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Post by tokkori1919 on Jul 21, 2014 16:04:39 GMT -5
It's no secret that when it comes to sales, comic shops are hurting. Since a lot of shops are independently owned, it's just another name on the list of small businesses that are suffering due to the economy. This is why I always encourage people to purchase their comics legitimately without resorting to bootlegging.
While most of the stories I know do have discount boxes where you can get 5 comics for a dollar, and that's great, but it's harder for new series to gain a following because sadly, when the price of floppies are usually $4+, you really do have to pick and choose what comics you want to read. A lot of people (my self included) wait until the tradebacks come out instead of buying each indivual issue as it comes out. Though usually since each tradeback is normally around $20 (containing about 4 issues) I guess you're really not saving much beyond taxes.
I get why stores are charging more and relying more heavily on weekly card tournaments, I think it's sad to see this industry hurting when it was a common sight in the 80s-90s. Now it's not uncommon to drive halfway across the state to get to a store, of course I guess this depends on where you live. My friend lives in San Diego and has quite a few stores available to him. |
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Post by The Captain on Jul 21, 2014 16:46:00 GMT -5
Of course they are, to a large extent. The books cost too much for kids to buy, and the industry has become very insular (the extended movie and TV universes notwithstanding). I go to my LCS weekly and run into guys I graduated high school with 20+ years ago, but I don't see kids who graduated from high school this year (or who will in the next few years). Watching Captain America or Iron Man on the big screen is cool, as is wearing a shirt with Cap's shield or Batman's crest, but buying and reading comic books is still just for fat nerdy guys who live in their parents' basement.
Another big reason, which you did not mention, is the advent of eBay. 20 years ago, if I wanted a copy of Amazing Spider-Man #129, I either had to wait until my LCS got one in, I had to travel to find a shop that did have it, or I could use Mile High or some other mail order option. Today, however, there are 233 copies of it available on eBay in various grades and at various price points. No longer do I have to pay what the LCS is asking, even if it seems too high, for their one copy, because I can go to eBay and get a copy that is the price and condition that I am will to pay.
On the selling side, I don't have to take my books to the LCS and let the give me 25% of book value for them, just to see them put them out the next day at 100% or more of book value and turn a huge profit. I have an outlet for selling my books in the open market, getting fair value for my goods for myself rather than letting some other person profit off of the fact that I didn't have other options for selling the books.
Now, for myself, I live in a fairly big city that has a lot of shops. Some are dedicated to comics only, and some support the comics end of it with Magic: The Gathering. My LCS is comics-only, which is why I think the crowd skews older; the stores that support MTG tend to have more kids in them, but I don't see them looking through back issue boxes but rather through the glass cases of the latest powerful cards to play. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 21, 2014 16:46:51 GMT -5
There's definitely some market adjustments being made. The 90's speculator boom should not be looked at as the norm for the direct market as an industry.
There's fewer comic shops now, but for the past decade or so annual revenues have steadily increased. I believe unit sales have too. The reason is the increased retail outside the direct market. Online comic retailers, bookstores, stuff like that.
Can a shop survive today that sells nothing but comics? Yeah, in some areas. There's shops out there that sell nothing but vinyl. Not in smalltown USA, but in larger cities. Otherwise the comic store is likely going to have to be a pop culture store to stay relevant. Mainstream comic book properties (and really, all comic book properties) are more popular now than probably ever before, but that does not relate to sales of the comic books themselves. People like the Flash logo on their shirts, they like the Avengers movie, they like the Batman video game. A lot of them are unlikely to buy a copy of a comic book though, and if they are, they would probably prefer the trade.
