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Post by Rags on Sept 9, 2024 10:39:49 GMT -5
Some people don't mind this but to me it's somewhat of a deal-breaker...a name written on the cover. Susan probably had no idea her copy would be on sale almost 60 years after Bewitched #1 was published in early 1965. I hemmed and hawed but decided to pass on this one. I've seen CGC grade similar books a 7.0 (or FINE/VERY FINE) because of the writing.
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Post by driver1980 on Sept 9, 2024 18:19:36 GMT -5
Comic shops in Europe tend to charge about double for a trade vs Amazon, and I find the concept of donating to a shop a difficult one- as such, I've only purchased one trade from a comic book store since the 1990s. (...) I think there’s a certain logic in that, even though finances can often dictate otherwise. I do buy all of my tools (and cab accessories) from independent stores and the like. Yes, I could probably get a box of screwdrivers and a windshield oil remover cheaper from Amazon. But if there’s one place I like supporting, it’s a hardware store, although there are very few left now. Same with places that sell car accessories. Of course, one day finances might dictate that I have to get such things from Amazon, so it is about balance. On social well-being and prosperity, well I use a tool hire shop located near a residential area here. The guy has ran the shop for 30+ years. And he knows everything about his trade! When I wanted to cut up a sofa, he knew what tool to hire out to me, and he gave me some tips or two. I wouldn’t get that from Amazon. I will say, though, on the other side of the coin, I have been disappointed in ‘customer service’ in Forbidden Planet (I know there are two entities called that here, I’m on about the one called Forbidden Planet Limited). On one occasion, I was looking for a graphic novel. I went up to the counter and politely asked if it was something they could order in. The guy barely looked up from his phone and said, “If we ain’t got it, mate, try WHSmith.” Great. I’m here to potentially give you a sale - and I’m willing to wait a few days - but you can’t even look me in the eye and find out whether the book is available. So I went to Amazon. That’s an extreme example, 95% of comic stores feature great staff with knowledge and customer service. But I had a vision of that Forbidden Planet guy one day waking up and saying, “No-one buys from us anymore, it’s all Amazon.” Offer good service and I’ll be more than willing to use a physical retail store.
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rich
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Post by rich on Sept 9, 2024 18:37:16 GMT -5
I think there’s a certain logic in that, even though finances can often dictate otherwise. I do buy all of my tools (and cab accessories) from independent stores and the like. Yes, I could probably get a box of screwdrivers and a windshield oil remover cheaper from Amazon. But if there’s one place I like supporting, it’s a hardware store, although there are very few left now. Same with places that sell car accessories. Of course, one day finances might dictate that I have to get such things from Amazon, so it is about balance. On social well-being and prosperity, well I use a tool hire shop located near a residential area here. The guy has ran the shop for 30+ years. And he knows everything about his trade! When I wanted to cut up a sofa, he knew what tool to hire out to me, and he gave me some tips or two. I wouldn’t get that from Amazon. I will say, though, on the other side of the coin, I have been disappointed in ‘customer service’ in Forbidden Planet (I know there are two entities called that here, I’m on about the one called Forbidden Planet Limited). On one occasion, I was looking for a graphic novel. I went up to the counter and politely asked if it was something they could order in. The guy barely looked up from his phone and said, “If we ain’t got it, mate, try WHSmith.” Great. I’m here to potentially give you a sale - and I’m willing to wait a few days - but you can’t even look me in the eye and find out whether the book is available. So I went to Amazon. That’s an extreme example, 95% of comic stores feature great staff with knowledge and customer service. But I had a vision of that Forbidden Planet guy one day waking up and saying, “No-one buys from us anymore, it’s all Amazon.” Offer good service and I’ll be more than willing to use a physical retail store.[/quote] I regularly supported my local hardware store for years, but sadly they closed. Obviously I didn't buy anything I thought had a silly mark up on it, but they were pretty good and charged legitimate prices and I never found them unfair. I've not had a regular comic book store for 23 years. Sometimes I'd pop into Forbidden Planet at lunch, but bough very little there. Local shops near me in England didn't seem very friendly, so I'm less inclined to care to about them anyway. Comic book stores want their ~50% markup on trades, but that's the reason they don't sell many. At least with comics it's not like anyone anywhere is selling them half price.
