LCS Using eBay as a Price Guide

[mrwoogieman]

Find out how they price BEFORE you spend time looking. That way you'll know if your efforts will be worthwhile or not.

 

[slym2none]

This *(using ebay as a price guide) has been happening at my local stores (sports cards included) since 2005. Heck it happens at every con! (I can get XXX for it on ebay).

 

Im surprised this would be an isssue. THIS IS REALITY at this point.

 

I was at a large local flea market this past weekend and had the proprietor of a comic-book and gun holster/taser/bear-spray shop (I mess you not) go through a box of back-stock to find any of a small run of Copper FFs I wanted and when he found only one of 4 I needed, he proceeded to go online to check and "make sure there's nothing special about this issue." I wasn't surprised, and when he started throwing out "Well, this goes from anywhere between $1.50 and $4..." my heart sank - these are quarter-books, folks. He then said "how about 50¢?"

 

 

 

 

-slym

[stock_rotation]

I had the same experience with a local antique dealer who had 15-20 short boxes of comics, none with prices. I brought a handful of books up to the counter, ask how much they are, and he proceeds to crack out his OSPG and look them up. Fortunately for me, it was the 2009 edition, so yes, I'll take that NM Hulk 271 for $2.00, thankyouhaveaniceday.

[PeterPark]

Backstock has been sitting in their store for years and years and then someone comes up to the counter with it and now they want some insane eBay price for it? Wasn't selling for cover price in the box for the past 3 years now they want stupid money for it? If I wanted to pay that, I'd go on ebay myself!

 

? Didn't you say you've never been there before?

 

Is this store in Rocky Hill?

 

Are you talking about Rocky Hill, CT?

 

That store doesn't have much in the way of back issues.

[Mark 1]

I see nothing wrong with checking ebay for going pricing. The guy is there to run a business.

 

If the comics had prices on them already and he pulled that, then i'd be mad and not buy anything.

 

If they were not marked at all and I inquired about pricing and he says he has to look them up...what's wrong with that?

 

I can see if the guy was using GPA to price the raw books...okay that's a asinine move.

 

[joecgcmaniac]

I don't shop at stores that don't price their merchandise. It's lazy and it's a waste of my time searching just to have some absurd price make me leave it on the counter.

 

If a retailer has their product marked properly it factors the profit margin they need to make. They don't need to reprice anything. The only reason for repricing something is to pad the profit margin to cover other losses and counter-balance any restocking costs they'll have to pay. If they just want to keep everything in stock, they should turn the store into a museum.

 

If they actually sell out of something, isn't that a great marketing angle to encourage people to pre-order their comics?

 

DG

 

Absolutely wrong. If you have multiple issues of a comic left over after a month, you put one in the box and put the rest in the overstock. When the book sells you replenish it. You cannot make the whole inventory available at any one point as most stores do not have the floor space. As you replenish the stock on the floor you price the items.

 

Again, if the OP went into boxes that were not made available to the public and pulled the issue out, he should not be expecting it to be priced.

 

And as far as selling out of everything. I believe Forbidden Planet in NYC basically does that. I don't bother walking into Forbidden Planet ever anymore. If I know that a store does not have back issues why would I go there? I can get the new stuff from any store.

 

 

Yea it is impossible to price everything accordingly. Most stores try to update as often as they can, but some also don't know all their stock.

 

My LCS has so much inventory in his basement it is incredible. He is probably sitting on tons of moderns and is missing the speculation on a lot of them. He was going to sell me a Powers 1 he had a few years back. I had helped organize it and put it in a box. He said he'd get back to me with the book. It then vanished in his house. The book has dropped a lot in value too.

 

I think my opinion has changed…

 

I don't know any stores in my area intentionally ordering multiple copies for backstock. The pre-orders drive everything and they track their sell through of known product to estimate what will sell above the pre-order numbers. If Batman is featured, they have a good idea of how many Batman fans will want it. If a certain writer is attached to a project, they know how many fans of that writer will be interested over and above what people pre-order.Every unsold new comic negates all profit from the sale of a new comic.It gets expensive very quickly to pile up on unsold new product. Most comics do not increase in value after the first month, so unsold inventory depreciates making it even harder to turn a profit.

 

If the books were pulled from overstock, then the customer should deal with whatever price the shop assigns to it. I do not see any reference to the OP pulling the comics from overstock. The boxes were accessible and unpriced based upon the information provided.

