3/30/20: Greg’s Corner #1

In an effort to have my dad (Greg) share some of his stories from his 30+ years in the comic business and his current opinions on the comic market, I asked him if he would be interested in doing a sort of blog for the website. I’m not sure how long these will continue or how often they will be posted, but I would be remiss if some of these weren’t shared with the many customers who have asked for such stories over the years. The first is a response to our current situation as a comic community, and answers some of the questions he has been receiving over the past few weeks. I hope you enjoy.

-Austin

 

Hi everyone,

   I hope this blog finds you and your families well. First and foremost keep yourselves, your family, and your friends safe. I’ve been shocked by reports of crowds gathering in neighborhoods, kids from multiple households playing together in close proximity, etc.
 
Here’s my one and only PSA: Stay 6’ away from everyone other than members of your immediate household!
I’ve been getting quite a few phone calls, texts, and emails these last few weeks so I thought I’d write about some of the more frequent questions I’ve been getting.
How is the comic market?
The initial reaction to the covid-19 pandemic and its subsequent effect on the stock market was a near total shutdown in orders as folks tried to absorb what was happening around them. Within a few days we saw online business begin to pick up but have not seen high dollar transactions return to the levels they were just a couple of months ago. That said there have been a few bigger ticket sales in the last week so that is a welcome trend. All of this is understandable given the fluidity of the situation. The comic market has absorbed shocks before and has been proven over time to be quite resilient and a nice defensive play in uncertain times (as have many hard assets). If you can my advice is to stay the course, hold on to your better material, and even add a book or two as there will no doubt be buying opportunities in the next few months.
How do you think this will play out/when can we get back to normal?:
 It’d be very difficult to guess exact dates but however long it takes us to get through it I believe the comic book market will come through the other side and thrive once again, especially A level material. If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say the best shot at the next national show would be the Heroes Convention in Charlotte, NC (6/19/20-6/21/20)
Are you guys still buying?:
Yes we are! Please send a list of the books and video games you have for sale along with your asking price.
I can’t wait to get back on the show floor and buy, sell, trade and just talk comics and video games. Speaking of video games, stand by for the launch of our WATA video games section of our website coming very soon! During these difficult times regularly count your blessings, continue to stay safe, and I’ll see you at a show soon.

Be well,

Greg