HELP! WHAT SHOULD I ORDER FROM DIAMOND AS A NEW STORE?

[Bird]

where is your store?

[cmcfan]

The Store is

 

Cloud 9 Comics

2621 SE Clinton ST

Portland, OR 97202

 

 

Thanks for the info again. I will put together an order list and hopefully get something out to Diamond Next week. Will probably order everything that has been recommended so far and see where that leads.

 

 

 

[fastballspecial]

Be very careful with taking orders from customers upfront. Make sure you get enough to cover your cost when they tell you weeks/months later they don't want it.

 

My old LCS had this problem so basically told them 50% up front to cover his costs if he gets stuck with stuff. Statues, Books, T-Shirts etc....

 

[OconoJames]

Hi there. I own a store and can chime in with a few words of wisdom.

 

You have to truly walk the razor's edge with your ordering when you have few or no subscribers. If you're just starting out I would suggest that you err on the side of caution and stick to sure things. Don't just order a stack of new #1s because it's an Image book; Saga's and Walking Dead's don't happen very often.

First, a good chunk of the titles you see mentioned repeatedly (Walking Dead, Deadpool, Harley Quinn, any BKV book, and Star Wars) are great to order a bit higher, as they can survive the kiss of death that is moving from the new issues to the recent issue shelf. Unless you're Midtown (really fantastic store for those who've never been) or one of the other larger volume stores, the majority of newer issues you're going to sell will be during the week they come out and after that the odds drop like a rock. Exceptions being the above listed titles/ characters, and a few break out hits that cause a run on back issues - ie something gets optioned, etc. But again, you'll spend more speculating on these than you would have saved doing conservative ordering in the first place.

Start small with certain lines: I would very much encourage you to carry Valiant, as mentioned above for instance, but just start with Bloodshot Reborn and use that to gauge the interest in your area. I offered 50% off to try issue 1, had about half subscribers try it, and went from 0 Valiant readers to 15 dedicated subs in the span of a few weeks. I can't keep Bloodshot trades on the shelf. Contact them and see if they'll offer you some shelf talkers/ comped copies/ etc. They are a great company and very passionate about their product.

DO NOT aim for higher incentive thresholds right away. If you have 3 people reading Batman, the extra money you spend to get that 1:25 WILL NOT be recouped by the variant. Do it right and you'll get there eventually.

Also, my most important advice: USE your FOC program in Comicsuite, and if you don't know how to you can call Diamond support and they will walk you through it. You'll have happier customers and more precision orders.

I'll get some more titles and ordering advice for you tomorrow, or if you'd like to chat on the phone I'd be more than happy to talk to you before opening someday this week if you just PM me. Good luck!

[RockMyAmadeus]

Lower case letters.

[Pike's Comics]

Another store owner who does conventions. If you do decide to go in deep on a book take a second and ask yourself, "Would this sell for me well at a convention or will I be stuck eating the cost of this if it doesn't sell?"

 

Examples of this would be Rick and Morty and Invader Zim. Both titles I ordered heavier than normal on with the knowledge I could easily sell both at conventions even if they didn't sell in store.

[LarrysComics]

Order extra copies of material that you like.

Customers love retailer enthusiasm.

 

Promote what you like.

[Clouded9]

The Store is

 

Cloud 9 Comics

2621 SE Clinton ST

Portland, OR 97202

 

 

Thanks for the info again. I will put together an order list and hopefully get something out to Diamond Next week. Will probably order everything that has been recommended so far and see where that leads.

 

 

 

 

I dig the name of your shop.

[cmcfan]

Thank again every one. Still checking this thread in case I miss anything.

 

 

[ItsJustRyan]

Add Invincible (image) (thumbs u

[fastballspecial]

Order extra copies of material that you like.

Customers love retailer enthusiasm.

 

Promote what you like.

 

[bhigg32]

Jeff,

 

I'm out in Hillsboro and trying to get back into collecting for he enjoyment, not the profit. I'll be sure to come by sometime and geek out and check your place out.

 

My #1 advice....give advice. Customer service at this niche market delivers loyal customers. I'd rather support local over eBay if I have to pay a little more but get better service.

