ARE COMIC SHOPS DOOMED? ARE MIDDLE AGED MEN THE ONLY FOLKS BUYING COMICS?

[Alan C-migration]

Recently, I was in a comic shop...one of the few in my city and started asking myself this question. Why do comic shops exist? And then I found myself asking some further related questions:

 

1) Why would someone want to go out of their way to buy comics when

they could have them delivered to their door?

 

2) Why should I pay full face value for any comic at a store, when I

know that the inflated price is just for covering costs of the comic

shop doing business? This essentially doubles the cost of my

subscriptions, or halves the number of comics I can buy each month,

depending on how you look at it.

 

It used to be that comics were displayed just about everywhere, and

kids often decided to buy a comic instead of a candy bar. (they were

both around 50 cents) Now, those same kids, if they can even FIND

comics for sale at a local grocery store, have a choice between an 80

cent candy bar or a comic book that is maybe $2.50. In other words,

the price of comic books has somehow been inflated to about 3 times

what it really should be. $1 an issue is the most a comic should cost

at retail today.

 

With the increasing cost and decreased distribution, comics are slowly

and surely becoming a hobby for middle aged men. They were originally

designed for the masses, much like a newspaper that would likely be

thrown away in a few days. Print runs of half a million or more were

common. It is only because loads of kids read all of those comics that

there is such a market for super hero movies these days. Todays kids

are growing up thinking of comics as an uncool thing, and they probably

won't watch the movies when they grow up, either.

 

It doesn't bode well for the industry as a whole.

 

What do you think?

 

Alan C

 

How I Stopped Settling For Chump Change For My Comics on eBay

www.comicbookgoldmine.com/11-freeblog.htm

 

4 Steps I'd Take To Turn $1000 Into $10,000 Selling Comic Books on eBay

www.comicbookgoldmine.com/10-comics.htm

[rob_react]

Hi, snake oil salesman!

 

[Red Hook]

Beat me to it.

 

Alan C.......you don't know your audience here. Cut the promoting.

 

 

Best, Red

[drice6900]

Hi, snake oil salesman!

 

 

You know, I just saw his post in Modern, and then his sig links, and put 2 and 2 together.

[Forbush-Man]

How come your signiture line doesn't include any of these fine products?

 

 

 

[rob_react]

you don't know your audience here

 

I'll say.

 

I don't think he reads the threads after he posts in them, though. So he'll never see that advice.

[Forbush-Man]

Hi, snake oil salesman!

 

 

 

And with that, may I present "Medicine Show" by Big Audio Dynamite:

 

"Covered wagon medicine show

Take you to the place where the healing flows

Weak in spirit we got the juice

Wont save your soul it`ll shine your shoes

Treated king to kangaroo

Santa Fe to Timbuktu

Don`t be fooled by imitation

This is the stuff that cured a nation

We took the tube and the high plains too

Never stopped long just passing through

A drop of the laughter of the maids of France

Makes a hopeless cripple dance

 

It was really vile weather

When we got to tarred and feathered

You could hear the six guns sound

As they chased us out of town

 

In India we`re all the rave

Discovered that its great as aftershave

Dropped in the sea just off Japan

Swapped 20 bottles for an aqua-walkman

Immunity from ridicule

Improves your brains if you`re a fool

And I read in the Middle East

They traded some for a hostage release

Now if you`re bald it`ll give you hair

If you got straight trousers it`ll give you flares

Feeling up you`ll get depressed

Out of style here`s a brand new dress

 

It was really vile weather

When we got to tarred and feathered

You could hear the six guns sound

As they chased us out of town

 

The stuff we sell is just the best

Passing all consumer test

Days of heaven nights of sin

Voodoo stick and sharks fin

When all around you seems like hell

Just one sip will make you well

Multipurpose in a jar

If you ain`t ill it`ll fix your car

In days of yore for all bad feelings

Washing socks and stripping ceilings

Nowadays its used medicinally

For all known human malady

 

It was really vile weather

When we got to tarred and feathered

You could hear the six guns sound

As they chased us out of town

 

Guaranteed don`t you know

Money back?

