General question

[blazingbob]

I don't look at the boards as being any different than any other selling venue. Frankly there are people from all over the country and all over the world reading this stuff. Where else will I get realtime feedback?

 

[Snake Eyes]

Yes, I am looking for constructive criticism.

 

So I should price the FF #19 at $425 which is almost $100+ below guide? And somebody will pay me full price or ask for a discount. Everybody wants a discount by the way. I factor that into my pricing.

 

$550 is VF+, I generally discount 15% which brings that $650 price down to $550.

 

GPA CGC 8.5 has two 2008's sales of $425, not exactly current prices.

 

Comiclink has a VF sale in Nov 2009 for $406.

 

I am not arguing by the way.

 

What I seeing in some of these posts is what I've already suspected. People feel that if they offer 40% they will automatically be rejected. How do you know that?

 

I can only answer why I would not. We have never met, nor have I bought from your site as of yet. For some reason I feel uncomfortable offering that large of a percentage less than the asking price on a site. Kind of makes me feel like I am being an . I do not know why, but the discomfort level is high when there is such a wide gulf between what I consider reasonable and where the seller is starting at...almost like buying a car when the spread is that big...instead of a fun process it becomes more stressful/offputting. I do not mind sending a PM here to ask for free shipping or a discount if I but multiple books, but would not make such offers regardless of site.

 

SE

[LordRahl]

Yes, I am looking for constructive criticism.

 

So I should price the FF #19 at $425 which is almost $100+ below guide? And somebody will pay me full price or ask for a discount. Everybody wants a discount by the way. I factor that into my pricing.

 

$550 is VF+, I generally discount 15% which brings that $650 price down to $550.

 

GPA CGC 8.5 has two 2008's sales of $425, not exactly current prices.

 

Comiclink has a VF sale in Nov 2009 for $406.

 

I am not arguing by the way.

 

What I seeing in some of these posts is what I've already suspected. People feel that if they offer 40% they will automatically be rejected. How do you know that?

 

Fair question. I don't, except judging by the normal discounts you have given me in the past. Which is about 15-20% on a book like this. But it is human nature to assume that a price difference of 40% will be too much. I'm just giving you some insight into why I personally don't buy from you more. This may not hold true with others, but I suspect it plays a part if you are finding stuff sitting around.

 

I also think that Tim is right and the auction market just makes static listings somewhat obsolete.

[blazingbob]

I agree with you on the Flood of auctions. Frankly my experience with a couple of different auctions using the "no reserve auctions" has been a disaster. I could have sold my stuff for 1/2 off and done better. Oh yeah, good stuff makes headlines, common stuff makes auction houses money. I'm sorry but there are two sides of every transaction and when I see the guys proclaiming the great auction deals they just got I'm wondering if they seller feels the same way.

 

 

[PokerKid]

Yes, I am looking for constructive criticism.

 

So I should price the FF #19 at $425 which is almost $100+ below guide? And somebody will pay me full price or ask for a discount. Everybody wants a discount by the way. I factor that into my pricing.

 

$550 is VF+, I generally discount 15% which brings that $650 price down to $550.

 

GPA CGC 8.5 has two 2008's sales of $425, not exactly current prices.

 

Comiclink has a VF sale in Nov 2009 for $406.

 

I am not arguing by the way.

 

What I seeing in some of these posts is what I've already suspected. People feel that if they offer 40% they will automatically be rejected. How do you know that?

 

 

I assume it would be rejected, because I figure the stated the price is about what the dealer expects to receive - I do appreciate a break, especially when buying multiple books, but would not expect 40% even on a larger purchase. I figured if you were willing to sell a book at 40% off, you would either price it much closer to that price point or use that low-end price in an auction format in order to attract buyers. I can be completely wrong, but I know that on the couple of books I needed for my collection I didn't consider making an offer. Perhaps I should have.

 

As for a site that has been great for me and keeps me checking in, I like the format at WorldWide comics. What keeps me coming back is the easy search of new arrivals, much like ComicLink. Once I went through his inventory, I know I can check in every few days and see if I need to sell another kidney to buy what he has up. Also, they hooked me by digging through their boxes looking for stuff I might need for my niche - which is something I have no doubt you would do as well for customers you had a relationship with. Basically, a easy to use site that lets me stay up to date and good customer service keeps me happy.

 

 

 

[blazingbob]

Past discounts have nothing to do with current transactions.

 

Maybe I'm not clear enough on the website.

 

I can only discount a certain amount on some books if they are consignments. If somebody emails me I will tell them that.

 

Some books can be heavily discounted based on my cost into them.

 

Some books can be discounted more if I'm out of the deal and want to move them.

 

The other thing is that sometimes people assume that if I discount 40% this time I'm going to do it all the time. And frankly that shouldn't be assumed. I'm trying to be fair, I should expect the same in return.

