagglecast."
Today's guest is veteran Comic Dealer & Former LCS Owner - Bill Buchanan of Bucky's Books.
/ buckysbooks
Hope you all enjoy the video!
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 - Intro
01:08 - Spawn 306
16:05 - Getting Into Comic Dealing
20:05 - Is Comic Dealing A Viable Career?
25:20 - Should You Have An LCS?
31:12 - The Ethics Of Comic Dealing
41:05 - Managing Collections
49:00 - What's The Endgame?
53:24 - Outro
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MY 12 CENTS - Discussing Industry Topics
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Great interview and guest, no matter how you feel about this guy and the spawn 306 controversy, I thought he brought a lot of valuable information to the table and was honest in doing so. I enjoyed the conversation
Oh, I forgot to mention, SOMETIMES you have to watch out for Grandma who is not as innocent as you think. She could be the biggest scammer you have ever seen! Its happened to me a number of time. As a past comic book store owner, Ive had Grandmas lie right to my face. One time 5 golden age books. Brown, brittle, covers detached and telling me she just found them in the house yesterday. I find out days later, she had already been around town, selling sections of the collection over the past month and the 5 brittle pieces of junk were all she had left, after every other comic dealer was buying parts of the collection and these were the last 5 books that they all turned down. So much for honest Grandma. And thats just one small instance.
I don't get why she sold sections of the collection to different places instead of finding one place to sell the whole collection to. Why try to sell five tattered books no one wanted? Am I missing something?
Great video. The exit strategy part made me laugh, my 87yr old dad has a few golden age books showing up on his doorstep each month. His exit strategy is "you'll have fun selling these when I'm gone". While some my get sold others will be priceless mementos.
Mickey you have had great shows in the past but I think this is the best show you have ever done. Kudos to you both !!! Well done!!!!! Jess
My biggest concern and question around the Spawn story, is who the heck was this lady, and why did some random lady go to an LCS to dump 100 plus books of a book that was only supposed to have 50 copies? Did sh work for Image? For Todd? For whoever put out the exclusive? Or did she randomly find them on a street corner? It makes no sense to me, and I think knowing more details around this would provide much clarity to what is the most important piece surrounding this story; and that's why were there so many out there when they were supposed to be destroyed?
I agree with Bill about the most unethical thing being to hold them all back and sell one a month. But I would also like to know how he justifies even making such a purchase for a lot of books that shouldn't exist? I don't know Bill or his intent, but if it were me, I would have stayed away from the purchase, or, I would have used the situation to get to the bottom of the issue, which is indeed a matter of ethics all around.
Has anyone talked to anyone at Image? Or Todd, himself? Or anyone involved with the exclusive? There is just too many questions and too much mystery around this whole thing, and now that I know about the "random lady," it's a bit more unsettling to me.
Great interview Mickey, learned a lot. Bill is such a good guy
This was a great episode. I’d love to see you do more of these.
I especially loved the “where’s the ethics for the buyer?” conversation. I had a buyer mention that I priced something too low. I was thankful and now that guy gets all the deals I can hand out.
The lcs needs to have fun stuff to do there like pinball, games, music, interaction and a social. Experience. If they want to he big they need to be remembered and people remember experience so you gotta wow them and be undeniable. You have to lean on something while downtimes happen but you gotta remember their names and advertise with the youth. Giveaways are a great way to get people back in.
I owned 2 comic stores from 1989 to 1997. It was a side adventure as I went into it only expecting the stores would be good for a 5 year bubble. Turns out they lasted 8 years. Moved away from physical stores when internet came around in 1996. One of the 1st to have a comic site. Anyway, thoughts on buying books from people. At that time buying books SIGHT UNSEEN, the price was 4 cents book. The reason was specifically this --- you guys are worried about Grandma, but you would not believe how many scammers would come into our stores with padded up boxes. Mid numbered Valiants , Turoks, Magnus, etc, that we basically called Fireplace starter or Fireplace fodder. Not even worth 5 cents. Like Turok#1. Got to be the most printed book. So, what we did with everyone is we offered two ways of buying their books. Either we would buy all their boxes at .4 cents a piece without even looking thru ANY of the books. Or, the 2nd method was to pick out a book say every 5 inches in a box and depending upon how good the books were, we would then go deeper and offer alot on the keys and less so on the others. Most people, would just say give me the 4 cents on the books SIGHT UNSEEN. The only ones who would not do that were the scammers cause they didnt want you to see their seeding of the book piles with garbage. When you buy sight unseen, its fair, simply because you dont know what you are getting and they dont know what they are selling. Fair, as sometimes you make out and other times you dont. Since then, i think current is about .20 cents book sight unseen but its been many years since I had a store so I dont know what current rate is
Very interesting
Those don't sound like scammers to me, just folks trying to unload their collections. Anyways thanks for sharing your story.
