Moondog Posted May 11, 2005 Share Posted May 11, 2005 House: I don't know all the details, but Ross and Crestohl were selling 1,000,000 Comics franchises. For a large down stroke and monthly payments, you were sold an inventory of "hot selling" back issues and you were able to buy new comics at the "1,000,000 Comics price". I believe finding the location of your store was up to you. So basically they'd sell you some greatly overpriced back issues and membership in a buying cooperative...but I believe you had to buy the new books directly from them, meaning that you got drop shipped but if there were any problems with your order, you couldn't deal directly with the distributor (Heroes World?), so many of these guys were SOL each week. There may have also been a greatly over-priced point-of-sale system you had to buy... That's the basics. I'm interested in hearing the details. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HouseofComics.Com Posted May 11, 2005 Share Posted May 11, 2005 That's the basics. I'm interested in hearing the details. Nice memory! I figured there was a little more to the deal "cough" than just the inventory transfer. And this is circa? Marc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forbush-Man Posted May 11, 2005 Share Posted May 11, 2005 Honestly...you don't want to know. But I'll tell the story later anyway after I get home from work (and it's worse than you could imagine)... Did he make it home alright?!? Anyone want to go check see if his picture's on any Milk Cartons?!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidpg Posted May 12, 2005 Share Posted May 12, 2005 Did he make it home alright?!? Anyone want to go check see if his picture's on any Milk Cartons?!? Heh...I made it home, I just havent't had time to formulate my little opus. Here we go...I'll start with a little background first: It all started back when I was about 10 years old (1983 if you're counting). I had begun collecting comics a couple of years earlier after a few friends had introduced me to the hobby. Obviously, I was hooked. I had amassed a few good comics (X-Men 102-110, etc), and decided to sell a few (I was young, wasn't sure I still wanted to collect, etc). I called a number I found in the classifieds in the local paper and made an appointment (with my mother's consent) to have my books looked at as the person on the other end of the line was interested in what I had. This person proceeded to purchase the books from me at quite a low price, using the somewhat dubious tactic of making me feel bad about him having come all the way down to see the books, etc (I remember it all SO very clearly). This was my first encounter with Gerry Ross. Fast forward about 6 years; I was 15. My Grandmother had just passed away and my mother had just left her job. In the 6 years between, I had continued collecting comics and was a client of one of the 1,000,000 Comix stores. I had seen the ads around (in the #18 Overstreet, etc) offering comic store franchises...and the franchisor was local! I talked to my Mom about this opportunity, and we decided to look seriously into the idea as she also liked the idea of being a small business owner. She had some extra money at the time (death in the family stuff). We called up Mr. Ross. After a few meetings, we settled on a franchise purchase deal (let's just say the initial outlay was somewhere between $10000 and $30000 and leave it at that), signed the papers (without consulting a lawyer or becoming incorporated ) and started getting the location prepared. The initial deal consisted of the complete store setup (shelving, bins, counters, painting the shop, the big point-of-sale register previously mentioned, etc), complete instant inventory (back issue and initial wall selection...all of a specific value that I do not remember), access at significant discount to his main inventory of back issues to sell to clients looking for specific issues, group advertising, and 50% discount on new comics. The store setup began. The bins and shelving were being built inside the shop, and all the walls were painted fire engine red. Grey industrial carpeting over the 1000 square foot store. After the bins were done, the back issue stock arrived...some 30-odd long boxes of back issues. Not bagged or boarded. I got on the phone and asked a few of my high school friends to give us a hand bagging and boarding. Everyone came over, and we began bagging and bording thousands of books...in a freshly painted store...with freshly laid carpets...with plenty of carpet glue fumes floating around us. Let's just say that this was pretty much the "high" point of the story . Everything done and put together, opening day came December 3rd, 1989. Things were going well...the Batman craze came (and went). Sales were good, things were okay. We were having trouble getting back issues from Gerry for clients, but we were managing. Things then began to degenerate. We were ordering our new comics through the main store as per our agreement (not directly through the distributor). Besides new comics, we were getting no support at all from the "franchisor" as per our agreement. At this point, we had no choice but to threaten withholding franchise fees until the agreements were respected. This is when things really started getting interesting. We were cut off from our new comic shipment. No warning...just no new comics. Back then, that was the majority of the store's income (remember the early 90's?). Luckily, I had a lot of good contacts with other LCSs and one shop really went way beyond the call of duty and piggybacked what we needed for our order on top of theirs that same week and for the following few weeks (Astro Books on St. Catherine St. here in Montreal...best shop in town from whom I've been buying all my new books from for years now) while we were forced to establish our own account while trting to figure out what the legal ramifications of all this was... ***end of Part 1 This has been a long post...digest this and I'll return (relatively) shortly and continue as the best (worst?) is yet to come... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PovertyRow Posted May 12, 2005 Share Posted May 12, 2005 Excellent! Look forward to the next installation! