But your prob right
But your prob right
HELP ME FIND
Insomnia #459
ANY S/L #459
I'm hoping for 2500 but 3500 wouldn't surprise me, though I hate saying it because I don't want to encourage high pricing.
So am I a flipper or providing a valuable service for member on the forum:
On california book day - a new story by Neil Gaiman was published in a HC - first and only time it will be published as a stand alone. Only sold in 93 CA bookstores one one single day. After that - any unsold the following day are shipped back to publisher - never to be seen again. So I call around to local bookstores and I find one that has 9 copies. It is near the end of the day - and they are able to sell me all 9 copies - which i gladly buy. I then turn around and offer the books to everyone here first - and make about $5-10 per book on my end (less after you consider packing materials, etc - but i never include that kinda stuff). Now whatever is left after these books sell - I then put up on ebay for a slightly higher profit - to cover the rest of the books that i purchased from that indie bookstore. Most copies sell here - but a few go up on the bay.
So where does that put me in this stream of logic?
Wanted:
Gunslinger s/l #344
Drawing of The Three s/l #344
“A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.” Wayne Gretzky
Last. Or second last now 'cos I just posted.Originally Posted by cit74
"A real limited edition, far from being an expensive autograph stapled to a novel, is a treasure. And like all treasures do, it transforms the responsible owner into a caretaker, and being a caretaker of something as fragile and easily destroyed as ideas and images is not a bad thing but a good one...and so is the re-evaluation of what books are and what they do that necessarily follows." - Stephen King
Thank youLast. Or second last now 'cos I just posted.
Wanted:
Gunslinger s/l #344
Drawing of The Three s/l #344
“A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.” Wayne Gretzky
And isn't the venue restriction more to avoid the sale of fake tickets?It is not illegal in the US. It is perfectly legal almost everywhere in the US except at the venue.
Thankee sai, u dirty flipper!
Wanted
CD Carrie Portfolio 719
Dark Tower S/N LE's 171 or 203
ANY Stephen King S/N LE #171 or 719
A Storm of Swords #218 or 346
Ancillary Justice #455
American Gods (+ SC Reader copy) #624
Michael Whelan original art
DT VII: Michael Whelan Remarque
LOL - Chad you are awesome. Period. And who cares if people want to sell their books or get lucky and pick up all the copies. It's a free country - do what you like as long as it doesn't hurt anyone. Ok I'm backing out of this thread now
Wanted: Human skin edition of The Book of the Dead. Will accept PC copy.
I wish I hadn't come so late to this discussion - it would have been fun getting involved when emotions were at their hottest. Hopefully, I can throw some gasoline on the fire!
I have - scalped tickets. I have been the guy standing outside a venue buying and selling tickets yelling "got two, need two." I made the money because I would walk up to somebody and say, "hey, you got an extra? I'll pay you $10!" bought the ticket, and then immediately turned to a guy next to me - who was not brave enough to do the same thing - and said "I'll sell this for $20."
I have also scalped tickets by buying at the onsale and then reselling at a sizable profit later on.
I have also LOST money when the interest in the event did not match up with what I expected.
I have flipped books - in 1998, Grant posted to their website that they had found four copies of the Desperation s/l in their warehouse. I drove there, paid cash for all four of them, and Robert asked if I was going to sell three, and keep one, and I said "yes, obviously."
I have bought two or more copies of a book deliberately so I could resell one copy to offset the costs of my personal copy (many of which I resold too).
I have used multiple credit cards going to different addresses to maximise my ability to buy more copies than I should have been allowed.
I cornered the market on the Transgressions s/l a few years ago - there were 200 copies, and I got 20 of them by dealing with a guy who knew a guy. This was a disaster as the value of that s/l never got to what I expected!
It's work - you buy them, you outlay money on a credit card, you deal with packing and shipping and postage and ebay fees and paypal fees and buyers who renege on the deal and complain about condition or books that don't hold their value. It's not "free" money, or free time - it took a lot of effort, and finally I gave up on it. It just wasn't worth all the effort I was putting in, for what amounts to a few hundred bucks here and there.
