General question

[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.

 

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.

 

I can honestly say I don't think I've ever paid $40+ for one slab to be shipped to the UK.

[1koko]

These days, there seem to be very few "static" (i.e., non-auction) sites that get a lot of action. It seems like transactions are down on the regular listings, even at Pedigree if you exclude Doug's directly negotiated deals that he retroactively posts on his site.

 

It's not surprising, when you consider the sheer volume of auctions being conducted these days. Who has time to check regular listings when it takes a couple of days just to plow through the listings in Heritage's Signature auction, which is then followed by Comiclink's Featured auction, which is then followed by a Pedigree Grand auction, which is followed by a ComicConnect auction, all of which run in parallel with lesser auctions at Quality and Vintage, and which doesn't even take into account Heritage's weekly auctions, Comiclink's lesser auctions and eBay?

 

Everyone's dollars are so stretched by all these auctions where buyers have to prioritize their spending because the auctioned books will definitely move. They just start passing on static listings because they won't definitely sell, and just hope that the books don't move until they've got some money again, which won't happen because the next auction cycle will resume.

 

Exactly what I was going to say.

 

Buying patterns have changed. I used to trawl all dealer website listings looking for the books to buy.

 

The auction sites have a physcological advantage in that (i) they are "short term events" and as such attract attention to them as the book is only there for a limited amount of time and (ii) "no reserve" auctions give the impression that there may be bargains available even if at the end of the day the actual price realised may be higher or lower.

 

The sheer number of "events" have meant that people don't have the time to go through the websites even if in there are individual bargains to be had.

 

 

[Fedoraman]

Lower your starting bids on the slabs - you have some nice books but you have them priced eBay style like you are trying to catch a sucker.

[Fedoraman]

Especially on the 9.0 books.

[drbanner]

Obviously you have no control over the asking price for consignment books, but asking prices closer to "market" value would increase your turnover.

 

On nice books, GPA is a good indicator of market value - and this is true for raw or slabbed books, especially with a well-respected dealer such as yourself. Overstreet value has become irrelevant on many higher-priced books.

 

I'm also in the camp of not wanting to make an offer of 40% less than asking price, even if the 40% off price is "market" price, as I would feel like I was low-balling you. Like I told one forum member who made me a ridiculous low-ball offer on some books:

 

"You're not embarassed to make a low-ball offer like that?!!? "

[drewincanada]

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.

........

 

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

 

 

Excellent, thorough response.

 

Re: the search function. Make it easy for the customer to find books using a wide variety of search criteria. You should be able to filter/search by title, publisher, issue number, grade, publication date, etc., etc., or any combination of these criteria. As much as I detest CLink's site design, I have to admit that their search function, while not elegant, is highly functional.

 

One other note: get rid of the black background. It's not a colour that evokes trust. You need to a light, bright, progressive, clean and inviting design.

[G.A.tor]

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.

 

I can honestly say I don't think I've ever paid $40+ for one slab to be shipped to the UK.

the cheapest is $31.05 via priority mail int...(which is $29.50 if you use the online postage, but you have to charge 31.05 to factor in the 3% paypal or cc costs, so you at least "net" shipping)...

 

short of first class (not insured or trackable), no way to ship even 1 slab cheaper across the pond~!

[nocutename]

sckao has some wise words that you should think about. While I am not in the market for big ticketed books, I rarely get past your home page. 2 big reasons - no search engine on the first page and the colors simply turn me off. It is too difficult to read light text on a dark background for me. Plus the choice of colors is off putting and doesn't make me want to hang around. Just my 2¢

 

Edit: I have another comment. I just don't get your site. What is bid now? Is it an auction site or can you buy out right? Seriously don't get what your site is trying to accomplish. I see bid now and just run because I am not looking for an auction site. I guess you are try to be both but it is strange for the buyer looking for a store.

[rob_allan]

Here's my thinking... and I'm speaking as someone that has been eyeing books on your site, but passed on them because I personally couldn't get in tune with the pricing or the method of sale. So this is honest feedback from someone who ultimately didn't end up making a purchase.

 

1. Price - I don't want to negotiate when ordering off of a website. If I wanted to negotiate, I would go to a convention, an LCS, or the like. When I buy off a non-auction site on the web, I assume the price is the price. Done. I particularly won't ask for a discount from a site that I've never ordered from before. The only time I ever did is from Metro when they had a Pedigree I wanted and in that scenario the copy wasn't available elsewhere so I rolled the dice. (And even then the discount was "free shipping..." which wasn't terrific.)

 

2. I perceive your site as a sales site, but all of your buttons say "bid now." So I couldn't figure out whether you were selling books or auctioning them. I saw a couple books that I thought I'd pay site price for, but the button said bid now, and I wondered if the transaction would take forever to go through until the auction "ended" when I was just trying to "buy it now" kinda thing.

