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Post by The Captain on May 12, 2020 19:59:20 GMT -5
There is absolutely nothing wrong with sticking to a self-imposed budget. For me, it tends to run in cycles. I have given myself a monthly rough budget for comics (all back issues-- I haven't had a pull box or subscription service since 1996), and sometimes I'll go 2 or more months without buying a thing. Then, as luck would have it, I'll run into multiple sales events either locally or online and may spend that 2-months worth of budget allotment in one week. One rule I have is that I won't buy anything that I can't pay for outright... in other words, I don't used my credit cards to buy comics. Debit cards, yes, credit cards, no. But experience has taught me that when it comes to comics, cash is still king-- especially at shows. I've gotten some great bundle purchase deals at shows, where I had a wad of bills instead of asking the dealer to take plastic. This keeps me honest with myself and reigns in any wild thoughts of buying books in the $1000+ range. I'm,not saying that I wouldn't purchase a book in that price range, but it would have to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity on an exceptional "personal grail" book in order to justify it... and I ain't talking no Hulk #181 either. I am cash only for cons as well. That's how I set my budget-I have what cash I have on hand to spend, nothing more. When its gone, it's time to go home. I keep a "war chest" i.e. a place where I contribute cash to each week when I deposit/cash my paychecks-essentially my allowance out of the check. Some weeks it's $5-$10, others it's $40-50 depending on circumstances. If I buy something in an auction from Lonestar, I take the cash out of it and deposit in the account to cover the credit card payment. If I am going in person to a shop or a show, I take the cash out of the war chest, and that's what I have to spend for that trip or show. It's not just for comics, it's what I use when I go book hunting at used bookstores or toy hunting or thrift store browsing or what have you. The money is always above and beyond what is needed for us to make ends meet and contribute to savings and retirement, so it never negatively impacts our finances. I haven't been contributing to the war chest while out of work sheltering in place, so I haven't been spending what was in it (except for backing Starlin's Dreadstar Returns Kickstarter) as I want to have a little in the fund when things open up and cons start happening again. -M I'll "third" the cash-only purchases at cons, and I will say that our situations are remarkably similar, my friend. My wife and I have been giving ourselves an allowance each month since we got married, to spend on whatever we want. On top of that, I sell both trading cards and comics on the side, and my mother gives me cash for both Christmas and my birthday to this day. My "war chest", to use your phrase, is what it is at the time of the show, trip to the store, visit to eBay, whatever. I can blow all of it, some of it, or none of it, but that's entirely MY decision because it is MY money. Using the credit card would move it to the OUR money realm, and I won't do that at this point, not with one daughter in middle school and one starting high school in the fall (and college on the horizon for both), braces on one now and braces going on the other later this year, and needing to replace my wife's 15-year old car within the next year or two. The only caveat to the "no credit card" rule is if I'm out and not carrying a significant amount of cash, but I come across something that I can't live without. As long as I have that much cash in reserve at home or my PayPal account, I will use the credit card and pay back the house later. |
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Post by Deleted on May 12, 2020 20:07:27 GMT -5
I am cash only for cons as well. That's how I set my budget-I have what cash I have on hand to spend, nothing more. When its gone, it's time to go home. I keep a "war chest" i.e. a place where I contribute cash to each week when I deposit/cash my paychecks-essentially my allowance out of the check. Some weeks it's $5-$10, others it's $40-50 depending on circumstances. If I buy something in an auction from Lonestar, I take the cash out of it and deposit in the account to cover the credit card payment. If I am going in person to a shop or a show, I take the cash out of the war chest, and that's what I have to spend for that trip or show. It's not just for comics, it's what I use when I go book hunting at used bookstores or toy hunting or thrift store browsing or what have you. The money is always above and beyond what is needed for us to make ends meet and contribute to savings and retirement, so it never negatively impacts our finances. I haven't been contributing to the war chest while out of work sheltering in place, so I haven't been spending what was in it (except for backing Starlin's Dreadstar Returns Kickstarter) as I want to have a little in the fund when things open up and cons start happening again. -M I'll "third" the cash-only purchases at cons, and I