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CGCMINT Posted May 12, 2005 Share Posted May 12, 2005 David, Where in Montreal were you located? I remember visiting one of the 1 million comics store, I think, in the area of Cote St. Luc and Jerry was behind the counter. He had a beat up Batman #148 in a display case for about $5 or so and I immediately purchased it. That was probably around 1984 or 1985. The Montreal Gazette had an article about him and a picture where he was surrounded with Golden and Silver Age comic books. It said that he was a former nurse and how he had started collecting and selling comics w/ his partner Robert Cresthol. Years later, I met him at a Toronto comic con around 1997, he had about 5-6 tables full of Golden, Silver and Classics Illustrated. His wife was there, along w/ his mom and Dad. I bought 3 books from him, World's Finest Comics #3 (1st Scarecrow), Weird Comics # (?) and a Detective Comics #107...all came back as restored from CGC. What a shyster. Anybody know where he is now? Is he in hiding, has he sold his entire inventory (restored books)? By the way, whatever happened to Nick Kronfeld? John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moondog Posted May 12, 2005 Share Posted May 12, 2005 Davidpg: Thanks for Part 1. I'm looking forward to more. I'm a bid confused about one thing: did you get all the stuff you mentioned for the initial fee of between $10,000 and $30,000? Or was that payment just to get started and you had to pay for the cash register, painting, carpet, back issue stock, etc. separately? I'm assuming so, but just want to sort out the facts. While reading your account it started to bring back memories of the horror stories that circulated through the industry back then. Hopefully your mom didn't lose her home or savings over this thing... --Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ablue Posted May 13, 2005 Author Share Posted May 13, 2005 (edited) Well I have to say that I may be one of the first collectors that had a bad situation with that S.O.B. You know if you red my past subject how he scammed me and my Action #3. I was 16 in 1984 and was seriously interested only in the big books Action#1 etc.... When my comics went missing after I returned the books he traded for the Action #3 he started to change his voice to make me think I was talking to someone else! At that time I was charging over $400.00 per month talking to him (phone bills) with regards to future purchases and runarounds. 2 years ago I contacted a 1,000,000 Comix seller on Ebay and asked if Gerry was still around and would like to talk with him. The person on the other end seemed very concerned, who I was, why I wanted to speak with him and so on. I was told that he still was the chairman. All I said was remember the Action #3 in in 1984??? No response after that! Edited May 13, 2005 by ablue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PovertyRow Posted May 23, 2005 Share Posted May 23, 2005 This has been a long post...digest this and I'll return (relatively) shortly and continue as the best (worst?) is yet to come... Soon, perhaps? Wish to hear more of tis experience! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drbanner Posted May 23, 2005 Share Posted May 23, 2005 This has been a long post...digest this and I'll return (relatively) shortly and continue as the best (worst?) is yet to come... Soon, perhaps? Wish to hear more of tis experience! Yes, inquiring minds want to know!! Is Gerry still actively trying to sell comics? I know he was on ebay years ago, but don't recall seeing anything from him recently... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmg3637 Posted May 24, 2005 Share Posted May 24, 2005 (edited) i bought books from him a few times on ebay. as i recall i had a problem with one purchase but he gave me credit towards the next transaction. I am pretty sure i got my Monkees and Get Smarts from him as well as some others Edited May 24, 2005 by jmg3637 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tth2 Posted May 24, 2005 Share Posted May 24, 2005 Have you checked the books for color touch, trimming, etc.? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmg3637 Posted May 24, 2005 Share Posted May 24, 2005 (edited) i dont think that many of the books were more than $20-30 each so i would hope that it would not have been Smart to Monkee with them Edited May 24, 2005 by jmg3637 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tth2 Posted May 24, 2005 Share Posted May 24, 2005 You`d be surprised at how far down he goes! Trust me, check your books out very carefully. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul_Maul Posted May 24, 2005 Share Posted May 24, 2005 You`d be surprised at how far down he goes! Trust me, check your books out very carefully. I was hosed by Ross in 1992 when I had just gotten back into collecting. Bought "high grade" Captain America #50 and 57 from him at a local con in Albany, NY. These were the first Golden Age books I ever owned, and I was completely green about resto. When I sold them to Jason Ewert in 1998 along with all my other Golden Age books, I found that those two had extensive restoration (paper added, etc.) Looking at the books in 1998 I couldn't believe I hadn't noticed the obvious resto, I probably just wasn't looking for it in 1992. Happily I turned a profit on most of the other books (including the "D" copies of All-Winners 13 and Marvel Mystery 70 which I tripled my money on) so it softened the blow somewhat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrwoogieman Posted May 24, 2005 Share Posted May 24, 2005 Man this is one looooong intermission. I need another coke to wash this stuff down... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drbanner Posted May 24, 2005 Share Posted May 24, 2005 Ladies and germs, while we await the 2nd half of today's feature I treat you to the following discussion of Gerry's business practices courtesy of Rec.Arts.Comics.Marketplace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forbush-Man Posted May 24, 2005 Share Posted May 24, 2005 Dang!!! Gerry Ross makes Comickeys look like a Twinkie dealer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supapimp Posted May 27, 2005 Share Posted May 27, 2005 paging moondog...paging moondog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scourge456789-migration Posted May 28, 2005 Share Posted May 28, 2005 Yeah. Still waiting for act 2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
