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Ultimate Spiderman 1

Started by ultimatevenom,

25 posts in this topic

Darthdiesel

Darthdiesel

Posted
Posted

20 of the USM 1 red at 25% off cover

4 of the white cover USM 1 free (incentive)

Online: USM 1 red cover - $10 (1 week after release and with shipping)

USM 1 white cover - 10 @ $5 each? Dutch aution by a seller affiliated with the former AU.com

USM 1 DF cover - 5 from DF @ $6.30 each(with 47% DF dealer discount); then offline from same dealer I got the white covers - 30 copies at $20 each (one month after the DFs were released.)

 

My idea of a deal on NM/MT coppies now:

USM 1 white - under $200

USM 1 red - under $75

USM 1 DF - under $100

 

and I mean potential CGC NM/MT - If I buy at these prices and it grades out CGC 9.6 - I still feel it was worth it. 9.4 and below, I would have to take it up with the seller.

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lighthouse

lighthouse

Posted
Posted

16 copies of USM 1 Red at 55% off cover...

 

Oh, wait... I'm a shop, so maybe that doesn't count... tongue.gif

 

Even better was 140 copies of USM 3 at 55% off cover, with Marvel throwing in another 120 copies FREE... total it worked out to less than 55 cents a book... I sold 100 copies as a lot to another dealer at $16 each about a year later...

 

I just wish I had more faith in the series before #1 came out... but I still beat the curve by several months...

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Darthdiesel

Darthdiesel

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House - I think retaielrs in general OVERordered the USM 3. On the flip side, how were your numbers on the USM 5? That's the first USM issue to suffer the Marvel "Print to order, No reorder policy"? Did you have enough subscribers or store action to warrant a huge (over 150?) initial order?

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lighthouse

lighthouse

Posted
Posted

Actually I think they under-ordered for the most part, since many did not take advantage of Marvel's offer of free books. They gave retailers free copies for every copy in excess of orders on some random ASM issue (back when NO ONE was reading ASM). If you ordered 10 of that ASM issue and 25 of USM3, they gave you 15 free copies of USM3... They did the same thing for UXM4, DDYellow1, ASM31, and X-Statix1 among others.

 

But those that did order correctly wound up with plenty of extras to meet the later demand. I'm not suggesting 100 extras was the right call, it worked for me, but I knew my customer base very well...

 

As far as USM5, I stared at my order for a long, long time when it was due, and dropped from 70 extra copies (as I had done on USM4) down to just 10. My logic at the time - No issue #5 in recent memory had done better than triple cover price in its first year. So, while I was willing to gamble on 4, I wasn't willing to on 5... I was smart enough to be offering my customers $5 each for their copies of 5 within 2 weeks of its release, and restocked around 30 copies that way, most of which I sold around $10-15 a couple months later. But I was as guilty as anyone of reducing my orders for issue 5.

 

Did you have enough subscribers or store action to warrant a huge (over 150?) initial order?

 

I am a firm believer that new release comics are a "push" market, and it is my responsibility to push customers toward good titles, not wait for them to tell me what they like. New comics are too expensive for customers to try lots of titles only to find out they suck, so my job as a retailer is to help them find the quality material. Did I have enough subscribers to justify the order at the time? No. Did I have enough confidence in the title to feel comfortable suggesting it to nearly every customer who shopped in my store? Yes I did. Over 85% of people who bought it added it to their pull, and of those, only two dropped it within the first year.

 

Same thing with Powers. My initial order for #1 was TWO copies (one a pre-order for a sub). I got the book in, immediately called my Diamond rep and ordered 150 copies of #1 (and bumped my already-placed one-copy order of #2 to 125 copies). I signed up sixty-three subs for Powers in the first two weeks, and did just fine with the extra copies beyond that...

 

As to why, after doing so well with Powers (a Bendis title), I had so little confidence in Ultimate Spider-Man (another Bendis title) and only ordered 16? Well, the Spidey books of 1998-1999 were SO bad, I didn't think there was any way Spidey could be good enough to bring back the clone-hating webheads... As I have told Bendis in person four times, I am unbelievably glad he proved me wrong...

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lighthouse

lighthouse

Posted
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I enjoy your "Tales from behind the Counter"! Where is your store in case I ever make it to Oregon?

 

Thanks for the props! I choose not to reveal the name and location of my store, as it lets me be more honest here about my thoughts on the industry. Since I don't have to worry about my brick-and-mortar customers coming to this forum and recognizing me here, I can be a lot more straightforward about the comics business...

 

I happily provide a "behind-the-scenes" look into my perspectives as a shop owner here on the forum... with a great deal more detail than I would give my customers or my local competition...

 

Besides, I would rather that you support your local shop whenever possible. There are a lot of people out there working very hard for very little money because they truly love comics, and they deserve all the support they can get....

 

As an aside, for anyone who wants to know how to find a shop near them, or to find a shop in a place on their travels, just call 1-888-COMIC BOOK (1-888-266-4226). Next time you go on a trip, find a couple shops and stop in to say hello...

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Bugaboo-migration

Bugaboo-migration

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Posted
Okay...I understand your reasons. We're pretty much all anonymous here....

I have been nothing but completely open and honest about which country I live in. I'm also either male or female and I might or might not collect comic books.

 

C'mon now.....how in the world do you consider that anonymous? shy.gif

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Darthdiesel

Darthdiesel

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Here's a real cheap USM 1... Worthless Overhyped modern? I say thee nay, blasphemers!!! USM RULES! wink.gif

 

 

My question is how they got Bagley to do a sketch? Which convention was he at? I though he was holed up in the UK somewhere. Was he at Philadelphia? If I owned this book, I'd take it to the next Bendis appearance at a con and get CGc to give it the yellow sig series label (since they witnessed Bendis signing it) then post it for sale as a YELLOW LABEL CGC SIG SERIES signed by Bendis and remarked by Bagley...watch it become a 3-5K collectible then! CHA-CHING!!! tongue.gif

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Smokinghawk

Smokinghawk

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Here's a real cheap USM 1... Worthless Overhyped modern? I say thee nay, blasphemers!!! USM RULES! wink.gif

 

 

My question is how they got Bagley to do a sketch? Which convention was he at? I though he was holed up in the UK somewhere. Was he at Philadelphia? If I owned this book, I'd take it to the next Bendis appearance at a con and get CGc to give it the yellow sig series label (since they witnessed Bendis signing it) then post it for sale as a YELLOW LABEL CGC SIG SERIES signed by Bendis and remarked by Bagley...watch it become a 3-5K collectible then! CHA-CHING!!! tongue.gif

 

Damn, Darth, I'm glad you're on OUR side!

 

BTW, that White variant you sold me came back at 9.4, which is great with me. Thanks!

 

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Darthdiesel

Darthdiesel

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BTW, that White variant you sold me came back at 9.4, which is great with me. Thanks!

 

I'm glad you are happy with it - my grading is off since I thought it was a solid 9.6 based on past experience and comparison with my USM 1 whites...thanks for letting me know! Now go get it sketched/signed at the next con wink.gif

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