 

I appreciate the feedback so far but it's time for me to call it a night.

 

 

[Snake Eyes]

Another random thought Bob (just trying to think of what has worked for retailers in general of late)...have you ever considered a first time customer sale to introduce them to your site and customer service (if this is what you are wanting to highlight)? Perhaps combining this with a frequent buyer/loyalty program to keep people from coming back (i.e. if you purchase at least once per month you are entitled to an automatic discount on each purchase...or a certain amount of purchases earns you Bob Bucks...you know the drill )

 

SE

[TFL-migration]

A offer of 40% off a asking price is a bit much. A buyer wants to get a good deal. But offering 40% less can make a potential buyer feel like there really low balling the dealer. So why bother making the offer if they think the offer will automatically rejected??

That same buyer will then be shy about buying from you. They will see every offer they send as a "auto reject" scenario. So why bother?

 

The other side of the equation isn't very good for a dealer either. The seller got the book at 40% off of the asking price. There now going to think that same discount will apply the next time. Then your setting yourself up for that buyer to look elsewhere. Just my

[lizards2]

I don't look at the boards as being any different than any other selling venue. Frankly there are people from all over the country and all over the world reading this stuff. Where else will I get realtime feedback?

OK then - your prices are too high, and there are rarely scans of books. Your books would generally not sell here because people cannot see what they are buying and the prices are way more than what I am used to paying for similarly graded books.

[c-mack]

i plan on buying from you to tell you the truth i got a few books i had deals on to see if they happen or not but then my next plan was to buy a few from your site....

[Boozad]

A offer of 40% off a asking price is a bit much. A buyer wants to get a good deal. But offering 40% less can make a potential buyer feel like there really low balling the dealer. So why bother making the offer if they think the offer will automatically rejected??

That same buyer will then be shy about buying from you. They will see every offer they send as a "auto reject" scenario. So why bother?

 

The other side of the equation isn't very good for a dealer either. The seller got the book at 40% off of the asking price. There now going to think that same discount will apply the next time. Then your setting yourself up for that buyer to look elsewhere. Just my

 

WTF are you to give advice about buying and selling? Jesus Christ...

 

Tiger Woods preaching monogomy couldn't be funnier.

[Boozad]

Bob, just my

 

I haven't bought from you as I won't pay $44 to ship a $35 book Priority International. It just doesn't cost that much.

[conditionfreak]

Here is a radical idea. Ask the lowest price you will take for the book. No more and no less. Why does everyone have a built in additional amount in the asking price, so that they can later discount it?

 

Because you just might get it? Taht is why. But as it has already been pointed out by others, sometimes that additional "built in" discount amount makes the initial asking price seem high, in this current market. So the potential buyer just moves on.

 

No one sells more than Wal-Mart, and they do not negotiate generally. The price is on the product. Try it sometime. Offer them 15% less for something they have on the shelf and see if it works. Try offering the gas station five cents a gallon less next time. They will laugh.

 

I know that in this hobby, it is normal to price higher so that a discount can be given. But I don't care for that method. It feels like whatever I agree to buy from someone, was over paid for. When I get the book for ten percent less than the asking price, I say to myself "krap, I know he would have taken 20% less". But if I offer 20% less and it is accepted, I say to myself "Krap, he probably would have taken 25% less".

 

It can make me offer 30% less the next time. and then we start off on the wrong foot because you will say "no thanks" and I will be embarassed and just move on.

 

Just some thoughts.

[Cimm]

Scans, scans, scans... NO ONE wants to buy a book sight unseen... the days of blind purchases from static lists of books for sale are over... there is just no reason not to show what you are selling. If a book doesn't have a scan, preferably of front and back (and spine, where applicable) I move on.

 

Your pricing strategy is a two-edged sword. Yes, it leaves you room for a discount, but it also means that when a newcomer to your site gives it a once over, everything is too expensive to mess with...

 

just my

[comicalgems]

You sell wholesale?

[namisgr]

Not just more scans, but zippier ones. Your scans make your stock look dull:

 

Bob's scan:

 

 

 

My scan:

 

 

[sckao]

A lot of people have already said some of the same things.

 

I'm on your site right now and I'll just give some impressions. I've been to your site before but I don't think I've ever actually purchased anything.

 

Home Page:

The first thing I see when I come to your home page is a lot of text. Then a scrolling text field which I find extremely annoying. What this scrolling text bar does is make me totally ignore your main navigation bar. Your navigation bar actually also has the smallest font size compared to everything else I'm looking at on your homepage. No one will see it. What's even worse is that you talk about new books and special offers in your scrolling bar, but your scrolling bar isn't clickable and doesn't send me to your new books section.

 

Then I see some thumbnails of major key books but they aren't actually clickable and evidently aren't for sale.