You`ll get a no!

It`s the one and only medicine show "

 

 

[Red Hook]

I liked this recent post on his blog......

 

 

Popular Book For Comic Buyers Taken Off The Market -- Becomes Free To All

The popular book "Comic Book Buying Secrets" has been taken off the market. It sold very well for $29.97 over the last few years. The book is 120 pages and provided extensive information comic collectors and dealers on buying comics for enjoyment and for investment.

 

But there is good news. Over the next several weeks, all the information in this book will be gradually released to the public and be shared on-line -- at no charge. The book chapters will be released as articles that you can find by going to [embarrassing lack of self control] .com. There's no catch. Nothing else for you to buy. It's our gift to you. Enjoy!

 

That book was so popular that none of the hundreds of serious collectors here have ever heard of it!

[mica]

After seeing the title, I thought this was going to be Krazy Kat.

[s-man]

Umm...am not middle aged but I still collect comics, does that answer the title question in the thread?

[Darrell F]

Umm...am not middle aged but I still collect comics, does that answer the title question in the thread?

 

Same here. I am only 23 and collect. I go to my LCS every Wednesday and most of the time there are teenage kids in there buying.

[Red Hook]

[rob_react]

 

[Darrell F]

[jduran1]

I think every business and job is doomed eventually.................... There will be new business models and different jobs.

 

I personally love the visits to the LCshops the smell of dust and new comics. The chit chat with the owners on what is new in comics etc. The negotiations on grading and buying. The smell in incense in the back and the red eyes of the owners at 9am in the morning............................

[buttock]

How come your signiture line doesn't include any of these fine products?

 

 

 

 

[binarysunrise]

Seriously though, I have never understood how comic shops turn a profit. My local one is open all hours of the day, but I am almost always the only customer when I stop in. I think there might be 100 subscribers who have comics pulled for them. I try to figure out what the profit would be from the monthly pulls of their subscribers, and can't picture that paying for the staff wages - let alone the rent. I also can't picture there being much other business from walk-ins. They do have a large gaming aspect of the store - do gamers (d+d stuff) spend big $?

[Illiterati-migration]

Hi, snake oil salesman!

 

 

I don't see how what he's doing is any different than anyone who links to their auctions or anything else that they're selling in their sig line. In fact, if you read the material on the links, you'll see that he's not directly even trying to sell his book.

 

He's just detailed a few techniques (that he could have lifted directly from this message board) for selling books. He's not doing the "here's PART of the plan, send me money for the rest" scheme. EVERYTHING is right there. Nothing revolutionary, and certainly nothing to crucify him over.

[Red Hook]

Hi, snake oil salesman!

 

 

I don't see how what he's doing is any different than anyone who links to their auctions or anything else that they're selling in their sig line. In fact, if you read the material on the links, you'll see that he's not directly even trying to sell his book.

 

He's just detailed a few techniques (that he could have lifted directly from this message board) for selling books. He's not doing the "here's PART of the plan, send me money for the rest" scheme. EVERYTHING is right there. Nothing revolutionary, and certainly nothing to crucify him over.

 

Where's your tongue-in-cheek greggy?

[Illiterati-migration]

Hi, snake oil salesman!

 

 

I don't see how what he's doing is any different than anyone who links to their auctions or anything else that they're selling in their sig line. In fact, if you read the material on the links, you'll see that he's not directly even trying to sell his book.

 

He's just detailed a few techniques (that he could have lifted directly from this message board) for selling books. He's not doing the "here's PART of the plan, send me money for the rest" scheme. EVERYTHING is right there. Nothing revolutionary, and certainly nothing to crucify him over.

 

Where's your tongue-in-cheek greggy?

 

I'm being completely serious. If he were doing the infomercial thing where you (the consumer) are given only enough information to titillate, it would be one thing, but he's given the ENTIRE outline for the techniques that his links describe.

 

It's no different than someone having a link to their blog where they are selling t-shirts or coffee mugs or whatnot.