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| SUPERMAN copyright DC COMICS |
Just what is it about eBay that attracts so many chancers, crooks, and con-men? (Or maybe just idiots.) Take a look at the above comic by a seller called mrskear. Hardly pristine, is it? Yet he or she was asking £50 for it the other day. No, I didn't mistype. Picked yourself up off the floor yet? The original US comic that this UK issue is reprinted from isn't even worth anywhere near that. (MAN Of STEEL #1, currently selling on ebay for as little as £3.21.)
I messaged the seller to say so in an attempt to be helpful, in case they were simply uninformed and just assumed that any SUPERMAN comic with #1 on it must be worth a bundle. I thought they'd appreciate knowing that they were risking their credibility by asking a price like that. They didn't respond to my message, but upped their price to £70 - and removed the option to message them. That's right - £70 for a tatty, creased, and worn comic.
Someone else is currently selling a better condition copy for £14.99, so I can only assume that the first seller is simply chancing their arm in the hope that someone is stupid enough to pay that kind of crazy price. What a cheeky chancer, eh? And eBay has far too many dodgy sellers like this. Sure, no one is being forced to buy it, but this mercenary impertinence offends me. How about you?
Oops! I originally typed that the seller's original asking price was £55, but having just checked, I see it was actually £50. I've therefore amended it above. However, that means it jumped up £20, not £15. Perhaps the seller interpreted my message as revealing an interest, eh? However, I've already got two copies of this comic, purchased back in 1988.
I messaged the seller to say so in an attempt to be helpful, in case they were simply uninformed and just assumed that any SUPERMAN comic with #1 on it must be worth a bundle. I thought they'd appreciate knowing that they were risking their credibility by asking a price like that. They didn't respond to my message, but upped their price to £70 - and removed the option to message them. That's right - £70 for a tatty, creased, and worn comic.
Someone else is currently selling a better condition copy for £14.99, so I can only assume that the first seller is simply chancing their arm in the hope that someone is stupid enough to pay that kind of crazy price. What a cheeky chancer, eh? And eBay has far too many dodgy sellers like this. Sure, no one is being forced to buy it, but this mercenary impertinence offends me. How about you?
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Oops! I originally typed that the seller's original asking price was £55, but having just checked, I see it was actually £50. I've therefore amended it above. However, that means it jumped up £20, not £15. Perhaps the seller interpreted my message as revealing an interest, eh? However, I've already got two copies of this comic, purchased back in 1988.
30 comments:
I often wonder if it works for them, I mean they keep doing it!
A few years back, there was a chancer selling 'original' Gil Kane artwork, supposedly those roughs he used to do as warm ups. They were about as far from even competent copies as you could get and it was obvious he knew it, but because I was in a puckish mood, I emailed the scammer and politely told him they were fakes. Cue torrent of abuse.
I suppose it doesn't hurt them to try, PD. I'd say the comic's only worth around a pound in that condition (even if it is 31 years old), so if it doesn't sell, no loss. If it does, however, £70 (up from only £55 in a few days) is a tidy profit for a tatty rag. The seller either knows exactly what he's doing, or he doesn't have a clue - either way it's a disgrace. As for the instance you mention, Mark Evanier says such a thing happens all the time with various artists' work - chancers passing it off as originals.
It does yeah. Somebody on twitter was saying another chancer was recently flogging Mignola and even Moebius fakes, presumably under the misguided belief that ( like Kane ) there's a limited amount of lines and detail, so it would be easy to copy those styles. Yeah, good luck with that...
Some people are lower than a rattlesnake's belly. It was even suggested that the Kirby re-creations (before he died obviously) of famous Marvel covers for Sotheby's weren't by him, but by other hands (with Jack's knowledge), so (if true) there's obviously money to be made from it. (However, in that instance, it was denied and I don't think there's any proof of the allegation.)
I do think that there is some evidence for a lot of these chancers being somewhat clueless. A logical step to take if you were going to put an item up for sale would be to do some research and check other listings of it, but no not these guys; they just put it out there with a price they've plucked out of the air (or somewhere else!). Also adding the word 'rare' to the description is another part of the sales pitch. Many's the time I have looked over the search results for an item and seen a 'rare' listing or two with the rest of the results for the same item listed at a fraction of these 'rare' copies. People!