I personally prefer shopping online.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 21, 2014 16:47:51 GMT -5
Of course they are, to a large extent. The books cost too much for kids to buy, and the industry has become very insular (the extended movie and TV universes notwithstanding). I go to my LCS weekly and run into guys I graduated high school with 20+ years ago, but I don't see kids who graduated from high school this year (or who will in the next few years). Watching Captain America or Iron Man on the big screen is cool, as is wearing a shirt with Cap's shield or Batman's crest, but buying and reading comic books is still just for fat nerdy guys who live in their parents' basement. There's lots of kids at my LCS. Two high school kids work there, and it's so packed on Wednesday I wait until Thursday to even go, or did, until I decided not to shop there anymore. |
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Post by Randle-El on Jul 21, 2014 16:52:39 GMT -5
I brought this up in another thread, but I can't think of many businesses that have developed a reputation for being as consistently unfriendly, intimidating, or just plain creepy as comic shops. Unfortunately, many LCS fit that bill. If that's how they are going to operate, then maybe they deserve to die out.
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Post by bashbash99 on Jul 21, 2014 17:08:34 GMT -5
I agree with many of the points made by other posters here.
Going to the LCS was pretty much a weekly event for me for most of the 80s and portions of the late 90's/00's. I still have a lot of nostalgia for those visits, but eventually I found getting floppies every week unsatisfying both for financial reasons and due to decompression, so I switched to waiting for the trade (for better or for worse). If I were a kid, I doubt I'd be shelling out 2.99 or 3.99 an issue, it just doesn't seem like a great entertainment value compared to other options.
One poster mentioned ebay; I would also suggest amazon (and other online booksellers) play a big role as its easy to order trades, and generally the trades are cheap enough to be less expensive than they are at the LCS, even when LCS is having a sale. I know amazon doesn't exactly have the best working conditions in those warehouses, so it is not guilt free purchasing for me, but even if I went back to LCS for the trades I can't see myself ever going back to floppies.
My LCS was New England Comics; since they are a chain of 5-6 stores they've outlasted some of the indie shops I've seen come and go over the years.
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Post by The Captain on Jul 21, 2014 17:24:38 GMT -5
I agree with many of the points made by other posters here. Going to the LCS was pretty much a weekly event for me for most of the 80s and portions of the late 90's/00's. I still have a lot of nostalgia for those visits, but eventually I found getting floppies every week unsatisfying both for financial reasons and due to decompression, so I switched to waiting for the trade (for better or for worse). If I were a kid, I doubt I'd be shelling out 2.99 or 3.99 an issue, it just doesn't seem like a great entertainment value compared to other options. One poster mentioned ebay; I would also suggest amazon (and other online booksellers) play a big role as its easy to order trades, and generally the trades are cheap enough to be less expensive than they are at the LCS, even when LCS is having a sale. I know amazon doesn't exactly have the best working conditions in those warehouses, so it is not guilt free purchasing for me, but even if I went back to LCS for the trades I can't see myself ever going back to floppies. My LCS was New England Comics; since they are a chain of 5-6 stores they've outlasted some of the indie shops I've seen come and go over the years. Good call on Amazon! I get a gift card for them from my sister every year for my birthday (just two weeks away!), and I use it to buy my Fables TPBs (the only series I have ever collected solely in trade format) and usually a random Masterworks or Omnibus.
Here in Pittsburgh, we have New Dimension Comics, which is a chain of 5-6 stores located all around the city. They're not my LCS (I go to a small shop by my house), but I go there often enough to consider them 1-A on the list; they buy huge collections, run sales constantly on Silver and early-Bronze Age books, and have an ungodly amount of $1 stock at almost all of their locations that I never get tired of leafing through, as they are always replenishing it and I am always finding something new to buy.
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Crimebuster
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Making comics!
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Post by Crimebuster on Jul 21, 2014 17:33:24 GMT -5
There are a ton of comic stores in my area. Not even counting Newbury Comics, there are probably close to a dozen stores within a 45 minute drive of me, and more than twice that many within 75 minutes. I think well run comic shops have adapted by making their money through things other than comics. Like comic book conventions, which now have tons of people coming in for the spectacle and to buy t-shirts and other merchandise, my LCS - while it still has tons of comics - has vast amounts of other merchandise that probably makes them more money.