There is NO question that if you get frozen out an S/L onsale, you will feel pretty sore toward the guy (like me) who got 2-3 copies by skirting the purchase limits, etc. That's just too bad - that's the way the system works. I wouldn't like it either - and I didn't like it, when I was the one getting froze out of a purchase.
The reason that SK limiteds are fun to collect is that it is a "living" market - the wheeling and dealing is part of the fun. Otherwise, you're just buying a book and that's no fun.
In fact, if you want to be legitimately angry at flippers/scalpers for a REAL reason, be upset that thanks to ebay sales, etc (and sites like this), the publishers figured out what their books are ACTUALLY worth - and we're not paying $175 for limited editions anymore. That's why lettered ediitions are so crazy expensive, and even "normal" s/ls are so pricey - and why I've found it's not as much fun to collect anymore. Back 10 years ago, the whole fun of it was horsetrading with everybody.
Now, even with the Shining s/l - if you really tried to get it, you could have gotten it from the publisher - if you didn't, it's because you screwed around. Like I said, there's no fun in that - that's not "collecting," it's "purchasing," and it's not the same thing.
Same problem with tickets - years and years, concerts and sports were pretty cheap, but thanks to the transparency of the internet, they figured out the real value of their product and now it's sky-high priced...so THAT is what you can blame the flippers for, not that a couple books sold out before you put your order in.
(Also - "scalping" is pretty much legal or ignored, everywhere. What IS often illegal is "peddling," which is what you're doing when you try to buy/sell at the venue.
But look at StubHub - which is partnered with most sports leagues - and you'll see that "scalping" or reselling for a profit, is totally legal - it's just all businesslike, as opposed to the stereotypical street scalper we've all seen at one time or another)
Chad, that is NOT flipping, no matter what Frankie says.
John
Frankie Say 'Relax'...
...Don't do it!
"A real limited edition, far from being an expensive autograph stapled to a novel, is a treasure. And like all treasures do, it transforms the responsible owner into a caretaker, and being a caretaker of something as fragile and easily destroyed as ideas and images is not a bad thing but a good one...and so is the re-evaluation of what books are and what they do that necessarily follows." - Stephen King
You are absolutely correct. If you eventually sell your collection then you would be obligated to pay the appropriate taxes, if any.
For those who specifically "flip" books rather than collect them there would likely be taxes due each year.
"One day you're going to figure out that everything they taught you was a lie."
I did not say that it is legal everywhere. There are local laws and state statutes that restrict certain activities. I think eBay was erring on the side of caution.I was illegal at one time. When Ebay first came out, lots of people were selling useless crap like pencils or baseballs for 100’s of dollars and then they would throw in the tickets to the event for “free” to get around the scalping laws.It is not illegal in the US. It is perfectly legal almost everywhere in the US except at the venue.
"One day you're going to figure out that everything they taught you was a lie."
Where did I say it was flipping?
I think I get it now. It seems that what you actually dislike is the market economy. You don't like the intent to make a profit. You don't like the secondary market if the intent is to make a profit. You don't like arbitrage.
I'm actually somewhat in agreement. I don't necessarily like the market economy either. It is the economy we have though. I quit letting it bother me much long ago.
I don't know of anyone who is solely a "flipper" as you describe. One that does nothing. I suppose they exist. No one on this site seems to fit that description.
"One day you're going to figure out that everything they taught you was a lie."
You must be a seller...
You must be a buyer.
"One day you're going to figure out that everything they taught you was a lie."
Buy book from PS: 60 seconds?
Get book, open package, take pictures, put back in package: 3 minutes?
Place ebay ad: 3 minutes?
Drop package off at the PO after it sells: 5 minutes?
Not really seeing the "lot of effort". Doing things like scouring bookstores and flea markets and garage sales and Goodwills (or even eBay) for books to flip can be a lot of effort. And some risk. Which is why I don't have a problem with that. Through your time and work you were able to make a profit. Great. Flipping Carrie isn't going to require any real time, or work, or likely (from what others have said in other threads) any risk.
Not wanting to "feel sore" and not wanting to make others "feel sore" seems like a pretty legitimate reason to dislike the practice to me.There is NO question that if you get frozen out an S/L onsale, you will feel pretty sore toward the guy (like me) who got 2-3 copies by skirting the purchase limits, etc.
