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Post by Deleted on Apr 20, 2020 13:50:07 GMT -5
Mile High has good prices for certain things... there's a sweet spot from the late 80s to the early 2000s where they don't jack them up too high, so if you wait for the good sale (they go up to 60% usually 2-3 times a year these days) you can get some good deals. Last time I checked Ultimate Spider-Man #1, its base price was $340.00. If I was offered a 75% discount and a free car wash I'd still laugh myself silly at that awful pricing. It's why Bettie Pages has lost my business for the past decade.
I agree that they have outrageous pricing for some issues, but I often use Mile High to get those non-key/non-collecter's-item/relatively-modern issues. They often have a 50% sale, and at 50%, the price is comparable (sometimes a bit more and sometimes a bit less) to my LCS, and if it's an issue I just haven't found after being on my "want" list for a while, I'm not going to deny myself purchasing that issue from Mile High just because I don't like their pricing on something I would never buy from them. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 20, 2020 14:05:37 GMT -5
I agree that they have outrageous pricing for some issues, but I often use Mile High to get those non-key/non-collecter's-item/relatively-modern issues. They often have a 50% sale, and at 50%, the price is comparable (sometimes a bit more and sometimes a bit less) to my LCS, and if it's an issue I just haven't found after being on my "want" list for a while, I'm not going to deny myself purchasing that issue from Mile High just because I don't like their pricing on something I would never buy from them.
That's perfectably acceptable if you get the books you're looking for. But more often than not, the ones I'm looking for are in the outrageous category...
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Post by Deleted on Apr 20, 2020 14:12:22 GMT -5
I agree that they have outrageous pricing for some issues, but I often use Mile High to get those non-key/non-collecter's-item/relatively-modern issues. They often have a 50% sale, and at 50%, the price is comparable (sometimes a bit more and sometimes a bit less) to my LCS, and if it's an issue I just haven't found after being on my "want" list for a while, I'm not going to deny myself purchasing that issue from Mile High just because I don't like their pricing on something I would never buy from them. That's perfectably acceptable if you get the books you're looking for. But more often than not, the ones I'm looking for are in the outrageous category...
Fair enough. I took "lost my business" to be closer to "teach them a lesson" rather than your more practical clarification. |
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Post by tartanphantom on Apr 20, 2020 16:03:54 GMT -5
Not here to bash any of the retailers mentioned, but I choose to do business with MCS more often than not, because in my experience, the accuracy of their grading has been much more consistent than Mile High or Newkadia, particularly on pre-1990 books, which is what I buy more than anything else.
In my experience, the other two companies are lacking in the accuracy of their grading. Granted, Newkadia is pretty darn good about prompt shipping and communication, but they are still a bit behind the curve on grading accuracy. As far as Mile High goes, Chuck is... well, he's Chuck. Some people either like or dislike him. I have nothing bad to say about him or Mile High... I'm just not partial to their "mark-it-up-so-we-can-discount-it" pricing scheme or their rather loose grading subjectivity, which are important things for me.
To each his own. I have done business with all three, and they each have their faults. I just find MCS to be a wee bit more reliable in my experience.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 20, 2020 17:05:22 GMT -5
Not here to bash any of the retailers mentioned, but I choose to do business with MCS more often than not, because in my experience, the accuracy of their grading has been much more consistent than Mile High or Newkadia, particularly on pre-1990 books, which is what I buy more than anything else.
In my experience, the other two companies are lacking in the accuracy of their grading. Granted, Newkadia is pretty darn good about prompt shipping and communication, but they are still a bit behind the curve on grading accuracy. As far as Mile High goes, Chuck is... well, he's Chuck. Some people either like or dislike him. I have nothing bad to say about him or Mile High... I'm just not partial to their "mark-it-up-so-we-can-discount-it" pricing scheme or their rather loose grading subjectivity, which are important things for me.
To each his own. I have done business with all three, and they each have their faults. I just find MCS to be a wee bit more reliable in my experience.
I haven't ordered from Mile High since the 80s, when they didn't even list grade, all it said was guaranteed to be VG or better in their ads and it was all priced the same no matter what grade you got. Everything I ordered seemed to be VG and no better in those orders, and I decided to not order again, and haven't been tempted to do so since. -M |
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Post by tartanphantom on Apr 20, 2020 17:27:40 GMT -5
Not here to bash any of the retailers mentioned, but I choose to do business with MCS more often than not, because in my experience, the accuracy of their grading has been much more consistent than Mile High or Newkadia, particularly on pre-1990 books, which is what I buy more than anything else.
