Support your LCS! But why? 2 2

[bababooey]

23 minutes ago, Supa-Bad-Mofo said:

Why?

Why wouldn't he?  I'd rather tell any shop owner about a hot book lest it end up in the hands of someone who uses the word "spec" & wants to buy it just to put it up "for sell". 

[fastballspecial]

I agree. I went thru 3000 books at one of my local shops a few years ago. I found about 30 I wanted and he gave me a good deal on them.
I found him another 12 books including at the time several semi key Copper Spiders, and Iron Fist 14,15 and Marvel Premiere 15 in nice grade
and gave them to him that he hadn't found yet to sell.

After that he continues to give me good deals and I continue to discuss hot books and books to be on the lookout for. I want him to stay
in business. This concept seems lost on my many comic sellers/buyers. Down the road I have benefitted greatly and continue to do so,
because of what I did a few years ago.

 

[Supa-Bad-Mofo]

38 minutes ago, bababooey said:

Why wouldn't he?  I'd rather tell any shop owner about a hot book lest it end up in the hands of someone who uses the word "spec" & wants to buy it just to put it up "for sell". 

 

22 minutes ago, fastballspecial said:

I agree. I went thru 3000 books at one of my local shops a few years ago. I found about 30 I wanted and he gave me a good deal on them.
I found him another 12 books including at the time several semi key Copper Spiders, and Iron Fist 14,15 and Marvel Premiere 15 in nice grade
and gave them to him that he hadn't found yet to sell.

After that he continues to give me good deals and I continue to discuss hot books and books to be on the lookout for. I want him to stay
in business. This concept seems lost on my many comic sellers/buyers. Down the road I have benefitted greatly and continue to do so,
because of what I did a few years ago.

 

I see your point in both cases, but you're burning the collector behind you in my mind. Sure, a "flipper" might get the book and YOU might get preferential treatment, but what about other collectors that might find a deal for their personal collection? In my case, I have to drive 240 miles round trip to get to my nearest LCS. Granted, I haven't really found a deal, but I'd like to. If the locals point out every up and coming book, I don't have a chance. Just seems like keeping up on pricing and pulling "hot" books from the long boxes should be the shops responsibility, not the customers'.

Best deal I've gotten was a local Facebook sale from a non-collector who found 10  VG/FN non-key SA books in a box of books he bought at an auction. He didn't really know what to do with them and posted them for $40 bucks. Turned out I knew the guy, and paid his asking price. 

[NoMan]

Has anybody experienced this?:

A dealer that kinds of pleads with you to buy something from him. Kinda the "throw me a bone" spiel. Only happened to me at cons/flea markets. No bigger dealers. No dealers here. It's just kinda a weird situation. Happened with an Avengers 181 (is that an Antman issue semi key?) at this collectable flea market here in Southern California called Frank & Sons. (Never had much luck there with back issues). It was kinda like an ugly girl asking you to go to prom with them or that Dinosaur Jr. song with the lyrics, I feel the pain of everyone. I try to help people when I can. Don't know why, this guy probably would have ripped me off if I tried to sell him an Avengers #181.

Anyways, I bought it from him. Threw him a bone, I guess. Forgot what I paid. 

Speaking of which I should keep a detailed log of what I paid for what and when and from whom. As my journalism teacher told me once, "another opportunity lost, dude."

Edited April 28, 2019 by NoMan

[Bird]

2 hours ago, Supa-Bad-Mofo said:

Why?

To form a symbiotic relationship 

[NoMan]

1 hour ago, Bird said:

To form a symbiotic relationship 

Generally speaking you don't find people in life much anymore that think that far down the road. 

 

[Supa-Bad-Mofo]

8 hours ago, Bird said:

To form a symbiotic relationship 

 

8 hours ago, NoMan said:

Generally speaking you don't find people in life much anymore that think that far down the road. 

 

Like I said, looking out for your own interests vs. the interests of the collector behind you. Generally speaking,  there are a lot of people out for themselves.

[Bird]

Why would I have allegiance to a collector down the road more than someone I know and deal with on a regular basis? Buying and selling is not about taking advantage of others but mutual benefit.

[Bird]

34 minutes ago, Supa-Bad-Mofo said:

 

Like I said, looking out for your own interests vs. the interests of the collector behind you. Generally speaking,  there are a lot of people out for themselves.

