Chuck explains his Mile High pricing

[ttfitz]

 

Anyone getting his newsletter and regularly shopping on the site would clearly see this tactic, so where's the scam? Even if they're unaware, where's the scam? He lists books for a price, and you can either buy it or not buy it; that's not a scam because the buyer is not being misled. You simply can't determine MH customer intentions or gullibility any more than you can determine if someone paying thousands of dollars for some 9.8 variant that came out yesterday is, in a more abstract sense, being misled by hype, greed, and speculators passing along their hot potatoes. I'm not suggesting he's an awesome guy; what I am suggesting is that the hate he gets is disproportionate to what amounts to little more than carnival barking, to use your words.

 

Has he ever mentioned in his newsletter that prior to his 50/60% sales he raises the prices of his entire inventory? To me, that is superbly scammy :shrug:

 

I've heard this claim before, and I don't really understand it - as best I can tell as a long-time newsletter subscriber, there is hardly EVER a time when there isn't a 50/60% off sale going on. Seems hard to raise prices just prior to a sale.

 

Also, from his newsletter I understand that there are some automatic things happening with his prices, related in part to inventory. So when he has 3 copies of something the price is lower than if he has only 1. So if he sells things when a sale starts, that might make prices go up on those items.

 

I don't know, it's certainly possible that such pricing stuff goes on, which is a bad practice, but still, the price is right there for anyone to see.

[Mmehdy]

 

 

Chucks flaw is his assumption that any thing that is old is gonna go up in value.

 

 

The problem with that and other large book stores is DEMAND.

 

Let's be real here...the demand for actual hand held graphic novels is going down in the future as digital books are accepted by more persons and yet chuck on the video has 50 copies of something nobody even wants today, let alone next year or 5 years from.

 

Good luck Chuck...it was a great idea....and you have the worlds largest personal collection that you will be unable to sell...so be it

 

 

If you want to buy from him, high price or not that is your choice, stop complaining about his prices.

[1950's war comics]

He has a coverless Brave and Bold #1 for $560.00....

I feels like we are on candid camera when we search his website

[Prince Namor]

I am fine with Chuck pricing his books how ever he wants; it is his business to do what ever he wants with his business. What I can not stand for is his lack of business morals when it comes to the "pitch" in order to get you to buy something. Every other month he is going to go out of business if he doesn't sell "x" number, when ever there is a tragedy he is there to swoop in. The Hurricane Sandy hucksterism was the big and most recent one everyone will probably remember but he has done the exact same thing countless times.

 

Someones house was destroyed and they will not be able to buy comics from me, so I might go out of business unless you buy from me. A teenager died in a car accident outside out building, it is very sad..... want to buy some comics!

 

It is this disingenuous snake oil salesman approach that eventually turns repeat buyers away.

 

 

 

Full disclosure, I have purchased from MHC in the past and continue to do so (or try to). Every time he posts a 60% off code I try to bulk purchase NM copies of random books (quasar #1, Wonder man #1, Ninja High School #38, etc). I fine this very amusing as they usually cancel the order and unlist the issue completely, it is my little way of trolling them into thinking they are about to be taken advantage of.

 

I know, right? That just happened a few weeks ago, she crashed into the back dock of HIS building...and the next day he talked about it in his newsletter and was hawking comics in the next paragraph! "We're all really sad here... meanwhile the code word sale is still on!"

 

Any reason you left out this part of the story?

 

"So you know, my plan to help everyone heal is to host a small in-store auction of comics and toys on Saturday, April 11th, at Jason St. with 100% of the proceeds going to help her family to cover Karen's burial expenses."

 

No but thanks for bringing it up.

 

On the surface it looks like - wow, Chuck is really stepping up, but in actuality he's spending virtually nothing to auction off more garbage to get other people to contribute to the family, and continue to promote his store.

[Prince Namor]

 

Chucks flaw is his assumption that any thing that is old is gonna go up in value.

