LCS Profiteering S.O.B.s

[Artboy99]

I doubt one ridiculously priced book is going to drive away customers if they have a pretty strong relationship with the shop owner

 

If they have a strong relationship with the shop owner....I imagine the shop owner wouldn't try to charge them $150 for the book in the 1st place.

 

You do make a point. I imagine there have to be a lot of casual customers who may not speak to the owner a lot but just see the marked price. Even here, if they find lots to buy usually, this would probably not be enough to make them stop going. But if they only occasionally go to the store, they could take this as a sign that other issues are going to be overpriced and decrease their business with you. I'm still firmly on the side that you shouldn't price ridiculously.

 

-Bob

 

I am on a first name basis with the guy, I have been a customer of his for 20 years.

His problem is that I am no longer exclusively his customer as he knows I buy elsewhere but that was not always so.

Still, me and my friend came away from the store KNOWING he purposefully witheld putting Cap 25's into files to profit.

[Sid]

Why would you cancel a subscription just because they are asking borderline insane prices for Cap #25? Just don't buy it.

 

Ethics and taking a stand. I would do exactly the same in that situation. Fortunately the LCS guy here isn't money hungry and actually looks after his long term investment (me) and not short term gain while screwing people over. I know.

 

Ethics??? He's not doing anything uneithical He's just asking a freakin' insane price for a comic book. He's not screwing other people over, he's screwing himself over because nobody will buy the book.

 

If you don't see price gouging at a LCS for a book released 2 days before as unethical, then well you've done it, you've left me completely speechless.

 

This is so weird. I cannot believe how many people take personal offense to overpriced books. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine this. You must never search Ebay, because if you do you will get angry every time. I am just as speechless as you claim you are. Is it really that hard to walk out of a store WITHOUT a Cap #25?

 

I don't take personal offense, you need to realize that. And to compare a LCS to eBay is a pretty weak argument, and even on eBay I doubt the average price was even close to $150 more then for a few hours. And I've said it over and over, I WOULD walk out of the store without a cap 25 and I would just plain never return. Is it that hard to fathom or read? It would be nothing personal but I don't deal with unethical people. (oops there I go with that word again.) Knowingly jacking up the price to rip off unsuspecting buyers is unethical to me. The guy knows, anyone who knows jack about comic books would never pay that amount, so who is he advertising for? Bingo! You win a stuffed tiger.

[Conanfan-migration]

Dealers can charge whatever they want, I just know that whomever paid $150 for an issue you can STILL get for $30 as a CGC 9.6 or better preorder probably won't be shopping with said dealer again if/when they see what others are selling this issue for. If gouging regular customers was good business, there would be alot more comic shops left from the 90's boom.

[deathlok]

I went to my LCS to pick up my weekly books and in my pull stack was Cap#25. Bought it for cover price. They had a list of people that could sign up to buy the issue at cover price, when they received their second supply in.

 

[greggy]

I went to my LCS to pick up my weekly books and in my pull stack was Cap#25. Bought it for cover price. They had a list of people that could sign up to buy the issue at cover price, when they received their second supply in.

 

[Sal]

as an aside, i don't think you can technically call it "gouging" unless the item in question is a necessity...like electricity, food, or water.

 

 

as much as we love comics, they're not a "necessity," and thus the concept of "gouging" goes out the window. from a technical standpoint, that is

[deathlok]

I went to my LCS to pick up my weekly books and in my pull stack was Cap#25. Bought it for cover price. They had a list of people that could sign up to buy the issue at cover price, when they received their second supply in.

 

[whomerjay]

Why would you cancel a subscription just because they are asking borderline insane prices for Cap #25? Just don't buy it.

 

Ethics and taking a stand. I would do exactly the same in that situation. Fortunately the LCS guy here isn't money hungry and actually looks after his long term investment (me) and not short term gain while screwing people over. I know.

 

Ethics??? He's not doing anything uneithical He's just asking a freakin' insane price for a comic book. He's not screwing other people over, he's screwing himself over because nobody will buy the book.

