LCS Using eBay as a Price Guide

[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?"

 

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

 

Do big box-stores have their warehouses full of items that are priced?

 

Do antique stores have every piece in their warehouse/storage priced?

 

It is the same thing... back-stock is back-stock. It isn't ready for the "front of the house." You don't price 50 issues of one issue # in backstock, you take three out and price them for the front.

 

That isn't lazy, that is smart business. No need to price and re-price 50 issues every week, even with a sign on the box, because you are only selling 3 at a time.

 

 

 

-slym

[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

 

Do big box-stores have their warehouses full of items that are priced?

 

Do antique stores have every piece in their warehouse/storage priced?

 

It is the same thing... back-stock is back-stock. It isn't ready for the "front of the house." You don't price 50 issues of one issue # in backstock, you take three out and price them for the front.

 

That isn't lazy, that is smart business. No need to price and re-price 50 issues every week, even with a sign on the box, because you are only selling 3 at a time.

 

 

 

-slym

 

Precisely

[joecgcmaniac]

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

 

Do big box-stores have their warehouses full of items that are priced?

 

Do antique stores have every piece in their warehouse/storage priced?

 

It is the same thing... back-stock is back-stock. It isn't ready for the "front of the house." You don't price 50 issues of one issue # in backstock, you take three out and price them for the front.

 

That isn't lazy, that is smart business. No need to price and re-price 50 issues every week, even with a sign on the box, because you are only selling 3 at a time.

 

 

 

-slym

 

It's like the Star Wars collectors who sneak into the backrooms of Wal-Mart stores looking to find the newest case of figures just coming off the truck. Then they go to the registers, and when the price doesn't come up, say that they're supposed to be clearance priced at half-off.

 

And the saddest part is, almost all current Star Wars collectors have either done, seen, or heard of this happening.

[dgarthwaite-migration]

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

 

Some stores just put their comics out and have a sign that says you have to ask for the price. It's annoying.

 

Some stores will have boxes accessible that haven't been priced yet. That's a good opportunity to upset a customer also.

 

DG

[slym2none]

Some people have far-too-high of expectations for their LCS'.

 

 

 

 

-slym

[Chip Cataldo]

Do big box-stores have their warehouses full of items that are priced?

 

Do antique stores have every piece in their warehouse/storage priced?

 

It is the same thing... back-stock is back-stock. It isn't ready for the "front of the house." You don't price 50 issues of one issue # in backstock, you take three out and price them for the front.

 

That isn't lazy, that is smart business. No need to price and re-price 50 issues every week, even with a sign on the box, because you are only selling 3 at a time.

 

Since when am I talking about back-stock? If a customer can get to it, it should be priced. If it's back-stock, it shouldn't be accessible to the customer.

 

Peace,

 

Chip

[joecgcmaniac]

Do big box-stores have their warehouses full of items that are priced?

 

Do antique stores have every piece in their warehouse/storage priced?

 

It is the same thing... back-stock is back-stock. It isn't ready for the "front of the house." You don't price 50 issues of one issue # in backstock, you take three out and price them for the front.

 

That isn't lazy, that is smart business. No need to price and re-price 50 issues every week, even with a sign on the box, because you are only selling 3 at a time.

 

Since when am I talking about back-stock? If a customer can get to it, it should be priced. If it's back-stock, it shouldn't be accessible to the customer.

 

Peace,

 

Chip

 

You've never seen a customer just walk into the back room, even when there are signs saying nobody beyond this point? I've seen it happen, and all because they saw books that they wanted, that weren't out for sale.

[dgarthwaite-migration]

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

 

Do big box-stores have their warehouses full of items that are priced?

 

Do antique stores have every piece in their warehouse/storage priced?

 

It is the same thing... back-stock is back-stock. It isn't ready for the "front of the house." You don't price 50 issues of one issue # in backstock, you take three out and price them for the front.

 

That isn't lazy, that is smart business. No need to price and re-price 50 issues every week, even with a sign on the box, because you are only selling 3 at a time.

 

 

 

-slym

 

Precisely

 

Typically backstock would be stuff intended for sale and NOT accessible to the customer. In comic shops, the term backstock also applies to the back issue bins which ARE available to the customers. There have been retailers that are too lazy to price their back issue bins which is inexcusable to me. Overstock would be excess stock that is not needed. Overstock doesn't need to be priced and it should not be accessible to the customer.