In my experience, the other two companies are lacking in the accuracy of their grading. Granted, Newkadia is pretty darn good about prompt shipping and communication, but they are still a bit behind the curve on grading accuracy. As far as Mile High goes, Chuck is... well, he's Chuck. Some people either like or dislike him. I have nothing bad to say about him or Mile High... I'm just not partial to their "mark-it-up-so-we-can-discount-it" pricing scheme or their rather loose grading subjectivity, which are important things for me.
To each his own. I have done business with all three, and they each have their faults. I just find MCS to be a wee bit more reliable in my experience.
I haven't ordered from Mile High since the 80s, when they didn't even list grade, all it said was guaranteed to be VG or better in their ads and it was all priced the same no matter what grade you got. Everything I ordered seemed to be VG and no better in those orders, and I decided to not order again, and haven't been tempted to do so since. -M Good to know that I’m not the only one with that type of experience with them. I ordered from them in the 80’s too, with similar mixed experiences.
Chuck openly admits that he now prices based on a combination of two things— inventory cushion, i.e. the number of copies he has in stock of a particular issue, and “perceived future value”... essentially he prices books based on what he thinks they will be worth at the end of a 20 to 30 year curve (from the issue date). In essence, he tries to capture a portion of the book’s future value within his pricing model. I get it, but if you use that sort of model you are basically losing daily sales based on projected future value. Kind of like pricing commodities options. Pricing model aside, Chuck has a bigger problem... there’s a strong possibility that he could lose his Jason Street location (which he owns) within 5-10 years if the city attempts to exercise imminent domain. As I understand it, the city is looking to gentrify that area of town. I hope it doesn’t come to that. Despite what people might think of him or his business model, Chuck has contributed a great deal over the years to both the hobby and also to his local community. |
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Post by wildfire2099 on Apr 20, 2020 21:49:16 GMT -5
Mile High has good prices for certain things... there's a sweet spot from the late 80s to the early 2000s where they don't jack them up too high, so if you wait for the good sale (they go up to 60% usually 2-3 times a year these days) you can get some good deals. Last time I checked Ultimate Spider-Man #1, its base price was $340.00. If I was offered a 75% discount and a free car wash I'd still laugh myself silly at that awful pricing.
It's why Bettie Pages has lost my business for the past decade.
That's pretty nuts... I guess that's past the time where the prices are good  . Like I said, you gotta comparison shop. I don't really pay much attention to grading, so that's never been something care about |
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Post by Ozymandias on Apr 21, 2020 1:47:09 GMT -5
Chuck openly admits that he now prices based on a combination of two things— inventory cushion, i.e. the number of copies he has in stock of a particular issue, and “perceived future value”... essentially he prices books based on what he thinks they will be worth at the end of a 20 to 30 year curve (from the issue date). I think it's more of a cash flow problem. If you read his newsletters, he's quite transparent about it. Normally he tries to obtain benefits without depleting his "vault" (stock of back issues), which I interpret as high prices being there to avoid comics going out, at too high a pace. If someone wants to pay the full price, I guess that's good for him too. Comics that are deeply stocked (multiple comics), end up in the mystery boxes.
I'd say MH is a on its last legs, their current store certainly is the last one standing (as well as the first), and when the need arises, like now that their NICE system is inoperative, they do a sale and obtain the much needed liquidity.
Not here to bash any of the retailers mentioned, but I choose to do business with MCS more often than not, because in my experience, the accuracy of their grading has been much more consistent than Mile High or Newkadia, particularly on pre-1990 books, which is what I buy more than anything else. My Lone Star order is still in the mail, it was among the last ones to ship on April 1st, before the close-down, so I guess it should arrive this week? I'll let you know if they still grade tightly, but in general, I'm seeing loose grading across the board, with FN copies in better shape than some NM ones, for example. This happens with every seller, no matter what the country.
Never tried Newkadia, to be honest, I didn't ever hear of them.
Mile High has been good for me when it comes to grades, so far; we'll see if they honor their past record or join the "armiy of gradeless".
