Open Letter to Comiclink

[tth2]

all the books i've bought with those annoying comiclink stickers were from here

Which only goes to show what a great branding technique it is. Even when you buy books from other people, the "Comiclink" name gets flashed in your face.

[cheetah]

Really! Is a sticker such an issue? It's the book that counts isn't it? Sure some people add stickers to slabs. I don't mind them and they help me identify where I bought them.

+1

 

It`s kind of sad that the hobby has morphed into actually collecting the plastic now instead of just the book inside the plastic.

 

It's kinda like a bumper sticker on your car. Some like 'em, some don't. I'd prefer they used removable ones like Heritage.

Of course, everyone would, including me.

 

But as long as everyone continues to give Comiclink positive reinforcement by continuing to buy from them, why in the world would Comiclink ever change their practice?

 

There are plenty of ways to achieve change short of boycotting. Things like this thread and the others like it in the past are a good start. Sending emails or making phone calls would be helpful, too. FWIW, I'd be glad to have them put all my stickers on your comics if it would make you feel better.

[JiveTurkeyMoFo]

And the reason that will never happen is because I bet the majority of the folks in this thread complaining about Comiclink`s unremovable stickers continue to buy from Comiclink, which allows Josh to have his cake and eat it too.

 

all the books i've bought with those annoying comiclink stickers were from here, and being the anal retentive dude that i am, i immediately removed it. what else annoys me is, peoples overuse of tape when packing up a slab in bubble wrap. it shouldn't have to take me 5 minutes to get to see my slab.

 

Does anyone remember the Priority Mail colored tape they had a few years ago? Probably the closest thing to industrial grade packaging tape I've ever encountered. Well, I purchased a book from Keith Contarino (sp?) via ebay and it came with that tape holding the surrounding bubble wrap to the slab. Well, let's just say it didn't come off....easily or otherwise with Goo Gone or anything else...the writing from the tape actually bonded to the plastic surface of the slab, probably a result of the heat the contents were exposed to (it was summer afterall).

 

Needless to say, after a frustrating hour of trying to remove the infernal thing, I wrote KC and told him to stop using that tape because of the mishap with my book. Ultimately, I ate the $11 reholder fee and sent the book in with a group of submissions, simply because I couldn't tolerate a $1,000 book sitting in a slab with red, white, and blue letters spelling out "Priority Mail" all over it.

 

Do you know those annoying 30 second video ads you sometimes get when you click on a link on msnbc.com or some other news site? Some of them actually give you the option of "skipping" the ad, some make you sit there and watch the 30 second commercial before giving you what you want. I would prefer the option to choose, but with C-link, Metro, and Comic Connect, I don't get the choice, I just get the annoying sticker. As mentioned before, if they were as easy to remove as the Heritage stickers, I'm sure no one would complain, but they aren't. If Metro/CC or Comiclink didn't already domiate the advertising on the Boards or spam my mailbox everytime they had an auction, I can maybe see the need for the extra advertising. As it is, I can't. The 800 lb gorilla doesn't need to pee on your head everytime just to mark its territory, it does it cause it wants to.

 

[tth2]

There are plenty of ways to achieve change short of boycotting. Things like this thread and the others like it in the past are a good start. Sending emails or making phone calls would be helpful, too.

I`ll be sure to hold my breath.

 

The only thing Josh respects is things that affect his wallet. If heavy hitters like you and Barton haven`t been able to persuade Josh to change his practice because it`s the right thing to do, then it ain`t gonna happen.

 

FWIW, I'd be glad to have them put all my stickers on your comics if it would make you feel better.

Send me the books and I`ll remove the stickers for you!

[supapimp]

i still have a roll of that USPS tape that you're talking about, i'll make a mental note to wrap your book in it if you ever purchase from me.

[Ghost Town]

There are plenty of ways to achieve change short of boycotting. Things like this thread and the others like it in the past are a good start. Sending emails or making phone calls would be helpful, too.

I`ll be sure to hold my breath.

 

The only thing Josh respects is things that affect his wallet. If heavy hitters like you and Barton haven`t been able to persuade Josh to change his practice because it`s the right thing to do, then it ain`t gonna happen.

Metropolis recently switched to different stickers that do come off easily. I'm sure they heard enough complaints and decided to do something about it. Hopefully, ComicLink will finally get the message too. Threads like this will only help.

[etanick]

I must be lucky but the last book I won and got from CL didn't have the sticker on the back.

