Smoking crack and selling Megos @ Motor City Con Rant

[timb]

Just curious if any of you attended/will attend Motor City Comic con in Detroit this weekend. For the past 2 years that I've gone, and for 2 years, the same people have had the same Megos...to the best of my recollection, the exact same Megos at the same Crack smoking prices.

A carded Hulk for something like $695??? Pocket spiderman loose for $39? A loose Mr. Mxy for like $120??? Just curious if anyone found anything megoy for a reasonable price.

You don't even consider the possibility of bartering when the prices are so out of sync with reality.

Makes me wonder if these people want to actually sell something, or just have a traveling museum.

I get so use to Ebay prices and Museum prices that when I go to these things I nearly fall off my rocker at the insane price tags.

Ok, sorry for the rant: )

-T

[SlipperyLilSuckers]

Thanks for making me feel soooooo much better that I can't go!

[timb]

HA! I'm glad my rant served some purpose: )

[mrwisker]

trying to mug for prices on those items is not uncommon.
Quite a few of those dealers double, or even triple their prices just for the cons.
The premis behind that is that you get the guy with deap pockets and completly clueless that sees something that He had as a kid and just has to have it.
Yet again, I've been collecting for 10+ years now, and there are some dealers out there that "still" have the same Megos and toys they had back then.
My guess is that they over paid or remember the good old days before ebay and internet.

[kryptosmaster]

Well if it makes you feel any better I've seen similar prices for stuff like that on ebay. Maybe it's the same sellers? LOL
That stuff never sells either. They just keep relisting and relisting and relisting hoping some sucker will bite.
They NEVER take offers, either. Most of the time if you even ask they are rude so who'd want to deal with people like that anyway?
Rich

Oh, and as for dealers at shows doubling/tripling their prices? That is true. I've known a few comic shop owners who go to shows and they do exactly that. Not sure if it's the "sucker" factor or that they feel the market will bear the higher prices or maybe it's partially a tactic so that they can look like they are giving a smoking deal by discounting the already inflated price? Even if they told a guy 1/2 off they'd still make what they would've sold it for in their store. So it's win-win.

[Zemo]

Is Detroit still there? The image of Escape from New York always come to mind.

[SeattleEd]

^^ Yeah, no doubt. Been hearing from friends that Detroit is a wasteland. Stay away. One of the worst places to live right now.
I assume they have been hit hard by the down turn of the economy.

[palitoy]

There are a few nuts at every show. I've seen some of the same toys there for eight years, I actually know the dealers from their toys.

However, today i finally did the smart move of asking the guy who never uses price tags how much stuff was and to my surprise he was reasonable. I spend like 150 with him and I wished I'd asked two years back.

[Meule]

However, today i finally did the smart move of asking the guy who never uses price tags how much stuff was and to my surprise he was reasonable. I spend like 150 with him and I wished I'd asked two years back.

I'm the same, no price tags and I just move along. Maybe I oughta start asking questions too.

[palitoy]

I'm the same, no price tags and I just move along. Maybe I oughta start asking questions too.

Seriously, I am changing my ways. I have been staring at some of that stuff for years and I missed a few really nice items.

[callistofreak]

The cash those guys pay for tables, gas, hotel, food, woman, boze ..... ect.
Really adds up, so they mark everything up to nose bleed levels.
And hope to bring home enough cash, so the wife will let them keep playing with all this crap (wifes word, not mine).

[huedell]

palitoy/Meule---certainly ask those guys what's up....to me, "no price tag"
means: "I'm open to suggestions."

[mrwisker]

"no price tag".....I can shed some light on that one.
The price tag is the difference between a show and a sale.
The difference between a show and a sale...taxes
Hard to believe....some dealers don't pay taxes on what they sell at the shows. If a tax man attends the show, and there are no price tags, it's only a "show"...you get the drift.
Not to mention that different people get different prices (for whatever reasons) and it's easier to make up a price on the fly. Some dealers also give prices according to whatever "book they get their information out of and don't want to commit to a price until they are ready to make a deal.