comic shop haggle.

[Bookery]

I got away from the hassle of haggling a long time ago. It may work with a small shop where the owner is nearly the only employee and you can personally counter back and forth with the handful of customers you have each day. But if you're a large operation, and aren't on the floor yourself all of the time to make counter-pricing decisions, it makes it difficult on your staff, who don't feel they can make such calls, and annoys customers that there isn't a consistency to depend on each time they come in. Moreover, it favored the brash, bolder but often sporadic customer, over the shyer and consistent person who often spent ten times as much each year, but would never think to ask for a discount.

 

Of course, the solution is one most owners won't try. We pre-discount everything. Nearly all products are a minimum of 15% off either (a) list price on new items, of (b) Ovestreet or GPA values on collectibles. Then there is a graduation up to 20% or 25% off based on the volume of purchase. This goes for everyone... dealer and collector alike. In addition, about half of our gold/silver/bronze product is marked down about 30%-50% off guide, with the other half falling into the discount levels mentioned above. For even bigger discounts, we have a whole separate discount warehouse, where most items are 50% - 75% off retail.

 

With everything pre-discounted we almost never have anyone even ask for discounts anymore, and if they do, we simply point them to the charts, or tell them about the discount division across the street.

 

Sure, we don't get top dollar... even on hot and key books... but the volume and turnover rates are great, and our customers feel they are getting the same deal as everyone else, and don't feel slighted because they may not be as aggressive as someone else.

 

 

[Whizzer]

We had a guy in the shop yesterday who dropped £500 on a stack of approx 40 back issues. He didn't ask for any discount. Because he was buying a pile of stuff we would have been happy to give upwards of 10% on that sale.

 

We comped him a couple of Marvel hardbacks as a goodwill gesture, even though he didn't ask for it. This is the type of customer any shop would want to come back.

 

I have no problem with people asking for reasonable discounts when they bring a sizeable stack of back issues to the counter.

 

It's hard to apply an 'across the board' policy as it depends on the individual item in question, how much you have in it and the potential for building an ongoing relationship with a particular customer.

 

Compromise is good.

[Chaseman210]

I went to a comic shop in South Carolina, and they had a CGC 9.4 ASM 252. I already had a raw copy, but I knew mine wasn't in the 9.4 range. The asking price was $70, so I just asked the worker if that was the lowest that the shop could take. He said they would take $50, so I bought it. So I guess I didn't really haggle with them.

[VintageComics]

Someone needs to do a search on the word haggle, set their time to "newer than 2 years" and choose the General Forum.

 

Lots of great reading on that stuff.

 

 

[Gatsby77]

I've only haggled once, and it was (ironically) for 40% off.

 

Summer of 1996, a small comic shop in Portsmouth, NH. I was just there for a summer job. On my second visit, I wanted to burn through my first paycheck.

 

Looking through the NM Marvel Star Wars back issues, I said, could you give me a bulk discount? After I said that bulk meant "several dozen" issues, he offered 40% off. I picked up all of the $2.00 issues (basically, # 7-95 of so, minus the Empire Strikes Backs issues around 39-45). Bam! Instant Marvel Star Wars collection about 70 issues deep for $1.20 apiece.

 

And well-timed, as it was ~a year before the movie re-releases.

[Mishmashman]

I went to a comic shop in South Carolina, and they had a CGC 9.4 ASM 252. I already had a raw copy, but I knew mine wasn't in the 9.4 range. The asking price was $70, so I just asked the worker if that was the lowest that the shop could take. He said they would take $50, so I bought it. So I guess I didn't really haggle with them.

 

That's how I deal. I always want to find out the lowest price a seller is willing to sell for. And if I can live with the lowest price he offers, I'll buy it. If not, I'll go elsewhere. I never want to insult someone or waste their time with a low offer.

[youfoundjake]

Lots of good points made.

I have also yet to haggle on the board when buying, but when selling have been known to haggle.

[Bookery]

 

I haggled once on a comic. I had it priced at $5.83. The buyer asked if I would take 40% off. I said okay. He asked what that came to. I said...

 

 

[dudeman5000]

I haggled once on a comic. I had it priced at $5.83. The buyer asked if I would take 40% off. I said okay. He asked what that came to. I said...

 

 

 

 

 

Chris

[CR]

I'm really surprised by the number of 'no-haggle' proponents.

 

For collectibles, anyone who doesn't push for a better price is leaving money on the table (unless you think someone else is about to snatch it at the asking price).

 

You don't have to be rude either: "Hey, I like this book. Do you have any room to work on the price?"

[joecgcmaniac]

I'm really surprised by the number of 'no-haggle' proponents.

 

For collectibles, anyone who doesn't push for a better price is leaving money on the table (unless you think someone else is about to snatch it at the asking price).

 

You don't have to be rude either: "Hey, I like this book. Do you have any room to work on the price?"

 

The problem is most people don't know how to go about it without being rude.

[CR]

 

The problem is most people don't know how to go about it without being rude.

 

I'm sure that happens.

