Are LCSs the new enemy or have they always been?

[ComicConnoisseur]

IMHO, store owners should know their business.

 

If I had a store no one would need to tell me what books were hot and what weren't. It's part of running a comic shop.

+1

 

[CBT]

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

 

The same greed that leads flippers to the trough, makes the store owners fighting back against "losing" out on "more" profit, while both parties are actually tightening their collective nooses.

 

It's only one of many similarities to the 90s, the difference is 0% interest rates... The bubble will shift, contract and expand, but it wont pop until rates change. But, then there are bigger problems than comic books to worry about...

[ComicConnoisseur]

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.

Nope. It`s all about capitalism.

The customers shouldn`t have to do homework for the LCS owner.

This isn`t school, but a highly competitive market.

 

 

[ComicConnoisseur]

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

 

The same greed that leads flippers to the trough, makes the store owners fighting back against "losing" out on "more" profit, while both parties are actually tightening their collective nooses.

 

It's only one of many similarities to the 90s, the difference is 0% interest rates... The bubble will shift, contract and expand, but it wont pop until rates change. But, then there are bigger problems than comic books to worry about...

Digital comics is the "Elephant in the room" that 90s LCS didn`t have to worry about.

Also, cover price at $4.99 for most Marvel and DC Comics isn`t that appealing when I can go watch the Avengers movie for $6.75 tomorrow or keep my Marvel Unlimited subscription for $9.99 a month.

Yep,the game has definitely changed since the 90s.

 

[BettrFastrStrongr]

Great views here but I can't imagine the daunting task of running a comic shop, especially in this day and age. Just look at that Batman 40 fiasco. I'm not gonna pass judgement on a shop if they are not in the know of a certain "hot" issue. Shooooooooot, he's probably more worried on how to pay the rent.

 

Maybe I missed something. What was the "Batman 40 fiasco"?

 

http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=8367419&fpart=17

 

Was at my LCS last night and many customers came in asking for their box and were yelling at the owner about it. He explained the situation and they stormed off. I could only imagine whats gonna happen next week if anything disrupts the shipping of these books.

[Couchy81]

Digital comics are probably the reason the number of printed copies don't reflect the true readership. Out of three friends who still read comics, I'm the only one who still buys physical copies because collecting them is my hobby, whereas they are just fans of the stories and want to read them all. Everyone has an ipad or phone capable of getting their $9.99 Marvel subscription for the month or what have you, and it is a huge discount over buying the physical books.

 

Also the shop employees who thumb their nose up at flippers are shooting themselves in the foot. They don't realize that collecters/flippers, as opposed to simply readers, are a huge portion of their business.

 

A popular gaming website I frequent has a huge comic fanbase that regularly shuns collecting/buying physical copies, they are all adults who work in technology and are gamers who read comics digitally.

 

It's crazy to see / read about how some of these stores are run. no clue.

[CBT]

Digital comics is the "Elephant in the room" that 90s LCS didn`t have to worry about.

 

Digital Comics were over hyped for a lot of years, but the thing is, their sales potential is limited, and since they arent collectible, there is no secondary market or reselling to suck people into buying multiples.

 

It will be really interesting to see where the 2014 numbers fall, but growth in them has declined rapidly year over year. That is to say, they are close to reaching a maximum, those who do it, are doing it, and any future growth will be minimal.

 

Whatever effect they had on reducing actual comic sales, has pretty much already happened....

 

 

% change is the column that matters/shows growth. Obviously it will continue to grow slowly, but its not going to replace real comics...

[raybowles]

They should, however, limit purchases to one per, on new comic book day for cover price. They should not take advantage of us, but we should not try to make money on them.

 

 

The problem with this approach is I purchase 3 copies of every comic I purchase. I'm putting together complete sets for my children and would therefore have to visit three different comics stores. I have ample LCS in my area and I have stopped going to most because they have limited me to 2 copies but I eventually found 2 that does not limit me and I have been giving them my money every week.

 

Every store has the right to establish limits but we as collectors also have the right not to visit their establishment. IMO stores that set limits of 1 or 2 copies are making a very bad decision. This theory will result in collectors finding other comic stores to spend their money.