 

DG

 

He himself said they were sitting under boxes and boxes on the floor unpriced. Seems like he knew he was pulling from unpriced overstock.

 

Doesn't matter if I wanted to flip it or not, I already have 2 copies so I'm not hurting. The point is that why bother having it sit under boxes and boxes of books scattered all over the floor unpriced, then when a customer picks one up they say "Oh, That goes for $XX.00" on ebay so that's what I want for it" Well the books were sitting there for year and years untouched, now they want insane prices for it? That's my beef with it.

[darkstar]

I don't have a problem with an LCS charging appropriate current market prices on back issues. Around here I am happy just finding an LCS with back issues to begin with. However, I do have a problem with an LCS that doesn't have their back issues priced when made available for sale. Adjusting back issue prices at the register is a nonsense business practice.

[southerncross]

Sometimes when I walk into a store I know how they price. When you see vintage silver, bronze and even copper books hanging on the wall and the colours have faded out due to the fluro lights they use then you know not to buy back issues. I've seen this in a couple of stores. They over charge for back issues so people just buy the new ones and their back issues sit unsold for years. Shops like that are museums and really need to charge admission to make any money. And as for shops looking up e-bay for sold items. If it is a highest bid at auction that only means one other collector was willing to go that high. And does not mean the book is worth that. If ten people are willing to pay $10 and one willing to pay $11. What is that books true worth ?

Not $11. And if the shop wants too much I just walk out.

And If you develop a good relationship with a owner over time you can get some good deals at new stock not yet priced.

I bought off my LCS that I'd been buying off for years bargains such as Punisher limited series 1-5 nm $2 each. Fantastic Four 112 f+ $5. Superman 233 vg $5, Crime Suspense stories 22 f/g $50.

[Chip Cataldo]

I don't have a problem with an LCS charging appropriate current market prices on back issues.

 

To be honest, neither do I...just have the stuff already priced for your customers. The price is the price, not some "temp" number that you change when someone wants to buy it.

 

Peace,

 

Chip

[Artboy99]

I don't have a problem with an LCS charging appropriate current market prices on back issues.

 

To be honest, neither do I...just have the stuff already priced for your customers. The price is the price, not some "temp" number that you change when someone wants to buy it.

 

Peace,

 

Chip

 

While I agree a price on the book makes it far easier to sell it and for the buyer to make a decision a sign on the front of the box that says "all books priced at FMV at the counter" is also likely enough.

[Buzzetta]

I don't shop at stores that don't price their merchandise. It's lazy and it's a waste of my time searching just to have some absurd price make me leave it on the counter.

 

If a retailer has their product marked properly it factors the profit margin they need to make. They don't need to reprice anything. The only reason for repricing something is to pad the profit margin to cover other losses and counter-balance any restocking costs they'll have to pay. If they just want to keep everything in stock, they should turn the store into a museum.

 

If they actually sell out of something, isn't that a great marketing angle to encourage people to pre-order their comics?

 

DG

 

Absolutely wrong. If you have multiple issues of a comic left over after a month, you put one in the box and put the rest in the overstock. When the book sells you replenish it. You cannot make the whole inventory available at any one point as most stores do not have the floor space. As you replenish the stock on the floor you price the items.

 

Again, if the OP went into boxes that were not made available to the public and pulled the issue out, he should not be expecting it to be priced.

 

And as far as selling out of everything. I believe Forbidden Planet in NYC basically does that. I don't bother walking into Forbidden Planet ever anymore. If I know that a store does not have back issues why would I go there? I can get the new stuff from any store.

 

 

Yea it is impossible to price everything accordingly. Most stores try to update as often as they can, but some also don't know all their stock.

 

My LCS has so much inventory in his basement it is incredible. He is probably sitting on tons of moderns and is missing the speculation on a lot of them. He was going to sell me a Powers 1 he had a few years back. I had helped organize it and put it in a box. He said he'd get back to me with the book. It then vanished in his house. The book has dropped a lot in value too.

 

I think my opinion has changed…

 

I don't know any stores in my area intentionally ordering multiple copies for backstock. The pre-orders drive everything and they track their sell through of known product to estimate what will sell above the pre-order numbers. If Batman is featured, they have a good idea of how many Batman fans will want it. If a certain writer is attached to a project, they know how many fans of that writer will be interested over and above what people pre-order.Every unsold new comic negates all profit from the sale of a new comic.It gets expensive very quickly to pile up on unsold new product. Most comics do not increase in value after the first month, so unsold inventory depreciates making it even harder to turn a profit.

