Rant and feedback on variant pricing (again)

[LonelyPost]

Guys

 

Just wanted to solicit some feedback on whether I am off my rocker.

 

I am based overseas and subscribe monthly to an online store. Monthly orders are around USD800 to 1000. In April, paid USD150 to PO the JLA 1 - 1:100 variant. In July, I received it and discovered that they were selling at their ebay store for USD50.

 

Asked for an explanation on the discrepancy in pricing. I was informed that they do not anticipate the market price for variants so they priced it according to the number of copies needed to get the variant. But if this is the case, then in some instances, my PO for variants are cancelled as there were insufficient allocation due to the quantity purchased.

 

What really rankled me was that for regular customers, we take a risk on pricing and do not get any priority for putting in the money upfront whereas walk in customers get a better pricing. I can understand if the variants are also priced similarly on ebay based on the PO price and after a or so month, this is subsequently reduced according to market demand.

 

So lesson learnt, variants are BAD and should I seek out other alternative online stores? Am i being too petty.

 

 

[gyro-1]

If your going to play the modern variant game you need a few things

1deep pockets

2 a backdoor key to the insane asylum (so your friends don't see you dragged in the front door )

3 and this http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=8700909&fpart=1

 

[revat]

Guys

 

Just wanted to solicit some feedback on whether I am off my rocker.

 

I am based overseas and subscribe monthly to an online store. Monthly orders are around USD800 to 1000. In April, paid USD150 to PO the JLA 1 - 1:100 variant. In July, I received it and discovered that they were selling at their ebay store for USD50.

 

Asked for an explanation on the discrepancy in pricing. I was informed that they do not anticipate the market price for variants so they priced it according to the number of copies needed to get the variant. But if this is the case, then in some instances, my PO for variants are cancelled as there were insufficient allocation due to the quantity purchased.

 

What really rankled me was that for regular customers, we take a risk on pricing and do not get any priority for putting in the money upfront whereas walk in customers get a better pricing. I can understand if the variants are also priced similarly on ebay based on the PO price and after a or so month, this is subsequently reduced according to market demand.

 

So lesson learnt, variants are BAD and should I seek out other alternative online stores? Am i being too petty.

 

 

it doesn't matter if you're being petty or not, it only matters whether they are meeting the terms of the agreements that are made. Which I think they probably are, even though it sucks.

And then it matters if there are any viable alternatives, which there are not. All the distributors reserve the right to allocate or cancel numbers-based incentive variants if they don't make their numbers, they would be insane not to. And certainly they have the right to sell leftover stock at whatever price they want to regardless of how much someone pre-paid for it. Having said that, SOME places are better than others at treating their customers right. I'm sure someone will come along with 'better' suggestions.

 

So now that you are armed with information, you can make more informed decisions about where your money goes going forward.

[the blob]

blowing big loot on variants doesn't make a lot of sense to me, although some pan out. maybe if there is just one that blows you away and you NEED it. i could see the ditko ASM 700 going for some money as he has not done anything in years, although not as much as it is actually going for.

 

of course, i'm old skool, $150 can still get you a lot of vintage goodness, although not so much in Malaysia I suppose after paying for shipping, customs (if any) and what not.

 

on the flip side, do you think they would burn you if it turned out that variant had a FMV of $300 and you pre-ordered at $150? that spiderman black cat cambell variant last year was like that, it wound up selling on ebay for 2-3X what stores assumed it should be priced at. i picked up a few copies for way below FMV from my LCS before they realized the interweb viewed it as much more than a $25-$50 variant. it doesn't happen that often, but it does happen where the LCS anticipated price on a variant is way less than the FMV on it after it gets released.

[Iceman399]

You are in a tight pickle for sure. Not only are you not in the USA but also cause variants are crazy.

 

Unfortunately what you have posted is very true of all shops. They can't guarantee anything, however the market changes. I recently stopped buying anything variant from my shop as I had pre-ordered a 1:25, the day it was released ebay was netting about $80 and the shop wanted to charge me same price yet every other 1:25 that sells on ebay for $10 they wanted to graciously offer it to me at $25.

 

Having said that the times they have "allocated" books not to you have they been the hot ones that they later sell on ebay for 2x more than your pre-order? If so I would stop going to them and go somewhere else.

[LonelyPost]

I have not been diligently doing a comparison to what they sell on their ebay store and what was dropped from my PO list.

 

I just find it strange that for regular customers who pay a fixed price for a variant, stumped up the cash upfront and then subsequently when it is released their retailer dumped the excess stock on ebay for 1/3 the price which they paid. It will just kill the comic collector. What is even stranger, the other variants (probably these are 1:25 and less), the price on ebay is the same as the PO price.

 

I thought variants should have been used by retailers as sort of a loyalty programme whereby first dibs are given to customers who purchased regularly are given reward points whereby these reward points are used to buy variants. These would promote continuing purchases from regulars. Instead, variants today are simply used by retailers to provide temporary relief to their flagging margins. No wonder, regular customers are turning away from stores.....

[revat]

I have not been diligently doing a comparison to what they sell on their ebay store and what was dropped from my PO list.