 

If I had a business I would not have limits on what a customer could purchase. On certain hot products I would make sure I ordered enough to have some available for everybody. Business owners should do everything they can to keep their customers happy and not give them reasons to shop at other stores.

[CBT]

They should, however, limit purchases to one per, on new comic book day for cover price. They should not take advantage of us, but we should not try to make money on them.

 

 

The problem with this approach is I purchase 3 copies of every comic I purchase. I'm putting together complete sets for my children and would therefore have to visit three different comics stores. I have ample LCS in my area and I have stopped going to most because they have limited me to 2 copies but I eventually found 2 that does not limit me and I have been giving them my money every week.

 

Every store has the right to establish limits but we as collectors also have the right not to visit their establishment. IMO stores that set limits of 1 or 2 copies are making a very bad decision. This theory will result in collectors finding other comic stores to spend their money. If I had a business my goal would be to keep customers and give them no reason to shop at other stores.

 

Most stores that run a limit, you would just have to speak to the owner and arrange what you describe with them directly. Stores that limit, do not do so on subscription/pull lists. They are limiting off the rack point-of-sale hoarding, mostly so that they dont lose customers for not having stock on things they want (cause one guy bought them all).

[CheeseFrog]

IMHO, store owners should know their business.

 

If I had a store no one would need to tell me what books were hot and what weren't. It's part of running a comic shop.

+1

 

+2

 

Need to know what you're selling... Otherwise, what you get in return is what you deserve.

[ComicConnoisseur]

Digital comics is the "Elephant in the room" that 90s LCS didn`t have to worry about.

 

Digital Comics were over hyped for a lot of years, but the thing is, their sales potential is limited, and since they arent collectible, there is no secondary market or reselling to suck people into buying multiples.

 

It will be really interesting to see where the 2014 numbers fall, but growth in them has declined rapidly year over year. That is to say, they are close to reaching a maximum, those who do it, are doing it, and any future growth will be minimal.

 

Whatever effect they had on reducing actual comic sales, has pretty much already happened....

 

 

% change is the column that matters/shows growth. Obviously it will continue to grow slowly, but its not going to replace real comics...

Those sales were before SCRIBD.

SCRIBD is now the Netflix of comics.

Give SCRIBD time.

A lot of people use to collect dvds,until Netflix became a game changer.

Give it time.

 

Btw no one is saying digital comics will replace comics, but I`m saying with Scribd,Marvel Unlimited and other future comic streaming sites is the game has changed from the 90s.

The average Marvel/DC comic is $4.99 now, so imagine what it will be in 5 years?

 

[revat]

They should, however, limit purchases to one per, on new comic book day for cover price. They should not take advantage of us, but we should not try to make money on them.

 

 

The problem with this approach is I purchase 3 copies of every comic I purchase. I'm putting together complete sets for my children and would therefore have to visit three different comics stores. I have ample LCS in my area and I have stopped going to most because they have limited me to 2 copies but I eventually found 2 that does not limit me and I have been giving them my money every week.

 

Every store has the right to establish limits but we as collectors also have the right not to visit their establishment. IMO stores that set limits of 1 or 2 copies are making a very bad decision. This theory will result in collectors finding other comic stores to spend their money. If I had a business my goal would be to have no limit on any particular product and give them no reason to shop at other stores. On certain hot products I would make sure I ordered enough to have some available for everybody.

 

I agree. You might think you're protecting the kid who wants to come in for 2 comics every week, but you might be losing out on the guy who has a $100+ pull list AND buys more random stuff off the shelves that he wants, possibly in multiples. Of course there are merits to both sides, and its the prerogative of the owner, but as someone who is not trying to feed my family through selling comics, I'm in no position to judge. You're the boss, make the decisions, live with the consequences, learn the lessons, adjust as needed to achieve your goals (which are also always changing over time).

 

I don't really have any experience with it, but I think I would make a 3 or less limit, UNLESS you have a pull list. Then you can buy as many additional copies off the shelf as you want up to the number of comics you have on your pull list for that week. That way there's a little bit of luck involved (depending on the week), and encourages pull list people to pull MORE, and non-pull list people to get on the pull list, and still provides some (but not too much) protection for walk-ins.

