Want to get in good with you neighorhood comic store?!?!?!?

[pangea-migration]

You may find that because they are not ordering books in quantity that they need a supplier bad. The 7 Stores I have polled who are not currently buying books also do not seem to buy extra copies other than what club members order. No cash flow. So, supply them. Order some extra books yourselves and ask that they give you a call whenever they run out. Or if you feel trusting, leave some books with them. In return for the favor ask that they send all new collections they dont want your way. Now is a great time to supply stores and dealers. They can use the floating inventory so to speak without laying out the cash for inventory that may possibly sit case they are not exactly sure what is moving and what is not. If you at least make the effort, your store owners will be a happy campers. Ive done this and its a great feeling for a store owner to know that he will not run out of certain books. Its like having a very small part ownership or being a silent partner in the store without being one on paper.

[blowout]

As a comic book collector, I expect comic stores to supply ME with comic books. What possible reason would a collector have for supplying a store with books?

Are you suggesting that we should all become dealers? Or do you think that most people who post here are?

[comicwiz]

As a comic book collector, I expect comic stores to supply ME with comic books. What possible reason would a collector have for supplying a store with books? Are you suggesting that we should all become dealers? Or do you think that most people who post here are?

 

If I read this right, I think what pangea may be talking about is something similar to consigment. If that's what he's talking about, then I don't think its such a bad idea.

 

blowout - your statement about expecting comic stores to supply you with comic books doesn't always apply to every collector. As an underground comic collector, I cannot really depend on comic stores providing the kind of supply I need, nevermind the stuff I really want. In fact, with the exception of one store in the area, I don't know of any other retailers in the Toronto area who have ever carried underground comics. The only chance I've got these days of finding stuff I want: eBay, the San Diego Comicon, and posting wanted ads in various forms of medium.

 

So what do I do when the reservoir runs dry? I try to finish off some of my mainstream stuff - these days its mostly GA; Timelys and EC.

 

But here are the kinds of things I have tried to do to stimulate purchasing for my own collecting interests. The first is to pop my head into certain stores that I know buy collections fairly regularly, and just walk in and ask about any new books that might fit my collecting interests. After you've made some hefty purchases, in most cases the store owner will call you first. I know in my case, its also to get some information on something they've never heard about.

 

Its also worthwhile to supply them some stuff that you may not want as it might elicit some networking opportunity. Case in point. I dropped of a couple of my books at one shop purely on a consigment basis. What happened is that it sparked enough interest for one visitor to ask whether the store owner knew anyone that would buy 'that sort of junk." I got the call the very same day. As the old saying goes, one persons junk is another persons treasure.

 

And for the most part, this kind of buying pattern has some application for GA collectors, pre-code collectors, and even obscure special formatted medium (pulps, tabs, magazines).

 

Its especially worth noting that before you start consigning things to any comic shop, you should get to know them well. Ask plenty of questions (not only to the store owner, but to people frequenting the store, or by asking on these boards).

 

If I've misread what you've said pangea, then just forget about what I just said

 

 

[pangea-migration]

Yes, consignment with a twist. Or, just selling them to the store owner outright when he needs them. What are we after here? Not the selling of books. Yes, it may help increase both collector and store owners income. Nothing wrong with that. What we are after is the object of doing each other favors. Why? If you open the conversation to help the store owner with books, you may find yourself in a winfall of books coming your way through asking him to buy collections he or she doesnt want or being the first to see a purchase from a collection he just recieved. It can only be a win win senario. Nothing less.

[pangea-migration]

Comicwiz,

You written thoughts were exactly what I was speaking about and right on the nose.. Exactly. As you have explained. One does not have to buy outright every collection that comes into the dealers store that he or she does not want but can ask ( As you did ) the store owner to just pull out or put aside specific runs or any obvious Independents, pulps, whatever, that they see in a collection or just pass any lots or calls to you on these groups. It doesnt have to be purchasing everything that comes in. The reason I did not call it consignment is only cause there are a number of different ways of working the agreement with the comic store owner. But, as you mentioned, consignment is probably the biggest. I know Darth Diesel mentioned he was doing some consignment. As we both know, It just depends what form of transaction you wish to work with the store. If you first on the comic stores list for what you want. Can you really go wrong?

