my last, last i tell you, attempted transaction with metropolis

[Pirate]

I inquired about a book one time long ago from their mailer for a cheap book (always try out someone with a cheap book first), never got a response, and have never bothered again.

 

I personally like it when a forum member brings things to our attention like this. This is at least the 4 or 5th (I don't like Metro) thread, there have been plenty of comiclinks too. Then the dealers come on and spout off and it just solidifies my opinion of the individual dealer being questioned. I love these boards.

[Pirate]

Richard-

 

I am truly hurt…

 

 

Having said that lets take a look at several past purchases from Richard-

 

You bought a Batman 4, 5 and Sub-mariner 16 all in

VF/NM condition from me in 2004. Books I would usually

not discount. My sticker was $15,400- your price

$14,400.00.

 

Your next purchase was a low grade Batman 3 which I knocked $100.00 off.

 

Your next purchase was a Subby #24 in VF/NM stickered at $1200. I would normally not discount a decent Timely title and especially not a tough to find book like a Subby #24 in high grade. But once again I knocked $100 off the purchase price to show some type of reciprocation for the discounts you have given me over the years. You thanked me with a big smile on your face as you walked away from my booth. I remember this specifically because I was hoping you were going to be ok with that type of discount (even though my 1st inclination was to not discount it). Needless to say I was relieved and happy to see you smile.

 

Then there was a Marvel Mystery 8 you bought from me. A

book I would never drop a dime off of but knocked a

complimentary $100 off for you…

 

Anybody reading please note I am not leaving off one purchase he made since the 1st one mentioned above for $14,400.00.

 

Richard, I can understand you sticking up for your friend... but I

thought I was a friend too...

 

Do I always give you something off- no, its true. But by what I have shown above anybody can see that I have made a good faith effort which I thought was appreciated. I know after making sales to you you have smiled, shook my hand and said thank you. And in return I of course thanked you for your business….

 

Your last purchase was for two Jumbo Comics, #13 CGC 8.5 and an 18 CGC 9.2. You bought these while I was away on vacation in Italy from Frank. You were only given $50.00 off a $2500 invoice. You made comment about this purchase in what I thought was a very sarcastic tone in another post on the Forum. I thought we were friends and had a decent business relationship so I didn’t quite know what to make of it-now I do.

 

When you tell me you don't have room to discount a book I don't take it personally-even though it is. I accept your rationale that you will not give me any more of a discount than I give you- but please don’t say you have always been easy with me about pricing-you have never been easy to buy from. I have always had to pick and choose carefully at the Bedrock booth.

 

I have tried to work with you on price as evidenced above. I have given you the courtesy you mention me not giving you. The difference between us is this. You will go and sell the same books I am interested in at or below my offer price to another buyer- I don’t do that to you.

 

To everybody- I would rather have dealt with this privately with Richard. In fact we spoke not more than a week ago and had a very friendly conversation. These issues were never brought up to me when we spoke and I thought everything was fine. We laughed, joked and talked about life in general and business. I told him I looked forward to seeing him at the next show and we hung up. I thought everything was cool.

 

I would only ask the forum members who have read this post to give us a chance. Don’t be persuaded by the negative things you have read here. If you want to see how we treat our customers email me directly with an offer and let me see what I can do for you.

My email address is vincentz@metropoliscomics.com.

 

Sincerely,

 

Vincent

 

Damage control at its finest.

[Catman-migration]

I inquired about a book one time long ago from their mailer for a cheap book (always try out someone with a cheap book first), never got a response, and have never bothered again.

 

I personally like it when a forum member brings things to our attention like this. This is at least the 4 or 5th (I don't like Metro) thread, there have been plenty of comiclinks too. Then the dealers come on and spout off and it just solidifies my opinion of the individual dealer being questioned. I love these boards.

 

Just for the record (in case anyone's wondering), I'm just a collector, not a dealer, and have no affiliation with Metro. I've dealt with Metro on several occasions as a customer and, although I don't always agree with their grading 100%, it's usually close enough for my tastes. As for prices, I prefer buying books for the lowest price possible. However, I don't mind paying a little extra to get a hard to find (usually GA) book that I want. The paper may have come from trees, but the GA books sure as heck don't grow on trees. Just as people don't mind paying the buyer's premium at a Heritage auction for a book they want -- The auction price may be a good deal or near guide, but with the buyer's premium tacked on it may not be such a great deal compared to guide or GPA.

 

Sorry for the . I just think too many people on these boards have an axe to grind and I had to speak up. Maybe I've been a lurker for too long.

[Shield]

I'd be willing to meet halfway and sell the book for $700, but that really is the lowest I can go, and I'm only doing that for you, I wouldn't offer that to anyone else.

[Aces]

 

Their customer service is exceptional, when I asked them to ban me for life from their site, they immediately complied.

 

[Silver Surfer]

Maybe you need to take your agenda elsewhere?

[Pirate]

Maybe you need to take your agenda elsewhere?

 

You deliberately break forum rules and I have an agenda?

[Silver Surfer]

Maybe you need to take your agenda elsewhere?

 

You deliberately break forum rules and I have an agenda?

 

Nevermind.

[Straw-Man]

I'd be willing to meet halfway and sell the book for $700, but that really is the lowest I can go, and I'm only doing that for you, I wouldn't offer that to anyone else.