 

 

 

[raybowles]

Most stores that run a limit, you would just have to speak to the owner and arrange what you describe with them directly. Stores that limit, do not do so on subscription/pull lists. They are limiting off the rack point-of-sale hoarding, mostly so that they dont lose customers for not having stock on things they want (cause one guy bought them all).

 

Yes I agree with this but limiting customers to 1 or 2 copies is still bad business. I stopped spending money at a couple of places because of this and so did my buddies. I understand LCS owners frown upon one investor taking the entire stack of a hot comic so why not have reasonable limits of say 5 copies for the first week and after 7 days there are no limits.

 

There are shops in my area that I used to visit that would have stacks of product a month after they were released and they still won't sell them to collectors that have already purchased 1 or 2 copies.

 

Comic stores need to be saying yes to their customers just like every other business is doing today.

[techtre2003]

They should, however, limit purchases to one per, on new comic book day for cover price. They should not take advantage of us, but we should not try to make money on them.

 

 

The problem with this approach is I purchase 3 copies of every comic I purchase. I'm putting together complete sets for my children and would therefore have to visit three different comics stores. I have ample LCS in my area and I have stopped going to most because they have limited me to 2 copies but I eventually found 2 that does not limit me and I have been giving them my money every week.

 

Every store has the right to establish limits but we as collectors also have the right not to visit their establishment. IMO stores that set limits of 1 or 2 copies are making a very bad decision. This theory will result in collectors finding other comic stores to spend their money.

 

If I had a business I would not have limits on what a customer could purchase. On certain hot products I would make sure I ordered enough to have some available for everybody. Business owners should do everything they can to keep their customers happy and not give them reasons to shop at other stores.

 

The problem with that is they are putting their orders in 2 months in advance. If a book becomes hot a week before release it's usually too late to jump on and order more. This is why they encourage pull boxes; so they can make sure they order enough to go around. If you are purchasing 3 copies of books to put collections together, why not have those on a pull list to make sure you get them each month?

[revat]

They should, however, limit purchases to one per, on new comic book day for cover price. They should not take advantage of us, but we should not try to make money on them.

 

 

The problem with this approach is I purchase 3 copies of every comic I purchase. I'm putting together complete sets for my children and would therefore have to visit three different comics stores. I have ample LCS in my area and I have stopped going to most because they have limited me to 2 copies but I eventually found 2 that does not limit me and I have been giving them my money every week.

 

Every store has the right to establish limits but we as collectors also have the right not to visit their establishment. IMO stores that set limits of 1 or 2 copies are making a very bad decision. This theory will result in collectors finding other comic stores to spend their money.

 

If I had a business I would not have limits on what a customer could purchase. On certain hot products I would make sure I ordered enough to have some available for everybody. Business owners should do everything they can to keep their customers happy and not give them reasons to shop at other stores.

 

The problem with that is they are putting their orders in 2 months in advance. If a book becomes hot a week before release it's usually too late to jump on and order more. This is why they encourage pull boxes; so they can make sure they order enough to go around. If you are purchasing 3 copies of books to put collections together, why not have those on a pull list to make sure you get them each month?

 

Ok lets say you had a pull for 3 copies per month. Most stores accommodate that. But wouldn't you say that most stores ALSO hope that pull box people peruse the store and by other issues too?

 

So lets say I buy 20 comics per month with 3 copies of each on the pull list. $60x$4 =$240. I see a new #1 Image Whatever comic, that didn't look enticing on the preview so I didn't pull it.

 

Owner says, "hey we got this new Image #1 Whatever, its great, check it out!!!"

 

I say "awesome, I'll take 3"

 

Owner says "sorry, you can only have one."

 

Is it legal? Sure. Does that make any sense? Maybe from a certain perspective.

 

But from the buyer's perspective, it makes more sense to take my business elsewhere.

 

 

Or lets say you want extra copy off of the shelves (for whatever reason, flip, slab, display, give as a gift SS, love the cover) even though you already got 3 on your pull. Does it make sense for the store to deny you? But rules are rules!

[revat]

They should, however, limit purchases to one per, on new comic book day for cover price. They should not take advantage of us, but we should not try to make money on them.

