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Support your LCS! But why?
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177 posts in this topic

2 hours ago, october said:

I actually found 3-4 nice books with January price stickers on them. Books that should have sold months ago at those prices. That indicates there was a LOT of good stuff. :(

Ooh, what did ya get? Chances are I pawed over it at some point, I was in there every single day for a few weeks, looking for good stuff!

 

1 hour ago, newshane said:

They are doing well. Two locations in Nashville proper and a new one just opened up in a big 'burb to the southeast. 

That's good to hear! It's been a couple of years since I got down to Nashville (well, I've gone through it several times, but I don't usually have a chance to stop and shop around) but I always enjoyed those shops. Maybe I'll make a point to get down there this summer.

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41 minutes ago, Bookery said:

New comics for us are now simply a loss leader.  Sales keep dropping year after year after year.  But you worry if you get rid of them, will it reduce traffic and hurt other departments?  At some point, however, there will come a tipping point for us.

Shouldn't weekly pulls be profit? Or are the copies you feel obligated to put on the rack wiping that out?

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47 minutes ago, Bookery said:

New comics for us are now simply a loss leader.  Sales keep dropping year after year after year.  

I'm sure that companies releasing 20 variants per issue isn't helping either. 

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1 hour ago, newshane said:

I'm sure that companies releasing 20 variants per issue isn't helping either. 

the ones i see are $10.00 each. Now granted I don't pay much mind, so maybe these are super special variants and the others are priced lower.

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27 minutes ago, F For Fake said:

Ooh, what did ya get? Chances are I pawed over it at some point, I was in there every single day for a few weeks, looking for good stuff!

 

Nothing huge. Some silver age minor keys priced around half of GPA. Also got an ASM 57 they had marked as VF, but that is dead NM. Not sure what the grader was looking at. 

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2 hours ago, the blob said:

I got my fridge at a local shop after the cluelessness of the folks at Home Depot sent my wife into a rage. Slightly cheaper, next day delivery (because their warehouse is in Brooklyn, not 8 million miles away), and delivery guys who know how to get the appliances into old houses without destroying them. Home depot told us one model could not get through our door because they could not take the fridge door off. The local place was "of course you can take the door off." Admittedly, the local place is not exactly a "mom and pop shop," but it is one single location. Of course, my wife likes it when the sales people know the product, rather than someone working minimum wage who is stuck in appliances that day who might be in the paint section the next. OTOH, when I just wanted a cheap dryer I went big box. And then they installed it defectively and I had a gas leak that was slowly poisoning us.

 

As for comics...I can usually find something worthwhile in most shops. Admittedly, it might not be worth the time hunting, but it's fun. Of course, I have pretty broad collecting goals. Lots of folks here are down on shops in general. But let's face it, if all those shops disappear, the hobby probably has another 5 years left. As for cons, I always find tons of good stuff to buy, but yes, you're rarely going to get a real deal on a three or four digit key.

 

 

Oh you are correct it totally depends... There are things I would never use a big chain place for.  I recently had to have a window replaced.  There is one guy I like to hire to do a few things that are beyond my ability like a full blown window installation.  This guy is a craftsman.  He sold me on always hiring him when I needed my attic vents replaced.  My house was built around 1935-1937... records are a little sketchy.  They don't make certain things like that anymore.  When he took a look he knew that you could not get replacements so he fabricated them on his own. 

When it comes to doing my bathroom over, I already know I am going with him.   Any problem that we encounter he will come up with a way to solve it rather than a Home Depot place which will shake their head and say, "We will have to get back to you."

There are some things I will use a local business for and other things I will not.  When it comes to service type jobs I tend to try local business or craftsmen first.  

When it comes to hard goods though... Hey... I could shop from my phone while commuting to work or I can wait on a line and spend more money after spending time looking for an item. 

 

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1 hour ago, NoMan said:

He does live with his mom. LOL!

