Chuck explains his Mile High pricing

[wombat]

He can set his prices however he wants and run his business as he sees fit. People can complain about whatever they want.

 

 

[mschmidt]

Chuck has the right to set his prices above market and that is why he has the biggest inventory...

Lone Star's inventory is larger.

 

 

As far as rasing prices and then putting on a sale tag I think every retailer in the world has done that.

Absolute nonsense.

[dupont2005]

When I was selling at conventions in the late 90's and and early 2000's, Chuck was regularly one of my best customers. He would purchase long boxes, primarily from my .50 to $5 bins. He bought comics from me that I seriously didn't know how I would ever move. He didn't haggle too much, paid cash and was rather pleasant to deal with.

That's great for other comic retailers who have mountains of unsellable drek weighing them down, but the guy willing to take it all off your hands probably isn't the business genius people are making him out to be. A lot of his inventory is overpriced at a dollar realistically. And it's something that has failed to appreciate in value over the course of several decades, longer than some of these boardies have been alive.

[dupont2005]

I can't believe he doesn't own those warehouses. I always thought he owned at least the largest one. What a fool. He invested heavily in drek nobody wants and now spends enough storing it that he could just buy a new Lamborghini every year.

 

I think he might have just been simplifying things by talking about "rent". In his newsletters he talks about the mortgage on the Jason St warehouse, and when he first got that space he mentioned that he had to come up with funds to make a purchase as the owners weren't interested in renting.

Well if he did own the place I'd think he's much safer than I thought the other day. But I also figured he either owned it outright or got it at a significant bargain and put down a huge down payment so his mortgage wouldn't have been much of an issue. Seems he has way more overhead than I initially thought either way, and possibly way more debt looming over him.

[dupont2005]

I can't believe he doesn't own those warehouses. I always thought he owned at least the largest one. What a fool. He invested heavily in drek nobody wants and now spends enough storing it that he could just buy a new Lamborghini every year.

 

I think he might have just been simplifying things by talking about "rent". In his newsletters he talks about the mortgage on the Jason St warehouse, and when he first got that space he mentioned that he had to come up with funds to make a purchase as the owners weren't interested in renting.

 

Why does Chuck need to explain why he needs to keep the lights on? I don't care! Does he care how I need to pay my bills? No!

 

I'm confused - do you NEED to make postings on Internet message boards? He talks about things with his business in a newsletter that people have to ask to have sent to them. It's not like he's chasing you down on the street to tell you what he needs to keep the lights on. Don't care to hear it? Don't subscribe to his newsletter.

 

It's really pretty simple.

If I stop at a McDonalds and see on their menu that a large fries is $30 and I say "What the hell? Every other McDonalds sells that for two bucks!" I don't need to hear about how hardware stores operate.

[ttfitz]

I can't believe he doesn't own those warehouses. I always thought he owned at least the largest one. What a fool. He invested heavily in drek nobody wants and now spends enough storing it that he could just buy a new Lamborghini every year.

 

I think he might have just been simplifying things by talking about "rent". In his newsletters he talks about the mortgage on the Jason St warehouse, and when he first got that space he mentioned that he had to come up with funds to make a purchase as the owners weren't interested in renting.

 

Why does Chuck need to explain why he needs to keep the lights on? I don't care! Does he care how I need to pay my bills? No!

 

I'm confused - do you NEED to make postings on Internet message boards? He talks about things with his business in a newsletter that people have to ask to have sent to them. It's not like he's chasing you down on the street to tell you what he needs to keep the lights on. Don't care to hear it? Don't subscribe to his newsletter.

 

It's really pretty simple.

If I stop at a McDonalds and see on their menu that a large fries is $30 and I say "What the hell? Every other McDonalds sells that for two bucks!" I don't need to hear about how hardware stores operate.

 

So don't watch the video - or did Chuck come over to your house and force you to listen to his explanation?

[dupont2005]

He has hardly justified his exorbitant markups. The analogy doesn't hold, I bet the price of a left handed widget at McGuckins doesn't cost 10 times the price I can get it at lowes.

 

Assuming that you can get a left handed widget at Lowes, which I think is his point. The analogy isn't perfect, but in essence he's trying to separate himself from the rest of the pack by offering a breadth of inventory no one else can or will.

