Future of Comic Book Collecting

[Kevin Boyd]

No they aren't selling directly to the secondary market - although most PRIMARY outlets are ALSO SECONDARY market stores selling back issues. But if you are trying to get people talking about comics, the easiest way to get "buzz" around a book is not being able to find it! And if the secondary (back issue) market is able to sell their back issue Marvels for a higher price then they are more than likely to (in theory) order more new issues.

 

This can always backfire if people don't want to pay premium prices for recent books on the back issue market. So far this has not been the case.

 

But my real point was that Marvel isn't concerned about the primary market! They are gearing to move their primary focus away from new issue comic books to collected editions and hardcovers to mainstream media outlets - like bookstores, online sales, et al. The direct market is a small pond, and they are eager to go swimming in a larger body of water.

 

Why aren't they concerned? Why would they do this?

 

1. To get stores to order more now, not reorder later. Either the dealers get behind Marvel at the start by ordering what they think they can sell (and thereby risk getting stuck with books that don't sell). That way they don't get stuck overprinting and having warehouses full of comics that didn't get reordered.

 

2. They want to boost sales of collected editions, the only growth sector in the comic business over that last 5+ years and since Marvel sucked at them for so long they want to make up for lost time and get people out of the primary market (new issue comics in comic shops) and into the mainstream marketplace (lucrative book distribution deals).

 

Kev

[FlComicFan]

future looks like it will be in trades and collections. Comic publishers shot themselves in the foot when they begin to market comics as a collectible emphasising first issues etc. Maybe if they were able to lower prices on new comics to around $1.50 which is about where they should be based on entertainment value and their history of price structure they might reclaim their readership and get their circulations back into the 100,000's not 10,000's. They would also need to reinstall comic racks and rebuild their sales at old fashioned venues such as drug stores, 7-11's, instead of just focusing on the direct market (comic shops) Lowering prices on the books would not be a problem. 1. they pay the same rates for the labor involved with the creation of the comic 2 higher circulation would make up the production costs 3 they could always go back to cheaper paper etc . The current pricing is based on the fact that they have built a customer base of collectors who are buying with thought of making a form of profit on the books at some point. Same thing the trading card companies did by marketing hype/gimmicks to try and create instant collectibles which instead limited their market. It would be a lot easier selling comics to a wider group of people than a small group "collectors" Chet

[comicinvestor-migration]

The comic industry is like baseball - actively anti-marketing their product. Feh!

 

I agree, but my only point was that the problems will not be magically solved by tossing a few commercials on TV. And like baseball, their variable costs have gone through the roof and are being passed on to a increasingly hostile buyer.

[Kevin Boyd]

Hey, I don't disagree with the theories behind your points... the articles I've read indicate that:

- yes, the companies did shift towards direct sales BUT it was because the other venues were slowly phasing out comics

- those venues were phasing out comics because they were not making a profit from them

- they weren't making a profit from them because comics take up nearly as much rack space as more expensive magazines and the loosening of restrictions on periodicals allowed for more magazines to be published and they needed the rack space

- plus sales were dwindling because people were buying their comics from the direct market AND kids were spending their money on videogames

- those venues have always been able to order comics thru their distributors... they don't because sales are mediocre/poor and they don't want to make the space to sell them...

 

- sales are poor because comics cost too much for the consumer (kids) but not enough for the seller to make a profit and we're back to perceived value again.

 

Price increases were originally because there was a paper shortage and newsprint was more expensive to purchase. Then they switched to better paper to avoid this, but better paper (which the fans were happy about) was also more expensive than newsprint.... then sales began to suffer because comics cost too much to produce so they had to raise prices to cover the cost of paying for the artists and writers who were demanding more money.

 

This industry is all one big vicious circle.

