Marvel October 1999 ~ February 2000 US Newsstand Price Variants 6 6

[awakeintheashes]

I too am curious. Thank you OP for bringing this up. 3 different newsstand prices? Wacky, considering that newsstand had what, less than a 10K print-run?

Crazy, right? I wonder if it was a regional thing like the $0.30 and $0.35 variants. However, that is a complete dart throw.

[Aweandlorder]

Ummmmm...I believe any book with a different price is a price "variant" Hence a different price on the cover and barcode.

 

Youll probably find it shocking that ALL retailers refer to them as price variants

 

[awakeintheashes]

I looked up the barcodes and one is attributed to Curtis International Press (009281) and the other is attributed to Curtis Circulation Company (071486). Do you have a closeup of the barcode for the 1.99 price?

[bababooey]

I too am curious. Thank you OP for bringing this up. 3 different newsstand prices? Wacky, considering that newsstand had what, less than a 10K print-run?

Crazy, right? I wonder if it was a regional thing like the $0.30 and $0.35 variants. However, that is a complete dart throw.

Could have been regional or could have been bagged, here's a link to the first modern thread discussing these. That was the first time I'd heard of them, from the more recent posts in that thread, I see the blog that Sparky linked to also shows ASM 421

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 19, 2016 by bababooey

[awakeintheashes]

I too am curious. Thank you OP for bringing this up. 3 different newsstand prices? Wacky, considering that newsstand had what, less than a 10K print-run?

Crazy, right? I wonder if it was a regional thing like the $0.30 and $0.35 variants. However, that is a complete dart throw.

Could have been regional or could have been bagged, here's a link to the first modern thread discussing these. That was the first time I'd heard of them, from the more recent posts in that thread, I see the blog that Sparky linked to also shows ASM 421

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the link. It looks like the 1.99 edition was distributed by Flynt Distributing Company, located in Beverly Hills, CA. The other barcodes can be attributed to a company or companies in New Milford, NJ.

 

This doesn't answer the question at hand, but it is some info I found that may help us get to an answer.

[Get Marwood & I]

I looked up the barcodes and one is attributed to Curtis International Press (009281) and the other is attributed to Curtis Circulation Company (071486). Do you have a closeup of the barcode for the 1.99 price?

 

[Lazyboy]

I too am curious. Thank you OP for bringing this up. 3 different newsstand prices? Wacky, considering that newsstand had what, less than a 10K print-run?

 

No, not even close. Even the returns weren't that low, let alone the print run (or distribution).

[Aweandlorder]

I too am curious. Thank you OP for bringing this up. 3 different newsstand prices? Wacky, considering that newsstand had what, less than a 10K print-run?

 

No, not even close. Even the returns weren't that low, let alone the print run (or distribution).

 

Wait are we talking about print runs now?

I thought that was against the rules

[Aweandlorder]

I too am curious. Thank you OP for bringing this up. 3 different newsstand prices? Wacky, considering that newsstand had what, less than a 10K print-run?

 

No, not even close. Even the returns weren't that low, let alone the print run (or distribution).

 

So thats 2 THREADS you ruined, deviating from the topic's subject, backed by insults and misinformation. Thanks for helping us all learn

[divad]

Not enough here to make me make a trip out to the garage . . .

[the blob]

I too am curious. Thank you OP for bringing this up. 3 different newsstand prices? Wacky, considering that newsstand had what, less than a 10K print-run?

 

No, not even close. Even the returns weren't that low, let alone the print run (or distribution).

 

 

So show me the actual numbers? Wasn't this a really down time when circulation was like 50k? Or were they printing, 40k direct and 50,000 newsies and 80% were getting returned?

[Lazyboy]

I too am curious. Thank you OP for bringing this up. 3 different newsstand prices? Wacky, considering that newsstand had what, less than a 10K print-run?

 

No, not even close. Even the returns weren't that low, let alone the print run (or distribution).

 

 

So show me the actual numbers? Wasn't this a really down time when circulation was like 50k? Or were they printing, 40k direct and 50,000 newsies and 80% were getting returned?

 

Here's ASM, specifically.

 

We don't know the actual print run split between Direct and Newsstand, but we do know the (average) total print run and (average) returns as well as the estimated North American Direct Market copies distributed from the monthly charts.

[the blob]

I too am curious. Thank you OP for bringing this up. 3 different newsstand prices? Wacky, considering that newsstand had what, less than a 10K print-run?

 

No, not even close. Even the returns weren't that low, let alone the print run (or distribution).

 

 

So show me the actual numbers? Wasn't this a really down time when circulation was like 50k? Or were they printing, 40k direct and 50,000 newsies and 80% were getting returned?

 

Here's ASM, specifically.

