Are LCSs the new enemy or have they always been?

[BettrFastrStrongr]

Ya never know until you do it. Different demands and pressures. I do agree that if you don't invest time to be up on hot books then there should be no crying/whining.

 

[Chip Cataldo]

Ya never know until you do it. Different demands and pressures. I do agree that if you don't invest time to be up on hot books then there should be no crying/whining.

I've run businesses before and managed large stores, so I know what it's like.

[Chip Cataldo]

is it your job also?

I sell comics & collectibles for a living, yes.

[1Cool]

is it your job also?

I sell comics & collectibles for a living, yes.

 

Get to work!

[slym2none]

is it your job also?

I sell comics & collectibles for a living, yes.

 

Get to work!

 

He is working - using this site (and others, I assume) to figure out what the hot books are!

 

 

 

 

-slym

[vaillant]

I hit up a new shop in Columbus and the owner was a cool guy to talk to (not many books to buy but they can't all be winners). He was saying he takes offense when his long time customers come in and secretly buy up all of the new hot books without telling him about it. In his words they come in all sneaky and act like they are getting away with something. He said he still would sell the books at the price marked but if the customer tells him about it he can go in the back room and pull out more copies. He didn't really expect much info from guys like me who are in once and done but he feels his loyal long time customers should be a little more free with the info.

 

Do you feel long time buyers should help out the store owners or is it a dog eat dog world. I feel like it has to go both ways. If a store owner has been upfront in selling hot new books (like variants) then the buyer should give back a bit with some free info. If the store owner has jacked up the price of all new books and bought books for pennies on the dollar for years then all's fair in love and war.

 

I believe you are right in that it should be fair both ways. If a dealer is just trying to squeeze every penny out of you, that is just bad as a buyer which runs into all the comic shops to grab books getting hot, just with the purpose of reselling them.

Recently I picked a few books in the only comic shop we have in my city which holds american books (and you would cringe to see how he keeps them: all unbagged, unboarded, go figure how they are those sitting there for twenty years or so! ) and I told him some of the Spider-Man books or others could have been more costly, but again american books are mostly an oddity here, as most dealers do not know how to price them appropriately (both ways).

[wombat]

Maybe this makes me sound like an arse, but I don't care what it takes to run a business. I'm just there to buy things. I don't care what your rent is or how many hours you have to put in. And I sure as heck don't think I should be an unpaid consultant for them.

[vaillant]

Maybe this makes me sound like an arse, but I don't care what it takes to run a business. I'm just there to buy things. I don't care what your rent is or how many hours you have to put in. And I sure as heck don't think I should be an unpaid consultant for them.

 

Yes, I confirm you sound like an arse. I hope it’s just the sound…

[Rip]

At my local shop, we help each other.

Sometimes I help out and give them the latest scoop on hot prices.

Othertimes they call me up and I come over and help them buy a large collection and I get first pick.

 

It doesn't pay to try and take advantage of them at all times, and it creates a better relationship.

 

And I understand the limit two per customer. On very rare occasion they will let me buy more. The more customers who buy the books, the better. If I owned a shop I would likely do the same.

[1Cool]

Maybe this makes me sound like an arse, but I don't care what it takes to run a business. I'm just there to buy things. I don't care what your rent is or how many hours you have to put in. And I sure as heck don't think I should be an unpaid consultant for them.

 

To fair - I did talk to the guy for about 15 minutes about the industry as a whole so he didn't just spring his thoughts on me. I kept saying the long term buyers were part of the local community and he didn't like it when people didn't look out for each other. I did get the vibe this was a one way street with him considering the ultra high prices on pretty much every book in the place.

[1Cool]

Ya never know until you do it. Different demands and pressures. I do agree that if you don't invest time to be up on hot books then there should be no crying/whining.

I've run businesses before and managed large stores, so I know what it's like.

 

The debate over which person works harder between a LCS owner and a flipper with a full time job is definitely better saved until Friday.