 

Kev

[FlComicFan]

I dont buy the argument that the space wasnt there for the comics to be displayed. Comics were distributed by the same people who distribute magazines/candy/trading cards They were distributed on a returnable basis so the stores wouldnt lose anything by selling them and really just how much room does one lousy spinner rack take up? you can offset it in anaisle where you would lose any space. Simple reason is greed and stupidity. They raised prices because they were selling 6,000,000 copies of X-Men 1 with a dozen bagged glow in the dark covers and selling them as instant collectibles. An average comic book is what 22 pages now and costs an average of $3 a pop. You could easily add some advertisements for the very same things that people say stole the kids away from comics as they go hand in hand. Ads for candy,video games etc could cover some of the cost. Go with cheaper paper if you have to but rebuild your circulation by giving people a entertainement value for their buck. A comic that can be read in 5-10 minutes is not worth $3 period. When comics were sold as cheap disposable entertainment they were selling in the high 100,000's to even millions of copies each month. There were titles of virtually every genre by dozens of companies. Now the big dog marvel cant sell but 50,000 copies of the latest hottest book going? When the prices go up again some more what then the print runs will be 5,000 copies and 5,000 poor stiffs will be held accountable to pay $20 for a 22 page comic? I am certain you can publish a comic and sell it for $1.50 and both sell more copies and get fans back into the fold. And I dont mean those 99 cent kiddie books which were a disgrace. You dont have to water the books down and make them to sell them for 99 cents. I felt that was an insult to the very same young reader they said this was aimed after. The $ is there people paid good money to see Spider-Man the Movie what 400+ Million US Gross. Lets say each ticket was $10 thats 40 million viewers saw that film (not counting those that say it multiples of times) If 40 million people were interested enough to go see the movie if only 1 in 100 of those people picked up the comic each month that would be 400,000 readers a month. I mean couldnt they have run a simple 5 second promo to the audience that yes Spider-Man is featured in new adventures each and every month? The publishers need to stop marketing to collectors and publish comics to be read period. All I see is treading water by the publishers so they can keep selling their properties as films/toys/video games etc. I say hold the creators accountable too. Shame on guys like a Todd McFarlane who made themselves rich by selling their creations and forgot all about what got them there. I'd love to see a comic from him every decade or so. I dont mean to single only him out but damn he's a talented guy and it wouldnt kill him to pencil some pages now and again.

[comicinvestor-migration]

That's exactly what happened. Once the Direct Market started up (with no returns) comic companies quickly found out that their main customer could be the comic shops, and not the actual readers and marketed their books appropriately.

 

If the Direct Market and their adult buyers could handle exponential cover price increases, then the newstand market was forced to adopt the same other-worldly pricing structure, thus causing lower "kid sales" and lower distribution. The loss of the newstand business was a foregone conclusion, as kids cannot compete with adults running the pricing show.

 

It was really a case of Marvel and DC taking the easy route of selling exclusively to comic stores, with no thought to the future or the risk of putting all their eggs in one basket.

[The_Man_Of_Steel]

I'm glad you started this thread dam60, it has been a pleasure to read. I agree with much of what has already been said, and it's obvious that a number of us are concerned about the future of our hobby (for some here I realize it's more of a business).

 

I can't help but feel that the high cover prices of all these new comics are in the long term bad for the industry as the publishers are making individual comics more and more affordable only for those with "day jobs" that can afford the steep cover prices.

 

I know exactly what you are saying, and I for one am in agreement with you. Here is my reasoning on this subject of cover price, and why I purchase backissues rather than new books. 1, 2, 3, are you ready? The simple answer is PRICE. Why would I want to purchase a new book for $2.00 - $2.50, when I can purchase an average of 4 backissues on eBay for the same price? Let me share something that I wrote at a different messageboard a couple of months ago:

 

The following is with the AVERAGE comic book collector in mind, and NOT people that have plenty of wealth to go around. Let me use a little reverse psychology here and say that a cover price of $2.99 for the average comic book would NOT be too much, IF...

 

• Minimum wage were increased (Nationwide) to compensate for inflation (however, I make more than minimum wage, and I still refuse to pay $2.25 for a comic book, read on and I'll explain why)
  
• People that make more than minimum wage receive an equal increase in wages.
  
