Cornering the market for rare xyz?

[Jeff Maginty]

..

[jmo21]

I wonder if this would work with concert tickets.....

[eek]

A market can stay irrational longer than you can stay solvent.

[lukemg]

whs, unless you know exactly what the market is, this sounds like a great way to lose money...

[northernladuk]

..and no one has ever thought of this before.

[Troll]

I've often considered trying to corner the market for rare items. For example, there are some books about a subject I've been interested in for a while now, which are quite rare although not prohibitively expensive at the moment. It occured to me that maybe I could buy up a lot of copies in the hope that doing so would make them even more rare and thereby raise their value. I could then introduce them back into the market, one at once, at a higher price and hopefully make a nice fat profit for myself. I don't just mean books, although that is the specific example I have thought about. I suppose the principle could apply to other items.

Of course there is the risk that there could be far more copies of whatever book or item I decide to buy, such that I run out of money before I manage to significantly increase the rareity. There may be other risks that I've not considered.

Has anyone else ever tried this?

You are Nelson Bunker Hunt and I claim my 5 pieces of eight

[fullyautomatix]

I've often considered trying to corner the market for rare items. For example, there are some books about a subject I've been interested in for a while now, which are quite rare although not prohibitively expensive at the moment. It occured to me that maybe I could buy up a lot of copies in the hope that doing so would make them even more rare and thereby raise their value. I could then introduce them back into the market, one at once, at a higher price and hopefully make a nice fat profit for myself. I don't just mean books, although that is the specific example I have thought about. I suppose the principle could apply to other items.

Of course there is the risk that there could be far more copies of whatever book or item I decide to buy, such that I run out of money before I manage to significantly increase the rareity. There may be other risks that I've not considered.

Has anyone else ever tried this?

Once you pump your funds in and make it rare and bump up the price, the guys having the other copies will start selling to make a profit and bring the price back down and you will be left holding worthless crap.

[DodgyAgent]

I've often considered trying to corner the market for rare items. For example, there are some books about a subject I've been interested in for a while now, which are quite rare although not prohibitively expensive at the moment. It occured to me that maybe I could buy up a lot of copies in the hope that doing so would make them even more rare and thereby raise their value. I could then introduce them back into the market, one at once, at a higher price and hopefully make a nice fat profit for myself. I don't just mean books, although that is the specific example I have thought about. I suppose the principle could apply to other items.

Of course there is the risk that there could be far more copies of whatever book or item I decide to buy, such that I run out of money before I manage to significantly increase the rareity. There may be other risks that I've not considered.

Has anyone else ever tried this?

This is a better idea

:

BBC News - Mail order customers were victims of 'scam'

[Bunk]

Once you pump your funds in and make it rare and bump up the price, the guys having the other copies will start selling to make a profit and bring the price back down and you will be left holding worthless crap.

Unless you set off a nuclear bomb inside the bookshop, thereby increasing the value of your books many times. Mwahahaha.

Oh wait, that sounds familiar...

[Ketchup]

Unless you set off a nuclear bomb inside the bookshop, thereby increasing the value of your books many times. Mwahahaha.

Oh wait, that sounds familiar...

You are better off finding new authors and buying first editions of their first novel. All books have an edition number printed in the foreword. Other things to do are to buy ARC's (advance reader copies) and signed editions.

I collect a lot of books, the jewel of my collection is a mint first edition of Philip Pullmans "Northern lights", and an advance readers copy of "The girl with the dragon Tattoo" signed by the late Steig Larsons partner Eva Gabrielsson.