 

If someone makes it personal, no one wins.

"You're CRAZY if you think this is worth $1000!" = no discount and no sale.

 

 

[Whizzer]

I'm really surprised by the number of 'no-haggle' proponents.

 

For collectibles, anyone who doesn't push for a better price is leaving money on the table (unless you think someone else is about to snatch it at the asking price).

 

You don't have to be rude either: "Hey, I like this book. Do you have any room to work on the price?"

 

The problem is most people don't know how to go about it without being rude.

 

 

Both these posts are bang on the money.

[sl4ppy]

I'm really surprised by the number of 'no-haggle' proponents.

 

For collectibles, anyone who doesn't push for a better price is leaving money on the table (unless you think someone else is about to snatch it at the asking price).

 

You don't have to be rude either: "Hey, I like this book. Do you have any room to work on the price?"

 

I disagree completely. Unless the item is unspeakably rare, there are a literally hundreds of opportunities to get the same item for the "lower haggled price" without actually haggling; sellers are just asking that lower price at the outset. It's a fundamental precept of economics. Accessibility drives the price down.

 

Its just simply not worth the effort anymore. A great example here locally are Brian's (FoolKillers) threads. He generally lists his book at such a good price, nobody even bothers haggling and just grabs them. It's so popular, it's become a frantic rush and both buyer and seller are happy with the transaction at the outset with ZERO added effort. He also sells the vast VAST majority of everything he lists.

 

If he used inflated pricing expecting to haggle, his sales would become FAR less popular and frenetic and take an assload more work then they currently do to deal with all the PMs, haggling, and back and forth.

 

It's simply not worth it for the buyer OR seller to haggle. It's a tradition from a bygone era when opportunity to acquire rare items were truly scarce that is slowly dying out (thankfully) that some people are slow to relinquish. Perhaps its generational...

[Whizzer]

Online. Face to face.

 

Apples. Oranges.

[Bookery]

 

I agree. The ability to comparison-shop on a massive scale (eBay, web stores, ABE Books, conventions, etc., etc.) has replaced the need to haggle. I run a modern high-overhead and organized operation, and don't expect people to haggle over the prices anymore than they would at a Best Buy, WalMart or fine restaurant. I make my merchandise as affordable as I can, and the rest is up to the buyer. If I do make a mistake and have still over-priced an item, I can always mark it down later and put it in a clearance bin. Or if the price is truly uncertain on an obscure item, then the best way to determine value is to put it up for auction.

 

 

[sl4ppy]

Online. Face to face.

 

Apples. Oranges.

 

Maybe for you, but for myself, and I suspect the vast majority of people, online & face to face are treated and handled identically.

 

In fact, and this is a personal quibble of mine, but if I NEVER had to speak to an actual human again for a transaction of *any* kind, I would be an infinitely happier buyer.

 

I'm the guy that goes to the automated kiosk at the movies even when nobody is standing in line with the clerk. I don't WANT to talk to anyone. It takes too much effort. I know EXACTLY what I want; I know EXACTLY what I want to pay. A person just gums up the works with idle conversation, upselling, offers I dont want, etc.

 

Give me the expedited process every time.

[lemonman5]

I went to a comic shop I never been to last night and found a ton of great books. None of the books were priced and the guy pulled out a guide and started pricing everything in front of me, which is exactly what I was hoping for, since all of those books go for way more than guide.

 

In the end the total came out to $400. I knew I was getting a great deal, but I also knew he would negotiate more, so I got him down to $325. He was a happy and I was happy. I will definitely be going back there. That's how things should be. Haggling is expected by shop owners, and those who don't negotiate, need to access how they are doing business.

 

As someone who haggles alot, I find that the easiest way to ask if someone is willing to negotiate is to ask if they are firm on a price. If they say no, then its not a problem, and most people won't get offended. If they say yes, then start talking turkey.

[lemonman5]

 

The problem is most people don't know how to go about it without being rude.

 

I'm sure that happens.

 

If someone makes it personal, no one wins.

"You're CRAZY if you think this is worth $1000!" = no discount and no sale.

 

 

I try my best not to be rude, but sometimes people are right about a book being overpriced.

 

All too many times I've seen dealers price books that are in VG condition for the VF price. Of course the book sits there for literally 5 years, and the dealer doesn't get the picture.

 

A month ago, I once tried to buy a X-Men #94 from a store owner. It was a low grade GD+ to G/VG copy that was priced at $100, which was just about going rate. I asked if he can do any better, and he says $120 (very typical comic store owner response). He says that the book is a $1000 book, and wouldn't budge a penny. That book will probably sit there for 2 years like alot of stuff in his store. The week before I bought an ASM #129 from him after it sat in his store for 2+ years. He negotiated on that, because he finally got the idea, but I guess he wants to sit on the X-Men #94 for 2 years before he gets the picture on that. I'm honestly done going in there, because his attitude isn't worth the trouble, and he doesn't ever have anything worth buying anyway, since he always has the same stuff, and never rotates stock.