• A deflation of prices on necessary things like gasoline and food. (personally I think that only luxury tangible goods should be taxed)
  
• Comic Book buyers were to limit their number of titles purchased per month. Let's be honest now, who WANTS to drop a title that you enjoy month after month for the sole reason that the cover price went up? In a nutshell high cover prices discourages collecting by limiting the number of titles a collector can afford to purchase on a monthly basis.
  

 

With the exception of limiting the number of monthly titles, how likely is it that what I mentioned above is going to happen anytime soon? In order for the NEW comic book market to expand and grow, something must give. Let's do some math, and comparisons. To purchase 1 title at a cover price of $2.99 an issue, the total is $35.88 for a 12 issues (a year). Now, compare that price with the subscription price of your favorite magazine. Next compare the quality, and number of pages. My next question is...who here among us only buys 1 or 2 titles a month? So looking at the situation right now, is $2.99 for a single NEW comic book too much? YES it is too much for no more than what it is, and I for one cannot afford to support through new comic books (I purchased the Spider-Man movie on DVD though) the future of one of my one of my favorite hobbies. IF comic book publishers need more advertising to make up for costs, then by all means do whatever it takes to bring the price down. I Don't know about you, but I would rather not go through a great comic depression. How many times have overpayed Baseball players been on strike or threatened to strike because they think that they do not make enough money. Watch on T.V. and look at all the empty seats, can you guess why that is? Because the average citizen if feed up with paying outrageous admission fees, and on top of that having to listen to Baseball players making millions of dollars complaining that they are not making enough money! My dad has encyclopedic knowledge of baseball, and has closely followed his favorite baseball team for many, many, many years, but he has limits of what is acceptable, and what is not. Believe it or not, in a way, he wished that they had gone on strike, and watch as professional Baseball crashes bankrupt, so that the professional Baseball player's would realize just how fortunate they really are.

 

Here is my solution to overinflated cover prices: Comic book publishers should lower the price of the average (pamplet) comic book to $1.50 or less (.75 - $1.00 would be preferrable). If that requires more advertisements and going back to cheaper paper, then so be it. Most working people do not make enough money to afford the hobby (at the retail price), much less teenagers that work for the summer, but have to go back to school in the fall. How are they gonna keep up with $2.99 cover prices? The mainstream comic book publishers should seriously consider their AUDIENCE. It's not that we don't want to read and enjoy the art, the problem is called inflation. If comic book publishers were to lower the cover price of the average comic book, I think that it would attract more readers, and older people that have been turned off by the raised prices might consider coming back. In turn, everyone would benefit. The publishers, readers, and creators. If prices were lowered people could afford to buy more titles, and the more titles you buy, the more money is going into the pocket of the people that actually do the work...the editors, writers, pencilers, inkers, etc. Which gets me to another point in this comparison, magazine editors, writers, and photographers need to be paid the same as comic book creators, and I know that I can get subscription to several of my favorite magazines for less than subscriptions to my favorite comic titles. Sorry for writing a freaking novel here on this subject, but it's something that keeps coming up, and understandably so, and so I felt it needed to be addressed.

 

When was the last time you were in a comic book store and saw a bunch of kids? Havig been to just about every single comic book store in NYC, I find that the majority of customers are the post college crowd. Wouldn't if logically follow if we can't capture this generation that the industry will have some serious problems in the future?

 

Ok, let me give my side of this from personal experience and observations. I became interested in Super-Heroes at a very early age. I had comic related things long before I ever owned a comic book. I think I started with Mego Super Hero dolls/action figures, and I can remember haiving a "Viewmaster" with Spider-Man and Superman reels. I can remember watching the "SuperFriends" cartoon and that I looked forward to the next episode. The first comic book I can remember my mom purchasing for me at a grocery store would be a Spidey Super Stories issue with Dr. Doom and the Silver Surfer. I can remember going to the grocery store with my mom and immediately running to the magazine/comic book/novel section and checking out the latest comic books. I remember how much I enjoyed reading Crisis on Infinite Earths and eagerly anticipated the next issue. It was not until my teenage years that I walked into a comic book shop. I think it would have been around the time of the first Batman movie in 1989. In all the years that I visited the local comic shop, I don't recall seeing very many kids around 7-12 years old. To make a long story short, I think that some of the comic related merchandising (Spider-Man movie for example) of today, will help the future of comic books, if comic publishers can get cover prices to a reasonable level. A guy that I went to school with has a young son that absolutely loved the Spider-Man movie. He told me that his son would go around the house posing as Spider-Man. I'm not saying that his son will be a future comic collector, but I'm pointing out that kids have interest in Super-Heroes even today.

