All Poster Forum
Common Poster Subjects => Auction House, Dealer & Other Seller Experiences => Topic started by: Crazy Vick on December 17, 2019, 07:09:44 PM
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http://www.emovieposter.com/learnmore/?page=consign_major#biweekly
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http://www.emovieposter.com/learnmore/?page=consign_major#biweekly
Scroll to bottom - bi-weekly auctions as of Jan. 1
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I think it makes perfect sense. I usually check Bruce's auctions right before the auction (I haven't even checked today's yet), and it's a lot of wasted time to go through all these low cost posters, so I like this decision. Ebay is perfect for small items, not auction houses.
T
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It's just so amazing that you can sell 1.2 million items that you LOSE money on and still remain in business.
I'm not sure there are any businesses other than publicly traded companies that operate in such a manner.
Definitely agree with Bruce that everyone will benefit and say they wish he had done this years ago.
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I'm still processing what it will mean and I can't fault Bruce for the change if it makes sense for him business-wise and personally. Having said that, as both a buyer and consignor it's not all good. As a buyer (and I imagine it will be the same for many international buyers) its unlikely I will be able to keeping purchasing niche items for my collection at an affordable price. First of all his defacto reducing the auctions by half means they will auction higher quality items with more eyeballs competing for them because there is less opportunity to do so. Take folded one sheets which are auctioned every 6-8 weeks; it will mean a folded one sheet auction schedule closer to the 3-4 month mark. So obviously only the best titles will make it in, everything else will go to bulk. So my other option will be to "find" folded one sheets I actually want, amidst bi-monthly "bulk" lots full of stuff I don't want. The shipping will also be killer for me if I was to get one of those bulk lots, not to mention he will be "mixing" different types of bulk items from consignors, which from a shipping perspective is just brutal. Right now I suspect there are little to no international buyers who can afford bulk lots and those auctions are non-starters. Also, what will this mean for pay and hold? Will it still be 8 weeks or, since there are half as many auctions, will I be able to pay and hold for 16 weeks instead?
Also as a consignor i find especially items that EMP has seldom or never sold (no history) its hard to determine whether a poster will make less or more than $20. Its not that easy, as we all know, hence the thread on OMG WTF LOL. Some posters sell surprisingly high (good for consignor!) while others you were expecting good money, and they go for shit. Ultimately i think everytime a poster is deemed not to be worth approx $20 by EMP it will devalue that poster whether or not it ever gets an opportunity to be put on the block. It will make zero sense for a consignor to take that risk because those bulk lots will go for way too cheap and i suspect consignments will go down over time (at least in numbers and diversity; e.g. international posters). EMP will become high-end like Heritage, and those unique, one of a kind, trashy posters we all love to buy and smell, even many many of he pretty good ones, will all move to the ebay crapshoot. For the 20$ + posters, because there are so few auctions it may create a backlog (for example, one sheets) and consignors will get frustrated there really good posters are taking 2-3 years to sell.
just some immediate thoughts. So for folks who collect specific and expensive titles etc I can see this not having a major effect, but for the hobby in general its not good. Bulk lots will go to US based ebay dealers, with the good posters to the deepest pockets.
I guess i probably should be spending my money more responsibly anyways.... but twas sure fun while it lasted!
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Niche items for $20 or less, I'm sure you can find them on Ebay. No need to clog Bruce's auctions with little things that not many people care about and cost him more than what they bring. I say bring in the good stuff. And 3 auctions/week was too time consuming. People have more interesting things to do that waste time on posters. I cannot tell you how much time I spent trying to connect to the internet when I should have been watching my daughter dance. I'll be happy to not have to deal with it every week anymore.
Now the real question is how to determine what's worth less than $20 and what's worth more. I constantly see posters I spent $10 on go for $100 and more because of a bidding war when they are really only worth $10 and might sell at that the next time they go around. This niche tiny little hobby of ours varies greatly and sometimes makes zero sense. So how do you determine what a poster is worth?
T
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Grief - like others, am surprised it has taken so long to arrive at this conclusion.
I always thought he should have;
1. Assigned a minimum bid of $20 for any one item - like Heritage. Or,
2. Chucked everything of lesser value, immediately into bulk lots that do Not have all the images attached. A luck dip, if you will.
Now, if someone can encourage the art of bullet pointed missives and more tightly edited club letters, still further time will be saved.
Anyway, joking aside, well done Bruce.
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just some immediate thoughts. So for folks who collect specific and expensive titles etc I can see this not having a major effect, but for the hobby in general its not good.
Disagree. I actually think it's really good for the hobby in general.
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I dont like it either, I like the cheapo's. Everything has a place.
