Is a year too long for my book to be delivered from Paradise Comics? 7 7

[J-Bird]

Anyone else want to post a negative FB review for Paradise? Just added mine. Let's get the word out!

[01TheDude]

IF for some reason Paradise is using/has used these CGC funds for the store needs, thus creating a semi-sort of Ponzi scheme, those waiting forever for their books might want to pump the brakes on the whole "getting the word out" as that might lead to less people bringing in more CGC funds to push their books through the proverbial goose.

Pure speculation-- thus the use of IF here. But I am not sure I would want to be making so much public noise until my books were safely returned. You don't want the shop going teats up.

It reminds me a little of when my folks got suckered into a pyramid scheme in the late 1970s. I think they got most of their money back but the later folks all got screwed.

The only problem with that analogy is that this is supposed to be a respected business doing legitimate work. I hope everything is being done to resolve the situation. If money is the issue, Paradise needed to get additional capital long before it got to whatever point we might be at currently. Maybe they have secured it or are working on it.

I am just hoping this all gets straightened out asap. It makes the whole hobby appear shady somehow.

[blazingbob]

The whole hobby appears shady?  How did other dealers get sucked into this?  Guilt by association?  

[wasonff]

5 minutes ago, blazingbob said:

The whole hobby appears shady?  How did other dealers get sucked into this?  Guilt by association?  

Apparently, yes.

[01TheDude]

53 minutes ago, blazingbob said:

The whole hobby appears shady?  How did other dealers get sucked into this?  Guilt by association?  

I need to walk back/clarify that statement a little. I mean their actions are throwing shade on the hobby i.e. the hobby seems a little more shady than I used to think knowing that some store is operating like this. Are they unique? Is this something others do to cover operating expenses?

If CGC were paid directly by the customer-- attaching that customer to the invoice and allowing them to have access to information about the processing of their books-- and the store acted merely as an agent who performed services of submitting, getting signatures, and whatever else (the amount clearly shown on the invoice and handled by CGC) -- THAT might stop this situation from ever occurring. I am assuming the dealer is acting as an agent for CGC in some capacity. Just spitballin' here - I have limited knowledge of this but I do understand business controls. I would think CGC would want to have something like that in place.

Edited April 15, 2018 by 01TheDude

[ExNihilo]

1 hour ago, 01TheDude said:

IF for some reason Paradise is using/has used these CGC funds for the store needs, thus creating a semi-sort of Ponzi scheme, those waiting forever for their books might want to pump the brakes on the whole "getting the word out" as that might lead to less people bringing in more CGC funds to push their books through the proverbial goose.

Pure speculation-- thus the use of IF here. But I am not sure I would want to be making so much public noise until my books were safely returned. You don't want the shop going teats up.

The problem with this is as a consumer, I feel like it is our duty to warn others of the potential pitfalls that may occur by doing business with Paradise Comics.  What you're proposing is to stay quiet and kick the can down the road.  But then the people a year from now dealing with the same problem will be facing the same situation - staying quiet until their books come back.  I think unhappy customers now are obligated to say something to protect potential future customers from having to go through the same stress and hassle otherwise Paradise will never learn.

[01TheDude]

2 minutes ago, ExNihilo said:

The problem with this is as a consumer, I feel like it is our duty to warn others of the potential pitfalls that may occur by doing business with Paradise Comics.  What you're proposing is to stay quiet and kick the can down the road.  But then the people a year from now dealing with the same problem will be facing the same situation - staying quiet until their books come back.  I think unhappy customers now are obligated to say something to protect potential future customers from having to go through the same stress and hassle otherwise Paradise will never learn.

I agree. But I am not in their shoes. I was speaking in terms of those who are currently entangled in the mess-- they might want to consider how best to handle this to ensure their situation works out.

But yeah-- that means kicking the can down the road, thus the reference to a pyramid scheme.

BUT also consider that a new investor or some new owner might come along in the mean time and fix everyone's problem with new capital. So sometimes kicking that can and letting the business try to right itself is not merely passing the buck. If it were me-- I would probably be complaining to whoever would listen. I personally hate having to see this thread on the boards - it is a bummer. A legitimate beef-- but not fun to have to deal with.

[wombat]

17 minutes ago, 01TheDude said:

 

BUT also consider that a new investor or some new owner might come along in the mean time and fix everyone's problem with new capital.

No disrespect intended, but this is just ridiculous in the context of the current issue. This is what the guy scamming everyone would tell people. 

[01TheDude]

10 minutes ago, wombat said:

30 minutes ago, 01TheDude said:

 

BUT also consider that a new investor or some new owner might come along in the mean time and fix everyone's problem with new capital.

No disrespect intended, but this is just ridiculous in the context of the current issue. This is what the guy scamming everyone would tell people. 

 

Yes-- people buying businesses and/or current owners finding new financing to fix capital shortfalls NEVER happens with any business in the entire world. Certainly not Canada. I am so ridiculous.

You mention some "guy" scamming everyone-- which is an assumption you are making. While Paradise has not been very forthcoming with information (or comics), at no point has any one from there stated a problem with money. I started my entire earlier response from a purely speculative position agreeing that it might be a financial issue. So now you assume that is truth and that the store is flat out scamming people? Maybe you are the one who is being ridiculous.

If I were a business owner-- even a comic book store -- that was under capitalized -- it would be my duty as an owner to find new sources of funds and/or consider selling the business. The other option being folding up shop or continuing to run the business half-arsed.