I have never been able to find a hard to find comic on his website. There was never a time when something was impossible for me to find on eBay but it was sitting in his inventory.

 

I will admit, once he was cheaper than eBay on an old fanzine that I'm sure was a victim of his moronic pricing and fell through the cracks, but otherwise not only is everything in his inventory available on eBay right this very second, but for about an eighth of the price. I've had trouble finding common modern comics on his site. He's missing huge chunks of basic runs.

 

I will throw this out there. I don't collect much these days but when I did several years ago I liked hard to find girly-girl books. I don't really shop at Mile High but I have gotten books I could not find anywhere else. I believe you too collect or did collect so not so common books like myself.

 

After scouring the internet for some books, I had to purchase from Mile High to fill in my runs. While many could care less about them, I wanted to read the books. Fill ins like Sabrina (manga series) which were priced quite high so I waited for deep discount email, Katy Keene 80's comics, a handful of DC animated comics, California Girls, Miracle Girls and I am sure a few other strangler girly ones. Again, these are terrible hard to find back when I was searching for them.

 

So I do believe he fills a niche. If I was currently collecting, I would not purchase from him based on some of his new letters. I would just wait it out for MCS to get them in.

 

 

I have filled runs with Milehigh but never with anything I would consider niche. Then again my and your opinion of what is and isn't niche may differ.

 

And while I've filled holes in runs, I've also been unable to do so.

 

There is a value when purchasing from Chuck sometimes. For me it's rarely. I use these boards and eBay to tackle most of my runs, but when I'm missing three non consecutive issues of one run, the last issue of another, the first issue of another, and so on, when it all adds up to about 20-30 odd specific issues from different runs, the only thing that makes sense is try to buy them all off one guy to save on shipping, because it's pretty impossible to land a specific list in full at bulk rate. So in those instances, I'd buy from Chuck. And it's in those instances that I realized he's missing a LOT of very common runs. If for some reason you wanted to, you couldn't buy a complete run of TMNT vol. 1 off him right now. That's (all but the first couple issues) dollar bin stuff. The biggest pop culture intellectual property of my lifetime. And he doesn't have a set. Same with Elfquest. Can't get a full run on his site for any price. I bought my full run for $20 on eBay the first twenty minutes of searching. It's just odd considering he has warehouses upon warehouses of back issues and yet holes in every run. I bet he actually does have all that common stuff, but buys and hoards dollar comics at such a rate he can't get it all listed on his website. Either that or purposefully doesn't list everything because of some ill conceived business strategy, like his pricing scheme.

[dupont2005]

As far as rasing prices and then putting on a sale tag I think every retailer in the world has done that.

My wife worked in retail a long time.

Designer jeans... $80+ a pair... are purchased for $2 by the retailer.

Any sale to a customer that ends above $2 a pair is profit.

I've worked in retail and the markup is not nearly that severe. Maybe the initial cost out of China is $2, but I doubt it could even be moved to the US distribution center without multiplying the price several times, and then multiplying the price again just to get it into the retail shop. By then you're looking at a twenty dollar pair of jeans as far as the retailer is concerned. Sure there's markup at that point, but it's not all profit. That's only considering things made in China, and I'm pretty sure a lot of designer jeans are actually hand stitched in America. In fact, when I was at American Rag on South La Brea I saw their denim workshop and that's exactly what they do. So I'd say in labor alone you're looking at about $40. Another ten in materials. The markup could still be 400%, but it's not four thousand percent like you claim.

[dupont2005]

I can't believe he doesn't own those warehouses. I always thought he owned at least the largest one. What a fool. He invested heavily in drek nobody wants and now spends enough storing it that he could just buy a new Lamborghini every year.

 

I think he might have just been simplifying things by talking about "rent". In his newsletters he talks about the mortgage on the Jason St warehouse, and when he first got that space he mentioned that he had to come up with funds to make a purchase as the owners weren't interested in renting.

 

Why does Chuck need to explain why he needs to keep the lights on? I don't care! Does he care how I need to pay my bills? No!

 

I'm confused - do you NEED to make postings on Internet message boards? He talks about things with his business in a newsletter that people have to ask to have sent to them. It's not like he's chasing you down on the street to tell you what he needs to keep the lights on. Don't care to hear it? Don't subscribe to his newsletter.

 

It's really pretty simple.