 

I just find it strange that for regular customers who pay a fixed price for a variant, stumped up the cash upfront and then subsequently when it is released their retailer dumped the excess stock on ebay for 1/3 the price which they paid. It will just kill the comic collector. What is even stranger, the other variants (probably these are 1:25 and less), the price on ebay is the same as the PO price.

 

I thought variants should have been used by retailers as sort of a loyalty programme whereby first dibs are given to customers who purchased regularly are given reward points whereby these reward points are used to buy variants. These would promote continuing purchases from regulars. Instead, variants today are simply used by retailers to provide temporary relief to their flagging margins. No wonder, regular customers are turning away from stores.....

 

there's a lot of different ways to do business, some good, some less good, most somewhere in the middle. I think most stores try not to rely on the variants for their business, as they are a volatile bunch to begin with. For most, its about turnover. Most of the time, those variants are sold to the store at 'cover' price, so even if they sell for much less a week after release, there's still some profit to be made and if its not proving to be 'hot', they'd rather have the shelf space and the cash, as the price will likely continue to plummet.

 

As for what they sold it to you during pre-sale, they've literally bought and sold hundreds (if not thousands) of comics since then, they're not thinking about it either way (they're not sitting on a pile of your cash petting a hairless cat, nor are hoping to canonize you for your generosity). As a comic book retailer/distributor, you simply don't look back. If you do, there's a million books you could have sold for much more or much less, and you can't worry about it. Do the best you can, do your best to treat your customers right, make agreements in good faith (even though sometimes you can't come through), and load up for the next batch of comics coming in and out.

[LonelyPost]

at the end of the day, bragging rights cost money .... .

 

Anyway, they have patiently explained to me that this was the only single copy which a customer didnt pay so they put it out on ebay at usd150 initially, Their policy is to hold it at PO price for 10 to 14 days and then subsequently price it according to market, hence the USD50.

 

I get my shipments monthly - I just got mine in yesterday. I went to ebay to check how to identify the 1:100 variant and the first site was theirs. So it was a shock - not so much the money but more of the perceived unfairness.

 

Anyway, they were polite and they explained. It is their business model and I am not an expert comic retailer just a mere comic collector. No wonder, comic shops here are closing down in droves - the only surviving LCS here primarily gets its income from Magic cards and tournaments.

[the blob]

there are stand alone comic shops in malaysia??

[LonelyPost]

yes, there are ... a dying breed

[Oat Willy]

Guys

 

Just wanted to solicit some feedback on whether I am off my rocker.

 

I am based overseas and subscribe monthly to an online store. Monthly orders are around USD800 to 1000. In April, paid USD150 to PO the JLA 1 - 1:100 variant. In July, I received it and discovered that they were selling at their ebay store for USD50.

 

Asked for an explanation on the discrepancy in pricing. I was informed that they do not anticipate the market price for variants so they priced it according to the number of copies needed to get the variant. But if this is the case, then in some instances, my PO for variants are cancelled as there were insufficient allocation due to the quantity purchased.

 

What really rankled me was that for regular customers, we take a risk on pricing and do not get any priority for putting in the money upfront whereas walk in customers get a better pricing. I can understand if the variants are also priced similarly on ebay based on the PO price and after a or so month, this is subsequently reduced according to market demand.

 

So lesson learnt, variants are BAD and should I seek out other alternative online stores? Am i being too petty.

 

 

 

I would have asked them for the difference in price as a rebate. If they said no I would take my future biz elsewhere. They don't have to give you a rebate but it's proper customer service especially for a regular customer. I wouldn't continue to patronize a business that can't see or appreciate that

[sd2416]

Guys

 

Just wanted to solicit some feedback on whether I am off my rocker.

 

I am based overseas and subscribe monthly to an online store. Monthly orders are around USD800 to 1000. In April, paid USD150 to PO the JLA 1 - 1:100 variant. In July, I received it and discovered that they were selling at their ebay store for USD50.

 

Asked for an explanation on the discrepancy in pricing. I was informed that they do not anticipate the market price for variants so they priced it according to the number of copies needed to get the variant. But if this is the case, then in some instances, my PO for variants are cancelled as there were insufficient allocation due to the quantity purchased.

 

What really rankled me was that for regular customers, we take a risk on pricing and do not get any priority for putting in the money upfront whereas walk in customers get a better pricing. I can understand if the variants are also priced similarly on ebay based on the PO price and after a or so month, this is subsequently reduced according to market demand.

 

So lesson learnt, variants are BAD and should I seek out other alternative online stores? Am i being too petty.

 

 

 

I would have asked them for the difference in price as a rebate. If they said no I would take my future biz elsewhere. They don't have to give you a rebate but it's proper customer service especially for a regular customer. I wouldn't continue to patronize a business that can't see or appreciate that

 

It sounds like there is a lengthy delay between when said variant was ordered and received. He paid the price asked when it was initially solicited, then after getting it (monthly shipping) and checking on ebay, he saw them selling a leftover copy for cheaper. So in your eyes, anyone that busy a variant and then 1-2 months later when variant price crashes, they can request a discount from their seller?

[Gatchaman]

Now, imagine this going the other direction if buyer paid $50 and months later book was selling for $150, should buyer then pay seller the difference? No. These are the chances we take in purchasing into a hobby where prices are know to rise and lower.