 

If you don't see price gouging at a LCS for a book released 2 days before as unethical, then well you've done it, you've left me completely speechless.

 

Anyways, this might even come off as something of a buisness oppurtunity for all the "free market I do what I want" buisness types but loyalty from a customer can't be measured and stunts like this is exactly why it is that way. We own a small buisness at a seasonal town, so people travelling from across the country stopping by each summer is something we never expected and were pleasantly suprised. And we owe everything my family has to our customers and will go out of our way to cater to each and every one of them.

 

You've hit the nail on the head Sid. I don't understand these Adam Smith arguments as if comic stores are the same as ebay, and buying comics from them is like buying commodities on e-trade like a broker. This isn't a totally de-personalized hobby, issues like trust, loyalty, and ethics do come into play.

[Harvey Dude]

You've hit the nail on the head Sid. I don't understand these Adam Smith arguments as if comic stores are the same as ebay, and buying comics from them is like buying commodities on e-trade like a broker. This isn't a totally de-personalized hobby, issues like trust, loyalty, and ethics do come into play.

 

Absolutely,

 

If I saw a $150 sticker on this book, I would have walked out and taken all of my business somewhere else.

[lighthouse]

You've hit the nail on the head Sid. I don't understand these Adam Smith arguments as if comic stores are the same as ebay, and buying comics from them is like buying commodities on e-trade like a broker. This isn't a totally de-personalized hobby, issues like trust, loyalty, and ethics do come into play.

 

Absolutely,

 

If I saw a $150 sticker on this book, I would have walked out and taken all of my business somewhere else.

 

If I saw a $150 sticker on a book that was supposed to be in my box (and wasn't), I would do far more than walk out...

 

There is a big difference between "store owner is a fool" (he is pricing books with no regard to FMV) and "store owner is a crook" (he is violating his contract with his subscribers).

 

The subscriber's box is sacred in my book. When Diamond would short me on books for my subscribers, I went to other sources and found copies to fill those pulls (even at a loss). We had a bad stretch of shipments from Diamond during the early issues of 100 Bullets and I was buying copies at more than cover price to sell them at 25% off cover for the subs that got shorted. Heck, I even made sure that my deadbeat subs had the correct books. If there was less than 4 months worth of books in a sub's box, he still got every issue no matter how hot the book was...

 

Now, once he got 5 months behind... ... then we'd empty everything out and make some back issue customers happy...

[towards2112]

Have to disagree here for a moment.

 

I owe everything to my customers. If it wasnt for my customers,

 

1. I would not own my home

 

2. Would not have met my second wife and my kids today.

 

3. Would be finacially limited to what I wear, where I eat and things I have bought/own etc... etc.. etc

 

 

Do I have opportunaties to gouge my customers on billing or price my repairs as high as a dealership? Absolutely.

 

Honesty keeps customers loyal, period. If not for my customers, I would not be in the situation/lifestyle I have today.

 

So do I owe my customers anything? Without a friggen doubt, I sure do.

 

 

 

EXCELLANT FRIGGINT ATTITIUDE !!!

[joker-fish]

I am going to dis agree and say that it is incorrect to say that the seller is doing something wrong in this free capatalist society.

 

 

I'm reminded of all the price gougers down in New Orleans after Katrina.

 

Price gouging or free capitalist society?

 

damn gougers.......i had my share of that *spoon*, 40.00 per sheet to hang sheetrock

 

my comicshop guy REFUSED to list his caps on ebay,and also refused to take them out of folder customer accounts ( even if they were deadbeat costumers) and sold every copy he had for cover price,although he did limit them to one per customer since he only ordered 35

 

and as stated way earlier in the thread you cant base sell price for what he/you paid.i think everyone on this board has flipped a book or two in their day,especially one you got a good deal on and had it slab at a 9.6

[thirdgreenham]

So what's going on in Cap 25?

 

Cap's dead, John...he's DEAD!!!

 

 

Andy

[nochips]

Wait a few weeks, they will be for sale for a lot less. I don't fault my LCS for trying to make a buck. Lord knows they barely get by selling the other books that come out each week.

 

I don't read many new books anymore, probably for that type of reason, too many variant covers, crossovers, etc... In the old days the books came out and that was it. The classics came from word of mouth, not a bunch of hype from Diamond. The old classics were well written and well drawn, friends told friend and the next thing you knew people went looking for the book as a back issue. That's how the dealers knew they had a hit. it sold out in days, not minutes. Remember the "death of Superman" hype? I think he's still alive?

[october]

as an aside, i don't think you can technically call it "gouging" unless the item in question is a necessity...like electricity, food, or water.

 

 

as much as we love comics, they're not a "necessity," and thus the concept of "gouging" goes out the window. from a technical standpoint, that is

 

I'm glad somebody said it...even if it was ignored.

[Ze-man]

as an aside, i don't think you can technically call it "gouging" unless the item in question is a necessity...like electricity, food, or water.

 

 

as much as we love comics, they're not a "necessity," and thus the concept of "gouging" goes out the window. from a technical standpoint, that is

 

I'm glad somebody said it...even if it was ignored.

 

Call it Profiteering then?

 

Paint it however we want, We all know it comes down to an item short in supply that is in great demand and wether or not some people are willing to pay the asking price, while not exactly super swell of the LCS guy. It is not without precedent.

 

Personally I think it is insane, and if the LCS loses just one regular customer because he tried to make a cash grab , well that is just sad.

 

But..

 

It is what it is. All we are left is telling the guy he is full of it and taking our business elsewhere, pay the price he is asking.. or neither.

 

Marvel is the one who is watching and laughing at the sheetstorm they created.

 

Ze-

[chaos_ad-migration]

Why would you cancel a subscription just because they are asking borderline insane prices for Cap #25? Just don't buy it.

 

Ethics and taking a stand. I would do exactly the same in that situation. Fortunately the LCS guy here isn't money hungry and actually looks after his long term investment (me) and not short term gain while screwing people over. I know.

 

Ethics??? He's not doing anything uneithical He's just asking a freakin' insane price for a comic book. He's not screwing other people over, he's screwing himself over because nobody will buy the book.

 

If you don't see price gouging at a LCS for a book released 2 days before as unethical, then well you've done it, you've left me completely speechless.

 

This is so weird. I cannot believe how many people take personal offense to overpriced books. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine this. You must never search Ebay, because if you do you will get angry every time. I am just as speechless as you claim you are. Is it really that hard to walk out of a store WITHOUT a Cap #25?

 

What is the address of the comic book store you own?

[benz]

I give my LCS a Capt 25 was on my pull list and when I wen to pick it up yesterday, he gave me 2 covers at cover price. He also told me that there will be a next batch coming in 2 weeks from now and he will fill in everyone's pull list. He did not sell any CA 25 above cover price.

[action1kid]

Have to disagree here for a moment.

 

I owe everything to my customers. If it wasnt for my customers,

 

1. I would not own my home

 

2. Would not have met my second wife and my kids today.

 

3. Would be finacially limited to what I wear, where I eat and things I have bought/own etc... etc.. etc

 

 

Do I have opportunaties to gouge my customers on billing or price my repairs as high as a dealership? Absolutely.

 

Honesty keeps customers loyal, period. If not for my customers, I would not be in the situation/lifestyle I have today.

 

So do I owe my customers anything? Without a friggen doubt, I sure do.

 

 

 

EXCELLANT FRIGGINT ATTITIUDE !!!

 

Guess what ? Your a diamond in the rough........

[toro]

I am going to dis agree and say that it is incorrect to say that the seller is doing something wrong in this free capatalist society.

 

 

I'm reminded of all the price gougers down in New Orleans after Katrina.

 

Price gouging or free capitalist society?

 

I'm reminded of an outdoor concert we had here a few years ago. It was sooo hot that people were dropping like flies from being dehydrated. Many were taken away in ambulances.

 

Vendors were charging like $20 per bottle of water.

Isn't that the going rate for water at some concerts these days?