 

shield, i don't appreciate this; my doctor told me at my age i was to avoid gut-wrenching belly laughs. just hysterical.

[The Black Hand ®]

I'd be willing to meet halfway and sell the book for $700, but that really is the lowest I can go, and I'm only doing that for you, I wouldn't offer that to anyone else.

 

shield, i don't appreciate this; my doctor told me at my age i was to avoid gut-wrenching belly laughs. just hysterical.

 

This is one of the best ones Shield has come up with...devastatingly simple, yet deadly in it's ability to unmask the greed heads. Let this serve as a warning to all the greedheads out there.We know you!

[BlowUpTheMoon]

I absolutely love this thread.

 

Very educational for me.

[Weird Paper]

You know, it is this type of nonsense that has moved me further and further away from the comic book community. People have wondered why they never see me at shows anymore. Now you have your answer.

That being said, the above response seems very "I'm taking my ball and going home" of you. This response makes you sound like a whiny, petulant child. You've (arguably?) got the freaking best comics-for-sale inventory in the world. What you've done obviously works for you. If you feel the need to defend yourself here, don't do it in a way that makes you sound like a spoiled kid.

 

Metro (or any dealer) is not under any obligation to give discounts, though they are appreciated when given. Whining about not receiving a discount (or a good enough discount) in a public forum sounds a lot more childish.

 

I realize MrBedrock is defending his friend, but his posts (as well as some others) contain what sounds a lot like dealer (and collector?) envy toward Metro. If Metro can keep on bringing out the wide variety of hard to find books that they have been, I welcome it as a GA collector.

 

With all due respect, you missed my point. I agree 100% that it is every dealer's and every collector's right to charge whatever they want to or need to for a comic. I (not a dealer) have asked ridiculous prices before for comics--based on what I might have in them or what it might take to pry them from my cold, dead hands.

 

My point was this response that, in essence, he doesn't wish to interact with the common collector anymore because of some people's attitudes toward him or his company seem negative or antagonistic. Well, "spoon", pal--dance with who brung ya. What does it say when you take this attitude toward your customer base, then leave your partner to clean up your mess? If you're that burned out, maybe it's time to get a new line of work, although it seems selling comics has been a pretty sweet deal for you.

 

I imagine being the country's top comics dealer makes you a target for all sorts of opinions. It's impossible to please everybody. But, the minute you start publicly showing contempt for your customers, you've started down a slippery slope.

[action1kid]

Stephen built the foundation of a sucessful company by being contemptuous ?

[The Black Hand ®]

I don't neccesarily think that S. is contemptuous of his customers, in fact I think he embraces them. In the spirit if S.'s legendary wit and sense of humour, I give you an image of S. embracing one of his customer.

[action1kid]

A little levity . Good call.

[sacentaur]

Stephen built the foundation of a sucessful company by being contemptuous ?

 

No, by having the single-minded purpose to exploit opportunity regardless of the harmful effects on others.

 

STEVE

[Weird Paper]

Stephen built the foundation of a sucessful company by being contemptuous ?

 

I wouldn't think so. You couldn't succeed that way. And I know Vincent doesn't operate that way. What I meant was that the statement that "this type of nonsense has moved me further and further away from the comic book community" and that he no longer goes to shows because of this seems to presently reveal a contempt for his clientele (the comic collecting community). If your business plan, at this point in time, is to continue at your current status, then you need to address issues of customer dissatisfaction before they get out of hand, and you need to be a positive presence in the hobby. You don't need to run off and hide.

 

Fact is, though, I have no business telling them how to run their operation... and I'm not. I just pointed out that the "this type of nonsense" statement seemed overly general, petulant and somewhat off-putting... to me. You can agree or disagree, but that's how it struck me.

[action1kid]

Bedrock slammed him pretty hard. I think it only natural that he responded in a defensive manner.If hes avoiding you guys at the shows hes certainly making up for it by NOT avoiding you guys on these message boards.He is a frequent contributer here. Come on, give him that at the very least.

[jkrk]

I like these kinds of threads. I find them informative. I am happy to be given information about a dealer (in a limited context) and can compare my own expriences with the same dealer. I am then in a position to judge the dealers pricing flexibility. If Frank gave me his bottom line number, I assume that was Metro's low limit. I wouldn't assume I should take the negotiation to the next level.

I am not knocking Metro but I am praising Billy for relating his experience.

 

I fully understand a sellers limits. When I offer books I discount some more than others. If I tire of the title or if I upgrade a book I might look for a more immediate sale. I discount very little if I have no desire to move any inventory. If a seller offers

a "lot" I might purchase all his books in order to procure a few books that I really wish to keep. The balance would be priced to move relatively quickly. I can relate to Metro's pricing policies. As I read about Billy's frustration I don't take this as a reason for others to stop buying books from Metro. However, if I was running Metro's business my only consideration would be whether it's possible to end this conflict relatively quickly and to everyone's satisfaction?

 

Sometimes conflicts arise even among the best of friends. Often open communications can help to resolve the differences.

 

Peace to everyone.

 

Now onto my search for war comics.

[action1kid]

Quote:// Often open communications can help to resolve the differences.

 

I think it would make a great Comiczone.