I was thinking about the GenCon auction over the weekend, about whether you can expect more or less than if you placed the item on ebay. On one hand, you have a room full of serious collectors, all with pockets full of cash who are all sure to be disappointed if there go home empty handed. You get the live atmosphere, and the chance of people getting caught up in the moment and bidding more than they planned.



On the other hand, that unique, rare, expensive item you've brough to sell has a lot of competition - looking at the list above, something that would be rare if placed on ebay may look decidedly commonplace in the auction room, compared to all the other gems.



There are a number of items in Frank's list that probably went for higher cash than if they'd been on ebay. But for Burntwire's items, I would have thought he'd get more, especially for the Dragnlance stuff. $200 was a steal for that lot.



Either way, I deliberately did a much more thorough search than usual on ebay over the last weekend, looking for stuff that may slip through unnoticed or for a good price, while the regular big spenders were in Indianapolis. Unfortunately I didn't grab anything worthy of inclusion on the Fun Finds thread.



Regards



Mike

There are two notable factors influencing matters in this regard.



One is that some of y'all do this is a business. You have overhead to cover, mouths to feed, all that. I'm not knocking capitalism, I have a bakery m'self (2 stores, 20 employees). But when you consider Best Price as the only factor you're doing the hobby a disservice, imho.



The second factor is of course that at my auctions you're selling to a core gamer audience. Sure there are some resellers, but you can spot 'em fast and then grab deals for a little more than their maxima, once they factor in their markup etc.



While some of the rares we get do better at GenCon because of our reputation/integrity/duration (this was my 23rd year), and the focused gamer/collectors I attract, other rares -- most of them, bluntly -- will do better on the world market, i.e. eBay.



For sellers who want to keep it within the core participatory hobby gamers, who take the time and trouble to go to GenCon and actively support our prime pastime, it's more important to Give Back in that small way, at the cost of a few bucks perhaps, than to chase the money all the time.



I only ask that you keep this in mind as you decide which way to route items, to me or eB. Of COURSE money is a major factor, as noted above; we can't afford to let everything go cheap at the con and turn our backs on the far bigger money from outside. But if you're making your nut (as they say), try and toss us a couple o' bones. ;>



One last thing for now -- talk to your taxdude. Auction prices, whether mine or eBay, are a recognized measure of current Market Value for a piece. If I can get this NAGA thing set up right (North American Game Archives), you could donate a rare and write off a tidy chunk, based on the proven market value. And then it would be saved forever, not tucked away in a dragon's hoard.  'nuff said.



Frank Mentzer

[email protected]

http://www.TheBakersHouse.com (sorry, no SSL certif yet)

ExTSR wrote:
For sellers who want to keep it within the core participatory hobby gamers, who take the time and trouble to go to GenCon and actively support our prime pastime, it's more important to Give Back in that small way, at the cost of a few bucks perhaps, than to chase the money all the time.



Frank Mentzer

[email protected]

http://www.TheBakersHouse.com (sorry, no SSL certif yet)

i would just love to go and soak up the atmosphere. i buy and sell some things, but keep others for me for now, then my kids when i am no longer here. if i went through all the trouble of going appx 5000 miles to gen con, you can rest assured that whatever i get my hands on, wont be passed to others. it will remind me of a remarkable experience!



so the plan goes on to trying to attend next year.



Al

I couldn't make it.  Next year, I hope.

harami2000 wrote:How many more orange B3s does he have to go, then?

Just have my 1 shrink'd 1 open. Again, keepers. Back in the '80s-'90s there was a former TSR employee who had grabbed a whole case when they were recalled, and those dribbled out, but he's keeping the ones he has left, too (not many, iirc).



F

Well, in this case it's the NIPI grudge match.



Gary got forced out in '85 by the internal hostile takeover, when LW bought out the Blumes and 'retired' him.



Kim Mohan & I left TSR in '86 to start New Infinities with Gary. LW sued at 1st opportunity and kept paying lawyers until we ran outta money. In the long run she ran out, too, due to many follies.



While that was going on, she had Gary & I written out of TSR history as best she could (a sudden and distinct change in credits for various products), shredded most of Gary's books and manuscripts & maps, and destroyed all the remaining "R" modules and other early RPGA items.



I at least rescued a lot of original artwork & mss and sold 'em at the 1986 GenCon auction before I walked out. Somebody oughta track down the estate & assets of one guy who bought most of it (now deceased), one Steve Glimpse, an RPGA master player at the time.



LW didn't like us. We didn't like her. So it goes...



Nowadays I usually call her simply "The PoG" (Person Ousting Gygax), preferring to condemn her to oblivion instead of perpetuating the name in infamy.

ExTSR wrote:
LW didn't like us. We didn't like her. So it goes...



Nowadays I usually call her simply "The PoG" (Person Ousting Gygax), preferring to condemn her to oblivion instead of perpetuating the name in infamy.

very typical of many similar moments in history and such a shame. what an awful waste eh? all that money basically went everywhere else but the place it should have been invested in.



if that isnt a point of how wasteful politics can be, i dont know of anything else that is.



i tell you Frank, i dont envy you and Gary having had to go through all that.



Alan

MShipley88 wrote:Frank, (I feel like I should say, "Mr. Mentzer") was the PoG really trying to be personally vindictive, or did she have some business reason for destroying stock?

If anybody starts with "Mr." crap then I won't answer further questions from them. I'm a gamer, man.



There are always alleged business reasons... like the PoG really needed the 40 square feet of warehouse space the skids took up (1% or less of the place). Riiiiiight.... It was simply vengeance.

*blows around in hurricane*  :lol:  :lol: