Am I the only one...

[g-man]

I've given the variant covers since the late 90's..waste of time and money....

 

well if you obtain some of the new ones, send em to me. i will pay for shipping and then post my profits.

[joe_collector]

And the variants are currently in demand.. so therfore also at a premium.. supply and demand rules apply here.

 

Yep, but there's an element of "free will" here, in that comic stores hype, promote and help drive these insane "variant fads", so I don't want to hear any LCS owners crying when the party ends and they've got a warehouse of unsold comics.

 

And yes, there was a ton of whining during the 1990's implosion.

[pigman-migration]

I've given the variant covers since the late 90's..waste of time and money....

 

 

oops..correction, "given up"

 

sold most of them on ebay last year...small profit..

 

but im keeping my "Wolverine #50 - Cover Sliced by the one and only feral wolverine"

[joe_collector]

Then don't buy them.

 

Bizarre answer, and do you really think that LCS's have no blame when it comes to hyping and driving consumers toward variant issues?

 

It's like drugs, and you probably just sit in your little suburb screaming "don't buy them", while totally ignoring the damage they inflict. Laugh all you want about variants vs. drugs, but both bring longterm harm, and few LCS owners laughed after the last variant/speculator/incentive-based implosion.

 

Too many of them were boarding up their doors for good.

 

Trust me, the hobby is going to pay for the greed and foolishness of those plying their variant wares. .

[davidking623]

If I owned a LCS I would probably go live with it one Ebay and not show it to the locals and maybe try to pass the savings to faithfuls in a way of a better discount and let the Variant collectors take the risk and not have to look the locals in the eyes as trying to justify it! Money is Money and if there are people willing to pay let them decide in a way of auction! I mean your in business and it just doesnt make sense not to make your earnings be the best they can be!

 

House if your reading this what your take on it if you care to share?

 

Davidking623

[Wally's Comics]

I've given the variant covers since the late 90's..waste of time and money....

 

Way to go Carlos!!

 

At least I'm not alone in my struggle!

 

 

I don't know, maybe I'm wastin' my breath.

I'm the type of guy that always wishes for the good ol'e days

when money didn't ruin everything.

 

I have beautiful runs of my favorite Comics and people say that I have a fortune...

I say back to them I would love them still if they weren't worth a plum nickel.

The point that they're valuable is just sheer coincidence.

 

People are gonna have a hayday with this one but I'm a NY Yankee fan,

and the reason why I love 'em is not because they are the money crunchin' sports beast

this side of the planet, it is because I remember the simpler time in the ball park where my

baseball heroes cared more for the sport than the almighty buck.

 

Even my precious NFL has turned itself into a rotten cash egg...

and I don't have to say anything about that.

 

And NO I don't watch nearly as much of these sports as I used to,

I'd rather watch a regular game at the recreation ballpark.

 

It has been a dream of mine to create a budget line of comics so that kids would be more inclined to read again.

 

Oh well, a guy can dream can't he?

 

 

 

 

[FlyingDonut]

Then don't buy them.

 

Bizarre answer, and do you really think that LCS's have no blame when it comes to hyping and driving consumers toward variant issues?

 

It's like drugs, and you probably just sit in your little suburb screaming "don't buy them", while totally ignoring the damage they inflict. Laugh all you want about variants vs. drugs, but both bring longterm harm, and few LCS owners laughed after the last variant/speculator/incentive-based implosion.

 

Too many of them were boarding up their doors for good.

 

Trust me, the hobby is going to pay for the greed and foolishness of those plying their variant wares. .

 

OK, its like drugs. My point is even better made then. Don't buy them. NOBODY is forcing you to buy the variant, and, if nobody does, the price will go down. The price on the Cassady Astonishing X-Men 1 is already dropping precipitously. Last week I sold 12 at BINs of $75 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 bango. I'll be lucky to see $40 on the one I have online now, and the remaining 3 I have, I don't know. Its straight supply and demand.

 

I'm really really really getting tired with the high-horse morality police here. This quote Trust me, the hobby is going to pay for the greed and foolishness of those plying their variant wares. is staggeringly annoying. The "hobby" isn't going to pay one iota for this. A few people who got burned buying an Astonishing X-Men 1 for $80 might be annoyed, and a couple people who overpaid for a Batman 608 might be annoyed. If you don't want to play the variant game, don't buy one. Your LCS has NOTHING TO DO WITH IT.

 

Oh, and by the way, and you probably just sit in your little suburb screaming "don't buy them", while totally ignoring the damage they inflict is a totally [!@#%^&^] statement. You have no [!@#%^&^] clue what I do.

[lighthouse]

The LCS' essentially got these books for free. If they sold just what they bought (the 40 books) they would still have a $40 profit. This is the same cut they are getting on all of the other books they buy any other month. Now greed kicks in (not that there's anything wrong with that) and they stick it to some fanboy for $75 for something they got for free. That's the way it works. We shouldn't try to white-wash it and call it anything other than what it is -- capitalism!

 

Yes, it is true that a typical store got a couple copies of this book for free. But additional copies cost the store around $65. The marginal cost for an additional copy of this book was $65. And marginal costs are the costs that matter on stuff like this.

 

Transformers almost always has some buy 25 get 1 shiny deal... If my natural order for Transformers that month is 30 copies, I get one shiny copy for free, just for being a shop that sells 30 copies every month. If I get two customers who tell me in advance they want a shiny copy, I can purchase one for the 2nd customer at a cost of $30 (20 extra books at $1.50 each). Those 20 extra books have some small residual value, but probably not more than my extra freight charges to receive them. So if my 2nd customer is willing to pay more than $30 for his shiny copy, it's worth it for me to get it for him.

 

If a 3rd customer wants one, he needs to be willing to pay more than $37.50 for it. Because I have no need for the extra regular books at that point. Applying basic substitution economics, that line item in the Diamond order book just became "1 shiny book for $37.50 - as a bonus get 25 regular books free". I won't see any value from the extra regular comics, and will need to give them away to see a benefit from them.

 

That's what happens before the orders lock in. But once they do, market pressures take over...

 

The market forces determine what those shiny books will sell for, just as they determine what a share of Microsoft sells for. If I get free shares of Microsoft, that doesn't mean I should pass along the "savings" so that someone else can sell them at market value. My investors would have a very legitimate beef if I were selling incentive covers at cover price and allowing my customers to flip them at 30x that. That doesn't mean I don't occasionally give very good customers some of the incentive books to keep them good customers. But arbitrarily assigning a $3 value to an item that is trading for $60-100 is just bad business. If you owned stock in Wal-Mart and they decided to start selling all their televisions for $40 you would have a right to be pretty chapped...

[FlyingDonut]

The LCS' essentially got these books for free. If they sold just what they bought (the 40 books) they would still have a $40 profit. This is the same cut they are getting on all of the other books they buy any other month. Now greed kicks in (not that there's anything wrong with that) and they stick it to some fanboy for $75 for something they got for free. That's the way it works. We shouldn't try to white-wash it and call it anything other than what it is -- capitalism!

 

Yes, it is true that a typical store got a couple copies of this book for free. But additional copies cost the store around $65. The marginal cost for an additional copy of this book was $65. And marginal costs are the costs that matter on stuff like this.

 

Transformers almost always has some buy 25 get 1 shiny deal... If my natural order for Transformers that month is 30 copies, I get one shiny copy for free, just for being a shop that sells 30 copies every month. If I get two customers who tell me in advance they want a shiny copy, I can purchase one for the 2nd customer at a cost of $30 (20 extra books at $1.50 each). Those 20 extra books have some small residual value, but probably not more than my extra freight charges to receive them. So if my 2nd customer is willing to pay more than $30 for his shiny copy, it's worth it for me to get it for him.

 

If a 3rd customer wants one, he needs to be willing to pay more than $37.50 for it. Because I have no need for the extra regular books at that point. Applying basic substitution economics, that line item in the Diamond order book just became "1 shiny book for $37.50 - as a bonus get 25 regular books free". I won't see any value from the extra regular comics, and will need to give them away to see a benefit from them.

 

That's what happens before the orders lock in. But once they do, market pressures take over...

 

The market forces determine what those shiny books will sell for, just as they determine what a share of Microsoft sells for. If I get free shares of Microsoft, that doesn't mean I should pass along the "savings" so that someone else can sell them at market value. My investors would have a very legitimate beef if I were selling incentive covers at cover price and allowing my customers to flip them at 30x that. That doesn't mean I don't occasionally give very good customers some of the incentive books to keep them good customers. But arbitrarily assigning a $3 value to an item that is trading for $60-100 is just bad business. If you owned stock in Wal-Mart and they decided to start selling all their televisions for $40 you would have a right to be pretty chapped...

 

STOP IT! THERE IS NO PLACE FOR FACTS IN THIS ARGUMENT! Clearly you should sell them FOR COVER PRICE ONLY!

[drbanner]

The LCS' essentially got these books for free. If they sold just what they bought (the 40 books) they would still have a $40 profit. This is the same cut they are getting on all of the other books they buy any other month. Now greed kicks in (not that there's anything wrong with that) and they stick it to some fanboy for $75 for something they got for free. That's the way it works. We shouldn't try to white-wash it and call it anything other than what it is -- capitalism!

 

Yes, it is true that a typical store got a couple copies of this book for free. But additional copies cost the store around $65. The marginal cost for an additional copy of this book was $65. And marginal costs are the costs that matter on stuff like this.

 

Transformers almost always has some buy 25 get 1 shiny deal... If my natural order for Transformers that month is 30 copies, I get one shiny copy for free, just for being a shop that sells 30 copies every month. If I get two customers who tell me in advance they want a shiny copy, I can purchase one for the 2nd customer at a cost of $30 (20 extra books at $1.50 each). Those 20 extra books have some small residual value, but probably not more than my extra freight charges to receive them. So if my 2nd customer is willing to pay more than $30 for his shiny copy, it's worth it for me to get it for him.

 

If a 3rd customer wants one, he needs to be willing to pay more than $37.50 for it. Because I have no need for the extra regular books at that point. Applying basic substitution economics, that line item in the Diamond order book just became "1 shiny book for $37.50 - as a bonus get 25 regular books free". I won't see any value from the extra regular comics, and will need to give them away to see a benefit from them.

 

That's what happens before the orders lock in. But once they do, market pressures take over...

 

The market forces determine what those shiny books will sell for, just as they determine what a share of Microsoft sells for. If I get free shares of Microsoft, that doesn't mean I should pass along the "savings" so that someone else can sell them at market value. My investors would have a very legitimate beef if I were selling incentive covers at cover price and allowing my customers to flip them at 30x that. That doesn't mean I don't occasionally give very good customers some of the incentive books to keep them good customers. But arbitrarily assigning a $3 value to an item that is trading for $60-100 is just bad business. If you owned stock in Wal-Mart and they decided to start selling all their televisions for $40 you would have a right to be pretty chapped...

 

STOP IT! THERE IS NO PLACE FOR FACTS IN THIS ARGUMENT! Clearly you should sell them FOR COVER PRICE ONLY!

 

This explanation will never hold up to the drama queen's melodramatic, grandiose hyperbole, like this:

 

"This really is the last straw, and I this time I mean it - drugs and variant cover incentive books spell the demise of Western Civilization as we know it, and I will fiddle as I trod on the ashes of your ruined cities and variant cover comic books as you reap the maelstrom you have sewn!! "

 

[Stronguy]

The market forces determine what those shiny books will sell for, just as they determine what a share of Microsoft sells for. If I get free shares of Microsoft, that doesn't mean I should pass along the "savings" so that someone else can sell them at market value. My investors would have a very legitimate beef if I were selling incentive covers at cover price and allowing my customers to flip them at 30x that. That doesn't mean I don't occasionally give very good customers some of the incentive books to keep them good customers. But arbitrarily assigning a $3 value to an item that is trading for $60-100 is just bad business. If you owned stock in Wal-Mart and they decided to start selling all their televisions for $40 you would have a right to be pretty chapped...

 

Maybe you misunderstood what I was saying. I was not advocating that dealers give away there incentives. I was merely trying to illustrate the effect that an incentive book can have on your bottom line.

 

Now, as for what you should do with your extra Transformers... Fashion some sort of pull away clothing out of them -- kinda like the American Express dress at the Academy Awards a few years ago. Then have one of your "moonlighting" employees wear it -- and nothing else. Tell the fanboys they have to buy the books to see the goods. You could probably up your Transformers orders by another 100 issues or so thus getting yourself 4 more shiny books.

[joe_collector]

Transformers almost always has some buy 25 get 1 shiny deal... If my natural order for Transformers that month is 30 copies, I get one shiny copy for free, just for being a shop that sells 30 copies every month. If I get two customers who tell me in advance they want a shiny copy, I can purchase one for the 2nd customer at a cost of $30 (20 extra books at $1.50 each). If a 3rd customer wants one, he needs to be willing to pay more than $37.50 for it.

 

This *sounds* logical, and may actually be the way you do business, but I know other LCS owners who do it this way:

 

Look at order and see they sell 15 issues of X per month

See that for every 25 of X ordered next month, they get a free Shiny Variant.

Look on EBay for last Shiny Variant issue and find it selling for $100

Do some quick math and order 400 copies of X

Slap half of Shiny Variants on EBay and other half on store shelf.

Laugh as money rolls in

Toss extra 385 copies of X into back storeroom

Repeat

 

It all works great until things get way out of hand, orders continue increasing, and no one wants to buy Shiny Variants anymore.

[FlyingDonut]

Transformers almost always has some buy 25 get 1 shiny deal... If my natural order for Transformers that month is 30 copies, I get one shiny copy for free, just for being a shop that sells 30 copies every month. If I get two customers who tell me in advance they want a shiny copy, I can purchase one for the 2nd customer at a cost of $30 (20 extra books at $1.50 each). If a 3rd customer wants one, he needs to be willing to pay more than $37.50 for it.

 

This *sounds* logical, and may actually be the way you do business, but I know other LCS owners who do it this way:

 

Look at order and see they sell 15 issues of X per month

See that for every 25 of X ordered next month, they get a free Shiny Variant.

Look on EBay for last Shiny Variant issue and find it selling for $100

Do some quick math and order 400 copies of X

Slap half of Shiny Variants on EBay and other half on store shelf.

Laugh as money rolls in

Toss extra 385 copies of X into back storeroom

Repeat

 

It all works great until things get way out of hand, orders continue increasing, and no one wants to buy Shiny Variants anymore.

 

Name one

 

Names.

 

Not [!@#%^&^] "I know of a store."

 

Names.

[lighthouse]

The market forces determine what those shiny books will sell for, just as they determine what a share of Microsoft sells for. If I get free shares of Microsoft, that doesn't mean I should pass along the "savings" so that someone else can sell them at market value. My investors would have a very legitimate beef if I were selling incentive covers at cover price and allowing my customers to flip them at 30x that. That doesn't mean I don't occasionally give very good customers some of the incentive books to keep them good customers. But arbitrarily assigning a $3 value to an item that is trading for $60-100 is just bad business. If you owned stock in Wal-Mart and they decided to start selling all their televisions for $40 you would have a right to be pretty chapped...

 

Maybe you misunderstood what I was saying. I was not advocating that dealers give away there incentives. I was merely trying to illustrate the effect that an incentive book can have on your bottom line.

 

Now, as for what you should do with your extra Transformers... Fashion some sort of pull away clothing out of them -- kinda like the American Express dress at the Academy Awards a few years ago. Then have one of your "moonlighting" employees wear it -- and nothing else. Tell the fanboys they have to buy the books to see the goods. You could probably up your Transformers orders by another 100 issues or so thus getting yourself 4 more shiny books.

 

You really missed your calling... wanna open a shop together?

[Wally's Comics]

Transformers almost always has some buy 25 get 1 shiny deal... If my natural order for Transformers that month is 30 copies, I get one shiny copy for free, just for being a shop that sells 30 copies every month. If I get two customers who tell me in advance they want a shiny copy, I can purchase one for the 2nd customer at a cost of $30 (20 extra books at $1.50 each). If a 3rd customer wants one, he needs to be willing to pay more than $37.50 for it.

 

This *sounds* logical, and may actually be the way you do business, but I know other LCS owners who do it this way:

 

Look at order and see they sell 15 issues of X per month

See that for every 25 of X ordered next month, they get a free Shiny Variant.

Look on EBay for last Shiny Variant issue and find it selling for $100

Do some quick math and order 400 copies of X

Slap half of Shiny Variants on EBay and other half on store shelf.

Laugh as money rolls in

Toss extra 385 copies of X into back storeroom

Repeat

 

It all works great until things get way out of hand, orders continue increasing, and no one wants to buy Shiny Variants anymore.

 

 

When I grow-up I wanna be just like Joe!

[Foolkiller]

If nobody wanted these variants, Marvel and everyone else wouldn't be promoting them and stores wouldn't be selling them.... You want to know why variants are so popular? because the sucker comic book fans feel the need to keep buying them.

 

If an LCS can sell them at a markup, god bless em. It's called a free market. You don't want it, don't buy it then.

[Stronguy]

If an LCS can sell them at a markup, god bless em. It's called a free market. You don't want it, don't buy it then.

 

Better watch out. Joe will call you a drug dealer. Maybe you and 'Nut can start peddling crack to school children. They don't have to buy it if they don't want it.

[shadroch]

Transformers almost always has some buy 25 get 1 shiny deal... If my natural order for Transformers that month is 30 copies, I get one shiny copy for free, just for being a shop that sells 30 copies every month. If I get two customers who tell me in advance they want a shiny copy, I can purchase one for the 2nd customer at a cost of $30 (20 extra books at $1.50 each). If a 3rd customer wants one, he needs to be willing to pay more than $37.50 for it.

 

This *sounds* logical, and may actually be the way you do business, but I know other LCS owners who do it this way:

 

Look at order and see they sell 15 issues of X per month

See that for every 25 of X ordered next month, they get a free Shiny Variant.

Look on EBay for last Shiny Variant issue and find it selling for $100

Do some quick math and order 400 copies of X

Slap half of Shiny Variants on EBay and other half on store shelf.

 

 

 

When I grow-up I wanna be just like Joe!

 

Maybe when Joe grows up he can be like you.

[joe_collector]

Maybe you and 'Nut can start peddling crack to school children. They don't have to buy it if they don't want it.

 

Exactly, and it's the "they don't gotta buy it" argument that's so insipid. You could say that about a million things, but it don't make it right.

[joe_collector]

Names.

 

Not [!@#%^&^] "I know of a store."

 

Names.

 

Yeah sure, let's name names.

 

I have talked to a few different LCS owners about this, and I admit that only one plays the "variant investing game", while one of the others could up orders slightly in order to get it, if it makes $$$$ sense.

 

One of the guys (the store I shop at) actually GIVES AWAY his variants to his larger customers. I know, I know, and you guys should really go down there and talk some sense into the guy.