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 10,181 
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Post by Confessor on Apr 21, 2020 5:56:55 GMT -5
I used to place fairly big orders with Mile High Comics two or three times a year once upon a time (10-15 years ago, I suppose). Their listed prices were ridiculously high, but if you waited for a good 40-60% off codeword sale, it worked out very nicely. It always blew my mind that here in the UK it was cheaper to order comics in bulk like that from the U.S. than it was to order from a big English seller like Silver Acre, even with the higher shipping fee! Somewhere in the last decade I started placing a few orders with MyComicShop/Lonestar via their eBay shop and I was very impressed with a) their prices, and b) their shipping times. I now only use MyComicShop for my big bulk orders. On average, I find their prices are better than Mile High, even when they're having one of their 60% off codeword sale, and the turnaround time is waaay quicker. It used to take weeks for a Mile High order to reach the UK, but when I place an order with MyComicShop they say it might take 3-4 weeks, but my order always arrives in about a week and a half. Of course, as of now, I'm unemployed, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. So I won't be buying any new comics for quite a while.  |
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Post by Icctrombone on Apr 21, 2020 6:06:02 GMT -5
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Post by tartanphantom on Apr 21, 2020 7:34:12 GMT -5
IccTrombone....just... can't...be... stopped!!👍
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Post by brutalis on Apr 21, 2020 7:39:56 GMT -5
Put down the comic book and step away slowly from the credit card Icctrombone with your hands in the air. You have a problem and the 1st step towards recovery is admitting your problem and GIVING ME ALL YOUR THOR's. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Seriously bro', you are doing an awesome job towards fulfilling your dream collection. Thor by Lee and Kirby is one you cannot ever go wrong with. So much goodness between the covers and dang, those covers. Did I mention the covers? Cuz ya know, the COVERS. Am I right or am I right?!? P.S. Why can't comic book covers be this good again? So tired of the "posed" caught in action covers being the norm these days. Gimme the good ol' days when a cover sold the story found within the comic please. There, I said it! Oooooooops, wrong thread?  |
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Post by tartanphantom on Apr 21, 2020 8:08:47 GMT -5
Put down the comic book and step away slowly from the credit card Icctrombone with your hands in the air. You have a problem and the 1st step towards recovery is admitting your problem and GIVING ME ALL YOUR THOR's. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Seriously bro', you are doing an awesome job towards fulfilling your dream collection. Thor by Lee and Kirby is one you cannot ever go wrong with. So much goodness between the covers and dang, those covers. Did I mention the covers? Cuz ya know, the COVERS. Am I right or am I right?!? P.S. Why can't comic book covers be this good again? So tired of the "posed" caught in action covers being the norm these days. Gimme the good ol' days when a cover sold the story found within the comic please. There, I said it! Oooooooops, wrong thread?
The conversation at the card game one evening goes something like this:
Brutalis: "OK, icctrombone... give me all of your Thors..."
Icctrombone: "GO FISH!!.... Now give me all of your Kid Colts..."
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Post by brutalis on Apr 21, 2020 8:32:21 GMT -5
Put down the comic book and step away slowly from the credit card Icctrombone with your hands in the air. You have a problem and the 1st step towards recovery is admitting your problem and GIVING ME ALL YOUR THOR's. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Seriously bro', you are doing an awesome job towards fulfilling your dream collection. Thor by Lee and Kirby is one you cannot ever go wrong with. So much goodness between the covers and dang, those covers. Did I mention the covers? Cuz ya know, the COVERS. Am I right or am I right?!? P.S. Why can't comic book covers be this good again? So tired of the "posed" caught in action covers being the norm these days. Gimme the good ol' days when a cover sold the story found within the comic please. There, I said it! Oooooooops, wrong thread?
The conversation at the card game one evening goes something like this:
Brutalis: "OK, icctrombone... give me all of your Thors..."
Icctrombone: "GO FISH!!.... Now give me all of your Kid Colts..."
The real question for who wins the pot is can Icctrombone throw his hammer faster than I can draw my pistols when we are both caught cheating and drawing from the bottom of the card deck? |
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Post by beccabear67 on Apr 21, 2020 14:01:59 GMT -5
One thing that keeps/kept me from ordering '70s-early '80s comics from Newkadia is they don't distinguish if it's a newsstand or direct issue (later on I don't much care though others might). It bugs me a little having one direct Marvel-Team-Up and one direct Iron Man in those runs. I have had a few issues with their grading too, on late '90s, usually I was settling for the last copy of something in stock to be able to read a run, but their FN is my VG-, I had that with another seller too, so I would keep an eye out for a better copy and have replaced a few. I do think it would be very cool to have The Invaders introducing Union Jack and Spitfire as U.K. editions (I feel poorer for not having All-Colour appear in the Marvel banner on anything in my horde). Lone Star/MCS is very good about describing the various editions! Of course if there is a pic of the actual comic as opposed to these stock images many use that's always best, but I can see that for not valuable comics it's hardly worth it to do that.
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. Like I said, you gotta comparison shop.