[Dave_Hennen]

I've done something like this a few times with comic art. I put a page in a cheap frame and give it to the comic store owner to put up on the wall with a set price. If it sells he gets 25%, if he wants to discount it the discount comes out of his side. If it doesn't sell after a few weeks or he wants the wall space he gives it back to me.

 

It gives him a little variety for people to look at and I've flipped a couple of pages that way, one of which was the splash page to ISIS #1 , and generates some interest. Mostly it hasn't been a big success

 

dave h

[Smokinghawk]

Pangea, is it okay if I do this with issues of Ultimate Spider-Man?

 

 

[chrisco37]

, is it okay if I do this with issues of Ultimate Spider-Man?

 

 

Chris

[aardvark88]

B4 u do any consignment, make sure u ask the shop owner if they have insurance. Who will cover the loss if your choice comics are stolen? Make the boss has your phone # & email address. They should contact u right away if your consigned goods are stolen.

Had an Avengers 1 consigned that was stolen on a Sat. from the shop. Some kid was walking around trying to liquidate it at the local comicon on the very next Sunday. I was offered what looked like my OWN comic to buy back. Did not find out for another 5 days that the shop had been broken into otherwise I would have grabbed the kid & called the cops from the convention hall.

What type of beating do u think mom & pop would have given the kid once the cops called the parents to escort him from the con?

[Rob]

Why not just buy/sell on eBay? What value does the brick and morter add? Only to be abe to see the comics in person before buying them, I guess. I'm just very careful with my eBay purchases. Saves me money, and I don't have to deal with greedy dealers.

 

[Darthdiesel]

Some kid was walking around trying to liquidate it at the local comicon on the very next Sunday. I was offered what looked like my OWN comic to buy back.

 

 

When Odin88 met Greggy!

 

You are talking about consigning to a store. and I could see how you would need to know about their insurance policies in case of theft. The consignment I mentioned to pangea in another thread was the store selling their less traffickable wares thru me since I sell online, hoping to get a larger audience. This is shelf stock that has sat for years and years in this Northern VA store that no one wold buy at their marked prices so I am selling for them on eBay and taking a cut for fees and a percentage.

[Darthdiesel]

Why not just buy/sell on eBay? What value does the brick and morter add? Only to be abe to see the comics in person before buying them, I guess. I'm just very careful with my eBay purchases. Saves me money, and I don't have to deal with greedy dealers.

 

 

Greedy dealers abound even on eBay. You will never be safe

 

There are benfits to brick and mortar stores, but I'll let lighthouse put you to sleep with his voluminous input on his years of experience owing one. Nothing helps me sleep better than one of his brick and mortar "war stories", complete with statistics, to boot

[pangea-migration]

What my son does is call the shop on Thursday morning (The day after delivery of books in my area) and Saturday morning( to make sure he has enough for the weekend). The store owner tells my son what he needs and my son delivers them and gets paid. No consignment in this type of case. Just turnover. When books come in in the form of boxes. We get first shot if the store does not want to buy them and first shot out of any collections the store wishes to buy. If it a large enough collection you can even help the store owner pay for the books and work something out with him.

 

AND yes, it can be done with Ultimate Spideys as well. ( Am I forgiven yet. I was stoned yesterday in a .jpg)

Anyway, Its whatever you wish to sell or consign to get a relationship going with your comic store so that you can obtain good books out of boxes. Some people may wish to try this. Others not.

I guess it just depends on how much you want to be surprised by the books in the boxes. I know I like the surprise and you really cant get hurt at 4 cents a piece. If you get stuck with a pile of mid numbered valiants, you will at least break even. We have all seen them sold in lots by adding some of the tougher valiants along with them on ebay. Usually if you find the mid numbered valiants you will also get many harder to find ones too so you never really lose.