Yeah, that's what gets me, PC - the number of times an item is listed as 'rare' and there's loads of them available at the same time. The Vulcan Annual for 1977 is a case in point: I've bought three or four from ebay and it's always listed as rare - yet it pops up with amazing regularity. What gets me about the seller mentioned in my post is that when I alerted them to the fact that the original US issue isn't even worth £50, they immediately increased the price by £20. They also added a note to their listing saying that any "Unsolicited 'advice'... will result in your account being reported for abuse". How's that for temerity? The seller is essentially trying to fleece someone - now that's what I call abuse.
Although it's a total outrage selling a book liked that for that price, really buyer beware some common sense needed there. I've just handed in over 300 comics to a local charity shop and they said they won't put high prices on them but reckon they will as some charity shops go overboard as well on costs they see a comic issue 1 (vol 9 issue 1) and it's £6 despite being worthless. And i accept its for a good cause but ts also supposed to be for folk that can't afford new stuff well imho anyway..
I suppose a comic is only worth what someone is prepared to pay for it, PM, and someone would have to be really stupid to pay £70 for a comic that is readily available for a much cheaper price (and in better condition), but perhaps even stupid people deserve to be protected from their own rashness. Or maybe not. I've certainly paid far more than that for a comic or toy, but they were genuine collectors' items that are limited in their supply, dating from the early and mid-'60s.
I know that 1988 is 31 years ago, but to folk our age that still seems relatively recent, but surely the seller must know that they're damaging their credibility and reputation asking a price like that? Especially as the issue's contents are easily available in various reprint volumes, and the original US edition can be bought for a song.
As for the madness of charity shop pricing - oh, I could write a book.
McScotty, would you mind if I ask which charity shop you've donated your comics to? I have some free time this weekend and it's payday tomorrow, and I'd love to help a deserving charity and also give some comics a nice new home. Thanks in advance!
On charity shop pricing, I recently bought some old Gene Colan Daredevil issues and a Marie Severin Hulk for 99p each, while the same shop was charging £9.99 for a Marvel New Universe first issue (I think it was Kickers, Inc), and £5.99 for a 1990s issue of Secret Origins which had half the back cover torn off!
They don't have a clue, DS, not a bloody clue. And what annoys me most is when you question their pricing and they say "Our staff are trained to make sure they price things fairly and accurately." No they're NOT - they look things up on ebay and use that as a guide. So when someone takes in a copy of the London Editions Superman #1, they'll see this one at £70 and use it as an indication of what to charge. Completely bloody clueless.
Hi Dave wish I had known as I would have arranged to just give them to you ,genuinely a good selection.. Shameless plug I actually have 2 other boxes of comics 200 plus but plan to sell them very cheap 20p each if interested)They are in British Red Cross in Larkhall (you can get train direct from Glasgow if not driving it's only 35 mins). Comics and currently under the womens clothes rails as so many. Good luck
Maybe I should start a Crivens Swap Shop. I'm serious. Anyone else think it would be a good idea? 'Twould be just like MWOM back in the '70s.
Lol actually yes I think it would be a great idea I hate throwing out comics and would rather swap or give them to someone that's interested in them .Just no daft swaps like "1973 Valiant annual very rare, will swap for a new laptop and printer"
Consider Crivens Swap Shop now open! If you have comics you'd like to swap or give away, just list them in your comments from now on. Obviously, this'll work better for people in Scotland (especially in or around Glasgow), but I'm sure postage terms could be worked out for those further afield, so that the original owners aren't left out of pocket.
I'll maybe even do specific posts dedicated to swaps/giveaways if there's enough of a response.
Excellent I will look out some stuff next week. I had forgotten the Marvel Swaps hop until you mentioned it I seemailed to recall some strange swaps.
Great! Can't wait to see what you're prepared to part with. Roll on next week.
Hi Paul, thanks for the info, I may pop in tomorrow for a look!