 

I would go so to say that I think the whole concept of a post modern (what I will call MK Daredevil #1 onwards) back issue is lost on most of the new readers. For the most part, they think, "Why buy the back issue if I can buy the trade?" Which will eventually come to the point where why buy the comic at all if one can buy the trade?

 

I'm NOT opposed to the idea of publishing 100 page tradepaperbacks on a montly basis. Honestly, I think that maybe that is the direction new comic books should go. I appreciate the durability of heaver cardstock covers on trades, and the main attraction is the length of the books. Wouldn't it be cool if you could purchase say all the Spider-Man titles for THAT MONTH bound into one trade paperback?

 

[Guest]

It's sad, but I think that we as collectors are entering yet another comic downturn. Much like economic business cycles which rotate on a model of 6 to 8 years, I have found that the comic market reflects these trends.

 

I started collecting at the age of 8....18 years ago. Back then, I was interested in the great stories, great art and straightforward collecting practices. There was no eBay, no internet...hell, hadly any such thing as PCs back then. Sure we had the Hulk on TV, and the cartoons of Spidey, etc...but that just prolonged the desire to learn more about those characters....through the medium of comics.

 

It was then that I started my X-Men run, one that I still work on as a collector today...but the times have changed. I took an extended leave from the colecting world based on 3 books: Spiderman #1, Spawn #1 and Superman #75. That period in time, along with the rise and fall of Valiant (comics going back to their roots IMO...and a great company which really hit home to me) and the rise of the Image empire changed my views. I stopped collecting. as a teen, with not a lot to spend, comics were becoming a farce...multiple deaths, a new character every week, a gagillion copies of each book lying around...it had lost its fun, its focus...it was all about corporate finances, and less about providing people with good stories and better art.

 

One exception to this rule in the early 90's I think was the branching of DC into Vertigo. To this day, they still offer great books...and Marvel's MAX titles try to emulate this, with mixed results.

 

Am I jaded? Yes. I almost stopped again after I got back into it about 5 years ago with the release of the Ultimates, etc, etc...again with multiple covers, super rare issues, etc, causing the collecting and spending scramble yet again. Then the movie rights started pricing certain titles out of most people's grasp. Again...its been about the cash, not the product. eBay, and suffice it to say CGC, only push this further down the road.

 

Now, for me, it's all about oddball goldenage, and indy books which no one wants but hold true to the collector, giving great products at a good value. Maybe it's time for another company like Valiant to cross the threshold into classic comicdom again and really show us what storytelling is about, without the thought of reaping huge cash benefits that present day marketing affords some of these larger companies.

 

As for collecting...I think it'll never die off. Comics are a perishable item, which increase in value annually as more and more drop from the market. Do I think that present day books will die? Possibly...I guess it's probable that one day they'll just realize that the superheroes have nothing left to say.

[Rival61-migration]

I think many missed one of the most important points, that being that comic books are an artform. They are no different than limited edition prints. Aside from the nostalgic aspect, they will always have a historical value and a value to those who appreciate art. This will remain whether it is 10 years from now or if it is 100 years from now.

 

Yes, prices will fluctuate in the near term, but scarcity will always breed price increases. You used to be able to buy old V8 beaters like Chargers and Camaros for $100.00 in the 70's. Today you pay that for a tail-light.

 

Every genre goes through similar phases, until it lands on a very stable slow upward trek once 99.999% of the collectable in question are in the hands of people who just won't part with them. At that point, estate sales are the only real option for purchase.