 

Most comics are priced. Most have a price printed on them. There may actually be laws against having something priced one thing and then charging more at the register. I know one retailer in Georgia had to initiate a policy to give the product (one) away for free if the bar code scanned higher than the shelf price. They initiated the policy because lawmakers didn't like the idea of bar codes being used for pricing.

 

DG

[Chip Cataldo]

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

 

1. I never said anything about a comic store *looking* like nirvana. I said owning an LCS was nirvana as opposed to working for some big-box company. If you own an LCS, you love comics...hence opening an LCS.

2. I know they're a retail business. That's why I specified my counter-example as "working for someone else in big-box retail."

 

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 didn't say anything against any of this. All I said was that if comics are for sale in an LCS they should be priced. It's part of great customer service. Don't have them not priced and then make up some price at the register. That's poor customer service. That's been my point all along.

 

Peace,

 

Chip

[Chip Cataldo]

You've never seen a customer just walk into the back room, even when there are signs saying nobody beyond this point? I've seen it happen, and all because they saw books that they wanted, that weren't out for sale.

 

Again, that's not what I'm talking about. You guys need to stop using the stupid facepalm icon like I'm some dink who doesn't know what he's talking about and actually *read* my posts.

 

Peace,

 

Chip

[slym2none]

Do big box-stores have their warehouses full of items that are priced?

 

Do antique stores have every piece in their warehouse/storage priced?

 

It is the same thing... back-stock is back-stock. It isn't ready for the "front of the house." You don't price 50 issues of one issue # in backstock, you take three out and price them for the front.

 

That isn't lazy, that is smart business. No need to price and re-price 50 issues every week, even with a sign on the box, because you are only selling 3 at a time.

 

Since when am I talking about back-stock? If a customer can get to it, it should be priced. If it's back-stock, it shouldn't be accessible to the customer.

 

Peace,

 

Chip

 

Too bad the real world doesn't work that way.

 

 

 

 

-slym

[Chip Cataldo]

Too bad the real world doesn't work that way.

 

 

I've worked retail for 20+ years in a multitude of large and small stores. I've never had an issue with someone getting into a back-stock or warehouse area, let-alone getting into that area and asking to purchase an item they found there. Right now I work for Homegoods and Yankee Candle and I've never had that issue come up either.

 

Peace,

 

Chip

[joecgcmaniac]

Too bad the real world doesn't work that way.

 

 

I've worked retail for 20+ years in a multitude of large and small stores. I've never had an issue with someone getting into a back-stock or warehouse area, let-alone getting into that area and asking to purchase an item they found there. Right now I work for Homegoods and Yankee Candle and I've never had that issue come up either.

 

Peace,

 

Chip

 

I've also worked retail before, and know many people who still do, and we have all had this occur. Everything from people walking into the stockrooms asking where the bathrooms are, to collectors trying to sneak back trying to find merchandise, it is actually a pretty common occurrence. The worst offenders are the Star Wars collectors, followed closely by the video game nuts who would go into the back room and demand we give them a video game system, never mind the fact that there were signs posted stating the systems were all out of stock.

[slym2none]

I am not trying to be a ... but because it never happened to you, it never happened to anyone?

 

I am not making any bones about the LCS I used to work at, either. It wasn't the best use of the small space they had, but what could I do? I was just a part-timer that had ideas bigger than they were (like I told them I'd come in and run the internet for them, sell stuff in lots, get some of the overstock out - and was rejected) so I was already looked at with a bit of a leery eye. It was a tiny store, and there was... let me think... at least 30,000 books in backstock, probably more, and they were stored underneath the tables the "regular" (as in, priced & sorted) back issue boxes were sitting on (covered but relatively accessible, of course) and in the downstairs part, the walls were covered with boxes of overstock (mostly unsorted, none priced) as well as the "back room" wasn't closed off and a little too accessible. Still, the way those guys had it set up, it wasn't exactly easy to get to (most of) the overstock issues, but possible. Customers weren't meant to get to them, but they did. That's how the real world worked when I was there.