 

 

The problem with that and other large book stores is DEMAND.

 

Let's be real here...the demand for actual hand held graphic novels is going down in the future as digital books are accepted by more persons and yet chuck on the video has 50 copies of something nobody even wants today, let alone next year or 5 years from.

 

Good luck Chuck...it was a great idea....and you have the worlds largest personal collection that you will be unable to sell...so be it

 

 

If you want to buy from him, high price or not that is your choice, stop complaining about his prices.

 

Graphic Novel sales are currently at an all time high....

[Prince Namor]

 

Anyone getting his newsletter and regularly shopping on the site would clearly see this tactic, so where's the scam? Even if they're unaware, where's the scam? He lists books for a price, and you can either buy it or not buy it; that's not a scam because the buyer is not being misled. You simply can't determine MH customer intentions or gullibility any more than you can determine if someone paying thousands of dollars for some 9.8 variant that came out yesterday is, in a more abstract sense, being misled by hype, greed, and speculators passing along their hot potatoes. I'm not suggesting he's an awesome guy; what I am suggesting is that the hate he gets is disproportionate to what amounts to little more than carnival barking, to use your words.

 

Has he ever mentioned in his newsletter that prior to his 50/60% sales he raises the prices of his entire inventory? To me, that is superbly scammy :shrug:

 

I've heard this claim before, and I don't really understand it - as best I can tell as a long-time newsletter subscriber, there is hardly EVER a time when there isn't a 50/60% off sale going on. Seems hard to raise prices just prior to a sale.

 

Also, from his newsletter I understand that there are some automatic things happening with his prices, related in part to inventory. So when he has 3 copies of something the price is lower than if he has only 1. So if he sells things when a sale starts, that might make prices go up on those items.

 

I don't know, it's certainly possible that such pricing stuff goes on, which is a bad practice, but still, the price is right there for anyone to see.

 

A number of years ago I was tracking some books on his site over a 9 month period and it was very, very clear that when he would do one of his big sales (they were a little less often then), he would clearly raise the prices as much as 20% before he'd do a code word sale.

 

It included, as my list included, books of higher value all the way down to $1-$2 books. He was simply raising the price of everything just before he'd start the sale.

[JollyComics]

Hamlet said..."Words, words, words....how's about saying that Chuck is... :screwy:"

[Dano]

The reason I don't use Mile High anymore, ever, at all is directly related to the customer service and haphazard treatment of books in their stores. Check it out sometime.

 

Dan

[Mmehdy]

 

Chucks flaw is his assumption that any thing that is old is gonna go up in value.

 

 

The problem with that and other large book stores is DEMAND.

 

Let's be real here...the demand for actual hand held graphic novels is going down in the future as digital books are accepted by more persons and yet chuck on the video has 50 copies of something nobody even wants today, let alone next year or 5 years from.

 

Good luck Chuck...it was a great idea....and you have the worlds largest personal collection that you will be unable to sell...so be it

 

 

If you want to buy from him, high price or not that is your choice, stop complaining about his prices.

 

Graphic Novel sales are currently at an all time high....

 

The ones chuck has 50 copies...see the video......long term are going to end up being worthless....I was just at wonder con--they had a booth of graphic novels etc starting at 50% off....down the road I don't see his inventory increasing in value like he thinks

[ttfitz]

I am fine with Chuck pricing his books how ever he wants; it is his business to do what ever he wants with his business. What I can not stand for is his lack of business morals when it comes to the "pitch" in order to get you to buy something. Every other month he is going to go out of business if he doesn't sell "x" number, when ever there is a tragedy he is there to swoop in. The Hurricane Sandy hucksterism was the big and most recent one everyone will probably remember but he has done the exact same thing countless times.

 

Someones house was destroyed and they will not be able to buy comics from me, so I might go out of business unless you buy from me. A teenager died in a car accident outside out building, it is very sad..... want to buy some comics!