 

You don't need teenagers to keep the market for 1969 GTO's going, and you don't need it for comics either.

[comicinvestor-migration]

Please don't compare functional items to collectibles, as they are two different animals. You can't drive a comic around town, pick up a honey in it, or drag race with your psycho friends. Especially in its CGC form, all you can really do is collect it.

 

Also, if you want some examples of collectibles that have exhibited long-term devaluation, there are mass quantiies of prime examples. Comics are a dying form, and it's insane to think that these will actually continue to rise in value into the future. They've had their day in the sun, and CGC is one last hurrah before it sets.

 

Maybe the key Golden books and hyper Silver keys like AF 15, FF1 and Showcase 4 will maintain values, but past that, I really don't think so.

[PovertyRow]

Maybe the key Golden books and hyper Silver keys like AF 15, FF1 and Showcase 4 will maintain values, but past that, I really don't think so.

 

I believe, at least for the time being, that the GA collectors will still be buying overall lesser unslabbed books. At every con I have been to the majority of GA buyers are looking at G-F and paying appropriately for them...myself included.

 

The slabbed market is a totally different animal from the VG/F type of market (ior the Fr/G or the G/VG etc.). These are folks who are in the majority and consisetntly adding to their collections. I don't see the non-CGC GA market going down. I just don;t see it.

[The_Man_Of_Steel]

Rival61 said: I think many missed one of the most important points, that being that comic books are an artform. They are no different than limited edition prints. Aside from the nostalgic aspect, they will always have a historical value and a value to those who appreciate art. This will remain whether it is 10 years from now or if it is 100 years from now.

 

Actually, comic books in their intended original raw form are quite different than limited edition prints. Comic books are NOT just art, they are illustrated stories or some have referred to them as sequential art. Comic books are a form of literature. I agree with you about the nostalgic aspect, and that is a reason why some of these wealthy collectors shell out thousands of dollars for a single book. Historic value? Now that is a tough one, they have historic value to certain people like you and me, but not to the mainstream public. According to the majority of peoples observations in this discussion, (generally speaking) kids 7-12 don't buy comic books, and fewer new collectors are coming aboard because of inflated cover prices. Basically the historical value is dying with old collectors, and at some point if a new generation does not take the older generation's place, then the younger generation will care less about comics or any historical value. You ever watch the Antique Road Show where somebody has found a good deal because another person saw NO historical value?

 

You don't need teenagers to keep the market for 1969 GTO's going, and you don't need it for comics either.

 

YES we do NEED teenagers because we cannot live forever to sustain the "Value" of comic book collecting. There is plenty of room for everyone in this hobby.

[Kevin Boyd]

Actually, comics are a commercial artform and aside from the original art the comics can be repackaged to suit the needs of any given audience.

 

I still say the format is no longer viable, but the material is... there are plenty of excellent comics being published today that are not finding their market because they are published in a format and within a distribution system that is not appealing or accessible to the general public.

 

You can try to change the distribution system but you still have the same product that isn't what people want (or we would see blistering comic sales off the rack in the few places that sell comics outside of comic shops).

 

You can try to change the product, as they are, and you might see some growth as people become exposed to it, but if your distribution system is only to comic shops then you are only selling to the small market of people that shop there.

 

Just like DVD has revolutionized the way we look at movies, sequential art needs to be pulled out of its drunken stupor, given a shower, prettied up and put in some new clothes that will catch the eye of the buying public and the Public needs to be told what it is, why they will like it and where they can get it.

 

Magazines have lower subscription rates and can pay their staff better wages because they subsidize their magazine sales by selling advertizing space to companies that target the demographic that buys and reads the magazine. Advertizing in comics has dropped to next to nothing because potential advertizers do not see comics as a means to reach their target demographic. As a result, comics cannot subsidize their costs and lower cover prices.

 

Subscription comics are available only to a small fraction of titles published by Marvel and DC. If hundreds of thousands of people were ordering Spider-Man by subscription like they do Sports Illustrated then perhaps you might see lower subscription rates.