I agree. But I don't think every book is like that.Now, even with the Shining s/l - if you really tried to get it, you could have gotten it from the publisher - if you didn't, it's because you screwed around.
The market, and hence wheeling and dealing, and hence fun, would still exist without flipping. I'm specifically talking about new books bought at list solely to flip for a profit. Me selling an SL The Stand to Betts because I don't want to hassle with selling it and him making 20% off me isn't flipping. I'm effectively paying him to sell the book for me, and there's obviously nothing wrong with that. I don't think anyone here considers that flipping, though there are a few people that want to think that I consider it flipping, and want to think that they're exactly the same thing, which I obviously disagree with.The reason that SK limiteds are fun to collect is that it is a "living" market - the wheeling and dealing is part of the fun. Otherwise, you're just buying a book and that's no fun.
Why can't we blame them for a couple books selling out before we put our order in? I don't see why we can't blame them for both.so THAT is what you can blame the flippers for, not that a couple books sold out before you put your order in.
I should have said "what Frankie WOULD say".Where did I say it was flipping?
John
So if I bought two copies and sold one for twice the cover price in order to cover the costs of my order its okay but if I sold both its not correct? Also if I buy a book and immediately flip it and use some of the money to put away for my nephew with muscular dystrophy would that be okay? I'm being completely serious Frankie and that is why it bothers me that you would judge it wrong to do something like sell a book I pay for. You don't know what my reasoning is behind trying to make a profit.
T-Bagz... Wow that's original! Did you think of that all on your own or did you need some help? LOL!!!!The funny thing about this whole debate is the book that started it I probably won't even be able to afford. I'd like to be able to but I have a feeling the price is going to be insane and not worth it (watch T-Bagz fly in to refute this
Then you obviously know the price of everything and the value of nothing...
Judging by how awesome the Lettered Edition of Carrie sounds, I think it will cost more than $3,500 and it will be closer to 4K.
Good luck buying and flipping that!
If you want to flip something, I suggest you flip me a burger... You're better suited to that! LOL!!!!
Closer. But I love the intent to make a profit. What I dislike is the intent to make a profit for doing nothing (or so very little that it might as well be nothing). Like I said, this doesn't just apply to books, and it doesn't just apply to flipping. It dislike it in any situation I can think of that it occurs in.I think I get it now. It seems that what you actually dislike is the market economy. You don't like the intent to make a profit.
And not even just doing nothing. Doing something, but something that I consider to be essentially valueless to society, would also fall qualify. IMO most or even possibly all Multi Level Marketing schemes would probably fall into this category. I am sure that I will now be figuratively pilloried for my personal insults against the no doubt numerous MLMers that exist on this site.
I don't mean someone who's sole means of income is flipping. They may be making a million bucks a year at an amazingly valuable job, I'm just talking about the flipping.I don't know of anyone who is solely a "flipper" as you describe. One that does nothing. I suppose they exist. No one on this site seems to fit that description.
HHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHA That is classic. Too funny.You must be a seller...
You must be a buyer.
HELP ME FIND
Insomnia #459
ANY S/L #459
Enough, please. Stop that kind of comments.If you want to flip something, I suggest you flip me a burger... You're better suited to that! LOL!!!!
Wanted list:
Ubris
[QUOTE=jhanic;850073]I don't necessarily think it was flipping. It was a unique situation, and not the same as what we're talking about with Carrie. It's quite likely that what he didn't didn't "put out" a single collector, whereas with Carrie you most definitely are.Where did I say it was flipping?
Not to me it isn't, not sure where you got that idea. Just because you kept one doesn't change the fact that you flipped one.
Now who's appealing to emotion?Also if I buy a book and immediately flip it and use some of the money to put away for my nephew with muscular dystrophy would that be okay?
I'd do something I found objectionable if I felt I really needed to or that the ends justified the means. But I also wouldn't tell myself that the act I was committing wasn't still objectionable. If I gotta steal bread to feed my family I'll do it. But I'm not going to tell myself that stealing bread is good. I'm going to tell myself that stealing bread is bad, but that I had to do it.I'm being completely serious Frankie and that is why it bothers me that you would judge it wrong to do something like sell a book I pay for. You don't know what my reasoning is behind trying to make a profit.
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