 

It is this disingenuous snake oil salesman approach that eventually turns repeat buyers away.

 

 

 

Full disclosure, I have purchased from MHC in the past and continue to do so (or try to). Every time he posts a 60% off code I try to bulk purchase NM copies of random books (quasar #1, Wonder man #1, Ninja High School #38, etc). I fine this very amusing as they usually cancel the order and unlist the issue completely, it is my little way of trolling them into thinking they are about to be taken advantage of.

 

I know, right? That just happened a few weeks ago, she crashed into the back dock of HIS building...and the next day he talked about it in his newsletter and was hawking comics in the next paragraph! "We're all really sad here... meanwhile the code word sale is still on!"

 

Any reason you left out this part of the story?

 

"So you know, my plan to help everyone heal is to host a small in-store auction of comics and toys on Saturday, April 11th, at Jason St. with 100% of the proceeds going to help her family to cover Karen's burial expenses."

 

No but thanks for bringing it up.

 

On the surface it looks like - wow, Chuck is really stepping up, but in actuality he's spending virtually nothing to auction off more garbage to get other people to contribute to the family, and continue to promote his store.

 

You are right, he is a bad, bad man for helping out someone he doesn't even know, letting lots of other people know how to help someone that they don't know in a newsletter that goes out all the time.

[Prince Namor]

I am fine with Chuck pricing his books how ever he wants; it is his business to do what ever he wants with his business. What I can not stand for is his lack of business morals when it comes to the "pitch" in order to get you to buy something. Every other month he is going to go out of business if he doesn't sell "x" number, when ever there is a tragedy he is there to swoop in. The Hurricane Sandy hucksterism was the big and most recent one everyone will probably remember but he has done the exact same thing countless times.

 

Someones house was destroyed and they will not be able to buy comics from me, so I might go out of business unless you buy from me. A teenager died in a car accident outside out building, it is very sad..... want to buy some comics!

 

It is this disingenuous snake oil salesman approach that eventually turns repeat buyers away.

 

 

 

Full disclosure, I have purchased from MHC in the past and continue to do so (or try to). Every time he posts a 60% off code I try to bulk purchase NM copies of random books (quasar #1, Wonder man #1, Ninja High School #38, etc). I fine this very amusing as they usually cancel the order and unlist the issue completely, it is my little way of trolling them into thinking they are about to be taken advantage of.

 

I know, right? That just happened a few weeks ago, she crashed into the back dock of HIS building...and the next day he talked about it in his newsletter and was hawking comics in the next paragraph! "We're all really sad here... meanwhile the code word sale is still on!"

 

Any reason you left out this part of the story?

 

"So you know, my plan to help everyone heal is to host a small in-store auction of comics and toys on Saturday, April 11th, at Jason St. with 100% of the proceeds going to help her family to cover Karen's burial expenses."

 

No but thanks for bringing it up.

 

On the surface it looks like - wow, Chuck is really stepping up, but in actuality he's spending virtually nothing to auction off more garbage to get other people to contribute to the family, and continue to promote his store.

 

You are right, he is a bad, bad man for helping out someone he doesn't even know, letting lots of other people know how to help someone that they don't know in a newsletter that goes out all the time.

 

You can see it however you choose.

 

Personally, I think remaining in carnival barking mode even during tragedy is another example of just have tacky and unethical the guy is.

 

[sonicyouth]

There's gonna be a hell of a firesale in a few years..

 

nice one. you are so true though..

 

anyone can smell this one coming a mile away..

[kav]

A local shop here in Sac had a suspicious fire back in the 80's.....

The new shop was closed down years later after owner was found to be siphoning electricity from neighboring business...

