shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,871
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Post by shaxper on May 12, 2016 19:29:49 GMT -5
The problem is, guys like this can stay in business as long as they want to, particularly if they are the only game in town. With the end of the newsstand distribution model, dealers in areas with no or few other options can operate however they want because their customer base can't easily go somewhere else. It makes no sense to me, as I would think making money would be their prime motivation, but I've met too many of them that are more interested in "winning" a negotiation than working with the other party to figure out a "win-win" solution. They'd rather refuse my $75 offer for a book even if it means they don't move the product just because someone on eBay from Walla Walla, Washington got $100 for the same book a month ago. In addition to lots of oddities and OOP/hard to find merchandise (comics, movies, TV), this shop has a huuuge selection of back issues and $1 bins stretching as far as the eye can see. However a lot of the merch doesn't move, and has been there for literally years. I've always guessed they make just enough to stay open, which is a lot less than they could potentially make it they drop prices. Not too long ago I spoke with a former employee who now runs his own shop, and according to him the owner of the former place is just a hoarder. He doesn't necessarily want to sell/part with what's basically his personal collection on display.  There's an LCS like that near me. The owner owns the building, so his overhead is quite low. For years, this was exactly how he did business, and so things sat and gathered dust. And he never dropped below Overstreet guide on a price, even if you were buying a worthless run and tried to bargain for a reasonable bulk discount. But, gradually, he was allowing his nephew to take greater control of the business, and one year, the nephew convinced him to allow a Black Friday sale where everything (and I mean everything in the store that wasn't a current issue) was 50% off. They made a fortune, and so they've continued to do it every year since. Now stuff moves, the collection is rotating once per year, and they are making a lot more money than they used to. Collectors can afford to nickel and dime on their transactions. A business has to keep their eye on the larger prize and prioritize volume in order to remain profitable. |
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Post by dupersuper on May 12, 2016 22:02:23 GMT -5
The problem is, guys like this can stay in business as long as they want to, particularly if they are the only game in town. With the end of the newsstand distribution model, dealers in areas with no or few other options can operate however they want because their customer base can't easily go somewhere else. It makes no sense to me, as I would think making money would be their prime motivation, but I've met too many of them that are more interested in "winning" a negotiation than working with the other party to figure out a "win-win" solution. They'd rather refuse my $75 offer for a book even if it means they don't move the product just because someone on eBay from Walla Walla, Washington got $100 for the same book a month ago. $1 bins stretching as far as the eye can see. That sounds like Heaven... |
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Post by Deleted on May 12, 2016 22:56:30 GMT -5
$1 bins stretching as far as the eye can see. That sounds like Heaven... every one of them filled with unsold copies of X-Men #1 in each of the 5 covers, X-Force #1s all still polybagged with the trading cards, but no Deadpool cards, those actually sold on ebay, and issues of Youngblood, WildCATS, Shadowhawk, Ultraverse books, and all colors of Deathmate. That's it... -M |
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Post by SJNeal on May 13, 2016 11:16:05 GMT -5
$1 bins stretching as far as the eye can see. That sounds like Heaven... Lol, it is! The only reason I go there is because they regularly acquire huge collections, and if you time it right there are usually quite a few gems to be found. But I avoid their regular back issue bins, as this place always has $1 bin fodder priced and $4-5 each. |
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Post by SJNeal on May 13, 2016 11:17:24 GMT -5
That sounds like Heaven... every one of them filled with unsold copies of X-Men #1 in each of the 5 covers, X-Force #1s all still polybagged with the trading cards, but no Deadpool cards, those actually sold on ebay, and issues of Youngblood, WildCATS, Shadowhawk, Ultraverse books, and all colors of Deathmate. That's it... -M  Yes, there are plenty of these treasures to be found too... |
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Post by Deleted on May 13, 2016 11:35:45 GMT -5
A couple of things annoy me about my store. The guy who is there on the weekends acts like you are bothering him when you ask for your books from your box and when he rings you up, he doesn't say thank you or even acknowledge you. He is usually eating something and I don't like how he has greasy hands that leave marks on my books. I also get annoyed when someone stands by the new comics wall, reading a comic cover to cover (does not buy it) and will not move out of the way. A few times books on my pull list don't get pulled, sell out, and I don't receive my copy. That is very annoying.
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Post by urrutiap on May 22, 2016 12:04:19 GMT -5
I have a question. The comic shop I go to once in awhile or once a year or so, they still have short long boxes full of old toy fare and wizard magazines 50 cents each mixed with other 15 year old magazines.
Since I am probably the only person who buts old stuff like that and those old wizard magazines are just sitting there collecting dust do you think it's possible if the workers there would be willing to give them away for free? I don't think anyone else is buying them. Just me probably anyway.
Heck the oldest issues of Wizard I saw were issues 24 and 25
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Post by Slam_Bradley on May 22, 2016 12:20:40 GMT -5
I have a question. The comic shop I go to once in awhile or once a year or so, they still have short long boxes full of old toy fare and wizard magazines 50 cents each mixed with other 15 year old magazines. Since I am probably the only person who buts old stuff like that and those old wizard magazines are just sitting there collecting dust do you think it's possible if the workers there would be willing to give them away for free? I don't think anyone else is buying them. Just me probably anyway. Heck the oldest issues of Wizard I saw were issues 24 and 25 Unless the store is pressed for space it's fairly unlikely they're going to give them away. I'd make an offer for the whole batch that is less than what they are asking per issue, but still something. |
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Post by Gene on May 22, 2016 13:00:38 GMT -5
I can't stand a dark, dirty, disorganized store. Not coincidentally, these are usually the places where the staff gives you the stink eye if you're not a regular.
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Post by Batflunkie on May 22, 2016 14:53:00 GMT -5
The problem with a lot of "specialty" stores is that those that often run them have such a ludicrous air of pretension about themselves, that it often boarders on nauseating. But too, I think it's also a good way to weed out the types of customers you don't want. It's kind of like "burning the candle at both ends" to turn a phrase. 
The earliest comic book store that I can recall going to was one located in our local area flea market simply called "Flea Market Comics". It was run by a rather effeminate and portly, grey haired man named "Steve" who acted almost exactly like the above. But the more we kept returning, the more we warmed up to him and he in turn. I've been incredibly loyal to that little Podunk comic book shop up until the day it ultimately closed in April due to Steve's untimely passing. Other comic book stores would come and go under just as quickly, but Flea Market Comics weathered the storm and for a long time, it was the only place that you could physically get comics in Mobile outside of bookstores. But now that they're sadly gone, at least F.O.S. Comics seems to be doing well enough for itself. Really great atmosphere that's run by lovely people. Went there for my 25th birthday and came home with $20 worth in .25 cent comics, mostly classic Valiant and Malibu Ultraverse stuff |
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