 

If the books were pulled from overstock, then the customer should deal with whatever price the shop assigns to it. I do not see any reference to the OP pulling the comics from overstock. The boxes were accessible and unpriced based upon the information provided.

 

DG

 

They are not ordering multiple copies for backstock. However, no matter what any store is always going to be left with something.

 

And if a comic book is not priced. No one should assume what the price is.

[Davenport]

Find out how they price BEFORE you spend time looking. That way you'll know if your efforts will be worthwhile or not.

That was my first thought as well. Facing a bunch of backstock that isn't price marked is a strong clue there's no bargain hunting. Best to ask and confirm it before pulling a single book, then quickly be on your way.

Otherwise you'll just be spending your time bringing them up to date on what's currently desirable.

[Chip Cataldo]

I don't understand this "backstock that isn't priced" nonsense. You're in business. A big part of great customer service is to price your merchandise. Don't have your merchandise priced? You don't belong in business...get the hell out.

 

Peace,

 

Chip

[slym2none]

Well... I consider comic-book store "backstock" to be all the longboxes of sorted (or unsorted) stuff that is laying around. I know my old LCS I used to work at had two LBs of Ultimate Spider-Man that we used to keep the front boxes stocked, the first one full of nothing but copies of #2-10 (although it seemed I was the only one that kept up with it.) None of that was priced, but I remember #3 was a popular seller and we probably had 60-70 copies and would sell 2-3 a week at whatever price they were at the height of their popularity. So if someone was looking for #3, and it wasn't priced/bagged/boarded in the box, but the customer found this box and wanted a #3 from there, we "didn't belong in business?"

 

:shrug:

 

 

 

-slym

[roulette44]

All these stores need to do is get a program like Chuck's with certain key words of phrases that automatically adjust the price across all stock.

 

I do believe the keyword/phrase is something along these lines for the average mile high "fine" just type in the following.

1. Rape = 50% above next higher grade.

2. Rape with cactus = 100% above next two higher grades.

3. Rape with cactus tied to bucket of backhoe = 250% above highest grade possible.

 

 

[Chip Cataldo]

Well... I consider comic-book store "backstock" to be all the longboxes of sorted (or unsorted) stuff that is laying around. I know my old LCS I used to work at had two LBs of Ultimate Spider-Man that we used to keep the front boxes stocked, the first one full of nothing but copies of #2-10 (although it seemed I was the only one that kept up with it.) None of that was priced, but I remember #3 was a popular seller and we probably had 60-70 copies and would sell 2-3 a week at whatever price they were at the height of their popularity. So if someone was looking for #3, and it wasn't priced/bagged/boarded in the box, but the customer found this box and wanted a #3 from there, we "didn't belong in business?"

 

Really simple...sign on front of each longbox that has the prices for each issue. Every few weeks, change the sign as needed. That way everything is priced for the customer. Otherwise? Laziness and not deserving of being in business. Period. Owning a comic store is nirvana as opposed to slaving away under some dinkhole management team in grunt big-box retail for a living.

 

Peace,

 

Chip

[Buzzetta]

I don't understand this "backstock that isn't priced" nonsense. You're in business. A big part of great customer service is to price your merchandise. Don't have your merchandise priced? You don't belong in business...get the hell out.

 

Peace,

 

Chip

 

[Tony S]

Well... I consider comic-book store "backstock" to be all the longboxes of sorted (or unsorted) stuff that is laying around. I know my old LCS I used to work at had two LBs of Ultimate Spider-Man that we used to keep the front boxes stocked, the first one full of nothing but copies of #2-10 (although it seemed I was the only one that kept up with it.) None of that was priced, but I remember #3 was a popular seller and we probably had 60-70 copies and would sell 2-3 a week at whatever price they were at the height of their popularity. So if someone was looking for #3, and it wasn't priced/bagged/boarded in the box, but the customer found this box and wanted a #3 from there, we "didn't belong in business?"

 

Really simple...sign on front of each longbox that has the prices for each issue. Every few weeks, change the sign as needed. That way everything is priced for the customer. Otherwise? Laziness and not deserving of being in business. Period. Owning a comic store is nirvana as opposed to slaving away under some dinkhole management team in grunt big-box retail for a living.Peace,

 

Chip

 

Comic books stores are retail too. I don't recall any comic book store I've been in looking like nirvana

 

One of the comic book stores here in town uses ebay for guidance. High and low. Stuff overpriced in "guide" is priced at what it typically brings on eBay. Stuff that gets red hot is sold for red hot prices.