will say that our situations are remarkably similar, my friend. My wife and I have been giving ourselves an allowance each month since we got married, to spend on whatever we want. On top of that, I sell both trading cards and comics on the side, and my mother gives me cash for both Christmas and my birthday to this day. My "war chest", to use your phrase, is what it is at the time of the show, trip to the store, visit to eBay, whatever. I can blow all of it, some of it, or none of it, but that's entirely MY decision because it is MY money. Using the credit card would move it to the OUR money realm, and I won't do that at this point, not with one daughter in middle school and one starting high school in the fall (and college on the horizon for both), braces on one now and braces going on the other later this year, and needing to replace my wife's 15-year old car within the next year or two. The only caveat to the "no credit card" rule is if I'm out and not carrying a significant amount of cash, but I come across something that I can't live without. As long as I have that much cash in reserve at home or my PayPal account, I will use the credit card and pay back the house later. Yeah, at stores and non-con situations, I prefer to use the card and pay back from the warchest as we get very good reward points from our cards-which can be redeemed for lots of things including gift cards which I usually use for Amazon to get trades, omnibuses, etc. so using the cards stretches the budget a little further, but I always immediately deposit the amount I charged into our account from the war chest to cover it when I do that. I was not so financially responsible when I was younger, but being married to a banker for going on 17 years has greatly improved my behavior regarding financial responsibility. -M |
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Post by brutalis on May 12, 2020 20:26:57 GMT -5
Yep I too keep a weekly spend treasure chest. Any loose 1's 5' 10's at end of week goes into it saving for purchases. Cash only at cons or LCS. Debit for Amazon or MyComicshop.com but spent debit replaced from treasure chest. This process hasn't failed me now for nearly 30 yrs.
Occasionally will dip into an Omni for preorder on Amazon (George Perez Superman due tomorrow!) so get cheapest offers but soon as receive notice shipping, that cost goes from chest to debit. Only exception is at Tax refund should something truly special or amazing appear like last year chose to getting the Valerian & Corto Maltese editions. Those I did seek out the cheapest I might find and ALL luckily were as good as brand new shape.
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 10,186 
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Post by Confessor on May 13, 2020 0:42:08 GMT -5
Jeez, I must be a real cheap-skate! The most I have ever spent on a single comic was about £50 (approx $60) for a decent condition copy of Marvel Tales #1. In my last Lonestar/MCS order, I treated myself to Steranko's Nick Fury #3 (one of my favourite Silver Age comics) in 5.5, mid-grade condition and I agonised for ages over the price tag of £18 (approx $22).
Hey, what can I say, I like to make my money go as far as it can.
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Post by EdoBosnar on May 13, 2020 4:54:29 GMT -5
Jeez, I must be a real cheap-skate! The most I have ever spent on a single comic was about £50 (approx $60) for a decent condition copy of Marvel Tales #1. In my last Lonestar/MCS order, I treated myself to Steranko's Nick Fury #3 (one of my favourite Silver Age comics) in 5.5, mid-grade condition and I agonised for ages over the price tag of £18 (approx $22). Hey, what can I say, I like to make my money go as far as it can. You call that being a cheapskate? I've never spent more than $5 on a single comic book. And, in fact, that's what I paid for that same issue of Nick Fury #3 in about the same condition. A comics dealer here in Zagreb sold me that and Not Brand Ecch #9 for $5 each. Otherwise, on the rare occasions that I purchase single issues, usually from Lone Star, I usually won't even consider buying if the price is over $3.
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 10,186
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Post by Confessor on May 13, 2020 7:09:16 GMT -5
Jeez, I must be a real cheap-skate! The most I have ever spent on a single comic was about £50 (approx $60) for a decent condition copy of Marvel Tales #1. In my last Lonestar/MCS order, I treated myself to Steranko's Nick Fury #3 (one of my favourite Silver Age comics) in 5.5, mid-grade condition and I agonised for ages over the price tag of £18 (approx $22). Hey, what can I say, I like to make my money go as far as it can. You call that being a cheapskate? I've never spent more than $5 on a single comic book. And, in fact, that's what I paid for that same issue of Nick Fury #3 in about the same condition. A comics dealer here in Zagreb sold me that and Not Brand Ecch #9 for $5 each. Otherwise, on the rare occasions that I purchase single issues, usually from Lone Star, I usually won't even consider buying if the price is over $3.