You’re talking about an abstract idea helping people that don’t exist or that you don’t even know I’m talking about helping people I do know in real world situations

[the blob]

On 4/28/2019 at 10:59 AM, Supa-Bad-Mofo said:

 

I see your point in both cases, but you're burning the collector behind you in my mind. Sure, a "flipper" might get the book and YOU might get preferential treatment, but what about other collectors that might find a deal for their personal collection? In my case, I have to drive 240 miles round trip to get to my nearest LCS. Granted, I haven't really found a deal, but I'd like to. If the locals point out every up and coming book, I don't have a chance. Just seems like keeping up on pricing and pulling "hot" books from the long boxes should be the shops responsibility, not the customers'.

Best deal I've gotten was a local Facebook sale from a non-collector who found 10  VG/FN non-key SA books in a box of books he bought at an auction. He didn't really know what to do with them and posted them for $40 bucks. Turned out I knew the guy, and paid his asking price. 

If you have a good working relationship (or friendship) with a shop owner why leave a present for some collector you don't know? Decent chance the shop owner is in a worse financial situation than the anonymous collector.

[Bird]

15 minutes ago, the blob said:

If you have a good working relationship (or friendship) with a shop owner why leave a present for some collector you don't know? Decent chance the shop owner is in a worse financial situation than the anonymous collector.

Exactly. Plus pointing out hot books in their stacks allows them to pull them and make them accessible to everyone, this improving the chances that someone else might get it (yes, though it is often at a higher price) instead of it hiding until the heat wears off and no one gets nothing. Again, buying and selling is not about screwing the other guy; both parties should be happy with the deal or why did it get done at all? And no one wins when the shop closes.

[the blob]

6 minutes ago, Bird said:

Exactly. Plus pointing out hot books in their stacks allows them to pull them and make them accessible to everyone, this improving the chances that someone else might get it (yes, though it is often at a higher price) instead of it hiding until the heat wears off and no one gets nothing. Again, buying and selling is not about screwing the other guy; both parties should be happy with the deal or why did it get done at all? And no one wins when the shop closes.

If only landlords jacking up rent 40-100% would get on board! That's what frustrates me about my latest local closing. His business was doing fine. 2 full time employees. Always willing to buy stuff and paid decently for good stuff. But not well enough to absorb a $3k a month rent increase.

 

[mec3437]

I frequent three store with regularity in my area (SW Ohio, into Northern Kentucky). I stop in to some of the other stores as well, just not as frequently.  Anyways, I can say that I very much enjoy go to the local stores to find books.  I enjoy talking with the owners and employees, they send me emails or texts to say if they got something in that I might be interested in, and sometimes I even get to check out the back room for books that they may not have space on the display wall for.  I also don't have a problem buying raw, key books from them.  I know that it's mind boggling that someone would pay for a raw book in this day and age.  I got hit with restoration on a Batman 189 that I purchased from an LCS.  When I brought it to the owner's attention he was upset with himself for not catching the color touch (he has a giant magnifying glass, black lights, etc, his eyes are old now), he bought the book back, covered my grading costs, and shipping fees.  I don't mind buying graded books online, but I don't feel a need to buy every key over a couple hundred dollars in a slab.  There are sellers I like online (Bob Storms, Incognito Comics UK, etc), but I get a more personal treatment at the LCS.  I try to help them out by referring friends to their stores when they come in from out of town.  I hope my experiences are more the rule than the exception.  

[Pirate]

On 4/24/2019 at 12:18 PM, Black_Adam said:

The shops here (in Vancouver, Canada) all have a lot of inventory of new stuff, TPBs etc. Not much to speak of in terms of bronze, silver or gold back issues (hard to compete with the internet for those). And I don't buy a lot of modern stuff anymore, but if I do buy any I always make sure to get it from my LCS only because I am a condition nut (I get nervous even watching the sales staff handle the comics I've selected when they're ringing them up, bagging/boarding them, etc). Every time I have bought new releases over the internet I have almost always been disappointed in the condition when received.

So for me, when it comes to new releases, my local LCS still gets my vote and my support.

 

 

@greggy buys all the bronze in Vancouver 

[greggy]

Just now, Pirate said:

@greggy buys all the bronze in Vancouver 

I make all the contacts behind the scenes while others grind for the hot new modern books. 

Happy birthday @Pirate

[Pirate]

1 minute ago, greggy said:

I make all the contacts behind the scenes while others grind for the hot new modern books. 

Happy birthday @Pirate

Thanks Mr. Loey.

[Black_Adam]

1 minute ago, Pirate said:

@greggy buys all the bronze in Vancouver 

That's for sure, even when I was hunting for back issues at The Comicshop on 4th Ave. more than thirty years ago (back then we called Bronze moderns) he was still getting there before me. Nothing has changed.