If I stop at a McDonalds and see on their menu that a large fries is $30 and I say "What the hell? Every other McDonalds sells that for two bucks!" I don't need to hear about how hardware stores operate.

 

So don't watch the video - or did Chuck come over to your house and force you to listen to his explanation?

If you watch something you can't criticize it. Gotcha. Let me call every movie critic and anyone who has ever watched and then disagreed with a State Of The Union

[ttfitz]

I can't believe he doesn't own those warehouses. I always thought he owned at least the largest one. What a fool. He invested heavily in drek nobody wants and now spends enough storing it that he could just buy a new Lamborghini every year.

 

I think he might have just been simplifying things by talking about "rent". In his newsletters he talks about the mortgage on the Jason St warehouse, and when he first got that space he mentioned that he had to come up with funds to make a purchase as the owners weren't interested in renting.

 

Why does Chuck need to explain why he needs to keep the lights on? I don't care! Does he care how I need to pay my bills? No!

 

I'm confused - do you NEED to make postings on Internet message boards? He talks about things with his business in a newsletter that people have to ask to have sent to them. It's not like he's chasing you down on the street to tell you what he needs to keep the lights on. Don't care to hear it? Don't subscribe to his newsletter.

 

It's really pretty simple.

If I stop at a McDonalds and see on their menu that a large fries is $30 and I say "What the hell? Every other McDonalds sells that for two bucks!" I don't need to hear about how hardware stores operate.

 

So don't watch the video - or did Chuck come over to your house and force you to listen to his explanation?

If you watch something you can't criticize it. Gotcha. Let me call every movie critic and anyone who has ever watched and then disagreed with a State Of The Union

 

Oh, no, you are welcome to criticize it, just don't say "I don't need to hear about ..." in the process. You asked (by watching the video) for an explanation, so don't complain when you get one.

[Sqeggs]

I never buy from Chuck when he has his 50%/60% sales on. Somehow I just feel I would be taking advantage of him. I guess I just sleep better at night when I buy from dealers at full price.

[dupont2005]

I can't believe he doesn't own those warehouses. I always thought he owned at least the largest one. What a fool. He invested heavily in drek nobody wants and now spends enough storing it that he could just buy a new Lamborghini every year.

 

I think he might have just been simplifying things by talking about "rent". In his newsletters he talks about the mortgage on the Jason St warehouse, and when he first got that space he mentioned that he had to come up with funds to make a purchase as the owners weren't interested in renting.

 

Why does Chuck need to explain why he needs to keep the lights on? I don't care! Does he care how I need to pay my bills? No!

 

I'm confused - do you NEED to make postings on Internet message boards? He talks about things with his business in a newsletter that people have to ask to have sent to them. It's not like he's chasing you down on the street to tell you what he needs to keep the lights on. Don't care to hear it? Don't subscribe to his newsletter.

 

It's really pretty simple.

If I stop at a McDonalds and see on their menu that a large fries is $30 and I say "What the hell? Every other McDonalds sells that for two bucks!" I don't need to hear about how hardware stores operate.

 

So don't watch the video - or did Chuck come over to your house and force you to listen to his explanation?

If you watch something you can't criticize it. Gotcha. Let me call every movie critic and anyone who has ever watched and then disagreed with a State Of The Union

 

Oh, no, you are welcome to criticize it, just don't say "I don't need to hear about ..." in the process. You asked (by watching the video) for an explanation, so don't complain when you get one.

No, my point is I wanted to hear an explanation, and instead I heard some nonsense.

[MrBedrock]

I'll tell the monkeys to send it up the chain. I'll intimate I'm a close friend of Chucky's and if they fail to do so that will be their spoon.

One of the considerations Chuck factors into his pricing model is the amount of time he has to spend reading stupid e-mails from knuckleheads.

[MrBedrock]

Not that I'm saying kav is a knucklehead or his e-mails are stupid.

I'm not saying that.

I'm not not saying that.

But I'm not saying that.

[Mmehdy]

Chuck has the right to set his prices above market and that is why he has the biggest inventory...

Lone Star's inventory is larger.

 

 

As far as rasing prices and then putting on a sale tag I think every retailer in the world has done that.

Absolute nonsense.

 

 

Absolute reality...wake up....every retailer knows the oldest trick in the book......the slight of hand.....like why are they getting down on chuck...picking on him...on this point.

