Fun with eBay! Action Comics #1 edition (it's really real!)

I stumbled upon this through Mike Sterling's Progressive Ruin, and thought I'd share.

Over at eBay a copy of Action Comics number one is up for auction. Yes, Action #1, the holy grail of superhero comics. Check it out for yourself.

The item description reads as follows:

"This is a real edition of Action  Comics number one it has been certified and includes a certificate of Authenticity that is included in the sealed edition of the comic. I did not want to part with this but current economic conditions dictate that I have to sell it off. Again this is a real edition not a fake."

And here is the picture that ran with the auction:

 

EBay Action 1

The opening bid is $50,000. There as of yet been no takers and there is a day left in the auction. Why is this? I think I can explain:

• The picture is either a stock photo of Action #1 or this guy has a pristine mint copy of the book. Or this is one of the numerous (and considerably less valuable) reprint copies that are floating around. I'd vote for either 1 or 3 because if it is a copy of the 1938 Action #1, he wouldn't have to put it on eBay. I know one dealer that offers $1 millon dollars for a near mint Action #1.
• There is no condition whatsoever in the description. According to Overstreet, $50,000 would put you between Good and Very Good on the grading scale. But no one will be willing to pay a penny for it before knowing what dings and dents the book has.Let alone 50K.
• He says it has been certified. By whom? If it's by CGC or perhaps a major comic dealer, being certified might mean something. Certified by his mom or the guy who owns the flea market that he bought it from is another thing entirely.
• It may not be a fake, but that doesn't mean its real. Real in the sense that it was from 1938. This is one of the most reprinted books in the history of comics. Some reprints are almost indistinguishable from the original. Many, non-savvy buyers think they are buying the "real" 1938 Action #1 when they really are buying a reprint.
• The whole "economic conditions dictate that I must part with it" thing is classic eBay hucksterism. Actually, it's classic general overall hucksterism. The "I'd keep it for myself but I need the money" ploy has been used to enhance the value of less-than-what-they-say-it's-worth items since the dawn of time.
• While the seller does have a 100% Positive feedback score, he only 9 feedbacks from 5 different eBay-ers, all for stuff he bought. All from 2005-2006. So, no feedback for anything he sold. (And one of the sellers who left him feedback was Mile High Comics, so this doofus should know what a comic book auction should look like.)

This all adds up to an auction that smells fishier than the dumpster in back of a sushi restaurant in summer. Is there a possiblility that this auction is legit? Yes. But this kind of item would only attract serious collectors. And serious collectors are familiar with eBay and expect certain conditions from any eBay auctions  (i.e. multiple pictures of the actual item, accurate description of the condition of the item, information on who certified the item, etc).

I am tempted to e-mail this doofus and ask to see pictures of the item. But I'd figure since this item obviously won't sell that would open me up to e-mails from him trying to do the hard sell for me. I'm sure the "my kid needs new shoes/braces/is in the hospital" ploy would follow soon after!   

Various and sundry news and notes

I know I havent been posting here all that often. I have been really busy with the holiday, X-Mas shopping and making plans to go back to college. I finally have time to blog today, so instead of posting 15 posts, I'll try to sum up as much as I can here.

 

1. Another reason for me to love R.E.M.: It appears that Peter Buck once worked in a comic books store:

450-buckwuxtry

Yay! I came across this picture through Pop Candy (I think) and it must be from the 1970s, judging on the comics listed. Cool!

2. Bionic Woman, Cancelled?: Rumor is yes. My verdict: mostly good cast, poor execution. I'm not going to miss it.

3. I support the WGA Strike: As much as I am bummed that the Daily Show, Colbert Report and Late Show are in reruns for the last month, I support the writers in this strike. They get .04 out of every $20 DVD sold. They want a boost to .08--and a piece of the internet profits. Since a DVD cost only .50 to produce, I think the studios can afford it. 

4. Fun with eBay: I like looking and the mixed lots in comic books. Mainly because every week there are lots with thousands of books from trhe Silver Age--including key issues--that I like to look at and think "One day, when I'm a multi-millionaire, I will bid on this auction." But occasionally, this category features unintentional humor. Mainly from people who luck into a box of comics, have no idea what they are worth, but think they are worth a fortune. Back in October I came across this auction titled only "Lot of comic books". The starting price was $500. This item description was as follows: "Mixed Lot of Comic Books dated mid 70's through mid 90's.  9 boxes total.  Please contact seller with any questions. " Better yet, here is the photo they ran with the auction:

Ebay picture

So, they don't list what comics are in the lot, except to say they come from the 70's (which might mean they have some value) to the 90's (which are pretty much worthless) without saying how many books are in each decade even, and the picture shows a two boxes of yellowed comics crammed into two random cardboard boxes, and the comics that are bagged appear to be in Ziploc bags, not exactly condusive to protecting the books, and the expect $500 for it? Naturally, it didn't sell.

5. Mephisto offers Peter Parker a deal: I get my comics on a monthly basis, but from what I read on the internet, in this week's Sensational Spider-Man, Mephisto offers to make Aunt May healthy in exchange for Peter''s marriage. And from what little we've seen of the Brand New Day, it appears he takes it.

A lot of fuss has been made about the ending of the marriage, the reasons behind it, and what it all means, but I feel a lot of people are missing a very important point. Spider-Man, all-around good guy, idol of millions, image on thousands of kids toys and clothing, is presumably aboput to accept a deal from Marvel's version of Satan. Think about that for a second. All we need is for a televangelist to seize upon this on a slow news day and this will become 1954 all over again. I am not the most religious man, but if this goes through, Marvel should be prepared for the consequences.

 

I Pray for Karma: I just got sniped.

So, I just got sniped on an eBay auction I was bidding on: Hembeck illo: Avengers Chorus Line.

Now, I bid only as much as I was willing to pay. And while I dug the sketch, and it would have been the first piece of original art I would have ever owned, I really am not going to kill myself now that I have been sniped out of getting it. But it still rankles me.

The D-Bag that outbid me had put his bid in at 7 seconds before the auction ended. SEVEN SECONDS! I mean, who does that? What was he thinking? What is the mindset of an eBay sniper? Does he think he accomplished something? That he established his eBay superiority? Yes, he won the auction and he owns the artwork, but really, Mr. jet_blaq, if you put that bid in an hour earlier, you still would have gotten the piece. At the same price, I'd imagine 

I hope whoever covers karma as it relates to sniping returns mr. jet_blaq's sniping back upon him tenfold. Better yet, I hope that the next time he tries to snipe, his computer crashes and permanently dies right before the bid goes on. And it just might happen, because karma is a harsh mistress.

In the meantime, I have contacted Mr. Hembeck himself to see if I can commisson the exact same piece from him directly. Try to snipe me then, Mr. jet_blaq!

(Yes, I am slowly growing into a bitter old man. Thank god I have Jen or else it would be twenty cats and yelling to kids to get off my lawn in my future.)