[ttfitz]

I am fine with Chuck pricing his books how ever he wants; it is his business to do what ever he wants with his business. What I can not stand for is his lack of business morals when it comes to the "pitch" in order to get you to buy something. Every other month he is going to go out of business if he doesn't sell "x" number, when ever there is a tragedy he is there to swoop in. The Hurricane Sandy hucksterism was the big and most recent one everyone will probably remember but he has done the exact same thing countless times.

 

Someones house was destroyed and they will not be able to buy comics from me, so I might go out of business unless you buy from me. A teenager died in a car accident outside out building, it is very sad..... want to buy some comics!

 

It is this disingenuous snake oil salesman approach that eventually turns repeat buyers away.

 

 

 

Full disclosure, I have purchased from MHC in the past and continue to do so (or try to). Every time he posts a 60% off code I try to bulk purchase NM copies of random books (quasar #1, Wonder man #1, Ninja High School #38, etc). I fine this very amusing as they usually cancel the order and unlist the issue completely, it is my little way of trolling them into thinking they are about to be taken advantage of.

 

I know, right? That just happened a few weeks ago, she crashed into the back dock of HIS building...and the next day he talked about it in his newsletter and was hawking comics in the next paragraph! "We're all really sad here... meanwhile the code word sale is still on!"

 

Any reason you left out this part of the story?

 

"So you know, my plan to help everyone heal is to host a small in-store auction of comics and toys on Saturday, April 11th, at Jason St. with 100% of the proceeds going to help her family to cover Karen's burial expenses."

 

No but thanks for bringing it up.

 

On the surface it looks like - wow, Chuck is really stepping up, but in actuality he's spending virtually nothing to auction off more garbage to get other people to contribute to the family, and continue to promote his store.

 

You are right, he is a bad, bad man for helping out someone he doesn't even know, letting lots of other people know how to help someone that they don't know in a newsletter that goes out all the time.

 

You can see it however you choose.

 

Personally, I think remaining in carnival barking mode even during tragedy is another example of just have tacky and unethical the guy is.

 

Yeah, I will see it as someone who doesn't like the guy, and takes every opportunity to speak ill of him - the newsletter in question had 4 paragraphs talking about the poor girl and her accident, and had the gall to also mention what people who subscribe to the newsletter gets it for. Apparently THIS is what qualifies as "remaining in carnival barking mode":

 

I'll move on now to news from the comics business, but my heart is really hurting, so I will keep things very brief. First, our 60% off STARWARS! codeword sale is still in effect for you on all of our back issue comics and magazines. Only new comics, a few variants, and our CGC-graded comics are excluded from the 60% off STARWARS! sale. Quite a few comics fans are taking advantage of our temporary 60% off discounts to fill in long runs of great older comics titles from our website, often at under $2 each.

[kpaqu1]

There's gonna be a hell of a firesale in a few years..

 

nice one. you are so true though..

 

anyone can smell this one coming a mile away..

 

Especially considering the main warehouse doesn't have a sprinkler/fire suppression system.

[dupont2005]

While he may have gotten lucky with the Church collection, his financing of the MH2 collection was pure genius and something 99.9% of the people here would never have even thought of.He is also one of the pioneers of the early direct distribution system, and even today is a steady source of income for hundreds of small shops- many who would not exist without him.

But its much easier to take shots in ignorance than to learn.

Learn what, exactly?

 

To make a fool of yourself every week in a newsletter, away a fortune that came to you by stroke of luck, and hoard kindling? He's not a business genius. He's a right place at the right time lottery winner who is probably stretched imaginably thin in debt. In fact, possibly criminally thin. I don't think he's leaving anything behind but debt when he goes.

 

Now, I may not have turned the Church collection into three giant warehouses full of bargain bin comics that will turn to dust before anyone buys them, but I wouldn't die with debt either.

[kav]

Bazinga!

[COI]

The debt you're just assuming he has. Who needs facts when it comes to bashing old Chuckles.

[1950's war comics]

Chuck probably baths in gold coins every night !!!

[kav]

He wipes his spoon with early Action comics