 

As for the outside venues such as variety stores, magazine stores, et al, whether someone buys the argument or not. If I have 100 comics and 100 magazines to sell at my store and comics are $1.50 and magazines $4.00. Let's say my cost is $0.75 per comic, $2 per magazine. It costs me $75 for the comics and I'm going to possibly make $75 on them. For the magazines it costs me $200 for the lot, but I can potentially make $200 on them. While magazines cost more, my potential margin for profit is much higher and I'm making nearly three times as much on the magazines then I am on the comics. Since all are returnable for credit I'm not out as much for either product.

 

Now if I only sell 20/100 comics, and 100/200 magazines, I would probably lower my monthly order of comics to 50 and perhaps maintain the magazines but order more copies of the ones that did sell to make up for the difference.

 

Should I back the slower horse out of nostalgia? Or just because I have a spinner rack then I'm obligated to fill it? If what's in it isn't selling I would sooner toss it and put in a rack of potato chips that will sell.

 

Inflation. SInce about 1980 when movies used to be $4, they are now $12. Comics used to be $1, now they are $4. CDs used to be $20 now they are $15. DVDs used to be $40 now they are $20 (or less). Why did two go up and 2 go down? Movies and comics have become more expensive to produce and sales are down, while CDs and DVDs have become cheaper to make and sales have gone up. When comics start selling huge numbers and the price of manufacturing them drops then you might see price drops, but since the opposite is happening you will only see further increases.

 

Sure, make cheaper comics sounds great (and it has been tried and is being tried again with these $0.10 and $0.25 cent promotions and free comic days) but do they actually sell? They guy that makes a living selling comics is suddenly make $0.12 cents on what he was making $1.50 on.... there's a sure-fire way to drive the comic shops out of business.

 

Kev

[fantastic_four]

Just like DVD has revolutionized the way we look at movies, sequential art needs to be pulled out of its drunken stupor, given a shower, prettied up and put in some new clothes that will catch the eye of the buying public and the Public needs to be told what it is, why they will like it and where they can get it.

Isn't the animated cartoon the "revolutionary" advance from static comic strips?

 

Does anyone have theories as to why there aren't more animated superhero cartoons?

[Kevin Boyd]

Isn't the animated cartoon the "revolutionary" advance from static comic strips?

 

Actually both animation and the comic book were spun out of newspaper strips, with animation being the older form. Both comics and cartoons are the stepchildren of the newspaper strip. Both have evolved separately but have been influencing one another for quite some time.

 

I watched Lilo and Stitch last night and the entire opening scene could have been lifted from a Byrne X-Men or Fantastic Four comic with Lilandra of the Shi'ar and her galactic court.

 

Does anyone have theories as to why there aren't more animated superhero cartoons?

 

X-Men, Static, Justice League, He-Man, Samurai Jack, Tarzan... I'd say there about as many being made now as there always have been. Superhero and action/adventure cartoons seem to be a big thing for the Cartoon Network.

 

Kev

[The_Man_Of_Steel]

Kevin, you made some very good points especially about the comic book "distribution system" and "target demographic". However the conclusion leaves something to be desired. If you want to argue the difference in profit for magazines, comic books, and potato chips, then my recommendation is to stop selling magazines, comic books, and potato chips, and start selling something you can really make money on... like (land) real estate. Point is, if it's really all about profit, then there are much better ways of making money than selling new comic books.

 

Now don't you feel sorry for the guys that make "profit" from bubble gum machines?

[fantastic_four]

But there aren't anywhere near as many superhero cartoons made as there are superhero comic books. Is it a matter of money? I dunno how much a cartoon costs to make.

[Guest]

CDs used to be $20 now they are $15. DVDs used to be $40 now they are $20 (or less). Why did two go up and 2 go down? Movies and comics have become more expensive to produce and sales are down, while CDs and DVDs have become cheaper to make and sales have gone up.

 

While I'm with you on a lot of what you're saying, this bit isn't exactly perfect.

