Introduction
The vintage comic books auction market is actively developed in North America. It is appropriate to discuss the details of the vintage comic books auction market with references to the ComicLink website specializing in selling the vintage comic books online.
The Market Participants
The typical market participants are the enthusiasts and collectors of vintage comic books who are inclined to participate in the market as buyers and sellers. One more important category of participants is experts providing information on the vintage comic book’s value. Experts and specialists in the field of vintage comic books and art can also participate in the market as buyers and sellers (“ComicLink”).
The market is controlled by experts in the field who can provide additional information on the comic books which are graded according to the Certified Guaranty Company, LLC (CGC). ComicLink experts and CGC specialists also provide consultations for the potential buyers who are interested in investing in vintage comic books (“ComicLink”).
The Market Organization and Work
The vintage comic books auction market works like any other online auction market which provides buyers with the opportunity to meet sellers virtually and to propose the most competitive price for the vintage items (Besanko and Braeutigam 38). To respond to the market needs, the website provides the categorized lists of items that are available for selling and purchasing. The potential buyer can observe the lists of the available items and propose the prices, and potential sellers are expected to fill the forms to sell the vintage comic books as items. It is also possible to observe the dates of auctions which are set according to the developed schedule (“ComicLink”).
The website provides detailed information on the selling, buying, and payment procedures, return policy and packaging policy. Much attention is paid to the procedure of selling and buying the CGC graded comics which should have the appropriate certificate to guarantee the comic book’s value (“ComicLink”). The market also proposes the focus on the direct sale instead of the exchange principle of the auction market, and this approach attracts more buyers and sellers to the website.
The Outcomes in the Market
The vintage comic books auction market such as ComicLink is not stable about controlling the variety of prices because of depending on the amount of proposed vintage comic books. Such proposed products as the CGC highly graded vintage comics are valuable, and they draw the buyers’ attention. Thus, the range of prices in the vintage comic books market depends on the aspects of grading according to Certified Guaranty Company. From this point, the starting prices for the vintage comic books depend on the decision of the CGC, and they can vary from one hundred to several hundreds of dollars and can increase as a result of the auction procedures to the thousands of dollars (“ComicLink”).
Special Features of the Market
Even though the vintage comic books auction market is oriented to the narrow audience of comic book collectors, the market is discussed as highly competitive and profitable because of the focus on rare and vintage items that are highly valued by experts and specialists in the field (“ComicLink”). Furthermore, it is important to pay attention to the role of the Certified Guaranty Company’s activities in influencing the development of the market and changes in the vintage comic books’ prices.
Works Cited
Besanko, David, and Ronald Braeutigam. Microeconomics. USA: John Wiley & Sons, 2010. Print.
ComicLink. 2014. Web.