P Dots is not the 100% the Bee's Knees but it's better than most. Seems like you've got the area thrift stores to yourself. Lot's of old timers have put in a lot more work than I have so any bright plan I've thought of to secure books before others has been thought of and implemented years before I dreamt it up. Is the Pasadena City College swap meet worth my time, comics wise?

Comic wise, I would say no. There are usually a few people with ‘80s-90’s picked over books. I have on real rare occasions bumped into a few decent ones but hardly ever and there seem to be a lot of competition. I do find other stuff like toys, advertising and sports stuff. If I make 3 purchases, I consider myself lucky. All the flea markets and swap meets have turned into bad garage sales. Right place, right time though. Seems like I do it more for the exercise...

Best one for comics is usually the Rose Bowl (2nd Sunday). Gotta be there early and move though. 

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1 hour ago, Robot Man said:

Comic wise, I would say no. There are usually a few people with ‘80s-90’s picked over books. I have on real rare occasions bumped into a few decent ones but hardly ever and there seem to be a lot of competition. I do find other stuff like toys, advertising and sports stuff. If I make 3 purchases, I consider myself lucky. All the flea markets and swap meets have turned into bad garage sales. Right place, right time though. Seems like I do it more for the exercise...

Best one for comics is usually the Rose Bowl (2nd Sunday). Gotta be there early and move though. 

never made it to the Rose Bowl even tho it's blocks from my house. Usually tired from work. zzz

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1 hour ago, the blob said:

Shouldn't weekly pulls be profit? Or are the copies you feel obligated to put on the rack wiping that out?

They make a gross profit (i.e. we sell more than the Diamond cost), but not enough to make a net profit when you factor in the staff time, and the overhead cost of the space they occupy.

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18 hours ago, RockMyAmadeus said:

If there are any store owners that are reading this, indulge me in sharing some of the things that would make me shop at your store:

1. I don't want to be made to feel like you're doing me a favor by existing. I'm not walking in with a chip on my shoulder, thinking you owe me...I'd appreciate the same in reverse, ESPECIALLY since, in commerce, the goal is to make the customer satisfied...not the other way around. The benefit of the doubt...even if it's slight...should be towards the customer.

2. I don't want to be made to feel like I'm ripping you off. If I select things to buy, I don't need to be treated as if I'm "scooping" you on all the "hot" books (I'm looking at you, British guy who manages Torpedo Comics in Vegas.) Give me your best price, and DO NOT act offended if I turn you down, or offer a price lower than you're willing to accept. Just say "thanks, but I'll pass." I DO NOT need to be told "man, that's the hottest book on the market right now!!" especially when/if it isn't. I don't care. Why I'm buying is none of your business, just as why you're selling is none of mine. I don't need to know why you can't possibly lower the price on your 3x Overstreet Super Chair #83. Just give me your best price, or, even better, try to upsell my by saying "I'll do your price...IF you'll buy this at this price as well."

If I buy something that is suddenly "hot"...that's on you. If you can't be bothered to keep up with the market...that's on you. If I buy something at your price, and it ends up being "worth" more...what was stopping you from pulling it before the store opened? Or just making a customer happy that they bought something at a price you would have been happy with yesterday? Resenting your customers is a good way to not have any.

3. If I buy multiple things from you, and have been a customer for years, don't act offended if I ask for a little better price. If I buy 7 long boxes of dollar books from you, don't whine when I ask you for a little better price than the person off the street who buys 4 books (I'm looking at you, House of Secrets.)

4. Don't you EVER, EVER badmouth your customers, for ANY reason, to ANYONE. 

5. If you sell me something that turns out to be a problem...don't hassle me about it. Just take the damn return. You sell me something that turns out to be restored, just take the book back.

6. Assume the best intentions in your customers. Yes, there are bad apples out there, and yes, people are looking to do bad things to you, but not everyone is. So don't act like it.