[revat]

Maybe this makes me sound like an arse, but I don't care what it takes to run a business. I'm just there to buy things. I don't care what your rent is or how many hours you have to put in. And I sure as heck don't think I should be an unpaid consultant for them.

 

Yes, I confirm you sound like an arse. I hope its just the sound

 

I'm with womby

 

you put something on sale, I buy or not. its a store. not every business makes it. nobody forces anyone into owning a comic book store.

 

You as the store have the money now. I don't care what you do with it, whether its pay taxes, buy gumball machines, go to the tanning salon, or buy more comics. I'm not presumptuous enough to tell you what to do with the money. Or bored enough to even think about it.

 

Would a store owner feel better if I told them I'm going to buy these 10 MLP comics and flip them on the bay, or donate them to a kids hospital, or cut them up and make a one huge paper mache pony to ride, or dress up like MLP and read them in the bathroom while sobbing? Does anyone else have a right to know or judge?

 

Its nice to be nice. And there's nothing wrong with that. But there's also nothing wrong with customers just coming and buying stuff and leaving without giving the store or the owner or their business a second thought.

 

 

Unless the owner is telling customers "this brand new comic is , I'm selling at half of cover. THEN we can talk about what customers should be telling owners."

[Chip Cataldo]

Ya never know until you do it. Different demands and pressures. I do agree that if you don't invest time to be up on hot books then there should be no crying/whining.

I've run businesses before and managed large stores, so I know what it's like.

 

The debate over which person works harder between a LCS owner and a flipper with a full time job is definitely better saved until Friday.

Isn't it already Friday is some parts of the world?

 

LET'S GO!

[Chip Cataldo]

...or dress up like MLP and read them in the bathroom while sobbing?

[Chip Cataldo]

is it your job also?

I sell comics & collectibles for a living, yes.

 

Get to work!

Daredevil #2-75 being scheduled as I type this!

[revat]

Ya never know until you do it. Different demands and pressures. I do agree that if you don't invest time to be up on hot books then there should be no crying/whining.

I've run businesses before and managed large stores, so I know what it's like.

 

The debate over which person works harder between a LCS owner and a flipper with a full time job is definitely better saved until Friday.

 

Or episode 3 of my new podcast "What's the most boring thing we can argue about today?"

[Chip Cataldo]

Ya never know until you do it. Different demands and pressures. I do agree that if you don't invest time to be up on hot books then there should be no crying/whining.

I've run businesses before and managed large stores, so I know what it's like.

 

The debate over which person works harder between a LCS owner and a flipper with a full time job is definitely better saved until Friday.

 

Or episode 3 of my new podcast "What's the most boring thing we can argue about today?"

! Who's arguing? I'm getting some great info from this thread. I hope some more of the big-time dealers chime in.

[BettrFastrStrongr]

Ya never know until you do it. Different demands and pressures. I do agree that if you don't invest time to be up on hot books then there should be no crying/whining.

I've run businesses before and managed large stores, so I know what it's like.

 

The debate over which person works harder between a LCS owner and a flipper with a full time job is definitely better saved until Friday.

Isn't it already Friday is some parts of the world?

 

LET'S GO!

 

No debate. Just from reading his posts I know Chip busts his arse for him and his family. I guess I'm just trying to say that alot of people take the demands of running a successful shop for granted.

[CBT]

Store owners should always honor the price on their stock that is out, and if they are worried about missing out on a hot book, hold stock back. When it sells out off the shelf, check and reprice if necessary before restocking.

 

It's really quite simply.

 

If a store wants to put out 50 copies on the shelf at cover price, dont be upset if someone decides they want all 50. That's what "For Sale" means.

 

Alternatively, if restocking is too time consuming, implement a limit on same issue per customer, and put a sign in your front window and at the till. Then everybody is being treated fairly.

 

If you lose large/long time customers to another shop that doesnt limit, that's the trade off.

[kav]

Didn't they do this hoarding, 1 per customer thing in then 90s before the implosion?