Your complaints with the local comic shops

[Pirate]

Personalities and customer service aside...

 

These complaints mirror the sign of the times. With the Internet, the "middle men" have been crushed with increased competition since buyer and seller can more easily connect (aka eBay). In addition, since they have a physical location, they are forced to charge higher prices to pay the rent. Their labor is a variable cost under their control, so I won't bother with that...

 

In other words, the LCS as we know it is an endangered species.

 

All im asking for is fairness. I still goto the same shop and buy each weds, but how about accurate prices, grades, some new books in presentable condition and a damn variant once in a while where i don't pay 10 bucks.

[mar-vell]

Hey foolkiller isn't there a record shop in philadelphia called green onions that sells comic books? I think i was there back in the late 80's early 90's-is it still there? Do they have any good material?

[TheBrockley]

I love my shop

 

Ye Old Shoppe

 

 

Only tiny issue is the owner HATES anything CGC and refuses to carry anything slabbed, you mention CGC and you get a "LOOK"

 

funny story

 

 

A friend of mine gets his stuff shipped to the LCS so his wife doesn't see all the money he spends. One day he got a ASM 500 CGC 9.6 from a friend of his for a birthday present. He opens it in the shop and the owner sees it and offers to buy it right there on the spot, $40 or something like that, so my friend sells it and the owner immediately takes it over to the counter and smashed the slab right over the corner, pieces everywhere, book runied

 

"Comics are meant to be read, not stored in plastic" he says

 

The shattered slab is still hanging in the store to this day as a trophy.

 

If he sold slabs, I'd buy them, no biggie because otherwise you couldn't ask for a better person. He's hooked me up so much that I went and got him an autographed Brett Favre football and display case for xmas since he is a huge Packers fan.

[Foolkiller]

i believe it closed.

 

Hey foolkiller isn't there a record shop in philadelphia called green onions that sells comic books? I think i was there back in the late 80's early 90's-is it still there? Do they have any good material?

[Dyan]

If you're a woman, esp one over the age of 40, don't go in. The twenty old kid behind the counter will either (1) pretend not to see you or (2) talk down his nose at you.

[Stronguy]

Yikes! I feel very fortunate. I shop at Titan Comics here in Dallas -- have for almost 10 years. Jeremy, the owner, is very knowledgable about comics and always remembers what his regulars want. He has an insane amount of back issues ranging from GA to modern. They are always organized and easily accessable.

 

If I had to complain about anything it might be his pricing. It's a little high on mid-grade and lower grade stuff that can easily be found on eBay. Unless you are making a multi-hundred dollar purchase he will not do much haggling. However, when was the last time your LCS called you and said he just got in a new collection and to come by before the store opens to look it over?

[BEAUMONTS]

My LCS is fantastic, a little bit of everything and always deals to be had. Coffee on all the time, excellent cast of local characters. And the owner is a older British Gentlemen who used to teach history, and has a opinion on everything. It's nice to have a refuge that you feel comfortable in, compared to the cookie cutter style of toys and new krap comic shops, this a comic and book store with character.

[Timulty]

Name and Location Beaumonts?

[Tomega]

Nearly every LCS is only good for new comics. The preponderance of them cannot grade and carry very few desirable back issues. The biggest problem with LCS's is the market changed and they did not. There are so many of them that never got on the graded comics band wagon and never shifted any business to the internet. They are a dying breed and they should be - change with times or they will pass you by.

With that said, I do go to a small local LCS called Serious Comics in Massapequa New York. The owner, Chris, has always been great and accommodating in getting new issues. It is a rare occasion that he cannot get something I wanted. His prices are fair and customer service is excellent - that goes with being a one man show. However, he is one of those that never got into graded comics and only made a small attempt at the internet so I wonder what the future will hold for him.

[JuliusSeizure]

There are several LCSes in the Boston area, most of which have their good points and bad points. Just today, That's Entertainment was having a 25% off sale, but for many of the books I wanted the discount just pushed the price down into the area I would pay for the grade. They do have a huge back issue selection, though, and you can occasionally get deals on lower grades.

