No More Back Issues!

[UnboxingTreasures]

http://www.newsarama.com/comics/010906-A-Comic-Shop.html

[mschmidt]

Sounds like he owns the kind of store I'd go to once, look around, see that they only carry new books, and never come back to again.

[RockMyAmadeus]

Someone please point me to this "CGC price guide" of which the author speaks.

 

And no, it ain't GPA.

[s-man]

Sounds like he owns the kind of store I'd go to once, look around, see that they only carry new books, and never come back to again.

 

Thats exactly what I do...if they dont have a decent array of back stuff I dont go back!

[Flemmings]

Same here. I actually would say that I live in the $1 bin.

[MightyBeanComics]

I bet he means "Wizard"

[Flemmings]

If he does. That's sad.

[BaltimoreLauren]

Sounds like he owns the kind of store I'd go to once, look around, see that they only carry new books, and never come back to again.

 

Thats exactly what I do...if they dont have a decent array of back stuff I dont go back!

 

+1. There is only one store in my area that I know of that does this, and they suck.

[John A III]

I find it sad my LCS has a very limited back issues sections now, they cleared out their decent size one a few months back. The disappearance of their back issues has actually effected my collecting, I stopped trying to complete some sets and decided to sell them istead. What also sucks is that they don't discount back issues. I recently looked thru and they had 6+ month old issues at cover price still.

 

I'd go to another shop, but the only other place that sells comics in town is the second shop for my LCS, so I'm fully SOL.

[Designer Toast]

I might have missed it, but what does this guy do with his left over new issues? So if you miss last month's issue, what do you do if this guy only carries new or the most recent stuff?

 

And what does this guy do when and if someone walks in who wants to sell a real nice collection?

 

 

I wouldn't waste a minute in that shop.

[Subliminal]

http://www.newsarama.com/comics/010906-A-Comic-Shop.html

 

This graemlin pretty well sums up this business model, IMO

[John A III]

I might have missed it, but what does this guy do with his left over new issues? So if you miss last month's issue, what do you do if this guy only carries new or the most recent stuff?

 

And what does this guy do when and if someone walks in who wants to sell a real nice collection?

 

 

I wouldn't waste a minute in that shop.

 

He states that he puts a shop sticker on the back issues and leaves them around town.

[thehumantorch]

I wouldn't go to his shop but I gotta give him credit for original thinking. I like the idea of winning comics by the pound. I also like the idea of leaving comics lying around with his store stamp as advertising.

[John A III]

I wouldn't go to his shop but I gotta give him credit for original thinking. I like the idea of winning comics by the pound. I also like the idea of leaving comics lying around with his store stamp as advertising.

 

it's good advertising and hopefully gets new people into the hobby, but having no back issues is kind of a drag. My question is how long does he keep new issues? a week? a month?

[Leescomics]

This one shocks me: Only about one half of the comic book store owners in the Bay Area would be interested in buying an Amazing Fantasy #15 if someone brought it to them.

 

I'm not talking about getting into a bidding war, and having to pay nearly guide. I'm talking about naming a price that they are comfortable paying. Half Guide. Five hundred bucks, you name it.

 

Only about half the dealers would even make an offer. The rest would (and do!) say "Sorry we don't deal in back issues."

 

We are in the middle of a recession, and they let a thousand dollars (or more!) of easy money walk right out the door. Heck, they could buy the book cheap, and re-sell them to me (or several other local dealers that deal in back issues) at a quick, profit! Or they could refer the seller to me and get a finder's fee. (They could work out the details over the phone in advance.) But they don't do that either. Opportunity it a-knocking and no one is home!

 

Me, I skipped the San Diego Con and stayed at my store. By an amazing quirk of fate I was offered a nice golden, silver or bronze age collection each day for that entire week. All my offers were accepted. Now I have oodles of great comics for sale. (I'm taking a short break from pricing them right now.) I want even more.

 

In 30 years of selling back issue comics, my difficulty has never been in the selling. It's always been challenging to continually obtain quality material.

 

- Lee Hester

[Lebowski]

Here's the most idiotic statement of the whole thing:

 

"The comic industry and a comic shop can’t simultaneously outreach to collectors and get new readers to enjoy comics."

 

If this is the conclusion he's coming to, he needs to think harder.

[UnRested Spectre]

Hiyo!

 

Whoa! I thought the article was interesting, but I am so critical of comic shops that do not have an extensive back issues sections that... I would not even waste my time with a comic shop that has either a limited or non-existing back issue section.

 

I probably go surfing in back issue section like twice a month... investing $100 in the endeavor to either complete runs I do or did not have. Trade paperbacks are nice, but I find it more rewarding in the tracking down of the complete series run in there individual issues.

[MrBedrock]

Sometimes, in an attempt reinvent the wheel, retailers make the fatal mistake of trying show that they know what people want better than their customer base.

On that point there isn't a retailer in the world who is smarter than those who spend the money.

[Senormac]

The guy has some points But he's choosing a direction for his store that doesn't interest me at all. I don't buy new issues. But you know what, its a pretty rare teenage kid who will plop down $100 + for a single issue like I would. This guy is choosing his market. Hope it works for him.

 

I do agree with Lee though that he should forward back issue collections that might come into his store, to one of the other comic shops in town......and I'm sure he would. The guy can't be an island.

[Subliminal]

I would think if you want to build an "entertainment" based business you would include rather than exclude back issue comics and maybe pair it with old records and go after the adult crowd that yearns for the products of the past and have the money to buy it and not their snot nosed kids with allowances who download songs and would rather watch crappy youtube videos than read a quality comic that has stood the test of time.

 

Let those energized parents then get their kids involved in comics because after all they are probably going to inherit that collection.