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They'll still be there.
But you'll just have to buy 87 other titles as well.
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Disagree. I actually think it's really good for the hobby in general.
Its really good for Bruce in general...
And you can't fault him for it, he deserves it. But EMP was kind of like the indie scene of posters and now they've just signed big mainstream bands and the tickets at the door have gone up. Won't be the same. I suspect there will be more changes coming as they monitor the impacts of this one. Maybe an esthetic overhaul to the website? Heritage must be watching this closely.
No matter the type of posters you collect there's actually no benefits to this for anyone. Not having to peruse "dollar value" posters doesn't add any benefit to your life (or the hobby). Neither does cutting the annual number of auctions by half. So how is this good? On the flipside, being relegated to peruse pages of pages of ebay posters is a major downer. So is the added risk involved by purchasing from various sellers off ebay (EMP was very low risk given the expertise, guarantees and packaging etc) Also the shipping rates - now i will gave to pay 5 different shipping rates buying 5 different posters here and there, rather than the one single rate from EMP.
I also wonder what this will do for new collectors coming into the hobby who come across EMP, but may be quickly be turned off by the prices realized in their bimonthly auctions. For me on some levels EMP got me hooked on posters given they helped me grow my collection significantly. I would have gotten "burned" on ebay at the beginning there and i never would have gotten the same amount and quality of posters.
I use the term loosely but i think if you're in the 1% versus the 99% its pretty obvious to see there are no real benefits to this change.
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You know we’re not talking about posters worth thousands of dollars. A $20-$30 poster is still a cheap poster. Dale sells plenty of modern posters at that price. And if you really want a Charlie’s Angels poster, well, it’s on you.
T
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Hmmm, I'm in a quandry. A lot of my material is in the $20-50 range. The value as we all know is very dependent on who is looking that week. My fear is that if the lower value stuff goes away or gets lumped into big bulk lots, a lot of my potential buyers are going to stop showing up.
I am now at a point of my life where it is time to start shedding. I'm now retired and have sold my house. The apartment is smaller and my partner isn't thrilled about posters everywhere, so I'm only going to be able to display 8-10 of the very best. Time to start shedding, so Linda and the kids don't have to deal with them after I'm gone.
Until recently, I thought the strategy was to bundle it all up and take a drive down to Missouri. Now I'm not so sure. The ebay stories scare me, and I'm not thrilled about dealing with shipping. There are a couple of facebook groups, and I can explore doing a sale to a dealer, but frankly many won't be interested in 75% of what I have.
I certainly don't blame Bruce for what he is doing. He's getting older too, but it does leave me confused how to proceed.
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And if you really want a Charlie’s Angels poster, well, it’s on you.
you mean like this one
https://moviepostersgallery.com/poster/charlies-angels/
or this one
https://moviepostersgallery.com/poster/charlies-angels-2-full-throttle/
or this one
https://moviepostersgallery.com/poster/charlies-angels-4/
or this gem...
https://moviepostersgallery.com/poster/charlies-angels-3/
;D
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As many people as Bruce has, he shouldnt need to be involved in the day to day anymore anyway.
Maybe material is slowing down coming in?
I agree though, trimming the low end is going to trim traffic eventually and probably pretty heavily. Maybe it wont make that much difference to the bottom line, but less people will make for less anomaly price spikes as well which boosts the take week to week. Volume mid-tier was their niche. Raise the min bid from .99 to 2.99, riff some employees (sorry folks), and get the profit margin up a little.
The problem with the "get it on ebay" thought, is there are not many auctions anymore and 75% of the stuff listed has ridiculous reach for the sky prices. Its not a matter of finding it, its getting something at a realistic market price.
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Maybe material is slowing down coming in?
Possibly although they do think they have enough material to bulk lot auctions twice a month. For me the risk of having a bunch of posters just "bulked up in a lot" and then sold for not even the price the consignor paid for shipping is pretty high. Look at Jay's situation as an example.
Had EMP more strongly implemented the $20+ rule as the January 1st change - it would have been one thing. BUT combining that with HALF the amount of auctions annually, AND of those, HALF BEING BULK LOTS ONLY, its really screwing with my poster mojo.
Maybe there's an opening for someone else to step in (calling all Rich Haleguas...)
All kidding aside, we will see how it all unravels in 2020.
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you mean like this one
https://moviepostersgallery.com/poster/charlies-angels/
or this one
https://moviepostersgallery.com/poster/charlies-angels-2-full-throttle/
or this one
https://moviepostersgallery.com/poster/charlies-angels-4/
or this gem...
https://moviepostersgallery.com/poster/charlies-angels-3/
;D
Hahaha... Yes, but I bought them on Ebay. I like Kristen Stewart, leave me alone.