7. Don't change your policies on the fly. If you want to limit books to one per customer, say that, in writing, upfront, so everyone's expectations are managed. If you're selling back issues, and I want to buy all your copies of Wonder X #537...sell them. Nobody wanted them before me, and there's at least a decent chance no one will want them after me. Not always, but a decent chance. A sale in the hand is always worth more than two in the bush.

8. Don't treat me like I can't live without you. Even if I can't. 

9. If someone has broken your policies...explain it to them in a way that doesn't demean them. Be firm, but be courteous and sensitive to your customers, and let them know that there's a way to get back into good graces, IF they care to. 

10. Don't you EVER, EVER have your customers do your sorting for you...for free...by telling them something is one price, and, after they've spent several hours going through boxes, tell them "oh...that's not that price. That's this other (higher) price." I'm looking at YOU, Angelo. 

Now, I recognize that not everyone is going to agree with me on these things...but I suspect, if stores adopted these policies, they'd go a long, long way towards building long lasting, productive, healthy relationships with your customer base. Yes, it will require some training on your part...but you never know what fruit you might bear in the future.

All done as policy...

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I stopped shopping at any LCS  around town after my son was born in 2017. Believe me i tried to hold out as long as possible, but it became a hassle having to drop him off at my folks house for an hour or so just to go pick up my weekly pulls, then rush back to get the baby, go and hustle to get ready for work etc etc.....

a couple other reasons that turned me off from 2 of the shops i used to frequent.

1. opening time was either 10am or 11am and they would come and open anywhere from 30 mins to an hour late or sometimes later even.....

2. the owner at one shop used to act as if he were "godly" and very elitist. he would act as if he were too high and mighty to speak to any of the regulars.

3.quality of some brand new Wednesday releases at one shop would look as if were trampled on and or badly handled frequently.

4.If a certain shop heard via some of these speculation websites that a book is hot. that Wednesday release was already jacked up to $10 dollars a pop

5. Both shops that i used to frequent had one similar problem. it wasn't always but quite a few times they would not have a particular issue, variant, or series in stock. and they would never end up getting them again. which would make me have to order online from somewhere.

 

All these reasons above were good enough for me to start doing the online comic ordering. it at this point works out more convenient for me, considering my books are delivered right to my home. yea they're a week behind with me receiving them, but so what? i end up getting them all from one vendor and have no problems at all. not to mention i no longer have to buy bags and boards because all the modern titles come with them.

.

 

 

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6 hours ago, dupont2005 said:

It’s unrealistic to expect them to be restoration experts but if it’s sold as unrestored at an unrestored price it’s not unreasonable at all to expect them to accept returns 

If the resto is obvious (visible color touch, glue, tape etc..) of course you’re going to point that out and disclose. I’m talking about restoration that would take a professional to determine. You can’t expect a shop owner with thousands of books process to be held responsible if one happens to come back restored. Buyer takes that chance when purchasing raw books. 

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A Great Escape just opened where I live, just outside Nashville. The original store was a wonderful place, and I can still recall my first visits to it as a child. The one that opened recently where I am has very few new comics, two boxes of overpriced vintage comics, and less than 20 "wall" comics that were poorly priced as well.

The LCS where I've done business these last few years has both improved and declined in some ways. The owner's son has taken over the day to day running of the store, and he and a partner, who seems utterly disinterested in the people in the store, is working to increase the store's presence. They've increased their social presence, gotten in some decent collections, and even scored a nice DD 1 and a low grade AF 15. They're having a go at pressing though they're still amateur time from the results I've seen, now carry some slabbed books and will make CGC submissions, and are running some online auctions. They offer discounts on both new books and back issues for box holders.

