Well, market determines “value”….so if everyone is paying 10% the price of a 9.8, then that’s what it’s “worth.”
But I’m a big advocate of buying 9.6 for the PC, and selling 9.8 because people seem to think the number on the label really means it’s better than any 9.6.
I’ll go deeper. For PC I’ll buy 9.4, 9.2, 9.0 to save a Buck.
I prefer 9.8’s when the ratio makes sense.
Like Strange Academy Cover A First Print. That book sells raw or in 9.6 for typically around $125-$175.
That’s a 2-2.5 ratio. It makes sense to grab the 9.8 for this book, especially when you consider the book has been out for almost 3 years now and most gradable copies have probably already been graded. Total census with SS copies is right at 2,000.
But I totally agree with you for a book like ASM 361. Over 6,000 9.8’s exist for this book, and before the crash it was selling at a ratio of 4-6 times. Much better off getting the 9.6 for this one.
But all the cool kids say you HAVE to own a 9.8 or you can’t be cool like them 
The other thing I do is buy 9.6 CBCS because id say there’s a 50-50 chance they would grade 9.8 if CPR’d to CGC.
And even if they stay 9.6, you’re likely still getting whatever you invested as cgc will command a 10-20% higher price anyway.
It’s a no lose situation. Wish I’d follow my own advice.
I’m now making it a point to revisit a couple of the places I passed on because they loved to use eBay as their price guide. Live by the sword:die by the sword.
A pocket of cash at a small local con with new, “need the money” sellers is now really powerful.
I’m not a big seller but set up a con in my area last year and noticed the price to be a vendor has tripled this year!!! Crazy. No thanks.
I took a bunch of absolute trash books, FCBD yes, 10 cent bin books, stuff I had gotten from collections and just threw into a long box and sent it with my mom to a flea market she was doing. Sold them for 25 cents a book. someone came buy and bought the box. I was happy to get them out of the house.
Need to be original stories (or released before the single issues), and need grading companies to come up with a means to slab them.
I used to buy the original hard cover releases before they would release the soft covers. I figured they’d command a higher price if I had to sell…not really the case except for low printed volumes.
Unfortunately I can see the difference in a 9.2/9.4 and a 9.6/9.8. For moderns I’d rather keep it floppy and free to read it.
For older expensive books I’m more flexible.
It is definitely a head scratcher. That extra .2 is most times ridiculously higher than a 9.6.
Yep, I’m a 9.6 person myself. Life isn’t perfect, I certainly am not, and neither are my comics.
I only buy 9.9 and 10, I say! PERFECTION!
Kidding, of course.
Not to mention all the other 9.6 keys you can afford for the pc by not buying one 9.8.
I have no issues buying lower grade books. It’s sometimes all one can afford. I’m still buying like a crazed person though My focus has shifted to picking up more Silver, Bronze & Copper Age keys. Still picking up Modern Newsstands as well.
I am picking up the highest grade silver and gold issues I can.
People buying slabs with a label and not the actual comic inside, that’s the problem.
I don’t know that it would be a different outcome regardless of the economy as I believe the cost of comics has gotten out of hand but…
Yesterday I bought one of the plastic BCW comic bins off a local mom via FB marketplace. Brand new/unused for $10 was pretty good. She told me her younger son was collecting comics because it was just to expensive of a hobby.
Makes me sad as back when I was a kiddo, the entire point of comics (and cards) were that they were hobbies/fun things that virtually any child could somehow get ahold of a bit of money to buy the stuff/collect.
There is a bigger problem than $6+ books. It’s the need to buy stuff that other people push or other people want. There are a bunch of collectors that buy books they never read or actually care about. That’s why this hobby can be expensive. Buy what you like or eventually quit collecting comics.
Did you mean to say cards and not comics?
Card collecting for kids is dead. Even in a strong economy. Has been for a long time. Check out the cost of packs to see what I’m referring to.
Comics, for the most part, are still $3.99. Comics are still extremely accessible for kids.
The comic hobby will reap long-term rewards for keeping the hobby financially accessible.
I suppose every child and their (their parents) access to funds is different of course. I see very few youngsters shopping in comic stores around here…almost never. I will continue to believe that the cost is a big factor. What would be a realistic amount for a youngster to “spend” a month on comic books then if they chose to “collect” them?
Yes, they may be accessible, but I don’t agree that they are a something that is affordable for the average child outside of buying an issue or two here and there.
I guess it also depends on the definition of collecting and the desire of the youngster/collector. As a child, if I were only able to buy one or two comic books with my allowance or money I earned from mowing lawns I would have given up pretty quickly on the hobby. Sure times, change, but I don’t believe the costs of comics relative to the funds most kids have available to spend on comics has remained consistent whatsoever.
I’m fine if folks disagree with me…I see both sides. I just don’t see many kids buying comics or digging through boxes at shows as a personal observation.