 

Let him keep buying and buying....like he said on the video....and as far as his special sales...well you don't have to buy.....

[MrBedrock]

Chuck has the right to set his prices above market and that is why he has the biggest inventory...

Lone Star's inventory is larger.

 

 

As far as rasing prices and then putting on a sale tag I think every retailer in the world has done that.

Absolute nonsense.

 

 

Absolute reality...wake up....every retailer knows the oldest trick in the book......the slight of hand.....like why are they getting down on chuck...picking on him...on this point

I'm a retailer. I've never marked something up so I could mark it down. So no, not every retailer in the world has done that.

[Mmehdy]

Chuck has the right to set his prices above market and that is why he has the biggest inventory...

Lone Star's inventory is larger.

 

 

As far as rasing prices and then putting on a sale tag I think every retailer in the world has done that.

Absolute nonsense.

 

 

Absolute reality...wake up....every retailer knows the oldest trick in the book......the slight of hand.....like why are they getting down on chuck...picking on him...on this point

I'm a retailer. I've never marked something up so I could mark it down. So no, not every retailer in the world has done that.

 

WOW, but I know you and I would expect that..but chuck has different pressures...he had 2 million or 5 million comics...lets say 99% of the retailers then, be suspicious when you see multiple price tags...etc

[Ryan.]

Sleight of hand

[Prince Namor]

Chuck has the right to set his prices above market and that is why he has the biggest inventory...

Lone Star's inventory is larger.

 

 

As far as rasing prices and then putting on a sale tag I think every retailer in the world has done that.

Absolute nonsense.

 

 

Absolute reality...wake up....every retailer knows the oldest trick in the book......the slight of hand.....like why are they getting down on chuck...picking on him...on this point

I'm a retailer. I've never marked something up so I could mark it down. So no, not every retailer in the world has done that.

 

WOW, but I know you and I would expect that..but chuck has different pressures...he had 2 million or 5 million comics...lets say 99% of the retailers then, be suspicious when you see multiple price tags...etc

 

Just because Chuck was around for the glory days** is no reason to gloss over his unethical business practices. Where do you draw the line for sticking up for these people? Is murder too much? Embezzlement? Shilling? Ignoring e-mails after not shipping something six months into the deal? Is any of it fair behavior because they recognized the coolness of a Schomburg cover 30 years before the mainstream did?

 

This hobby needs some legitimacy, not snake-oil salesmen, and it's a slap in the face to plenty of old school dealers who do things the right way for you to make claims like they all are "rasing prices and then putting on a sale tag".

 

 

**to help talk publisher's into dismantling the newsstand distribution of comics and effectively wipe out the hope of attracting younger readers to the detriment of future retailers.

[slym2none]

I can't believe he doesn't own those warehouses. I always thought he owned at least the largest one. What a fool. He invested heavily in drek nobody wants and now spends enough storing it that he could just buy a new Lamborghini every year.

 

I think he might have just been simplifying things by talking about "rent". In his newsletters he talks about the mortgage on the Jason St warehouse, and when he first got that space he mentioned that he had to come up with funds to make a purchase as the owners weren't interested in renting.

 

Why does Chuck need to explain why he needs to keep the lights on? I don't care! Does he care how I need to pay my bills? No!

 

I'm confused - do you NEED to make postings on Internet message boards? He talks about things with his business in a newsletter that people have to ask to have sent to them. It's not like he's chasing you down on the street to tell you what he needs to keep the lights on. Don't care to hear it? Don't subscribe to his newsletter.

 

It's really pretty simple.

If I stop at a McDonalds and see on their menu that a large fries is $30 and I say "What the hell? Every other McDonalds sells that for two bucks!" I don't need to hear about how hardware stores operate.

 

So don't watch the video - or did Chuck come over to your house and force you to listen to his explanation?

If you watch something you can't criticize it. Gotcha. Let me call every movie critic and anyone who has ever watched and then disagreed with a State Of The Union

 

Oh, no, you are welcome to criticize it, just don't say "I don't need to hear about ..." in the process. You asked (by watching the video) for an explanation, so don't complain when you get one.

 

So... if I ask him how canned ravioli are made, and he says "with a toothbrush", I can't complain?

 

Wait, it is "Mile High" Chuck... that would actually be the expected answer.

 

 

 

 

-slym ( )