 

Historically, the prices of CDs have never been higher than they've been in the past couple of years. Also, sales of CDs are down globally. Both of these trends are recurring themes in the file-sharing/ online music/ piracy/ etc. debate.

 

DVD prices, like the prices of videotapes before them are only vaguely related to how much they cost to produce. There was never any reason for new videos to sell for $90-120 other than Hollywood manipulating the price to spur rentals. Hollywood has different ideas about what they want from DVDs (they want people to collect them), so the prices are fair.

 

Movie sales are most certainly not "down." Ticket prices have increased, but overall sales are increasing right along with them. We've seen repeated record breaking, or close to record breaking, years recently. Obviously some studios are doing better than others, but the overall trend is not down, it's up. I mean, AOL TW is practically rolling around in money from their movie divisions- the LOTR trilogy, the Harry Potter films, the upcoming Matrix sequels- that's BILLIONS of dollars worth of box office right there.

[Kevin Boyd]

However the conclusion leaves something to be desired. If you want to argue the difference in profit for magazines, comic books, and potato chips, then my recommendation is to stop selling magazines, comic books, and potato chips, and start selling something you can really make money on... like (land) real estate. Point is, if it's really all about profit, then there are much better ways of making money than selling new comic books.

 

As per Jules in Pulp Fiction:

 

You know that there are things called stores, and that they come in all sorts of sizes, but there are small stores that we call corner or variety stores, drug stores, things like that?

 

And in those stores they sell things like magazines, comic books, pop and potato chips? Not real estate and stuff like that? Otherwise they would be a real estate store, you know what I mean?

 

Well in order to keep items in those stores they have to actually sell. If they don't sell then they don't carry the items. Understand? So they make these things, like comic books, and if the stores don't want them then they cancel their orders and don't carry them.

 

My point is that if you are running a business AND I DON'T CARE WHAT BUSINESS YOU ARE IN then you are constantly making decisions to get people to spend money on your product. Within the business you promote and increase the orders on what does sell and reduce and cut your orders on what doesn't.

 

If one is selling magazines, comics and potato chips. And people are coming into the store and buying magazines and potato chips, and virtually no one is buying anything from the comic rack then they should continue to maintain the comic rack out of what? Nostalgia? Fond memories of when they were a child? The hope that suddenly decades of declining sales will be reversed overnight?

 

In the past, stores would carry the comic rack because it did bring in business. Kids would come in and linger and buy a comic or two.. . or ask their parents for one. Slowly that stopped happening, and it wasn't because of comic shops!

 

That's why, in the hierarchy of magazines like Time, Newsweek, Maxim, Cosmopolitan and a couple of others are put at the Front of the rack. You promote the magazines that people are looking for. If the magazine keeps going to the back of the rack, and no one sells any, then the advertizers are going to pull their ads from future editions and the magazine will cease publication.

 

Comics were already at the bottom of the magazine rack or on a side rack of their own. When stores cut their orders down to only the few comics that did sell - Spider-Man, Batman, Superman, et al. they were no longer ordering enough comics to maintain such a rack so they got pushed back even further to the furthest corner. Which is where they are know. The magazine distributors still carry comics, they can be ordered, and store owners have the CHOICE to order them. They just no longer do.

 

Why do you think that most comics shops give prominence to Collectible Card Games and toys? Those are their primary sellers now.

 

Kev

 

[Kevin Boyd]

CDs and DVDs cost very little to manufacture and yes I agree, the pricing is quite arbitrary.

 

CD sales are down because most people have found alternative means to make their own CDs.

 

This will probably happen with DVDs when DVD burners are cheaper to buy.

 

As for movie sales, ticket sales may be up on Blockbuster or Event movies, but your average film is not a blockbuster, so of the 100+ films or so released in any given month, less than 10% of those films are ticket sellers, the rest quietly slip in and out of the distribution system for the eventual home video release.

 

The movie business seems to be focused more on those hits than anything else, which is why the release window on those other 90 films released is shrinking and they are coming out on home video mere weeks after the brief theatrical run in order to recoup production costs.

 

Kev