 

:shrug:

 

 

 

-slym

[Chip Cataldo]

I've also worked retail before, and know many people who still do, and we have all had this occur. Everything from people walking into the stockrooms asking where the bathrooms are, to collectors trying to sneak back trying to find merchandise, it is actually a pretty common occurrence. The worst offenders are the Star Wars collectors, followed closely by the video game nuts who would go into the back room and demand we give them a video game system, never mind the fact that there were signs posted stating the systems were all out of stock.

 

Part of my experience includes 3 years at Kay-Bee Toys and 2 years at TRU. I've never seen this happen. Even if it did, at those places the prices for things are STILL stated for all items.

 

Peace,

 

Chip

[Chip Cataldo]

I am not trying to be a ... but because it never happened to you, it never happened to anyone?

 

Not what I'm saying at all...all I'm saying is that it's preventable and easily avoided.

 

I am not making any bones about the LCS I used to work at, either. It wasn't the best use of the small space they had, but what could I do? I was just a part-timer that had ideas bigger than they were (like I told them I'd come in and run the internet for them, sell stuff in lots, get some of the overstock out - and was rejected) so I was already looked at with a bit of a leery eye. It was a tiny store, and there was... let me think... at least 30,000 books in backstock, probably more, and they were stored underneath the tables the "regular" (as in, priced & sorted) back issue boxes were sitting on (covered but relatively accessible, of course) and in the downstairs part, the walls were covered with boxes of overstock (mostly unsorted, none priced) as well as the "back room" wasn't closed off and a little too accessible. Still, the way those guys had it set up, it wasn't exactly easy to get to (most of) the overstock issues, but possible. Customers weren't meant to get to them, but they did. That's how the real world worked when I was there.

 

That's my point. They didn't deserve that shop because they had no business being in business. Your anecdote proved it.

 

They didn't deserve the store. You did. You knew what you were doing.

 

Peace,

 

Chip

[slym2none]

I don't see how you can say "they didn't deserve that store."

 

One problem doesn't a bad business make.

 

 

 

-slym

[Jiminy_Cricket-migration]

I was just a part-timer that had ideas bigger than they were (like I told them I'd come in and run the internet for them, sell stuff in lots, get some of the overstock out - and was rejected) so I was already looked at with a bit of a leery eye.

 

-slym

 

Curious. How long did you work there before you offered to do these things? It sounds like something a smart owner would appreciate and at least look into the profitability of your ideas.

 

I'm wondering how well the owner(s) knew you. It sounds like a lack of trust issue.

[joecgcmaniac]

I've also worked retail before, and know many people who still do, and we have all had this occur. Everything from people walking into the stockrooms asking where the bathrooms are, to collectors trying to sneak back trying to find merchandise, it is actually a pretty common occurrence. The worst offenders are the Star Wars collectors, followed closely by the video game nuts who would go into the back room and demand we give them a video game system, never mind the fact that there were signs posted stating the systems were all out of stock.

 

Part of my experience includes 3 years at Kay-Bee Toys and 2 years at TRU. I've never seen this happen. Even if it did, at those places the prices for things are STILL stated for all items.

 

Peace,

 

Chip

 

Just go to a Wal-Mart or Target tonight or tomorrow, I guarantee you'll see customers going into the back rooms.

 

And a lot of times, new items just arriving into those stores won't ring up until the freight has been finalized, which can be anywhere from a few hours to a few days.

[slym2none]

I was just a part-timer that had ideas bigger than they were (like I told them I'd come in and run the internet for them, sell stuff in lots, get some of the overstock out - and was rejected) so I was already looked at with a bit of a leery eye.

 

-slym

 

Curious. How long did you work there before you offered to do these things? It sounds like something a smart owner would appreciate and at least look into the profitability of your ideas.

 

I'm wondering how well the owner(s) knew you. It sounds like a lack of trust issue.

 

I can't say his level of trust, although on Sundays, the one person opens & closes by themselves and handles all the money & has access to all the books. I worked every Sunday for a long time.

 

I do know I wasn't the only person that offered to help them out by doing some online/eBay sales and got turned down. I honestly don't know if they are still in business now, but if so, I hope they have a current online presence.

 

 

 

-slym