T
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Something I also hope Bruce will consider is to stop auctioning Good or even Good to Very Good condition modern posters (post 1985). There is no reason for any of these posters to not be in mint condition.
T
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1) the $20 poster is not going to increase in price. they have been permanently scarred
2) no, they won't be getting more consignments above $xxxx level, though because there are half as many auctions, it will look like the auctions are better, because 2 weeks of good stuff is now compressed into 1 week
3) won't be able to get the cheap stuff? Not true, you just have to bid on more bulk lots to get them, instead of buying 50 $1 listings
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If a poster sits in an auction for an another week than discovering it with 14 hours to spare, I'd probably lose interest on more of them having more time to think about it. On eBay sure it sits there but any moment someone could snatch it.
Half auctions equals a big cut to staff hours
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3) won't be able to get the cheap stuff? Not true, you just have to bid on more bulk lots to get them, instead of buying 50 $1 listings
No one collects $1 posters aside from maybe some dealers. You collect what you want/like within the scope of what you can afford.
Its unlikely any bulk lots would contain 50 x $xx posters of the kind of poster that I would be interested n to begin with. So the bulk lots don't help me at all. I've never purchased one, and I don't see it happening now. But then again, it is winter here... and the 'ol fireplace is coming online...
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No one collects $1 posters aside from maybe some dealers. You collect what you want/like within the scope of what you can afford.
Its unlikely any bulk lots would contain 50 x $xx posters of the kind of poster that I would be interested n to begin with. So the bulk lots don't help me at all. I've never purchased one, and I don't see it happening now. But then again, it is winter here... and the 'ol fireplace is coming online...
this is actually, incorrect Vick. As a dealer doing auctions, I had plenty of people who only collected posters at $1-2-3-4-5.
of course, the bulk lots will now have the $20 posters in addition to the 1-2-3-4-5 $ posters
by the way, I had a buyer with a username 12345 and he rarely bought a poster over $5. A funny week in my old auctions, was when his bill for the week came out to $123.45, which nobody could have planned
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Rich, my question remains. Given the fluctuations of prices in the hobby, how does one determine what is worth $5 and what is worth $30? The same poster can sell for both prices and beyond. How can Bruce or anyone else set a price?
T
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Rich, my question remains. Given the fluctuations of prices in the hobby, how does one determine what is worth $5 and what is worth $30? The same poster can sell for both prices and beyond. How can Bruce or anyone else set a price?
T
all you have to do is look at the records to see the price deterioration.
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More accurately price correction
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this is actually, incorrect Vick. As a dealer doing auctions, I had plenty of people who only collected posters at $1-2-3-4-5.
of course, the bulk lots will now have the $20 posters in addition to the 1-2-3-4-5 $ posters
by the way, I had a buyer with a username 12345 and he rarely bought a poster over $5. A funny week in my old auctions, was when his bill for the week came out to $123.45, which nobody could have planned
Last time I bought several from an auction I perked up when the total came up to 53l8008
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Definitely a long time coming. I am going to enjoy having less total auctions to track, but will also miss being able to use the "Pay and Hold" option to pick up a couple cheapies over a few weeks.
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Something I also hope Bruce will consider is to stop auctioning Good or even Good to Very Good condition modern posters (post 1985). There is no reason for any of these posters to not be in mint condition.
T
I agree for the most part. Many moderns are obtainable in very good or better condition for peanuts, but I think that there is still money to be made on lesser examples of some paper even into the 90s. Big Lebowski, Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, Fight Club (soap teasers), Eyes Wide Shut (International teasers, I would like these in any condition), Army of Darkness, Fargo, Rocketeer, and Tombstone are a few from the 90s that I think people are willing to tolerate a lesser example at a still profitable price.
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Last time I bought several from an auction I perked up when the total came up to 53l8008
To be clear the number viewed upside down = BOOBIES
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I agree for the most part. Many moderns are obtainable in very good or better condition for peanuts, but I think that there is still money to be made on lesser examples of some paper even into the 90s. Big Lebowski, Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, Fight Club (soap teasers), Eyes Wide Shut (International teasers, I would like these in any condition), Army of Darkness, Fargo, Rocketeer, and Tombstone are a few from the 90s that I think people are willing to tolerate a lesser example at a still profitable price.
Of course there is money to be made. There is always money to be made. But what's the point? All of these posters you mentioned can be had in mint condition. Why sell them for anything lesser than that? Stick to the cream of the crop and be known for that.
T
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...All of these posters you mentioned can be had in mint condition...