 

[ExNihilo]

6 minutes ago, 01TheDude said:

 

Yes-- people buying businesses and/or current owners finding new financing to fix capital shortfalls NEVER happens with any business in the entire world. Certainly not Canada. I am so ridiculous.

You mention some "guy" scamming everyone-- which is an assumption you are making. While Paradise has not been very forthcoming with information (or comics), at no point has any one from there stated a problem with money. I started my entire earlier response from a purely speculative position agreeing that it might be a financial issue. So now you assume that is truth and that the store is flat out scamming people? Maybe you are the one who is being ridiculous.

If I were a business owner-- even a comic book store -- that was under capitalized -- it would be my duty as an owner to find new sources of funds and/or consider selling the business. The other option being folding up shop or continuing to run the business half-arsed.

 

I think the questions about capital came about earlier in the thread when people took separate anecdotes and basically postulated a theory that a lack of funds could be the issue.  This comes from one comment about using money to remodel the store/website, plus another comment about an employee at a convention getting made when confronted and saying something like "this is our jobs at stake here."  From there, the theory became that money earmarked for CGC was instead used to complete the store remodel, thus leading to this pyramid scheme model.  And then the context of the employees remark was basically viewed as "if consumers make a stink, then they'll lose business, money, and go out of business."

To be fair though, (and I've never operated a comic book store), but with all the unsold comics I always see on shelves, I do wonder how some stores stay in business so I would guess that to say they aren't walking a fine line financially might not be too far out of the question.

[01TheDude]

2 hours ago, ExNihilo said:

I think the questions about capital came about earlier in the thread when people took separate anecdotes and basically postulated a theory that a lack of funds could be the issue.  This comes from one comment about using money to remodel the store/website, plus another comment about an employee at a convention getting made when confronted and saying something like "this is our jobs at stake here."  From there, the theory became that money earmarked for CGC was instead used to complete the store remodel, thus leading to this pyramid scheme model.  And then the context of the employees remark was basically viewed as "if consumers make a stink, then they'll lose business, money, and go out of business."

To be fair though, (and I've never operated a comic book store), but with all the unsold comics I always see on shelves, I do wonder how some stores stay in business so I would guess that to say they aren't walking a fine line financially might not be too far out of the question.

Yes-- I've been following along with the thread and all the little clues add up to something like this going on. Though some of it could be making leaps/drawing conclusions on circumstantial evidence. But when that is all you have to work with, you sort of have to go with your gut.

[Wall-Crawler]

Just saw this on Facebook. This whole thing with them is brutal. They use to be the store I would go to to get local con CGC Sig Series, but not anymore, not after how I  was treated.  The nerve though to advertise they are taking submissions when they likely have a lot more customers than we know of who have been waiting far too long for their books.

 

[01TheDude]

They are pretty good at taking the money and the business. Follow through seems to be another story.

[wombat]

38 minutes ago, 01TheDude said:

They are pretty good at taking the money and the business. Follow through seems to be another story.

You mean lining up new investors.  

[01TheDude]

46 minutes ago, wombat said:

You mean lining up new investors.  

touche

[Paddy_McShillihan]

2 hours ago, Wall-Crawler said:

Just saw this on Facebook. This whole thing with them is brutal. They use to be the store I would go to to get local con CGC Sig Series, but not anymore, not after how I  was treated.  The nerve though to advertise they are taking submissions when they likely have a lot more customers than we know of who have been waiting far too long for their books.

 

Joke ... I see he’s selling on there too ... 

 

[Twistty1]

I had several with them off to cgc that took almost a year to get back. Once their store manager Doug left Peter had a hard time finding good help or so I was told. I called for months just to find out where in the chain of things my books were, no one could tell me. They kept telling me that only Peter could check but he's out of town. It was one of the most frustrating things I've had to go through regarding comics. To have 1000's of dollars of books out of your hands and no one able to tell me where they were. I finally had to threaten legal action, and low and behold they arrived just over a month later. Peter is well aware of how I feel about them at that store now, and I won't be going back ever. 

Edited April 16, 2018 by Twistty1

[Twistty1]

Based on what some are saying here, I will say that I dropped my books off in April and they were not sent in to cgc until June... I won't speculate as to what the delay was.

[01TheDude]

14 minutes ago, Twistty1 said:

Based on what some are saying here, I will say that I dropped my books off in April and they were not sent in to cgc until June... I won't speculate as to what the delay was.

were you getting any other services-- like signatures (or even pressing)? Seems like some of the holdup involves books where they were facilitating signatures for CGC SS submission,

not that this is an excuse-- just trying to get a better idea of what you last interaction with them included.

[Twistty1]

13 minutes ago, 01TheDude said:

were you getting any other services-- like signatures (or even pressing)? Seems like some of the holdup involves books where they were facilitating signatures for CGC SS submission,

not that this is an excuse-- just trying to get a better idea of what you last interaction with them included.

Yes I was having my books pressed... The problem was that I dropped them off with Doug in April, as he told me they were going out the next week. When I called back several months later to inquire I found out that they had not been shipped until June. Doug was no longer there and the new emps had absolutely no info to go on. They were not able to bring anything up on the computer because for some odd reason the owner (Peter) would not allow them access, only he could get the info. I just found it odd that the employees would not be able to get that info with so many customers asking about their books. I finally threatened legal action and they broke down and gave me peters cell number. After several texts he cc'd me on a couple of emails with cgc. Then the books showed up about a month later..

It's a shame because I had been going there for over 17 years and enjoyed chatting with Doug about books from time to time. 

Edited April 16, 2018 by Twistty1