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Comic Books complaing about virus

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  • monitor_ep
    Talkative Member
    • May 11, 2013
    • 7344

    Comic Books complaing about virus

    Today while fishing, I read an article about how Comic Book store are complaining about the fact that they cannot sell new comics. Now that most stores are classified as "non-essential" they may not be able to actually be open to the public. This brothers me and not in the way you may think. A great business man once told that Comic Book stores are like gas stations (yeah he own both). Gas station make very little on gas, they make there money on what is sold inside the stores. Comic Book stores do not make that much on new comics or items, they make there profit on back issues, older action figures and other collectables.

    That being said there are way to many stores that do not have there inventory listed online. I have seen way too many store go down because the refused to go the way of the internet listing. By this day you should have your own website with your inventory listed online along with it listed on Ebay and/or Amazon or even Etsy or even iOffer. With all the comic book movies and tv series out; this is the golden age to sell collectables. Since more shoppers are being forced to order items online, you should have your inventory out there. Go back through your inventory, readjust your prices, offer up bundles you have world at your finger tips.

    Right now not everybody is hurting financially, but with the quarantine most people cannot physical go shopping. This is truly the season of internet shopping and with the schools closed, parents are looking for anything to keep there kids busy.

    I know that there are lots of people out there who are without a job and I do feel sorry for them, even my boyfriend was laid-off. Around here there are many people who are still going to work everyday like nothing happened but it is harder to spend that money since most stores are forced into being closed. Hence the internet is one of the few places to shop.
    Last edited by monitor_ep; Mar 29, '20, 9:57 PM.
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  • Falstaff13
    Persistent Member
    • May 28, 2008
    • 1251

    #2
    I have a friend who for the last four years has run a used bookstore. It's been a struggle, and they were closing end of April, only to have that moved up with the pandemic. My friend told me she would still sell things online (she has occasionally posted from the store's FB site and through FB groups). When I asked if she had the store's inventory in a database, she just said no and looked kind of lost. I guess she could create one now, but that's very late in the game.
    Hugh H. Davis

    Wanted: Legends of the West (Empire & Excel) and other western historically-based figures. Send me an offer.
    Also interested in figures based on literary characters.

    Comment

    • monitor_ep
      Talkative Member
      • May 11, 2013
      • 7344

      #3
      Finally found that article, it was one Newsarama:



      But I can see it happen to more stores that are forced to close who could not or do not have there inventory listed online.
      Visit my wiki site:

      Comic Books in the Media

      To view my custom works of both JLU and Megos go to:

      Monitor_EP Deviantart page

      Action Jackson Road Trip log

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      • thunderbolt
        Hi Ernie!!!
        • Feb 15, 2004
        • 34211

        #4
        well, the kids are supposed to be doing distance learning on the computer so they have stuff to do.
        You must try to generate happiness within yourself. If you aren't happy in one place, chances are you won't be happy anyplace. -Ernie Banks

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        • Megotastrophe
          Permanent Member
          • Jun 29, 2018
          • 2676

          #5
          yes they have a few hours of stuff they should be doing on the computer. they do not have karate lessons or birthday parties or play dates or getting on bikes and checking out the spooky cave that Sparky found last week. It's supposed to make a weird whistling noise.

          Comment

          • MRP
            Persistent Member
            • Jul 19, 2016
            • 2025

            #6
            Well one shop that has done all that-Lonestar (i.e. mycomicshop .com) and it doesn't matter, as they just announced they are shutting down all operations for April to comply with the Texas governor's shelter in place orders and they will not be operating their warehouse or shipping books as they are not an essential business and cannot bring employees in to work. So having it all online doesn't do a bit of good if you can't fill and ship orders without employees in the building to do the work.

            -M
            "Opinion is the lowest form of human knowledge. It requires no accountability, no understanding." -Plato

            Comment

            • YoungOnce
              Career Member
              • Aug 29, 2007
              • 966

              #7
              Originally posted by MRP
              ...having it all online doesn't do a bit of good if you can't fill and ship orders without employees in the building to do the work.
              -M
              And that just makes sense to me. I don’t see it being a viable option to take your brick and mortar store online. If you have a physical store in your hometown, you win by virtue of proximity and the ability for customers to see the merchandise in person.

              If you take your store online, you are one small fish in an ocean of the same product.

              Comment

              • monitor_ep
                Talkative Member
                • May 11, 2013
                • 7344

                #8
                Wow Texas finally stepped up and shut down the non-essential business, then you also have to remember they are a huge company unlike the other smaller stores that are still trying to bring in some money. I have read some of the smaller stores are still open but are filling there orders online and offering curb service, mail-order or a few are actually delivering there orders.
                Visit my wiki site:

                Comic Books in the Media

                To view my custom works of both JLU and Megos go to:

                Monitor_EP Deviantart page

                Action Jackson Road Trip log

                Comment

                • monitor_ep
                  Talkative Member
                  • May 11, 2013
                  • 7344

                  #9
                  And that just makes sense to me. I don’t see it being a viable option to take your brick and mortar store online. If you have a physical store in your hometown, you win by virtue of proximity and the ability for customers to see the merchandise in person.