 

Bedrock Comics is the opposite - their stuff is usually priced to move but they don't have nearly the selection. (Maybe because it moves at those prices!) You have to get there at the right time and get lucky.

 

Outer Limits is a great store with a moderate selection and the owner has sometimes worked with me on prices. Webhead prices their stuff pretty aggressively, but next time they're doing 50% off, I'm there.

[HULKTOM]

"Outer Banks Cards and Comics" is still the first and only LCS where I grew up. I've been dealing with the guy since the shop first opened in 92. Even though I no longer live near there, I can still call him up and he'll hold whatever books I need. Plus he almost always buys my back issues (whether he can sell them or not) and he offers more for then if I put them on ebay.

[nik]

Find a better LCS

 

Dont have 1 negative thing to say about mine

[BEAUMONTS]

Name and Location Beaumonts?

Phoenix Comics, Regina, Saskatchewan. Canada

[johnenock]

Mine is great. The owner, though a Marvelite-you should see his Amazing Spidey and Daredevil CGC collection, is very knowledgable and we have a pretty good comic relationship. I sell his slabs for him on eBay and in return he gives me free Mylite 2's and half-backs whenever I need them. He also calls me whenever he gets new collections in so I can paw through 'em first. The next thing on the agenda, he's going to let me into his warehouse to look over his late bronze and coppers. He never misses a new issue and pulls stuff for me that I might have missed. He doesn't usually have the stuff I want(high-grade DC) in the condition I want(NM), but he's a good guy and I wouldn't trade my LCS for any online ordering system, no matter the discount.

[Pirate]

Mine is great. The owner, though a Marvelite-you should see his Amazing Spidey and Daredevil CGC collection, is very knowledgable and we have a pretty good comic relationship. I sell his slabs for him on eBay and in return he gives me free Mylite 2's and half-backs whenever I need them. He also calls me whenever he gets new collections in so I can paw through 'em first. The next thing on the agenda, he's going to let me into his warehouse to look over his late bronze and coppers. He never misses a new issue and pulls stuff for me that I might have missed. He doesn't usually have the stuff I want(high-grade DC) in the condition I want(NM), but he's a good guy and I wouldn't trade my LCS for any online ordering system, no matter the discount.

 

Packing up the dog and heading to boise. That's south right?

[Timulty]

Name and Location Beaumonts?

Phoenix Comics, Regina, Saskatchewan. Canada

 

Thanks.

[kidcolt]

It's tough for LCS to compete with Ebay. The best part with comic shops it the communication with the owners and other customers. I love picking up a coffee for the owner and myself and going there and hangng out and chatting comics for hours.

[whomerjay]

i believe it closed.

 

Hey foolkiller isn't there a record shop in philadelphia called green onions that sells comic books? I think i was there back in the late 80's early 90's-is it still there? Do they have any good material?

 

If I remember correctly, Fat Jack's opened up a store in the early 80's near Green Onions and another dinky store, carried 10 times as many new books, and forced them both to close (and bought their inventory, probably for next ot nothing) within about a year. Mid-late 80's comics boomed, and Fat Jack's played middleman for Diamond and Capital orders. The margin on his sales to dealers was only 5-10%, but the volume was huge. Early 90's everything tanked and my guess is lots of people still owe Mike Ferrara the owner money, as he extended people credit on their orders.

 

We've had this discussion before FK; Mike is a smart guy, and a good guy (you have to get to know him) whose store suffers because of the reality of running that business at that scale in downtown Philly- good help is hard to find, and hard to keep. Moreover, it's unclear whether the type of employees that guys like us would warm to are really necessary for the bottom line. It's about widgets, not comic books.

[Foolkiller]

whomerjay:

 

Yes, i was thinking of our last conversation when I was typing this. That's true, Fat Jack's has a different attitude than many stores, but that's probably contributed to their success in part. I will say I think they've almost gotten lazy now -- but nevertheless -- I recognize your point.

[Comcasthawk]

There is a LCS near Wayne, N.J. called Bullseye Comics. The owner Joe is an excellant guy and he offers comics that are well-graded and fairly priced. I would recomend a visit to this store to any forum member. It is well worth the "ride". It takes me 1 hour and 45 minutes to get there!!!!