 

So that's my honest feedback. If you're an auction site then be that. And if you're a retail site then be that. And in either case the prices need to be down a bit (in most cases.)

 

How can you do this and be profitable? I don't know. But if I did, I probably would be selling comics instead of working here.

 

-Rob-

[fantastic_four]

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

 

Bob's scan:

 

My scan:

 

 

I actually prefer Bob's scan, as his is legal-sized and not cut off. The lighting difference matters not in the slightest when I'm shopping for a book.

 

Individual sellers are inferior to multiple sellers grouping together in one marketplace as the individual seller's inventory can never compare to the market approach. I don't want to check 10 different dealers' web sites when I can check just one or two consignment sites and still see more inventory than the combined total of the 10 individual guys. ComicLink and Pedigree also get the best of two worlds--they can profit off of everyone else's sales, and their own inventory's sales potential is boosted TREMENDOUSLY by the fact that they can list it along with that of hundreds of other sellers with no overhead. There's only one model I can see that would end the best-of-both-worlds model the consignment sites are getting--consignment with reduced or no overhead for trusted sellers. What's going to get more traffic--Blazingbob's books listed alone, or Blazingbob's books listed alongside those of Lauterbach, Yee, and a bunch of other dealers? Are people more likely to go to a standalone store, or a con where they can see lots of books in one place? The consignment houses are like cons, but the guy running the con gets a cut of everyone's action.

 

ComicLink and Pedigree undercut Heritage--I suspect there's still room for someone to undercut them as well. Maybe I'm wrong, it seems like Brent Moeshlin's site has been trying to do that with zero consignment costs, but isn't he back to charging 10% now? I'm not totally sure, maybe I'm wrong. I've been wanting to try for five or six years what Brent is trying, so I'm curious as to how it turns out for him.

[VintageComics]

I'm the type of person that doesn't get put off by the colors or design of a website. I'm fairly goal oriented so if there's something I'm looking for I'll usually push past whatever obstacles are in the way to get what I want or need.

 

As far as comic book sites, though, I don't think Bob's site is that bad. IMO it's one of the better comic book sites out there. There are some real dogs that are still stuck in the 1990's.

 

I do see the points that scako, drewincanada and nocutename are making though.

 

Somebody with a lot of design or internet experience, or someone who is not familiar with all the other comic book sites will judge a site based on eye appeal and functionality, unfortunately.

 

Regarding offers:

 

I understand the haggle mentality well and it seems that no matter where you price your books, somebody wants to haggle you down. Priced below FMV? Somebody eventually will ask for a better price. I think most sellers will price in a range where there is room to haggle. It's just the nature of business. Anybody that prices below FMV regularly becomes a target for the sharks and that person doesn't keep that business model very long once they catch on.

 

As far as the make an offer feature, I've rarely made an offer on the site but I will send a friendly email to Bob to negotiate if I'm interested on a book and he has always been reasonable and fair. The same goes for my face to face experience at cons.

 

The point about scans is a valid one.

 

People have been spoilt with onset of buying across the internet and scans seem to be a prerequisite for any book over $10-20. It's time consuming, it's going to be a waste of time for those books that don't sell but eye appeal seems to be the deciding factor for the buyer who is being very careful with their money (and who isn't).

[nocutename]

I'm the type of person that doesn't get put off by the colors or design of a website. I'm fairly goal oriented so if there's something I'm looking for I'll usually push past whatever obstacles are in the way to get what I want or need.

 

As far as comic book sites, though, I don't think Bob's site is that bad. IMO it's one of the better comic book sites out there. There are some real dogs that are still stuck in the 1990's.

 

I do see the points that scako, drewincanada and nocutename are making though.

Somebody with a lot of design or internet experience, or someone who is not familiar with all the other comic book sites will judge a site based on eye appeal and functionality, unfortunately.

 

Regarding offers:

 

I understand the haggle mentality well and it seems that no matter where you price your books, somebody wants to haggle you down. Priced below FMV? Somebody eventually will ask for a better price. I think most sellers will price in a range where there is room to haggle. It's just the nature of business. Anybody that prices below FMV regularly becomes a target for the sharks and that person doesn't keep that business model very long once they catch on.

 

As far as the make an offer feature, I've rarely made an offer on the site but I will send a friendly email to Bob to negotiate if I'm interested on a book and he has always been reasonable and fair. The same goes for my face to face experience at cons.

 

The point about scans is a valid one.

 

People have been spoilt with onset of buying across the internet and scans seem to be a prerequisite for any book over $10-20. It's time consuming, it's going to be a waste of time for those books that don't sell but eye appeal seems to be the deciding factor for the buyer who is being very careful with their money (and who isn't).