                  If you take your store online, you are one small fish in an ocean of the same product.
                  In todays market it doesn't make since to not have your merchandise online. You do not have to list everything, I mean how many people are going to want your back stock of $1 comic books that every store is stuck with but you should have listed your money-makers. I mean not all stores carry older back issues, action figures or other merchandise.
                  Visit my wiki site:

                  Comic Books in the Media

                  To view my custom works of both JLU and Megos go to:

                  Monitor_EP Deviantart page

                  Action Jackson Road Trip log

                  Comment

                  • MRP
                    Persistent Member
                    • Jul 19, 2016
                    • 2025

                    #10
                    Originally posted by monitor_ep
                    In todays market it doesn't make since to not have your merchandise online. You do not have to list everything, I mean how many people are going to want your back stock of $1 comic books that every store is stuck with but you should have listed your money-makers. I mean not all stores carry older back issues, action figures or other merchandise.
                    However, the only actual money makers in the back issue market now are either high grade copies or keys, everything else is bargain bin fare ($1 bins, $2 or $3 Silver and Bronze bins, $5 Silver bins etc, things I see at shows ans shops all the time, which makes them essentially non-sellable as online pieces as they will cost more in labor and opportunity costs than they will make selling it. And they will likely realize a higher price selling in store than the will online, where there is a more plentiful supply of books available. Most shops are lucky to see a handful of the types of books walking in that are of the money maker type, as people who have them for sale can cut out the middle man and sell them online directly as most shops can only offer pennies on the dollar in terms of value on those books because they don't have the capital to tie up on them and remain liquid enough to meet weekly Diamond invoices, rent, insurance, utilities, etc. so sellers are going to get better offers elsewhere from major players (like Lonestar or other national level back issue dealer) or from dealers who specialize in the con circuit and don't have the kind of overhear brick and mortar retailers do and can invest more in those types of books to sell at shows as wall books. Inventorying, grading and pricing run of the mill books (low to mid grade Silver & Bronze non-keys, modern non-keys in any grade, recent overstock, is time consuming and labor-intensive. Most shops have small staffs (if any staff beyond the owner at all) who also have to do all the ordering, track current inventory, merchandise the shops, process pre-orders and pull books each week for customers, provide customer service, keep the financial books, pay the bills, receive and check in orders, run the register, run events (if they sell Heroclix, Magic, Pokemon, etc.) keep track of sales trends and books coming into demand to keep an eye out for, keep up on new upcoming products so they can market it to their customers, etc. all needed to keep the shop running before they even think about working on back issues for sale. Add in back issues and they also have to add things like evaluating and appraising collections they are offered, allocating budget to make offers on collections and/or books, etc. before they get down to processing all the run of the mill books or even the slightly sellable books to list online. And oftentimes, the return on investment isn't that good on those types of books, so the opportunity cost of the time it takes to process those books being taken away from other tasks is just too high.

                    Yes, most retailers need to have an online presence, but what they are most likely selling is newer merch that they order in higher quantities to get a better discount tier to improve their margins, but cannot move that level of stock at a local level. Bigger shops with larger staffs may be able to commit resources to make a stronger online presence, but there is a lot of other work that needs to be done just to run a shop on a day-to-day basis that are going to be higher priority than processing back issues for sale online (which also adds additional packing and shipping tasks to the to list the owner has to allocate labor time to as well). So I am not surprised that a lot of smaller shops have only a minimal online presence in the back issue market. It's time and labor intensive and doesn't offer high margins or return on investment.

                    -M
                    "Opinion is the lowest form of human knowledge. It requires no accountability, no understanding." -Plato

                    Comment

                    • YoungOnce
                      Career Member
                      • Aug 29, 2007
                      • 966

                      #11
                      I appreciate that you are at least looking for a solution.

                      I Just don’t know if vying for attention online would help. You’re not going to sell new books. I guess you could sell some old books and toys and such on eBay but you’d need to have a pretty good inventory to earn enough profit to continue to pay your bills for a brick and mortar store.

                      Maybe that would be a helpful stopgap for a month or so though to get you through. But why set up an online site, just sell it one eBay if you’re only selling some old stuff.

                      Comment

                      • thunderbolt
                        Hi Ernie!!!
                        • Feb 15, 2004
                        • 34211

                        #12
                        the comic publishers will soon need a new distribution service as Diamond looks like it may be going belly up. Cancelling payments to vendors now. Really stupid on all their part for putting all the eggs in one basket.
                        You must try to generate happiness within yourself. If you aren't happy in one place, chances are you won't be happy anyplace. -Ernie Banks

                        Comment

                        • msenger76
                          Veteran Member
                          • Nov 3, 2009
                          • 291

                          #13
                          my local comic shop is doing daily "drive up" specials through their facebook page. certain bundles of comics or trades, funko pops etc for a special price for curb side pick up. Great attempt by them to get business without new comics to draw people in. you can't sell back issues if you have no inventory list for people to shop from

                          on the other hand, several of the heavy weekly buyers are mad because they paid full price for a 6 issue run, and now 2 months later that run is $20 off retail price

                          Comment

                          • ODBJBG
                            Permanent Member
                            • May 15, 2009
                            • 3143

                            #14
                            It's unfortunate what's happening to a lot of businesses and the local comic shops are one. I do feel bad for them, but at the same time, we have to look at this through a different lens. Life may never be the same (it probably will, but we have to adjust to the reality it might not) so comic shops, movie theaters, sporting events, it may all have to be a thing of the past or radically changed in this new world. It sucks, but that's the way it is and people's lives and safety is more important than any forms of entertainment.

                            I fully believe comic shops and all businesses can survive if they're creative and adapt as best they can. It won't be easy, but like mesenger76's post, lots of places are finding unique ways to do things.

                            Comment

                            • thunderbolt
                              Hi Ernie!!!
                              • Feb 15, 2004
                              • 34211

                              #15
                              have the big two even addressed distribution yet?
                              You must try to generate happiness within yourself. If you aren't happy in one place, chances are you won't be happy anyplace. -Ernie Banks

                              Comment

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