 

Brian

[DvilleBookstore]

Hey Jeff,

 

First of all, good luck with the storefront! I have owned my store for 10+ years but have been doing conventions for 15+. The great thing about having a store are the relationships you can build over time. If you stay positive and make each experience enjoyable for your customers, they will love you for it. Well, most of them! You asked for advice so I will chip in with a couple of things:

 

1. For the first year, keep your orders of weekly titles conservative. Plan to sell out in a couple of weeks on any given title. As you sell out, bump your orders next month by a couple until your trends are set.

 

2. Don't fall for the incentive trap that Marvel and DC put out there. If you know you are going to sell out of enough issues on a title then go ahead and order the incentive variants. Otherwise, that non-returnable inventory you have left over will weigh you down in a hurry.

 

3. Don't use Diamond to fill your back stock. There are too many collections floating around out there that will cost you way less than what Diamond is going to charge you, especially if you are doing shows. Also, be sure and make friends with a few different larger storefronts who are ordering heavy and use them to fill holes in back stock or fill customer needs. This board is a great resource for that and, in most cases, you can get the books quicker than waiting on Diamond.

 

4. After you decide on what to order, read it and then be honest about what you read! If a customer asks you about a comic you read and you didn't like it, tell them the truth and give them a second option. Your customers will appreciate it and learn to trust you.

 

5. Keep an open previews at the counter for customers to look through. Encourage them to give you feedback on what is coming up and offer to pre-order anything in the book. Just make sure to get a non refundable deposit before doing so.

 

6. Last but not least: Invest in Trades!! All my life, I have been a collector that wanted all the issues in a set. The readers today are getting away from that and want the whole story now. I would start with 20 to 25 of the classic storylines (Batman Year One, Dark Knight Returns, Death of Superman, Infinity Gauntlet and so on) and go ahead and order two copies each. Then, every week, order newer Vol 1 trades (Walking Dead, Batman New 52, Invincible, Saga, Star Wars, East of West). Always keep the Vol 1 copies in stock because people want to start at the beginning.

 

There is LOTS more advice but that is the high points. Wish you the best of luck and hope everything works out for you. It's a heck of a lot of work but it can pay off over time. Always remember to have fun!!

 

Andy

[cmcfan]

Jeff,

 

I'm out in Hillsboro and trying to get back into collecting for he enjoyment, not the profit. I'll be sure to come by sometime and geek out and check your place out.

 

My #1 advice....give advice. Customer service at this niche market delivers loyal customers. I'd rather support local over eBay if I have to pay a little more but get better service.

 

Brian

 

Hey Brian. Definitely come by and check us out. We really try to push a great customer service environment for the store. Hopefully our customers feel that as we have had some great comments from people on facebook and repeat customers.

 

Jeff

[cmcfan]

Hey Jeff,

 

First of all, good luck with the storefront! I have owned my store for 10+ years but have been doing conventions for 15+. The great thing about having a store are the relationships you can build over time. If you stay positive and make each experience enjoyable for your customers, they will love you for it. Well, most of them! You asked for advice so I will chip in with a couple of things:

 

1. For the first year, keep your orders of weekly titles conservative. Plan to sell out in a couple of weeks on any given title. As you sell out, bump your orders next month by a couple until your trends are set.

 

2. Don't fall for the incentive trap that Marvel and DC put out there. If you know you are going to sell out of enough issues on a title then go ahead and order the incentive variants. Otherwise, that non-returnable inventory you have left over will weigh you down in a hurry.

 

3. Don't use Diamond to fill your back stock. There are too many collections floating around out there that will cost you way less than what Diamond is going to charge you, especially if you are doing shows. Also, be sure and make friends with a few different larger storefronts who are ordering heavy and use them to fill holes in back stock or fill customer needs. This board is a great resource for that and, in most cases, you can get the books quicker than waiting on Diamond.

 

4. After you decide on what to order, read it and then be honest about what you read! If a customer asks you about a comic you read and you didn't like it, tell them the truth and give them a second option. Your customers will appreciate it and learn to trust you.

 

5. Keep an open previews at the counter for customers to look through. Encourage them to give you feedback on what is coming up and offer to pre-order anything in the book. Just make sure to get a non refundable deposit before doing so.