 

We don't know the actual print run split between Direct and Newsstand, but we do know the (average) total print run and (average) returns as well as the estimated North American Direct Market copies distributed from the monthly charts.

 

ok, i thought the circulation was wayy worse then than it actually was. i guess you could look at diamond/cap cit numbers at that time and figure out how much of the sales were direct vs. newsstand. hard to figure out what the newsstand print run was, but yeah, with 60-70,000 returns, I guess it had to be close to 90-100K+. selling comics at the newsstand looked like a terrible business model at that point, no wonder they were messing around with prices so much. i guess ASM is one book where there would be a big newsstand presence. some of the lesser titles I would think not so much.

[the blob]

ok, so was Diamond the only Marvel distributor in late 1999? if so, at 60K or so those circulation #s would imply that half the ASM sales (120K, not including subscriptions) were made at the newsstand in 1999? that sounds off to me for that era.

[Lazyboy]

ok, so was Diamond the only Marvel distributor in late 1999?

 

For the Direct market, yes.

 

if so, at 60K or so those circulation #s would imply that half the ASM sales (120K, not including subscriptions) were made at the newsstand in 1999?

 

I think your numbers are a bit off. By the Comichron numbers, the average North American Direct distribution for those issues was just under 80k. Also, Direct sales outside NA have to be taken into account.

 

that sounds off to me for that era.

 

Don't listen to Chuckles.

 

 

[Get Marwood & I]

Not enough here to make me make a trip out to the garage . . .

 

Thanks for your interest!

[the blob]

ok, so was Diamond the only Marvel distributor in late 1999?

 

For the Direct market, yes.

 

if so, at 60K or so those circulation #s would imply that half the ASM sales (120K, not including subscriptions) were made at the newsstand in 1999?

 

I think your numbers are a bit off. By the Comichron numbers, the average North American Direct distribution for those issues was just under 80k. Also, Direct sales outside NA have to be taken into account.

 

that sounds off to me for that era.

 

Don't listen to Chuckles.

 

 

ASM 13 is listed on comichron as being a little over 62K for ASM 12, that's where I'm getting the #s. The implication from that and the paid circulation #s you sent is that newsstand was selling about as many copies as direct that month (and months around there). 120K - 62k = 58k. Now, maybe that was just ASM?

 

That actually would make some sense as there were 77K copies returned. So if 58K were sold, that would make the sell through about 40%...which is low, but within the range of what I've seen stated.

 

Is RMA on vacation or something?

 

Edited December 20, 2016 by the blob

[Lazyboy]

ok, so was Diamond the only Marvel distributor in late 1999?

 

For the Direct market, yes.

 

if so, at 60K or so those circulation #s would imply that half the ASM sales (120K, not including subscriptions) were made at the newsstand in 1999?

 

I think your numbers are a bit off. By the Comichron numbers, the average North American Direct distribution for those issues was just under 80k. Also, Direct sales outside NA have to be taken into account.

 

that sounds off to me for that era.

 

Don't listen to Chuckles.

 

 

ASM 13 is listed on comichron as being a little over 62K for ASM 12, that's where I'm getting the #s. The implication from that and the paid circulation #s you sent is that newsstand was selling about as many copies as direct that month (and months around there). 120K - 62k = 58k.

 

The 1999 SoO was in issue 11 and covered the end of v.1 through v.2 issue 9.

 

Avg. distribution: ~128k

Avg. estimated NA DM preorders: ~80k (average raised substantially by relaunch spike)

Avg. subs: ~7k

Avg. NS: ? (some portion of the remaining ~41k)

Avg. DM outside NA: ? (the other portion of the remaining ~41k)

 

Now, maybe that was just ASM?

 

It was the same for Cable (to pick a non-core Marvel title for which I already had the numbers) that year, with ~2/3 of the distribution being accounted for in the Comichron numbers.

 

That actually would make some sense as there were 77K copies returned. So if 58K were sold, that would make the sell through about 40%...which is low, but within the range of what I've seen stated.

 

Is RMA on vacation or something?

 

Don't you read Jaydog's posts? I (along with everybody else who points out his B.S.) am RMA!

 

But seriously, he has been really quiet since his last strike.

[the blob]

OK, so your hypothesis is that around then there were 40K+ newsstands being put into circulation at about 50% of the direct #s? Still seems like a lot. With that said, just perusing issue #13 and I do see a few of the regular priced ($1.99) newsstands for sale/have been sold, not for a ton of loot,and they account for more than 5% or whatever nonsense people put in titles to claim these are really rare. I guess it depends on the book and probably does not apply to ASM.

Edited December 20, 2016 by the blob

[divad]

Not enough here to make me make a trip out to the garage . . .

 

Thanks for your interest!

 

You're welcome!

 

(It just may be the only reason to buy those comics . . . )