T
With one exception - Eyes Wide Shut - which does not belong in that list. Even the Kubrick Archive's set, on display in London in their travelling exhibition earlier in the year, is "very good" condition at best.
Mark
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With one exception - Eyes Wide Shut - which does not belong in that list. Even the Kubrick Archive's set, on display in London in their travelling exhibition earlier in the year, is "very good" condition at best.
Mark
When I saw those posters in that (wonderful) exhibition, it made me think of you! I remember the discussion on here when you acquired them. You definitely grabbed a bargain.
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Of course there is money to be made. There is always money to be made. But what's the point? All of these posters you mentioned can be had in mint condition. Why sell them for anything lesser than that? Stick to the cream of the crop and be known for that.
T
I'm not sure what you mean. Are you saying that if there are mint examples in existence, then all others have no place in the hobby?
Sure there are mint examples of Resurvoir Dogs, but they my be out of some collectors price range. I think there is a place for some more contemporary paper with history other than a tube or file cabinet.
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It’s all personal of course, but I cannot tell you the amount of posters I dispose of because they’re not in mint condition. Less so now than in the past, because I pretty much buy my modern posters from the same trusted sources. But yeah, if it exists mint, I want it mind, meaning new. No defect whatsoever. 99% of my modem posters are perfect. But like I said, it’s personal.
T
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It’s all personal of course, but I cannot tell you the amount of posters I dispose of because they’re not in mint condition. Less so now than in the past, because I pretty much buy my modern posters from the same trusted sources. But yeah, if it exists mint, I want it mind, meaning new. No defect whatsoever. 99% of my modem posters are perfect. But like I said, it’s personal.
T
I can certainly appreciate your preference for perfect posters. Personally, I don't collect much contemporary stuff. I definitely collect "modern" titles (1980s), but I'm not as concerned about finding perfect examples. In fact I often intentionally buy posters that have interesting snipes, etc. This is why I think there is room for SOME modern stuff that isn't perfect. Maybe I'm alone in this and I can always cruise eBay. But I still prefer the piece of mind buying from Bruce. I completely understand and am fine with less total auctions.
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You know, I own almost 16,000 posters now (15k plus all the doubles and triples and more) and my collection begins with the 1940s and ends in 2020. I have a grading system of what I accept and what I don't. I want mint from 1980 on, rolled from 1984 on, DS from 1988 on. Before that, I accept some pinholes, small, small tears, no linen ever, etc. I've made a lot of mistake since I started collecting 18 years ago, and I've learned what's important to me.
I think we all have our pet peeves and I feel I wasted a lot of time going through lesser quality posters at Emovie.
T
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You know, I own almost 16,000 posters now (15k plus all the doubles and triples and more) and my collection begins with the 1940s and ends in 2020. I have a grading system of what I accept and what I don't. I want mint from 1980 on, rolled from 1984 on, DS from 1988 on. Before that, I accept some pinholes, small, small tears, no linen ever, etc. I've made a lot of mistake since I started collecting 18 years ago, and I've learned what's important to me.
I think we all have our pet peeves and I feel I wasted a lot of time going through lesser quality posters at Emovie.
T
I suppose that you could call it wasted time, but you obviously learned a lot about what you want in that time. I do care about condition, but to a lesser degree and sometimes I enjoy owning something that I couldn't otherwise afford. (I don't have a lot of disposable income) Like you, most of my collection will never be displayed, so I'm not all that concerned with sharp corners on contemporary paper (most movie posters today are not very appealing to me, Photoshop collages). I do like posters that are "all there" and prefer nice examples if possible. I don't do linen either(Although I do own one French "Curse of Frankenstein" that is backed that I purchased by mistake).
I'm not in the hobby as an investment and if anyone cashes in on my habit it will likely be my wife or children when I'm gone.
Come to think of it, I will probably have to update my instructions for how to dispose of my collection in the event of my passing. Currently my instructions entail "Give away whatever people want and send the rest to EMovie". With the new changes, I may have to come up with a new plan, as much of my stuff probably wont make the cut there anymore.
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With one exception - Eyes Wide Shut - which does not belong in that list. Even the Kubrick Archive's set, on display in London in their travelling exhibition earlier in the year, is "very good" condition at best.
Mark
Agreed, Eyes Wide Shut doesn't belong on that list. But the point is that there are some modern posters that are desirable that are harder to find at a low price in perfect condition. I feel like in the mid to late 90s "theatrical" posters became much easier to obtain "commercially". Today you can get brand new ones by spending Regal rewards points.
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You know, I own almost 16,000 posters now. T
Then I think you need to update your signature...