 

6. Last but not least: Invest in Trades!! All my life, I have been a collector that wanted all the issues in a set. The readers today are getting away from that and want the whole story now. I would start with 20 to 25 of the classic storylines (Batman Year One, Dark Knight Returns, Death of Superman, Infinity Gauntlet and so on) and go ahead and order two copies each. Then, every week, order newer Vol 1 trades (Walking Dead, Batman New 52, Invincible, Saga, Star Wars, East of West). Always keep the Vol 1 copies in stock because people want to start at the beginning.

 

There is LOTS more advice but that is the high points. Wish you the best of luck and hope everything works out for you. It's a heck of a lot of work but it can pay off over time. Always remember to have fun!!

 

Andy

 

This was really informative. I will have my employees read this as well and keep it handy at the shop for reference and something to look at to keep us grounded. Thanks.

 

 

[fastballspecial]

6 is very good advice. Last year I walked into shop that told me they sell 2 or 3 complete entire TPB sets or the Omnibus of Walking Dead each week. Buyers are definitely moving that way.

[kaif the mad-migration]

I really believe at this point in small comic book stores it's more important to have trades than back issues. I also think that it's almost impossible to compete for weekly buyers without an incentive program. Nearly every larger store in the area has one for just signing up for a pull-box. 20% off pretty much everything up in Vancouver, 10% off at the start for most other stores with discounts up to 20% for more volume.

 

I know that I won't ever, ever again pay retail for new comics or trades. It cuts down on your profit margin (a lot), but there's just too much local competition combined with the never ending competition of amazon and ebay.

 

Accept that stuff that doesn't sell it's first week LOSES value, it doesn't gain value 99% of the time. Having six issues left of New 52 Superman #33 (to pick a completely random comic) doesn't mean it's now a $5 book, it's now a $2 book - if you're lucky. Know the local convention circuit and be able to unload inventory that's not moving.

 

Use social media. I'm not on either with frequency, but facebook and twitter are your friends. I know that when I'm looking for a new shop and they've had two updates in the last six months I'm not inclined to think they're active. When a shop tells me they're having another event to celebrate whatever random comic thing that's happening and I see it all the time, when they're updating comic and movie news, I know they're paying attention, which is what I look for in a store.

 

Have kids comics. Have the kids comics by the door and share window space. Don't have kids comics in the back behind Nailbiter and person_without_enough_empathy Planet and Southern Bastards and Sex Criminals.

 

Have fairly priced candy and drinks. Give people who don't yet know that they want to buy comics a reason to come in to spend a buck or two. Have Magic or Yugioh packs that are easy to order and easy to move to again draw people in who might not otherwise dive in.

 

So many little things to do that most people who own comic shops struggle with. Remember, there are a TON of comic shops out here. You'll need something to get people in the door and to come back.

[HouseofComics.Com]

Good advice here. I agree to keep things razor tight and light on the ordering and make sure you have the top evergreen trades in stock.

 

You and your employees should literally read years worth of TIlting at Windmills columns by Brian HIbbs. It doesn't take that long and it will give you a lot of his hard-won experience.

[Kevin76]

Keep the place well lit, clean and organized don't make it look like some kind of hoarder's basement, Remember it's a store, so treat it like one. In the future, get a professional looking website, where you can take orders online. You have this wonderful thing called the internet, take advantage of it. Get on social media, have a facebook fan page, send out tweets, build relationships, cause building a business is all about relationships with your customers.

[tiredguy]

Here's some advice from a customer and someone who has never owned a store:

 

As mentioned above, customer service should ALWAYS be number 1. I've been out of the game for six years, and just got back in a few months ago. Well, I found myself in a city (not the one I live in) awhile back and decided to check out the LCS nearest me (thanks iPhone). I walked in (with my wife) and looked around for a bit. Here's the problems I had:

 

I was not greeted or offered assistance.

Neither were the two people who entered after me.

 

The shop had A LOT of stock, but it wasn't exactly laid out clearly (new/recent/old)

 

When I approached the counter to ask a question, the employee (who the entire time had been fully engulfed in a conversation with a friend at the counter) was visibly annoyed by the foolishness of my question (keep in mind, I had JUST got back in, so didn't know anything. I merely asked if they still had any copies of the Free Comic Book Day Fight Club 2 on hand. He acted as if I definitely should have known better).

 

If I had lived in that city, rest assured I wouldn't have darkened that shop's door again. I'm not saying be car salesman annoying, but let your customers know that you are there for them.