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Post by driver1980 on Sept 9, 2024 18:42:41 GMT -5
rich , there are some comic stores which aren’t friendly, I agree. Not all - I can recommend Worlds Apart in Birmingham 100% - but there did seem to be some that made you feel a nuisance. Or don’t want to make much effort. I tried asking if they could order TwoMorrows books in one store, and they really made it clear they didn’t want to even check that out. Waterstones have a pretty decent graphic novel collection - or at least my local branch does. Not sure if they offer any discounts or anything like that. WHSmith seem to have a token selection of graphic novels, too, but I’m not sure every branch does.
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rich
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Post by rich on Sept 9, 2024 18:51:14 GMT -5
rich , there are some comic stores which aren’t friendly, I agree. Not all - I can recommend Worlds Apart in Birmingham 100% - but there did seem to be some that made you feel a nuisance. Or don’t want to make much effort. I tried asking if they could order TwoMorrows books in one store, and they really made it clear they didn’t want to even check that out. Waterstones have a pretty decent graphic novel collection - or at least my local branch does. Not sure if they offer any discounts or anything like that. WHSmith seem to have a token selection of graphic novels, too, but I’m not sure every branch does. I'm actually resident in Germany now, in Nuremberg. I moved at the end of last year. There's a nice, big, comic book shop here, but I've only been there once. English language books and trades are more expensive here than in England, but I'm only a €15 Euro flight from home. (And Amazon UK deliver here 😂 ) Funny you mention WHSmith, probably my least favourite high street retailer of all. Not that I resent them enough to go out of my way to boycott CultPens, which they own, when I want stationary.
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Post by driver1980 on Sept 9, 2024 18:52:25 GMT -5
If you ask me, WHSmith hasn’t really decided what it wants to be. It seems to want to be all things to all people. Is it a stationery store, a newsagents or a bookseller? It seems uneven at times.
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Post by Rags on Sept 9, 2024 18:55:22 GMT -5
rich , there are some comic stores which aren’t friendly, I agree. Not all - I can recommend Worlds Apart in Birmingham 100% - but there did seem to be some that made you feel a nuisance. Or don’t want to make much effort. I tried asking if they could order TwoMorrows books in one store, and they really made it clear they didn’t want to even check that out. Waterstones have a pretty decent graphic novel collection - or at least my local branch does. Not sure if they offer any discounts or anything like that. WHSmith seem to have a token selection of graphic novels, too, but I’m not sure every branch does.
In my UK stomping ground of Hertfordshire we've got Limited Edition Comix. One of Britain's best, they do store variants as well.
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Sept 9, 2024 19:16:06 GMT -5
rich , there are some comic stores which aren’t friendly, I agree. Not all - I can recommend Worlds Apart in Birmingham 100% - but there did seem to be some that made you feel a nuisance. Or don’t want to make much effort. I tried asking if they could order TwoMorrows books in one store, and they really made it clear they didn’t want to even check that out. Waterstones have a pretty decent graphic novel collection - or at least my local branch does. Not sure if they offer any discounts or anything like that. WHSmith seem to have a token selection of graphic novels, too, but I’m not sure every branch does. I'm actually resident in Germany now, in Nuremberg. I moved at the end of last year. There's a nice, big, comic book shop here, but I've only been there once. English language which and trades are more expensive here than in England, but I'm only a €15 Euro flight from home. (And Amazon UK deliver here 😂 ) I feel your pain. When I moved to Heidelberg in the mid 90s, I had to drop my comics habit... Prices were just stratospheric. The same held true for English-language novels... which is why I started reading the Perry Rhodan Silberbände!
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Post by tartanphantom on Sept 9, 2024 20:33:28 GMT -5
Some people don't mind this but to me it's somewhat of a deal-breaker...a name written on the cover. Susan probably had no idea her copy would be on sale almost 60 years after Bewitched #1 was published in early 1965. I hemmed and hawed but decided to pass on this one. I've seen CGC grade similar books a 7.0 (or FINE/VERY FINE) because of the writing.
