Jesse Cohen: Wize Guy

            Jesse Cohen and his Dog, Diesel

     A hard man to contact, a series of phone calls for two weeks was all it took to interview one of the greatest collectible sellers along the east coast. Since seven to eight years of age, he has been selling collectibles, such as trading cards and comic books to his peers. It was when he obtained an “epic comic book collection” as he calls it, that he started  building his comic channels, by creating a network with various comic book stores and his customers.

     A collectible-showing entrepreneur, his customer service and fan base is continuously growing through his company’s motto: “we’ll whack the competition”. This is Jesse Cohen, owner of Wize Guys Collectibles and this is his story.

Family

     Jesse’s entrepreneurial spirit comes from his father, owner of one of the largest distributer of table protectors along the east coast. “Cohen’s Table Pads and Table Extenders, my father got me
into selling”, Jesse says. Since five, his father’s business acumen helped create the necessary drive and vision necessary to take over the collectible market and become one of the largest collectible sellers along the east coast. Jesse responds by saying “with the mentality I have, I can’t just buy and sell collectibles I need to take over the market, I know I can do better than my competition, I have a lot to offer and our customers are extremely happy”. 

Wize Guys Collectibles

            www.wizeguyscollectibles.com

      Wize Guys Collectibles started off as customers and collectors surveying the latest trends in comic related collectibles and merchandise for their own personal collection. As time progressed they decided to go into the market themselves and seriously ‘whack the competition’. Jesse says “We know how the collector’s mind works as far as quality and condition and we do everything in our power to be as honest with our customers. We also treat our products with respect as well. We do everything we can to securely package our products so that it won’t get damaged during shipment, we do our best to make sure our customer leaves with a smile and a package that was cared for by a collector ”. For more information on Wize Guys Collectibles you can go to their website: wizeguyscollectibles.com or click on the picture above.

For the Love of Deadpool

  Jesse with Deadpool Creators, Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza

    A huge Deadpool fan. Jesse’s love and emotional bond for the iconic “Merc with the mouth” runs deep. “When I was five years old I ran into his action figure at Toys R’ Us. I loved the fact that he had a lot of weapons and colors, I decided to pick up his comic book and it was love at first sight because I relate to the character. He’s a nut, I’m a nut; he talks to himself, I talk to myself; He’s a smart-ass, I’m a smart ass; he never really fit into any groups, he just blended in, like with the X-men and the Avengers. When I was a kid, I never related to any clicks so I really did my own thing, so I really related to the character” he says. When the movie was released, he was truly ecstatic: “I saw the movie fourteen times” he says. “I could repeat every word in the movie line for line. [Spoiler Alert] The best part of the movie was the bridge scene and its Deadpool, Negasonic, Colossus and Ajax. When Deadpool punches Colossus and he’s like ‘Oh Canada!’, he punches him again and he has two broken hands and he’s like ‘all the dinosaurs fear the T-Rex!’ and then he kicks colossus, becomes paralyzed on the floor, looks at colossus and says ‘I promise its gets worse for you big boy!!’; we both started laughing. Deadpool at this point in time has become the most grossing R-rated movie to date with $745 million in box office receipts and with the popularity of Deadpool growing, I’m sure the sequel will be epic.  Showing his true passion for Deadpool, Jesse personally delivered a Wize Guys collectibles Deadpool mystery box to Rob Liefeld: “It’s just a pleasure to see him and when I do I make the most of it!; its an honor to hang with him, he absolutely loves his fans and what he does”. 

             Rob Liefeld Receiving his personalized Deadpool Box by Wize Guys Collectibles

Funko Pop Figures

    Wize Guys Collectibles is very famous for their reasonable prices and quality handling. Most notable in their arsenal of collectibles is their Funko Pop figures that have taken the country by storm. Standing around 3.75 inches tall in a freezing position, these oddly-shape headed figures have become the pop culture sensation of the collectible industry. Wize Guys collectibles have acknowledged this growing trend and has become one of the biggest distributors of these figures
along the east coast. Jesse responds by saying “Funko Pops have so many licenses its mind boggling. Not only are they easy to collect, their stackable, colorful and placed-set easy”.
There’s truth in these words. As I glance at my own personal Funko collection and see how they’re placed, their colors blend in easily with each other.

The Collectibles’ Market

    The collectibles scene is a very diverse market in which men and women are rapidly selling their items to the collectible community. As more and more people are getting into the collectible selling industry, caution should be given. “Don’t do it” Jesse says jokingly. “It’s not an easy game, honestly, its very overwhelming; you always have to keep up with the latest new products weekly and the payoff isn’t as good as other businesses when you have to keep up with a high inventory. You also need to have a unique skill for trade followed by good showmanship. You have
to know your products, spend less than you make, and stay very organized”. Working with a passion and drive that would make most people give up collectible selling, Jesse is the CEO, head of marketing and distribution and chief collectible negotiator. “This engine is running 24/7, non-stop” Jesse says, “You always have to keep an eye out for the latest trends in collectibles and trade”.

The Future

    Jesse’s focus on being the best in the industry is phenomenal. Business-minded and playful, Jesse has found his passion and created a market that assists collectors in fulfilling their dreams of getting mint- condition merchandise at phenomenal prices. Jesse feels that he could go farther: “Right now I don’t think we are the gods of the collectible industry, but we’re working very hard to ensure quality and bring the best service to our customers. We’re striving to be the best and right now I don’t think we are”. Humble to a fault, Jesse is very fortunate to do what he loves. As the interview concluded, Jesse wanted to give an acknowledgement to his customers: “Thank you for your business and support, we look forward to your continued service and God bless!”