jcjames Posted March 2, 2017 Share Posted March 2, 2017 <Rant-On> Okay so there's this toys/collectables/comics "marketplace" that most folks in the Phx area know about. I go there a couple times a month for the past several years and have rarely (like maybe only twice) ever walked out without buying SOMETHING. Anyway, so today I go in, go to the comic seller area (which has had several changes of proprietors over the years) and start my usual picking through all the boxes of back-issues that are out on the shelves looking for stuff. About 10 minutes in, a guy comes up and tells me "those comics aren't for sale, the owner hasn't gone through them yet". Ookay. Apparently the "owner" isn't there today - just like he wasn't there the last time I went in last week where I was similarly told that the boxes "on the cart" haven't been gone through yet so the books that I spent 20 minutes digging for and getting aren't for sale... as I brought them up to the register. So somehow those same boxes from last week made it off the cart and onto the shelf with all the other boxes of books for sale instead of, oh I dunno, maybe putting the stuff you're not ready to sell yet behind the counter instead of leaving it out on the shelves with all your regular stock for me to waste my time on.... again! But I digress. Okay so I move away from the open long boxes of books that are "not for sale" on the shelf over to the open long boxes of books that ARE for sale (apparently) on the shelf and start going through the many $1 boxes of books which are clearly and boldly labeled in fluorescent orange signs on the front of each long box as being "$1 comics". So my hunt begins.... I enjoy digging through $1 longboxes looking at each and every comic in the boxes. After a little while another guy comes up and asks "how's it going?" and I say "doing good, finding a few things" and I continue on my way plowing through long box after long box, and even some short boxes - each and every box brightly labeled with fresh signs saying "$1 comics". So after about an hour of long-box digging, I bring up my small stash of books (probably less than 10 books) and the guy at the register says, "Okay I'm just going to call the owner and read off the names of the books to him." Oookay. Again. He then proceeds to call "the owner" on the phone and name off each comic I pulled from the $1 boxes (which he was watching me dig through for the past hour). Then he hangs up and says "Okay the owner said these aren't supposed to be in there so if you want I can set them aside and he can price them for you next time he comes in." Ooooookay, now I'm more than a little bit miffed. So basically I just wasted over an hour of my time going through HIS long boxes of drek that HE set out with HIS "$1 comics" sign on them just so that he can say "Nah, I'm not going to honor my pricing - but thanks for spending your own useless time doing MY work for me finding better books in my stacks of drek while I'm not even there." What a P.O.S. And these weren't even remotely high-value nuggets.... MAYBE $3-5 books if they were in top condition ( like Bat B&W #2, SS#1 Moebius, Wolverine Origin II #1 acetate, etc.) So I tell the guy at the counter (who really had no control of what "the owner" was telling him) to tell "the owner" that I just wasted over an hour of my time pulling books from boxes that HE set out and that HE price-marked for $1, and that obviously this guy wants these books more than I do so he can keep them, and he just lost a customer for good. <Rant-OFF> Tony S and The Mad Irishman 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the blob Posted March 2, 2017 Share Posted March 2, 2017 Accidentally bend the books in half before you leave or shove them back into the boxes brutally. jcjames 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcjames Posted March 2, 2017 Author Share Posted March 2, 2017 Yeah, the thought crossed my mind, after I left. But I would never do that - it'd be like if I shoved merchandise off the shelf as I stormed out in a hissy-fit. I'll save my hissy-fit antics for here thank you very much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehumantorch Posted March 2, 2017 Share Posted March 2, 2017 Don't go back. With these short sighted business practices they'll soon be outta business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcjames Posted March 2, 2017 Author Share Posted March 2, 2017 ^^^^ Yep. What it so hard about customer service!?? Geez! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehumantorch Posted March 2, 2017 Share Posted March 2, 2017 4 minutes ago, jcjames said: ^^^^ Yep. What it so hard about customer service!?? Geez! Books clearly marked $1 should sell for $1. You didn't go there to find anything worth a bit more for the seller to mark up. jcjames 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercury Man Posted March 2, 2017 Share Posted March 2, 2017 Short sighted owner just lost a $10 sale on dollar books, only to hold onto something that he will probably liquidate in a few years when he is out of business at .20 each. Tony S and jcjames 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercury Man Posted March 2, 2017 Share Posted March 2, 2017 Plus.....PRICE YOUR STUFF CORRECTLY BEFORE YOU PUT IT OUT! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artboy99 Posted March 3, 2017 Share Posted March 3, 2017 (edited) Sorry to hear what you went through there. If the books are not for sale they shouldn't be out on display next to stuff that is for sale. I had a bad interaction with a local comic store that had books not for sale out on display, when I suggested they shouldnt display books they wont sell the store owner became angry and suggested they had lots of things on display that are not for sale - the cash register for example. And the boxes marked $1 should be sold at $1. I had a Hulk 271 in my dollar boxes that a buyer pulled when the Raccoon became popular, I still sold it for a dollar. Edited March 3, 2017 by Artboy99 jcjames and Tony S 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patriot6 Posted March 3, 2017 Share Posted March 3, 2017 1 hour ago, the blob said: Accidentally bend the books in half before you leave or shove them back into the boxes brutally. You sir sound like a guy you want on your team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcjames Posted March 3, 2017 Author Share Posted March 3, 2017 14 minutes ago, Artboy99 said: Sorry to hear what you went through there. If the books are not for sale they shouldn't be out on display next to stuff that is for sale. I had a bad interaction with a local comic store that had books not for sale out on display, when I suggested they shouldnt display books they wont sell the store owner became angry and suggested they had lots of things on display that are not for sale - the cash register for example. Quote And the boxes marked $1 should be sold at $1. I had a Hulk 271 in my dollar boxes that a buyer pulled when the Raccoon became popular, I still sold it for a dollar. And you sir are a dealer I would come back to many many times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incredible Pulp Posted March 3, 2017 Share Posted March 3, 2017 I would write my experience on yelp or google reviews so other people would know not to waste their time. Tony S 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnFranklin Posted March 3, 2017 Share Posted March 3, 2017 (edited) AZ retail law allows that kind of selling or lack of that is? Edited March 3, 2017 by JohnFranklin1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Aldred Posted March 3, 2017 Share Posted March 3, 2017 I've had some experiences like that. - Told that all the books were 25p, I pull a couple out and the seller goes straight for the OSPG. - Book exchange with boxes of 25p comics, proprietor knows that I'm a keen collector, rushes up to me and aggressively demands that I'm going to pay him 50p a copy. In both cases I walked out and never went back. Couple of decades ago now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kav Posted March 3, 2017 Share Posted March 3, 2017 accidentally spill some fingernail polish remover you have in a cup over the books when he's texting-this will melt the plastic bag to the books. 1950's war comics 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcjames Posted March 3, 2017 Author Share Posted March 3, 2017 1 hour ago, kav said: accidentally spill some fingernail polish remover you have in a cup over the books when he's texting-this will melt the plastic bag to the books. I normally carry my fingernail polish remover with me in a small dropper-bottle, but I left it in the truck this time. comicquant 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slym2none Posted March 3, 2017 Share Posted March 3, 2017 (edited) I would tell them "You aren't getting my work for free." and then proceed to put the comics back approximately where I found them, so they can go dig them out. -slym Edited March 20, 2017 by slym2none Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slym2none Posted March 3, 2017 Share Posted March 3, 2017 (edited) Also, trashing the books because the person/people are being dill-holes is a moronic thing to do. -slym Edited March 20, 2017 by slym2none Hado 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony S Posted March 3, 2017 Share Posted March 3, 2017 2 hours ago, Artboy99 said: Sorry to hear what you went through there. If the books are not for sale they shouldn't be out on display next to stuff that is for sale. I had a bad interaction with a local comic store that had books not for sale out on display, when I suggested they shouldnt display books they wont sell the store owner became angry and suggested they had lots of things on display that are not for sale - the cash register for example. And the boxes marked $1 should be sold at $1. I had a Hulk 271 in my dollar boxes that a buyer pulled when the Raccoon became popular, I still sold it for a dollar. That's ignorant - but the owner's response was still rather funny.... And having books out on display that are not for sale I find ....not uncommon at comic book stores. Mostly comic book stores where the owner also is an active collector. And there is a variation on this. Some store owners will - rather than say "it's mine and not for sale" will instead just put a ridiculously high price on it. 2 hours ago, Artboy99 said: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mad Irishman Posted March 3, 2017 Share Posted March 3, 2017 I've had the same experience there too, unfortunately. I don't even bother looking through the comics anymore. But the toys...all the wonderful toys... jcjames 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