 

 

The problem with this approach is I purchase 3 copies of every comic I purchase. I'm putting together complete sets for my children and would therefore have to visit three different comics stores. I have ample LCS in my area and I have stopped going to most because they have limited me to 2 copies but I eventually found 2 that does not limit me and I have been giving them my money every week.

 

Every store has the right to establish limits but we as collectors also have the right not to visit their establishment. IMO stores that set limits of 1 or 2 copies are making a very bad decision. This theory will result in collectors finding other comic stores to spend their money.

 

If I had a business I would not have limits on what a customer could purchase. On certain hot products I would make sure I ordered enough to have some available for everybody. Business owners should do everything they can to keep their customers happy and not give them reasons to shop at other stores.

 

The problem with that is they are putting their orders in 2 months in advance. If a book becomes hot a week before release it's usually too late to jump on and order more. This is why they encourage pull boxes; so they can make sure they order enough to go around. If you are purchasing 3 copies of books to put collections together, why not have those on a pull list to make sure you get them each month?

 

Ok lets say you had a pull for 3 copies per month. Most stores accommodate that. But wouldn't you say that most stores ALSO hope that pull box people peruse the store and by other issues too?

 

So lets say I buy 20 comics per month with 3 copies of each on the pull list. $60x$4 =$240. I see a new #1 Image Whatever comic, that didn't look enticing on the preview so I didn't pull it.

 

Owner says, "hey we got this new Image #1 Whatever, its great, check it out!!!"

 

I say "awesome, I'll take 3"

 

Owner says "sorry, you can only have one."

 

Is it legal? Sure. Does that make any sense? Maybe from a certain perspective.

 

But from the buyer's perspective, it makes more sense to take my business elsewhere.

 

 

Or lets say you want extra copy off of the shelves (for whatever reason, flip, slab, display, give as a gift SS, love the cover) even though you already got 3 on your pull. Does it make sense for the store to deny you? But rules are rules!

 

note that I absolutely do not advocate bending the rules for pull box customers. Just establish rules clearly, follow them, and let the customers decide for themselves if that store with its policies is right for them.

 

On another note, there's a store nearby (but not too close), that I go to maybe every 6 or so months. They have had a stash of walking dead 100 2nd prints for a long time. But they're stuffed on the back of a crowded shelf (condition not too important at that store). But you can only buy 2 at a time. So I tried to buy them all about a year after they came out, most were VF - VF/NM or lower. But he only let me have two. I come back later that year and they're just getting more and more trashed. Even though they have some value now, nobody buys them because they're Fine- at best now, but he's offering a 50 cent discount on the worst ones. .

 

I'm not saying he should have let me buy all of them (a rule is a rule), but maybe an augmented rule for older comics...

[jsilverjanet]

8 pages later and I still don't get the title. Why are LCSs the "enemy"?

[johnenock]

I not only tell my local shops what's hot and what's not, but I have sold books on consignment for a couple of the shops. I hook them up with pressing services for books that need it and have introduced a couple to CGC.

 

Do I miss out on some deals? Yep. Do they call me when they get new collections in? Most definitely!!!

 

Of course, I flip very rarely and only concern myself with my collection for the most part.

 

I want local shops to thrive out here in the sticks just so I have somewhere to go for books. So, I don't mind passing on some info when I have some.

 

My LCS is good to me and I am good to them.

[kav]

My LCS guy says there's no way to tell what books will be hot when they hit the stands. Is there?

[raybowles]

I don't really have any experience with it, but I think I would make a 3 or less limit, UNLESS you have a pull list. Then you can buy as many additional copies off the shelf as you want up to the number of comics you have on your pull list for that week. That way there's a little bit of luck involved (depending on the week), and encourages pull list people to pull MORE, and non-pull list people to get on the pull list, and still provides some (but not too much) protection for walk-ins.

 

This is a good idea and over the years I have been on a couple of pull lists but on every occasion I had to stop because the comics being pulled for me were rarely 9.4. Most of the time they were VF/NM which pretty much makes them worthless after you buy them. Because of this I have to pick out my copies and I make sure they are 9.8 candidates. Since I only purchase 3-5 copies of any particular comic I usually have no problem finding them. I have asked ample LCS if they could provide a 9.8 pull service and that I would be happy to pay extra for this service but nobody would provide it.