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Local comic store: priced or price at the counter?

53 posts in this topic

I visited a couple of my LCSs today. One was full of pre-priced back issues and one was full of back issues that the owner wanted to inspect and price at the counter. I can see the rationale for both ways, but I'm curious how others feel?

 

Do you prefer to shop at a LCS that has the back issues marked already? In my mind, I can sometimes swoop in and grab some underpriced back issues or make impulse buys with little regard to the book's value. The negative is that the dealer can miss out on "hot" issues that have spiked in price. The advantage is that they can leave the store in the hands of an employee.

 

I just don't like approaching the counter with a stack of books and then have to go put them back when I hear the priced to be charged. It's just uncomfortable.

 

Thoughts?

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I like them priced. It's a big turn off to look up each book and haggle over the grade. One of my favorite LCS does things unpriced -- their rationale is that people switchprices/bags around, etc. among other rationales. But it has resulted in me not buying much in the way of non-dollar books from them.

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Dont buy Back issues at your LCS you will probably pay too much. That being said you shouldnt have to sheepishly arrive at the counter and feel like a cheapskate because you dont have enough for what you have in hand

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Dont buy Back issues at your LCS you will probably pay too much. That being said you shouldnt have to sheepishly arrive at the counter and feel like a cheapskate because you dont have enough for what you have in hand

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Many of my best grade mid-dollar flips ($10-$30) have come from buying LCS pricing mistakes, particularly when they make the mistake/don't bother researching 5-15 copies of the same book.

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Dont buy Back issues at your LCS you will probably pay too much. That being said you shouldnt have to sheepishly arrive at the counter and feel like a cheapskate because you dont have enough for what you have in hand

-------------------------------------------------------------

 

Many of my best grade mid-dollar flips ($10-$30) have come from buying LCS pricing mistakes, particularly when they make the mistake/don't bother researching 5-15 copies of the same book.

Do any of us actually READ comics anymore? It seems that all we talk about is how we FLIP books at a profit. :baiting:
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Dont buy Back issues at your LCS you will probably pay too much. That being said you shouldnt have to sheepishly arrive at the counter and feel like a cheapskate because you dont have enough for what you have in hand

-------------------------------------------------------------

 

Many of my best grade mid-dollar flips ($10-$30) have come from buying LCS pricing mistakes, particularly when they make the mistake/don't bother researching 5-15 copies of the same book.

Do any of us actually READ comics anymore? It seems that all we talk about is how we FLIP books at a profit. :baiting:

 

Does it matter whether people read them or not? I do, it sounds like you do. So what if people flip books? What if people just like the art or just the covers. What if all they read is the letters page? Isn't that their right? Maybe they enjoy flipping comics so they can buy Webkins or model trains or tentacle porn. Lately everyone on this Board wants to tell people how to enjoy comics. You enjoy them your way and let everyone else enjoy them theirs. How about that. :baiting:

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Yes, I have long boxes of 50 cent - $1 books I have fished out of those same bins with the intent of reading them (and having read some of them) and in the land of comics, they're probably worth about what i paid or less, but we're talking about "paying too much" for, and pricing of, back issues at an LCS, not whether they have anything to read. But if something is 50 cents or a buck and is a $10-$30 book on ebay, I'm going to buy as many copies as I can and flip them. I have a family to support and my government paycheck sux.

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My LCS use CBG to price his unpriced back issues. Which works out great for me. None of his customers have to (over) pay (outrageous) for Overstreet prices. I would like it if he took the time to put down the roll playing games and actually spent more time on his comics though.

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My LCS has the comics priced on the comics. I have otten many steals this way. I have only had one time in which a comic was graded and priced at the counter. It was at Mile High Comics. A back issue of Marvel Premiere in crappy condition was unmarked. The guy priced it at 10 dollars. I was like what the *spoon*. But I still bought it cuz it would have felt weird to put it back.

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Priced.

 

Priced... Priced... and Priced.

 

 

At a LCS many years ago they had bins ($1, $2, $5) and in the $5 bin I found some nice BA books like the first Werewolf by Night etc...

Nothing high grade but 5.0-7.0 and a good deal at $5.

 

I get to the counter and he pulls out the guide and quotes the VF price to me.

Even though they were in the $5 bin.

:screwy:

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Something else I thought about today. I was dressed in business clothes when I was in the shops. There's no doubt that the owner in the non-priced store took that into consideration a little bit when he threw out the total.

 

Glad I'm not the only one that detests non-priced books. Just as a side note, I had a feeling I wasn't going to like the non-priced store when I noticed the following sign:

 

"Do not bend books. Do not read books. If you are under 10 years old, do not touch books."

 

:insane:

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Both of the LCS in my area have their back issues priced and depending

on how many you buy they will usually give you a discount from your total

if you ask. Many I have to pass on because I usually can find them here or

on e-bay cheaper.

 

The books I'm usually picking out every once in a while are some late BA

or early Copper aged books. Both stores SA is ridiculously priced and the

grading at one store is just terrible.

 

I still enjoy flipping through back issues to kill a few hours once in a while

and search for some cool covers I've never seen before.

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I've never seen a store where they were unpriced.

 

As for the risk of someone switches bags, that's why some write the issue number or title and issue number on the sticker.

 

I write the issue number and prices on mine. I absolutely hate seeing comics unpriced. I've only seen them unpriced in a store once, and unpriced at some cons a couple of times, but it bugs me.

 

Andy

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