 

FWIW, I used olive oil and everything came off fairly quickly and painlessly, much better than other suggestions....at least for me that is. Just let the oil soaks in for a few minutes and everything will be off.

[adamstrange]

Really! Is a sticker such an issue? It's the book that counts isn't it? Sure some people add stickers to slabs. I don't mind them and they help me identify where I bought them.

+1

 

It`s kind of sad that the hobby has morphed into actually collecting the plastic now instead of just the book inside the plastic.

 

I find it strange that more people don't care. We are after all talking about people who are willing to spend thousands of dollars for one less spine tick.

The difference is that the spine tick is on the book, and not on the plastic case. As long as the integrity of the plastic case is intact, and the view of the comic inside the case is not obscured, then I could really care less about the plastic case itself.

 

But I guess we`re getting to the point that collectors will soon actually pay more or less depending on the condition of the plastic case. Aren`t they already selling cases to protect the CGC case?

I crochet doilies for my slabs.

[EastEnd]

Add me to the chorus of dissenters. The stickers are UGLY, obnoxious, and cover legal language that probably shouldn't be covered. Once I buy the book from Clink (or anyone else), it's mine and any connection that Clink had to it is finished.... their atomic adhesive ad (undoubtedly intended to dissuade removal) is not welcome on MY book.

[Sal]

i'm sure CL will get right on this issue. it's next in line after the site upgrade, the export of data to GPA and the rollout of a searchable past auction database

[fantastic_four]

Stickers are F'in horrible. Josh knows it, to decline to change it is irritating.

[EastEnd]

Stickers are F'in horrible. Josh knows it, to decline to change it is irritating.

 

Agreed, shameful in my view.

[Kevin76]

You could send this open letter to CL ya think? Anyway, I told Josh the same thing, he said "but it's suppose to be there" when I told him I took it off, He's just trying to advertise his site for free,much like a car dealership will put where you bought your car from on the back of your car.

[paperheart]

i'm sure CL will get right on this issue. it's next in line after the site upgrade, the export of data to GPA and the rollout of a searchable past auction database

 

[Bruno_s4]

i'm sure CL will get right on this issue. it's next in line after the site upgrade, the export of data to GPA and the rollout of a searchable past auction database

 

 

Of course I agree with Marco.

And in fact if Comiclink were to actually take a poll (or we setup a poll here) they would find that 95% or more would prefer a removable sticker.

Hopefully someone will take notice of this thread.

[mikenyc]

A removable sticker would be counterproductive to their goal. They are not buying and placing the sticker on the slab to let you know where you purchased the book. That horse was let out of the barn when you typed comiclink into your address bar and then proceeded to bid on, win and pay for an auction.

 

They want to have a sticky azz sticker so that when the book trades hands for any multitude of reasons:

 

1) angry spouse

2) buy more porn

3) crystal meth addiction

4) crystal the transvestite

5) buy more copies of New Mutants 98

 

they will remind the new owner of this nifty little auction site that they can go to. (thumbs u

 

I would suggest creating an even stickier sticker that says "SUCKS" and putting that bad boy on right next to their sticker.

[Aman619]

Maybe when they run out Josh could use a smaller sticker. Would that be a good compromise between his business goals and rights and clients preferences?

[EastEnd]

You could send this open letter to CL ya think? Anyway, I told Josh the same thing, he said "but it's suppose to be there" when I told him I took it off, He's just trying to advertise his site for free,much like a car dealership will put where you bought your car from on the back of your car.

 

If you ask a car dealership not to put their logo on the car they won't; Clink apparently couldn't care less what their customers want. Further, the dealership pays for the car and owns it until you buy it from them; Clink generally doesn't and so shouldn't deface books that they never own. If I consign a book to Clink with a reserve and it doesn't sell, do I now have to get my book back with that awful sticker?

[sufunk]

Really, I don't mind the stickers. They are on the back and only cover the legal mumbo jumbo CGC puts on there. It would be nice if clink actually put the book info on the sticker like comicconnect but oh well.

 

If I was dropping thecoin cheetah and tth2 do on books, maybe it would annoy me. As it is, I'd rather get books with a sticker on the back instead of buying my Avengers books from other peoples websites for double the price because they want to ignore the last 2 years of GPA data and still get 2007-2008 prices (thumbs u

 

Now THAT'S annoying!

[supapimp]

i asked frank to have the metro sticker removed and he said that he will send it to the shipping department to have it done, let y'all know when i get the book.