As long as it isn't scrawled across the main body of the artwork, it's never bothered me. But then again, I don't generally buy books with a view to re-sale.
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rich
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Post by rich on Sept 10, 2024 2:28:48 GMT -5
If you ask me, WHSmith hasn’t really decided what it wants to be. It seems to want to be all things to all people. Is it a stationery store, a newsagents or a bookseller? It seems uneven at times. It's their price gouging at train stations/airports/motorway services that help them win the title of Britain's least favourite retailer each year 😅
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Post by EdoBosnar on Sept 10, 2024 4:56:04 GMT -5
I'm actually resident in Germany now, in Nuremberg. I moved at the end of last year. There's a nice, big, comic book shop here, but I've only been there once. English language which and trades are more expensive here than in England, but I'm only a €15 Euro flight from home. (And Amazon UK deliver here 😂 ) I feel your pain. When I moved to Heidelberg in the mid 90s, I had to drop my comics habit... Prices were just stratospheric. The same held true for English-language novels... which is why I started reading the Perry Rhodan Silberbände! Yeah, I can relate. I've been living in Croatia since the early 1990s. Zagreb currently has a large, well-stocked English language bookstore, as well as two comic book shops which carry a modest selection of American comics/GNs, but the mark-ups are pretty steep. I only occasionally pick anything up from any of these, usually when they're having sales. I buy most of my books from online dealers - although hardly anything from Amazon since about 2015 (and nothing after the pandemic hit) because postage from North America to Europe has shot through the roof.
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rich
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Post by rich on Sept 10, 2024 5:34:48 GMT -5
Some people don't mind this but to me it's somewhat of a deal-breaker...a name written on the cover. Susan probably had no idea her copy would be on sale almost 60 years after Bewitched #1 was published in early 1965. I hemmed and hawed but decided to pass on this one. I've seen CGC grade similar books a 7.0 (or FINE/VERY FINE) because of the writing.
I really dislike writing on comics too. I have always avoided defaced comics. Maybe I have a handful of comics with names written on them, but they're either extremely old or low value, or came as part of a run.
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Post by wildfire2099 on Sept 10, 2024 6:15:08 GMT -5
I'm actually resident in Germany now, in Nuremberg. I moved at the end of last year. There's a nice, big, comic book shop here, but I've only been there once. English language which and trades are more expensive here than in England, but I'm only a €15 Euro flight from home. (And Amazon UK deliver here 😂 ) I feel your pain. When I moved to Heidelberg in the mid 90s, I had to drop my comics habit... Prices were just stratospheric. The same held true for English-language novels... which is why I started reading the Perry Rhodan Silberbände! I wish there was more Perry Rhodan in English... I'd love to read the newer stuff!
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Post by wildfire2099 on Sept 10, 2024 6:16:28 GMT -5
I wouldn't mind that where it's just on the top of the cover.. makes me wonder what that person is doing and the life of the comic . If it was in the way thats another story.
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Post by Confessor on Sept 10, 2024 8:18:41 GMT -5
I think old American back issues are way more expensive in the UK than they are in the U.S. generally. When I look at what back issues are going for in the States on eBay or at Lonestar etc, it's clear that we tend to get hammered on the prices. This is even more apparent when I visit comic shops in the States and compare them to stores in London. I guess it's down to less availability of U.S. comics in Britain. Time was that I used to order fairly often from online American sites like Mile High or Lonestar, because it worked out cheaper than buying from UK-based sellers like Silver Acre (who I did and still do use sometimes), even with the international shipping. But a combination of the pound weakening against the dollar and huge increases in U.S. shipping rates means that it's no longer worthwhile to do that. EDIT: Editing just to say that I kinda miss the pre-eBay days when you could go to a jumble sale or carboot sale and pick up bundles of old comics -- or even a whole box of them sometimes -- for pence. I got a complete collection of the Tintin books for a couple of quid back in the early '90s. That's still probably my best ever comics score!
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