 

So my first impression? You haven't shown me any books yet that are for sale. If I were just browsing, your 10-15 seconds of my time have just gone by and I'm off your site.

 

GUI studies have shown that users do not like to read past 8-10 words per line. Your centered text causes the eye to shift to find the start of the line each time. This causes eye fatigue and builds up an annoyance factor. Coupled with the moving line, your off-white text on deep red/burgundy background, and the fact that all your text is bold, it is extremely hard to read the rest of your text content.

 

At the bottom, I see more large major keys that aren't clickable. At this point, I'd estimate that the casual visitor would probably leave.

 

Looking at your business address, it's great that you list an address. The Business Hours is confusing and I would modify it. It seems to me those are the hours you are available by phone generally. If so, that's fine but it should be denoted as such. Right now, it sounds like a retail establishment's physical hours. Your e-mail address, one of the more important items on the home page is also the smallest just like your main navigation bar. Why this is so, I have no idea. It's almost like you don't want any e-mail queries.

 

(What's really happening is your web programmer isn't doing a good job with the CSS. You've bumped up the font size for your regular paragraphs but not for your email link. In fact your regular text is wrapped in an h2 tag which is a little odd as that's usually defined for headers.)

 

Finally, what's missing from your home page? A search box. I realize you have a book finder, but that's a click away. Once I get there, I get a bunch of boxes which is extremely intimidating. Unless I know exactly what I'm looking for, this Book Finder won't show anything. Clicking on the SEARCH button with nothing inputted SHOULD take me to a help screen of some sort or a default search of all books. Instead, it pops up an error message. This alone probably also drives some users away. You've got pull down menus with your navigation bar but you revert back to a complicated search form for your Book Finder.

 

Back to the Home Page:

 

The link I found myself drawn to is the NEW ARRIVALS link. Unfortunately, this takes me to a page that defaults to All-Star Squadron. Frankly, I doubt 90% of your audience cares about All-Star Squadron. I understand that you're displaying it alphabetically, but I would have liked to see some of the nicer books you've gotten in or a more representative sample. What's also unfortunate is that none of the All-Star Squadron books have scans. By this first impression, I might get the impression that you don't show scans of books. Clicking on the "To see all new arrivals on one page, click here." link, I get what I really wanted to see, new books with scans. Assuming I am a regular customer, this is probably the page I would check regularly.

 

The border that is shown around the page is also reminiscent of 1st or 2nd generation web design. It looks antiquated and you really don't need it if you have a good page layout.

 

Note: I haven't even talked about the Bid Now system which really isn't an auction system. What you really probably mean is Make An Offer which everyone who uses eBay would probably understand. When I click on Bid Now to buy a book, it takes me to a registration screen. There is no option to just buy the book as a guest which other shopping cart systems have as an option. I don't even know what the Bid process IS unless I click on How to Order (which isn't really the same thing as Bid Now). Clicking on How to Order takes you to yet another dense text page.

 

In my opinion, there are major problems with all parts of the navigation and the site. It is needlessly complicated.

 

Anyway, that's my first impression. Hope it's of some use...

 

 

ADDED: Your stellar reputation and personal interactions with users at conventions probably pre-dispose them to give your website more latitude. However, new users will probably not give you that same latitude. It is those users you probably want to attract and retain. That means having a site that doesn't seem to be actively making it as difficult as possible to buy something.

 

A great primer on Usability: http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20030825.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[tth2]

I agree with you on the Flood of auctions. Frankly my experience with a couple of different auctions using the "no reserve auctions" has been a disaster. I could have sold my stuff for 1/2 off and done better. Oh yeah, good stuff makes headlines, common stuff makes auction houses money. I'm sorry but there are two sides of every transaction and when I see the guys proclaiming the great auction deals they just got I'm wondering if they seller feels the same way.

 

I don't disagree with you. I wasn't necessarily saying you should sell via auctions, or that auctions are guarantees of success. I was just pointing out why business may be down on your site.

 

I will say that the Guide and dealers need to get realistic when it comes to any post-1964 SA non-key book in less than CGC 9.0. Odds are it won't sell for Guide, and if it's raw, it's going to have to be discounted even more.

[FlyingDonut]

Bob, just my

 

I haven't bought from you as I won't pay $44 to ship a $35 book Priority International. It just doesn't cost that much.

 

Actually, I'll defend Bob here. Flat rate boxed shipping via Priority Mail International (if that's what Bob's using) costs $41.28, so $44 is very fair.

[batmiesta]

I would say the vast majority of us on this site, have your site and all the other major comic sites in their favourites, but in my case, yours is the least visited and i think it comes down to ease of use and the lack of scans, I look at clink everyday, click on new arrivals and all the scans are there for viewing, same with pedigree and wwcomics, so maybe you should look along those lines.

Good luck with whatever you decide to to Bob.