The Crivens SwapShop is a great idea (does this mean Kid will be dressing up like Noel Edmonds?). If I give any comics away, I like them to go to a good home. I once asked a charity shop if they'd like some comics, and they told me they would love them because they could cut them up and decorate the walls. I did not give them any. There's a record shop in Glasgow who have done this, it makes me sad every time I'm in to see Marvel Team-Up #11 dismembered and stuck to a wall to help promote some cheap dvds.
Funnily enough, DS, when I was much younger, someone in my work said I looked like Noel Edmonds - mainly because of my beard and centre parting at the time. Charity shops, eh? Bloody clueless. If they're not overcharging for comics, they're cutting them up. There used to be a comics shop (Arthur's) in De Courcey's Arcade in Cresswell Lane. Arthur used to cut up actual pages of Dudley Watkins' art into separate panels, frame them, then sell them individually. Sacrilege or what?
Hi Paul, thought you'd like to know that the charity shop made £20 from your comics this morning, and your Hembeck/Aragones/What The and several others have been rehomed.
There's still loads of really good stuff left, the shop are charging 50p each, and it's well worth a look for anyone in the area!
Kid- I remember Arthur's shop, I sold him some Silver Age Marvel comics in the 90s when I needed to raise some quick cash. Didn't know he done that the Watkins pages although I remember he used to have loads of Disney/Gold Key/Dell comics on display. Was this the actual original art that he had? I'm not one for collecting original art, but I'd treasure a Dudley D Watkins page if I was ever fortunate enough to own one.
Yes, original art, DS - shocking, eh? Glad to hear that you got some good comics out of PM's donation to the charity shop - I'm sure he will be too.
That's great David glad those books (Hembeck especially) went to a good home. Good to hear they stuck to 50p a comic they said they would and the staff there are very nice. I loved Arthur shop and got loads of comics there and remember him cutting up panels of art though the weirdest thing was that he actually sold lots of them. I see a few art shops sell quality litho colour prints of Dudleys work and others for high prices, to be fair some are nice.
I believe Arthur still sells comics on ebay, PM, but I forget his username. He sold lots of the D.D.W panels because they were affordable, but c'mon, it was sheer vandalism. He never made any secret of the fact that he was only in it for the money.
I don't really have an issue with what Arthur done Kid it's "only" comic art and I'm sure none of the comics were rare knowing Arthur. Just in case anyone's heading for those comics I put into a local charity shop, I popped in earlier today and was told someone came in and bought them all for £40 (in addition to Daves earlier purchase) - they were totally chuffed so well done to the guys that bought them.
Original Oor Wullie and Broons art, PM - essentially 'destroyed' and scattered to the winds. I'm sure if D.D.W. were still around, he'd be less accepting of the situation. Glad to see your comics raised money for a good cause. I hear it was for 'The restoration of Dudley D. Watkins comic strip art' charity.
That's fantastic that your comics have been snapped up, Paul, and great that the charity has benefited! The ladies in the shop were lovely and so helpful too, bringing over a stool when they thought I was having trouble bending over! Actually, I was grimacing cos I have a painful injury to a finger and had knocked it against a box, but I didn't have the heart to tell them!
They were probably selling that stool for a tenner more than Home Bargains. Cynical? Me? Never!
Oh original art sorry Kid didn't pick that up yeah your right poor stuff. David the ladies in shop were over the moon and as soon as we popped in they called me over to say "thank you". If interested the SARA charity shop in Hamilton (it's actually unsold furniture stock from places like Next, Argos etc so more thsn half price) has upstairs about 25 different UK annuals (loads of copies of each) of Beano, Dandy, Beezer, Topper, Or Willie, Broons Best of Dandy Beano and Oor Wullie/Broons and a few other titles I may have missed from 1985 to 2014 for £1 each. Shop is close to Hamilton Central rail station and bus terminal if interested.
£1 each is good if they're in fairly decent condition, but I've seen some annuals in charity shops priced at double that (at least) with pages scribbled on, damaged covers, split spines, bits missing, heavy tanning and age spots. It's obvious that they've not been examined properly before being put out on sale. Must take a look at that shop if I ever find myself in Hamilton.
There old unsold stock with 30 copies of some years titles. The ones I opened looked mint to near mint to me.
Sounds even more enticing, PM. I'm surprised someone hasn't bought them all to sell on ebay. I'll see if I can get a friend to run me in on his day off.
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