I enjoyed the section about inventory. Absolutely correct, inventory is not infinite. At some point you have to start paying real monies to have inventory to sell or be super lucky all the time that people walk into your shop and accept peanuts (20 cents on the $1) for AF15's and Tech 359 in 9.6~9.8, etc... The inventory shop owners are sitting on is at best retirement monies. The exit strategy because just in time inventory does not exist in collecting hobbies. Margins are super thin today even with the correction.
The only print count we know of is TMNT #1 first print - 3,000 copies
This was very informative bro! Thanks for sharing! 👍🏾😀
Thank you so much for this video. Im starting in the dealing phase now to try to help my family and this really helps me know what to do.
Great video and all the valuable information you put out to the comic community is so important for collecting comics much appreciated.
A great interview!
Fascinating video. Thank you.
I loved his insights, I sell online but I still way overcollect and even though I consider myself somewhat young I have been thinking about exiting out of some of my excess into the stuff I really will enjoy. Selling stuff you no longer value but at one time held sentiment is the hardest step to take but he is right, once you do it you can always reacquire most of it if it really matters. It also go with the themes of your channel in general. Even though you speak a lot about market finance, the things I always take away the most from you and other dealers is advice on collection management.
I used to work for a huge record label. And I'll never forget the Q&A we had with the advertising team for the front line/modern releases. It made my skin crawl. This was that same conversation all over again. Hard truths here and I'm only ok with it.
@Kurkthulu Can you elaborate more? As a big music record fan this sounds interesting.
This is exactly why that I never suffer from FOMO. Like Tony Montana, I never underestimate the greed of the other guy. When it is assumed that there are so few comics out there or statements are made that all of the other comics have been destroyed, I am skeptical. More often than not, history proves that rare comics pop up from nowhere.
Swagg, this was a lot of fun. Your interview was great, natural, flowing, relevant. Bill was really fun to listen to, and all of his answers were from real life experience. All of it was so helpful. Thank you..
Terrific video. Loved the ethics discussion.
This was a great informative interview Swag! Thanks! The last 15 min hit home big time. I tried to get my son into collecting when he was 8 to 12 yrs old and he just didn't have his heart in it like I did when I was his age. So lately I been contemplating selling large parts of his/my collection. But I struggle lol. After listening to this I think I can change my mindset and do what's good for me, do what I like and don't look back. Time to take full inventory! 😂
With the availability of pricing info in the marketplace (unlike when grandma was a much younger woman), I am less sympathetic to sellers or buyers who naively mis-price their comic books. Even at flea markets or auction malls, sellers are a lot smarter about pricing because the data is available. Finding deals due to mis-pricing is getting much more difficult today.
Very informative video Swaggs! Appreciate your content!
This was a really informative and entertaining video. Thanks for doing this and sharing both of you.
Cool interview with good questions. Thanks!
Really interesting discussion. I wonder a great deal about this selling versus collecting relationship. Having recently sold two collections for good money, and really enjoying the dopamine hit, I now find myself wanting to collect again, but more selectively. But at 59, with three kids not interested in comics, I'm trying to stop myself!
Do not change your store outside of your mainline. Stay with comics and add to other lines in your store. One guy transferred most of his store over to POGS years ago, and the store went right downhill. Stick with what you are known for, and just add sidelines.
My LCS owner, shout out to Frank at Amazing Fantasy in SF, routinely informs grandma (literally) about the value of her books. Instead of acquiring that Batman #3 he advised grandma to hold on to it. Frank has got to be the most ethical shop owner I have ever met. Great to know that other dealers share similar ethics!
Hey Swagg if you're reading this love your show thanks for all the hard informative work you give the hobby much appreciated
I've been in the comic game since 2008, worked with cgc for 7 years, was an art rep for a brief time, sold on Whatnot/Ebay/Facebook/IG, bought collections, set up at big conventions the whole spectrum. Here's my little 2 cents:
1. I made some big money twice(when I sold art/sketches for Dell'otto) and when I was selling on Whatnot when it began and made 65k the 1st year. Other than that no real money honestly
2. Carnivore,comicsketart,krscomics, etc I was there when they started, the only difference is they continued and didn't let up and they had the capital to make mistakes and keep pushing. Hope this helps
These are great!
so funny working in a record shop for a good few years the overlap and differences
My dude Bucky flipped the script on you Swagg, and asked: “What’s your End Game?” Did I see some hesitation? 🤔. That is a great question for any collector to ask themselves. A friend of mine asked me the same thing last month. So, what did I say?🙄
Who ever dies with the most stuff... wins. This is the American way.
Man Swag looked so down when he said comics weren't doing good and to diversify into cards, or something with comics. That's the reality. Cards are doing great, and there is a huge future. He's right
I think most dealers are only paying about a third for collections, and that’s just based on the better/key books. You have to keep in mind, 20% of all the sales they make, are going to expenditures like eBay fees and table costs. .
Taime stamps is a great bonus thans Swaggle !!!
