Into my Shell

I spent about an hour pecking out a post on the conspiracy that big box stores (read that as Walmart and Amazon) and the automotive industry and using the pandemic to maximize profitability. I went on to point out that since our current state of affairs makes them much more money than the prepandeic status quo that they are utilizing their power and influence to impact political decisions and the media narrative to prolong the current state of affairs.  

I wrote all of that with passionate and outrageous examples. I read over what I had written and decided I did not want to post it. The reasons for that are simple. While I think there are some efforts being made to prolong facets of the pandemic, I have no proof beyond pointing a finger at the companies getting more profitable. Since that is the function of all for profit businesses it is probably the only course that companies could be expected to take. I also felt like the post was an emotional call to action without giving any reasonable action that could be taken. Stirring people up without directing that emotion (which is probably giving me and my writing more credit than they deserve) is reckless and irresponsible. 

Finally, the original inspiration for the post was to talk about some decisions I had come to and some strategies I plan to adopt. I didn't need 2000 words theorizing that maintaining worker and supply chain shortages as an excuse to increase prices just to point out that it probably is a bad time to sell off my comic book collection. As a bonus, these few paragraphs of summary do not make me seem nearly as crazy as that other more detailed post. I admit to enjoying conspiracy theories more than most, but I also put a bit of importance on maintaining my own credibility. 

I believe it is time to invest in maintaining the things I already own rather than investing in new things. Specifically, I am looking out the window at my 2012 Hyundai Veloster when I am having that thought. I believe I am better served maintaining her than I am binding myself into car payments for the next several years. With the Veloster turned ten years old with over 100,000 miles on the odometer this is maybe a risky idea. Even typing it has me second guessing myself. 

As the Veloster sits I could pull a premium on a trade in assuming that I could navigate the waters of finding a new car to buy. This is the benefit of having a short supply of new and used cars available for purchase. There is a hearty temptation to take advantage of low interest rates and take on a new vehicle with a shiny new payment. I could be in a new vehicle and not have to worry about any major maintenance for a few years.

Then I think about the monthly payment for the car. I think about the increased cost of insurance. I weigh those things against the risk I am running of something happening to the Veloster. I find myself willing to risk it. I can put a new engine in my scrappy little hatchback for about a tenth of the base price of a new car. I also know I will need to replace my tires this year. I have some body work I need to get to. With all of that time and money investment I still feel safer with a ten year old used car than I do putting myself on the line for payments. 

I also have noticed that the secondary market for the hobby stuff (comics, board games, and Magic cards) that I normally trade in is increasingly favoring the buyer. Before Christmas I unloaded a full run of Immortal Hulk. Due to the popularity of the series and the history of it selling online, I expected to triple or quadruple my initial investment. I was shocked when I barely broke even on it. The near miss on those books got me looking at the prices things were selling for and the availability of collectibles. 

The market to me looks as if everyone is unloading their collections. Prices on some of the key books I would have invested in to flip are dropping. More alarming things seem to be moving sporadically. I got to thinking about the cause of this. I think there is quite a bit of fatigue among comic book fans. That group specifically have had an interesting few years. 

As the pandemic settled in the shut down caused a related cessation of new books. From March to May of 2019 there were no shipments of new comic books. I imagine this had a major impact on comic book creators. I think some more casual fans had their minor addictions broken and did not return to reading or collecting when books started coming out again. 

For those of us who were deeply addicted to comics, we needed a fix. I got mine in the form of buying quite a few trade paperbacks and graphic novels. I read through all of Invincible as it was already occupying my bookshelf in its glorious entirety. I fleshed out my Saga trade paperback collection. I also invested heavily in Ed Brubaker. I completed my collection of Kill or Be Killed, Criminal, and Fatale. I even tried runs of things I normally wouldn't collect like Mighty Morphin and Power Rangers. 

My expansion of taste in comics continued when new books returned. For the past three years I have been an industrial strength comic book fan. I continued to add trades and graphic novels to my collection. This allowed me to occupy both the time and money I would have traditionally invested in more social activities like movies, bowling, camping, and hiking. It also contributed to me sitting around on my ever expanding butt quite a bit more. 

My habits did change in the pandemic. I used to read several comics a day Wednesday through Friday. At some point Garin and I would record a show. I then quit thinking about comics until it was time to pick up new ones the following Wednesday. I really spent more time with comics during idle moments at work (that is breaks and lunches not me goofing off) than I did reading much at home. In fact, before the pandemic, it felt like a bit of a time suck if I had to sit down and grind through a stack of books when I could be doing other things at the house. 

With working from home I still craved that distinction of work time and relaxing at home time but it had vanished. Now I could get up in the morning and do all of the necessities. I might read a comic during breakfast. I might start work early and then pick up a comic for my first break. Lunch would see me plow through a few books. Last break of the day I typically skipped reading anything in favor of stretching my muscles a bit. 

You can safely figure I was plowing through the equivalent of 5-10 comics a day 5 days a week for the better part of three years. I suspect some of my fellow nerds fell into similar habits. Fatigue with the hobby becomes pretty understandable. I do not have the same appetite for comics that I had before. Even discounting the normal wax and wane of interests, it has been time to take a break for a while now. 

The important thing about this fatigue matters if, like me, you make money selling comics on the internet. I think that it is time to gather conservatively and hold off on putting things up for sell as the current comic book fatigue has lead to a sort of online recession. I wish I had that realization before I parted with my Immortal Hulk run. Luckily, I figured this out in time to avoid posting my huge lot of graded books and selling them for pennies on the dollar. A bit of patience and vigilance, along with some storage space, should give me the edge to maximize my investment.

That is the sort of attitude I am adopting for my other hobbies and my finances. I am going to reread, replay, and reuse for a while with few exceptions. It has come time to maximize mileage for most everything except for my toothbrush. I feel like times are about to get extra lean which is a good time to consume less (yay for needing to be on a diet), waste less, and save a lot more. When things balance out I want to be in a position of being ahead rather than needing to play catch up. 

At the same time I hate feeling like a financial turtle. I would like to make some smart moves. I want to find myself another 80-87 F-150 and invest the time and money to have a restored truck. This is a much less expensive route than investing in something new. I want to do work on both of the houses and get them pristine. I feel pretty hesitant to extend myself to any of these things currently. I want to find smart ways to complete them without exposing myself to too much risk. 

I do not like feeling like I shouldn't take a chance. This requires much more thought and consideration. Then again, maybe I will just throw the dice and not worry about the rest.