Ha! Ha! A man after my own heart. Both of us trying to out cheap each other. Call that cheap?! I'll show you cheap. Yes, around £3 is my maximum for a single issue too, with the odd rare exception like the aforementioned Nick Fury book. |
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Post by brutalis on May 13, 2020 9:26:00 GMT -5
Ah you guys are singing my song (and I am so cheap I ain't gonna tip ya!) about squeezing all you can from your pennies. The rule of $5 is my usual cut off point for single issues but occasionally will go an extra to $6 or $7 when its special or rarer issues.
I would say we should start up a Penny Pincher Unca Scrooge club but I dont want to pay the dues!
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Post by Deleted on May 13, 2020 9:29:35 GMT -5
Ah you guys are singing my song (and I am so cheap I ain't gonna tip ya!) about squeezing all you can from your pennies. The rule of $5 is my usual cut off point for single issues but occasionally will go an extra to $6 or $7 when its special or rarer issues. I would say we should start up a Penny Pincher Unca Scrooge club but I dont want to pay the dues! People have mentioned focusing on dollar bins first at shows-my first look is for dealers with 4/$1 or 2/$1 bins first because I don't want to pay a buck for a book I can get for less. I also prioritize dealers who do things like 12 for $10 in their dollar bins, and dealers who have 5/$20 trades. I may splurge on a bigger item or two, but the bulk of what I spend comes from deep dives on cheap books (I usually bring a short box to keep in my trunk and make trips out the car to fill it up if my bag gets too full with my cheap book haul). -M |
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Post by Deleted on May 13, 2020 9:31:19 GMT -5
Hey guys, if any of you in the 'cheap' niche can score this for less than $5 I will bow down and call you Master and pay you 10x for your trouble if you send it to me.
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Post by tartanphantom on May 13, 2020 9:38:56 GMT -5
Ah you guys are singing my song (and I am so cheap I ain't gonna tip ya!) about squeezing all you can from your pennies. The rule of $5 is my usual cut off point for single issues but occasionally will go an extra to $6 or $7 when its special or rarer issues. I would say we should start up a Penny Pincher Unca Scrooge club but I dont want to pay the dues! People have mentioned focusing on dollar bins first at shows-my first look is for dealers with 4/$1 or 2/$1 bins first because I don't want to pay a buck for a book I can get for less. I also prioritize dealers who do things like 12 for $10 in their dollar bins, and dealers who have 5/$20 trades. I may splurge on a bigger item or two, but the bulk of what I spend comes from deep dives on cheap books (I usually bring a short box to keep in my trunk and make trips out the car to fill it up if my bag gets too full with my cheap book haul). -M Sage advice that I also follow myself. Although, I usually have a 30-litre backpack instead of a shortbox. If I fill it, I go out to my vehicle and unload it into a longbox in the back seat, and then dive back into the show for more. Starting with the cheap stuff only makes sense to me, because the big dollar "wall books" at shows are nice eye candy, but they don't move nearly as quickly as the bargain bins and are more likely to be there when you come around to a table the 2nd time. Unless, of course, you happen to see that "one book" that you've been searching for for over five years... there are always exceptions. And when you're often looking for some weird stuff like me (e.g. "Commander Battle", "All Aboard Mr. Lincoln", specific issues of "Treasure Chest", misc. promo comics, etc.), you are more often likely to find it in the bargain bins.