Low comic run print runs, in my opinion, should follow the baseball card model (like Beckett or Panini cards). Each card is stamped 1 of 1,150, 2 of 1,150, ………. Or have a certificate that goes with comic. I blame the publishers for not making it public knowledge how many were printed, how many were destroyed, how many were released (200 printed - 50 destroyed = 150 sold/released to public). These variant covers are causing some moral issues
mickey, if you ever decide youre not currently keeping that chamber of chills 21 on wall behind you, id love to buy it
Wait a controversy i missed lol. People dont know that comps dont count as part of the print run for sale usually always more.
BILL!!!!
Hey Swaggle, I'm production a Documentary on Comic Book Retail and I'd love to talk to you about a few things!!! What's the best way to chat?
Send me an email. 👍swagglehauscomics@gmail.com
"The strong will survive" = early 21st Century former-USA that means having a trust fund, or an inheritance, or you have earned some retirement pension, so now you can subsidize / "survive" -?
I hear words like ethical and “the market”. Is not the seller a market participant with property rights?
What book? What’s it called?
Spawn 306
@@josephnavarro-zc5np thanks
Whatnot has been a HUGE game changer. That’s how you sell your $20 books
If you don't have a big following you'll be hard pressed to sell a 2 dollar book...not as easy as it looks
Ethics depends on the day...got it. That in a nutshell is why I don't like many dealers. Real ethics do not slide this way or that depending on what your financial status is or any other contributing factor. You either have them (ethics) or you don't.
Think they do. ….
If you’re starving - might you be likely to steal a loaf of bread ?
In war - might you use violence if it’s you or them?
If your business and everything you own is on the line - might you not give someone exactly the same deal as if you’re comfortable ?
Most have a moral compass but circumstances will affect your ability to stick to it
@@lukemorley3540 there are extreme exceptions to anything. There are plenty of sellers who aren't starving who have shitty ethics and practices. It might make money in the short haul but not in the long term. After the initial learning curve (and experiences with such people) and mistakes, buyers pay attention. There are plenty of desperately poor people in this world who still stick to rock solid ethics by the way. It's not a comic specific thing it's a basic character thing. Just my opinion.
What was the logic of a 1 day auction? I get he was in a hurry to sell but 24 hours only on ebay?
Dump before anyone else could.
You rip off Grandma if you have to. If you don't, you don't. If Grandma had an AF #15 in NM and I had $10,000 in the bank, you might give her $10,000. If you have $5000 in the bank, you give her $5000. If you have $20 in the bank, you give her the $20 she is asking.
Ethics aren't about sabotaging yourself either. You have to secure the deal. Nothing is unethical if you aren't able to secure the deal.
You can always kick her some more funds on the backend if you get her contact info.
When I was a high school kid I paid $20 for a lady selling a box of comics that included Hulk #181, Marvel Spotlight #5, X-Men #94, Giant-Size X-Men #1 plus a bunch of other keys and desirable books. Everything was 8's and 8.5's (I had them graded). She set the price and I barely had $20, but I knew what I was looking at.
To be honest, most of them are still in my private collection. I only sold the Hulk #181 (wish I hadn't) and some of the non-keys. I certainly wasn't going to leave them there because they were worth $X and there was no way I could even come close to paying that!
You're keeping the Sanity's on the wall?
100% those are my personal copies :)
@@Swagglehaus Love it!
@swagglehaus. Can't wait to see issues 1-40 on your wall
Strictly speaking, there is no ethics to setting a price. If there are buyers at a price, then that is the value of the market. If you paid more for a book than it's worth today, there is no one at fault; the market has simply changed. Bill and the other dealers buy books with a potential profit margin in mind, and if they are good they can sell to make a profit.
Market autonomy from sellers only exists when buyers are properly informed. If someone says that the new iPhone has 2TB of space, but only has 500GB, they are going to pay more based on the information given. The fact that there was misinformation around the Spawn book's print count was in direct correlation and causation of it's "market value."
lol he was the one who was listing them slowly to manipulate the market don’t be fooled .
My goal is to only buy and sell $10K plus books
Those copies were supposed to be destroyed on the orders of the publisher. They are borderline illegal copies. I know that there are normally no COUNTERFEIT claims for comics on ebay, with rare exceptions, but that has been happening a lot in the clothing category lately.
Reputation is everything in this business. If you get called out for stealing that AF15 from grandma then you’re finished. Followers, sponsors, and friends are gone.
End game? Die broke! lol
wow. never i have seen a dude introduce himself as infamous. choad!
Mostly a bunch of crooks buying low and selling high witch has put a black eye on the hobby
Most dealers are complete scumbags. Get a real job and support your family rather than ripping people off.
Personally, i think "ripping off" grandma at the garage sale or whereever is fair game. Sue me. No such thing as ripping someone off when you're doing the buying.
the AF15 grandma scenario is bullsh*t...be better than most people