Chuck R. SDCC FDQ Exit?

[shadroch]

If comic dealers were doing well in San Diego, there would be more of them each year, not less.

Each year, there seem to be fewer dealers setting up. Attendees grow, comic sellers shrink.

 

To be honest I think it's due to the pricing of the booths and the fact that it can be hard at times to sell books at a pop culture con.

 

 

aka comic dealers are not doing well there.

 

 

[thehumantorch]

 

So when he goes to San Diego, supposedly the biggest and best show in the comics world, and sees year after year, comics becoming a smaller part of it, and if he has less than stellar sales*, he figures it must be bad for all the other retailers, and Something Must Be Done. He sees the long lines at the publisher's booths, his supposed partners in this business, and they are selling items they don't even make available to retailers at the show, he lashes out about it. It's not just that it's bad for his sales at this show, he sees it as bad for the industry - or at least the retail part of the industry.

 

And I personally don't think he is completely wrong. It IS kinda bad form for the publishers to be competing directly with their retail outlets.

 

To be fair, Chuck's criticism echos many comments made by boardies here - comic cons morphing into pop culture events and a focus on movies stars and wrestlers and toys and t-shirts. Back issue sellers getting squeezed out of these shows thanks to higher costs and less back issue buyers.

 

 

 

*Just thought I'd throw one last bit out there about how "out of touch", overpriced, failed seller, etc that Mile High was at SDCC - Chuck has said he needed $1200/hr in sales to cover his costs, and that they ended up $6000 short. He put the length of the show as 41 hours. That means he had over $43,000 in sales for this show. Not too shabby for "overpriced drek."

 

 

If your math is correct our sales out of one endcap at the Calgary Comic Con easily surpass Chuck's sales at SDCC. Granted, we're selling a lot of keys and our profit margin may not be as good as his.

[shadroch]

I try to attend two or three small shows and one or two big shows a year. Last year I hit the Vegas show for two days and the NY show for about two hours. I have not bought an expensive book at a show in years. They are almost always cheaper on the nets and why take a chance walking around for hours with an expensive book in a pool of thieves.

I spend more money on artists offerings than books at shows, but during the year, its greatly the inverse.

[Badger]

Thanks for the kind comments on my AS #1! Its one of those books I never thought I'd own; especially in a nice grade.

[oakman29]

Thanks for the kind comments on my AS #1! Its one of those books I never thought I'd own; especially in a nice grade.

Let me just put it out there.You have an insane sig. line.I bow to your greatness.