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Post by Deleted on May 13, 2020 9:50:01 GMT -5
People have mentioned focusing on dollar bins first at shows-my first look is for dealers with 4/$1 or 2/$1 bins first because I don't want to pay a buck for a book I can get for less. I also prioritize dealers who do things like 12 for $10 in their dollar bins, and dealers who have 5/$20 trades. I may splurge on a bigger item or two, but the bulk of what I spend comes from deep dives on cheap books (I usually bring a short box to keep in my trunk and make trips out the car to fill it up if my bag gets too full with my cheap book haul). -M Sage advice that I also follow myself. Although, I usually have a 30-litre backpack instead of a shortbox. If I fill it, I go out to my vehicle and unload it into a longbox in the back seat, and then dive back into the show for more. Of course it helps knowing a lot of dealers too, some because I frequent them every show, others because I've done panels at shows or been a guest when I was editing small press stuff for creators, and often times I will bring up a pile of dollar bin dives and have say 50 books, and have the dealer go, hmmm looks like $25 will cover it, or grab a couple of $20 wall books and hand them $40 and they hand me a tenner back. Several also just give "bulk" discounts when you buy more without advertising it no matter who you are. The last hour of shows is also a good time to bargain hunt, as dealers just want to move some stuff so they don't have to pack it up, or if they have had a bad show, move stuff to cover show expenses so will lower prices to move product so they at least break even for the day. The worst kind of dealer though, is the guy who doesn't have anything priced and when you ask him about a book wants to pull out his Overstreet and spend 20 minutes looking up the price. Time is money friend, and I am not going to wait 20 minutes for you to come up with a price for each book I might be interested in-if you can't put the time and effort in to have your books ready to sell, I'm not putting the time or effort in to buy your stuff. -M |
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Post by tartanphantom on May 13, 2020 9:58:08 GMT -5
Sage advice that I also follow myself. Although, I usually have a 30-litre backpack instead of a shortbox. If I fill it, I go out to my vehicle and unload it into a longbox in the back seat, and then dive back into the show for more. Of course it helps knowing a lot of dealers too, some because I frequent them every show, others because I've done panels at shows or been a guest when I was editing small press stuff for creators, and often times I will bring up a pile of dollar bin dives and have say 50 books, and have the dealer go, hmmm looks like $25 will cover it, a grab a couple of $20 wall books and hand them $40 and they hand me a tenner back. Several also just give "bulk" discounts when you buy more without advertising it no matter who you are. The last hour of shows is also a good time to bargain hunt, as dealers just want to move some stuff so they don't have to pack it up, or if they have had a bad show, move stuff to cover show expenses so will lower prices to move product so they at least break even for the day. The worst kind of dealer though, is the guy who doesn't have anything priced and when you ask him about a book wants to pull out his Overstreet and spend 20 minutes looking up the price. Time is money friend, and I am not going to wait 20 minutes for you to come up with a price for each book I might be interested in-if you can't put the time and effort in to have your books ready to sell, I'm not putting the time or effort in to buy your stuff. -M Sounds like we know the same dealers... both the good and the poor ones! My favorite kind of show dealer is the one who is really hungry for gas money at 2pm on a Sunday afternoon. Those are the one who would consider selling their own mother if it came down to it. |
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Post by Slam_Bradley on May 13, 2020 10:32:17 GMT -5
I've spent more on hardcover collections, though I try not to spend more than about $10 (including shipping) on them.
The most I've ever spent on a back issue funnybook was, I think, about $8. I did help a buddy scrape paint on his Grandmother's house one afternoon for which he gave me an issue of All-Flash #29. Considering the cost of labor at the time that was probably about $30 worth of funnybook.
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Post by brianf on May 13, 2020 14:51:08 GMT -5
Last month I re-read the 75 issue Vertigo BOOKS OF MAGIC series and after reading I realized I was missing a few issues / minis that tied into the series. So thanks to the fine folks at mycomicshop.com I picked up a few issues - The MISTER E 4 issue mini - I read this yesterday, pretty enjoyable!  the two Children's Crusade annuals, plus the Arcana / Books Of Magic annual. I had read these before, and re-reading them was a pleasure. I really like those kid detective ghosts  A couple of other things I got but have not read yet include the 3 Vertigo Winter's Edge specials that have Tim Hunter in them  I also picked up the 4 issue Books of Faerie Molly's Story - I love the character as written by John Ney Rieber and have never read these before so I'm really looking forward to digging into them later today.  |
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Post by berkley on May 13, 2020 21:07:32 GMT -5
I think the most I ever paid was around $25 to $30 for Werewolf by Night #32, the first Moon Knight appearance. I had read #33 back in the day but had never seen the first issue of that 2-part story. There was also an issue of the Kirby/Lee Thor run that I had been having trouble finding for years and thus overpaid for when I saw it once in at a small comics show. I forget which issue it was but I think it was around that same price. I'm glad I have them now, but I do remember feeling very conflicted paying that much for a single back-issue at the time, in both cases.
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