 

Here's the problem, I have his site bookmarked probably from some thread here. I could be potentially a new customer but I cannot either get past that home page or figure out what that site is trying to be. Even if they had a book I was looking for I don't think I would pull the trigger. I may shot them an email first and the fact that they are in NY would help.

[Dale Roberts]

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

 

Bob's scan:

 

 

 

My scan:

 

 

There is no way the book actually looks like your scan though Bob. Bob's scan is an accurate depiction of what the book actually looks like. To me, enhancing a scan is as completely dishonest as offering one book and selling a different one.

[ComicConnoisseur]

I got confused with your selling and buying. I thought your buying was selling and your selling was buying.

also, I would put a few of your higher priced books on Ebay as Bing will give buyer 10 percent off right now(incentive to buy.)

btw, this thread you started is brillant marketing plan, People after reading this thread will go to your site and look at your books, I have my eye on a few now. (thumbs u

[GACollectibles]

I think in general there are some factors that a retail site such as HighGradeComics can not overcome such as the existence of enough venues where items can be moved at (sometimes) significant discounts. The expectation on a lot of books is that there is no "retail" price any more, and Bob has hit the nail on the head previously by commenting on the proliferation of "dealers" in the current market.

 

How does a retail source deal with that? Well, they might not be able to overcome all of the competitive aspects, but providing more scans and less clicks/time between entering a site and making potential purchase are a couple.

 

And most definitely more rants & raves.

[cheetah]

Just my thoughts:

 

I like the email option where I can get a list of your new books in my mail when they come in. I'd been shopping your site for two years, though, before I realized is was there.

 

When you use your 'book finder' to search, you don't have a link back to the 'book finder' on the results page. You have to navigate back to the home page to call it up again. Adding a link at the top of the results page would be easier.

 

I think lists of links are easier for people to use than are links embedded in text. You've got 13 different links embedded in five paragraphs. Most people's attention span isn't long enough to digest that.

 

I like both Worldwide's and Pedigree's new listings because all you do is click a link and the books are shown with the newest listings on top. Your set up is nice if I haven't checked your site in a while because I can search listings based on how recent they are and only look through titles I'm interested in. Maybe offering both options on the same site would provide a better shopping experience than anyone else. FWIW, Clink's option to search the newest listings works fine until some dork lists three pages of relisted, overpriced .

 

Cost. If a book was priced 40% more than I'd like to pay, I'd pass instead of making an offer for 40% off. But overall, I find your prices are in line with Worldwide, the only other on-line retailer I frequent. Some books are higher than I'd pay so I look elsewhere but most of the prices seem reasonable.

 

 

[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.

 

I can honestly say I don't think I've ever paid $40+ for one slab to be shipped to the UK.

 

If he's using Priority Mail International, that's the price.

[Bullet123]

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?

Bob I cant speak for everyone but my past experience with online dealers is that if you accept discounted offers then you are in the minority (strictly speaking CGC books) GPA plays a more prominent role these days and unfortunately it does not tell the whole picture because of incomplete reporting ( especially with all of these new auctions ) IMO the barrage of books for sale on auction sites makes it nearly impossible for me to check and recheck static sites I have a difficult time just getting through the auction listings. I wish they all were as user friendly as heritage's site

[Dale Roberts]

Bob,

Here is the answer. You CAN'T sell to everyone. No matter what you do, how you change your site, how you price your books, you will never make everyone happy. What changes you make to please some people, will certainly put off others. You can lower your prices and probably sell more books, but you will lose money on the sales that you have been making. And also, you will not be able to pay as much for books and consequently, won't have as good of inventory.

 

This is what you CAN do. You can treat people as fairly as possible (which I think you do), price your books where you can maintain a balance of competitive prices, having respectable inventory, and making enough profit so that you can maintain the type of life you desire.

 

Utilize the competition(auction houses or auction sites) to YOUR advantage. If you have a book that is likely to go nuts, put it in there. Make extra money off that book, so you can discount another. If you have extra stuff that you have carried for 3 years, get rid of it. The fact is, the auction houses are sucking up the extra money that people used to have. They buy 1 or 2 books because that is what they can't find on the auctions at a discount. And books are so expensive, alot of people can't buy runs anymore.

 

My advice, make some money, have fun, be nice to people, buy lots of books and get a warehouse, cause the is always going to pile up.

 

And thats the bottom line.

 

 

 

[fantastic_four]

I wish they all were as user friendly as heritage's site [/color]

 

Heritage almost certainly has on-staff developers, and they can fund them since they serve multiple markets besides just comics. The sweetest comic consignment/auction site will most likely be the one with the lowest cost where the guy running it is also a web developer.