 

Stores are not somehow honor bound to sell books cheap to collectors that want to flip. Alias is a hot book right now. Why does anyone think a comic book shop isn't entitled to sell them at today's prices?

 

I'd rather pay $20 in person for a book. I can actually see it, confirm the grade. Take it home right then. eBay is always hope and prayer. Hope it's the grade listed. Hope the seller packages well. Hope the seller ships promptly. Hope the USPS delivers it intact and on time.

[Buzzetta]

Well... I consider comic-book store "backstock" to be all the longboxes of sorted (or unsorted) stuff that is laying around. I know my old LCS I used to work at had two LBs of Ultimate Spider-Man that we used to keep the front boxes stocked, the first one full of nothing but copies of #2-10 (although it seemed I was the only one that kept up with it.) None of that was priced, but I remember #3 was a popular seller and we probably had 60-70 copies and would sell 2-3 a week at whatever price they were at the height of their popularity. So if someone was looking for #3, and it wasn't priced/bagged/boarded in the box, but the customer found this box and wanted a #3 from there, we "didn't belong in business?"

 

Really simple...sign on front of each longbox that has the prices for each issue. Every few weeks, change the sign as needed. That way everything is priced for the customer. Otherwise? Laziness and not deserving of being in business. Period. Owning a comic store is nirvana as opposed to slaving away under some dinkhole management team in grunt big-box retail for a living.

 

Peace,

 

Chip

 

Again

 

I would say that it is a lot more stressful and demanding.

[dgarthwaite-migration]

I don't shop at stores that don't price their merchandise. It's lazy and it's a waste of my time searching just to have some absurd price make me leave it on the counter.

 

If a retailer has their product marked properly it factors the profit margin they need to make. They don't need to reprice anything. The only reason for repricing something is to pad the profit margin to cover other losses and counter-balance any restocking costs they'll have to pay. If they just want to keep everything in stock, they should turn the store into a museum.

 

If they actually sell out of something, isn't that a great marketing angle to encourage people to pre-order their comics?

 

DG

 

Absolutely wrong. If you have multiple issues of a comic left over after a month, you put one in the box and put the rest in the overstock. When the book sells you replenish it. You cannot make the whole inventory available at any one point as most stores do not have the floor space. As you replenish the stock on the floor you price the items.

 

Again, if the OP went into boxes that were not made available to the public and pulled the issue out, he should not be expecting it to be priced.

 

And as far as selling out of everything. I believe Forbidden Planet in NYC basically does that. I don't bother walking into Forbidden Planet ever anymore. If I know that a store does not have back issues why would I go there? I can get the new stuff from any store.

 

 

Yea it is impossible to price everything accordingly. Most stores try to update as often as they can, but some also don't know all their stock.

 

My LCS has so much inventory in his basement it is incredible. He is probably sitting on tons of moderns and is missing the speculation on a lot of them. He was going to sell me a Powers 1 he had a few years back. I had helped organize it and put it in a box. He said he'd get back to me with the book. It then vanished in his house. The book has dropped a lot in value too.

 

I think my opinion has changed…

 

I don't know any stores in my area intentionally ordering multiple copies for backstock. The pre-orders drive everything and they track their sell through of known product to estimate what will sell above the pre-order numbers. If Batman is featured, they have a good idea of how many Batman fans will want it. If a certain writer is attached to a project, they know how many fans of that writer will be interested over and above what people pre-order.Every unsold new comic negates all profit from the sale of a new comic.It gets expensive very quickly to pile up on unsold new product. Most comics do not increase in value after the first month, so unsold inventory depreciates making it even harder to turn a profit.

 

If the books were pulled from overstock, then the customer should deal with whatever price the shop assigns to it. I do not see any reference to the OP pulling the comics from overstock. The boxes were accessible and unpriced based upon the information provided.

 

DG

 

They are not ordering multiple copies for backstock. However, no matter what any store is always going to be left with something.

 

And if a comic book is not priced. No one should assume what the price is.

 

This goes back to me not buying from stores that don't price their material.

 

Not only are the surprise prices annoying, but everything I tried to buy at one store was pretty much announced out loud as the owner quoted the price. This was followed by the owner trying to educate me about the comic's significance to justify the high price. I knew what the comic was, but he had to put his verbal spin on everything anyway. All the while I'm thinking "Dude, shut up! I wasted my time asking. I wasted my time shopping. Let me just leave."

 

DG