But...their grading is quite poor, their pricing is high (to accommodate the discount, is my guess), the aforementioned partner has all the social skills of a rock, another clerk can't even make conversation (I've seen customers leave because of his inability to interact with people when they pose questions, he also manhandles books). They lack any knowledge of the back issue market that doesn't involve Marvel superheroes. If there's not a recent sold item on ebay to reference, they don't think a market exists at all for a book. But their demeanor is this weird snobbishness that they can't admit what they don't know. That dismissive attitude is turning off people who would spend with them. I'm not a heavy hitter, but I spend at least a few hundred every month on back issues. And when I was playing part-time dealer, I bought and sold almost six figures of slabbed comics. I still play around in that market some, but when they want a 50% commission on consignments and look boggled when I explain that I can send slabs to ComicLink for 10%, they sure aren't getting my business. I'd like to connect with more local back issue collectors. I'd like to find the people who know that comics extend beyond Marvel Silver Age. I'd like to support the local hobby scene. But they make it hard to do that.

I get that they have to truck in what will sell to their market. I get that they are working in a pennies business. And I get that I don't know how to run their business. But the poor customer service, the dismissiveness, the weird (to me at least) passion for the hobby to energize the store mixed with the indifference to a large swath of the market, the ignorance of that market marked with an incurious refusal to admit they don't know all there is to know: it's all become a turn off. The folks at the store across town will greet you by name, ask if you got anything in recently, talk about golden age books, price things to sell, and just display a real interest in the hobby as a whole. It's a notable difference. As for that Great Escape that opened, I have no interest in returning. I mean, if I'm looking to buy an old sofa, some antique China, some over priced VG copies of random back issues, and a vinyl record, I guess that's my place. :/

 

Edited by DavidTheDavid
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24 minutes ago, Cruzin' Thru Comics said:
7 hours ago, dupont2005 said:

It’s unrealistic to expect them to be restoration experts but if it’s sold as unrestored at an unrestored price it’s not unreasonable at all to expect them to accept returns 

If the resto is obvious (visible color touch, glue, tape etc..) of course you’re going to point that out and disclose. I’m talking about restoration that would take a professional to determine. You can’t expect a shop owner with thousands of books process to be held responsible if one happens to come back restored. Buyer takes that chance when purchasing raw books. 

Sure you can. That's the whole point of this entire thread, what everyone has been saying. The buyer shouldn't have to "take that chance." A local comic shop shouldn't be akin to walking into a casino.

It's pretty straightforward: if you want to cultivate customers who want to do business with you over and over again, you take responsibility, even if you aren't capable of detecting it yourself.

If you don't want to do that...then say "sorry, all sales final. Too bad about that book you bought. Better luck next time."

You have the perfect right to make either choice, but there are consequences...good and bad...for either choice.

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2 hours ago, Buzzetta said:

This guy is a craftsman.  He sold me on always hiring him when I needed my attic vents replaced.  My house was built around 1935-1937... records are a little sketchy.  They don't make certain things like that anymore.  When he took a look he knew that you could not get replacements so he fabricated them on his own. 

These people are diamonds. I go out of my way to make sure other people know about their work. People who take pride in their work, and aren't satisfied until it's perfect?

Absolute diamonds. Worth every penny, and then some.

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31 minutes ago, Cruzin' Thru Comics said:

If the resto is obvious (visible color touch, glue, tape etc..) of course you’re going to point that out and disclose. I’m talking about restoration that would take a professional to determine. You can’t expect a shop owner with thousands of books process to be held responsible if one happens to come back restored. Buyer takes that chance when purchasing raw books. 

“thousands of books to process”....which the store owner likely acquired for pennies on the dollar and is now selling for a considerable mark-up.  And the store is able to sell books at that mark-up on the implied notion that the book is unrestored. 

Granted, most of those “thousands of books” may not be worth the time and effort to do an extensive restoration check, but those same books that aren’t ‘worth it’ probably cost the store owner very little to acquire. 

It makes more business sense to stand behind what you sell and take a very minor monetary hit on a book that wasn’t ‘worth’ checking thoroughly and have a satisfied customer that then to say ‘ya takes yer chances’ and stick your customer with a FMV “learning lesson” and garner the reputation of a comic book dealer who sticks his buyers with restored books and everything that comes with that rep. 

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