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Post by tokkori1919 on Jul 21, 2014 17:38:46 GMT -5
I brought this up in another thread, but I can't think of many businesses that have developed a reputation for being as consistently unfriendly, intimidating, or just plain creepy as comic shops. Unfortunately, many LCS fit that bill. If that's how they are going to operate, then maybe they deserve to die out. I hate to say it but there is truth to this. I notice during card tournament days the store really draw in an unsavory crowd. Many employees that I've dealt with are either mute or just plain rude. 
I know there's not much they could do in the way of pricing (they have to turn a profit somehow), and events like FCBD help bring in potential new readers, but still there has to be a better business model for stores like this. Maybe they should start selling e-readers like Barnes & Noble or 50% off days.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 21, 2014 18:01:44 GMT -5
They might be a dying breed, smarter ones diversify as Scott mentioned, as well as have on-line stores or mailing lists which facilitate worldwide business. If locals aren't patronising your store, you'd be surprised how many international customers might be interested in those same books.
My favourite on-line store right now is Midtown Comics in NY...I'm hoping to visit in person someday, but I'm impressed with the service I've gotten.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 21, 2014 18:46:02 GMT -5
I brought this up in another thread, but I can't think of many businesses that have developed a reputation for being as consistently unfriendly, intimidating, or just plain creepy as comic shops. Unfortunately, many LCS fit that bill. If that's how they are going to operate, then maybe they deserve to die out. I hate to say it but there is truth to this. I notice during card tournament days the store really draw in an unsavory crowd. Many employees that I've dealt with are either mute or just plain rude.
I know there's not much they could do in the way of pricing (they have to turn a profit somehow), and events like FCBD help bring in potential new readers, but still there has to be a better business model for stores like this. Maybe they should start selling e-readers like Barnes & Noble or 50% off days.
The only REALLY rude store I've ever been in was operated by a Magic fan. Not that it means anything, just on observance. I've been treated good in every other store I've been in that I can remember, just something or another turns me off from a store. Lack of discounts, lack of selection, poor back issue department, overpriced back issues, lack of knowledgeable staff (even if they are friendly). I just find online works better for me. I think the fifteen year break I took from comics left me spoiled. I remember fantastic selections of back issues, from the bargain bin to the regular bins. Comics from the silver age to current, all genres represented. You want a war comic? A horror comic? A stack of old Archies? You got it. Not today though. Shops are hesitant to buy collections and stock their bins with the unsold over ordered modern mainstream stuff from last month. No need to go through them at all. |
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Jul 21, 2014 18:53:29 GMT -5
They might be a dying breed, smarter ones diversify as Scott mentioned, as well as have on-line stores or mailing lists which facilitate worldwide business. If locals aren't patronising your store, you'd be surprised how many international customers might be interested in those same books. My favourite on-line store right now is Midtown Comics in NY...I'm hoping to visit in person someday, but I'm impressed with the service I've gotten. Midtown's my go-to store the last 10 years.Very large,clean and well stocked with tradebooks,back issues,new arrivals ,variants,costumes,figurines,magazines etc.The staff is friendly and knowledgeable. I really can't think of anything to fault them for. You can sign up for a free account and get $20 off everytime you reach $100 spent.They run back issue sales often, have many book signings from creators and they order just about anything Diamond offers and enough to put them on the racks. They got 3 stores in Manhattan-Times Square,Grand Central and Wall Street.Wednesday they open at 8AM if you need new comics berore work.I think the Times Sq store stays open til midnight.Maybe after this testimonial they'll throw me a free comic |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 21, 2014 18:57:05 GMT -5
I wish I lived in Manhattan
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Post by Randle-El on Jul 22, 2014 0:21:57 GMT -5
I don't expect LCS to compete on price with online retailers -- that's not realistic. But I do expect them to provide some kind of additional value for the fact that in a lot of cases I'm paying at or pretty near retail for the same products. At least make your store clean, organized, welcoming, and somewhat friendly. That's not asking a lot -- that's pretty darn near basic for most other types of successful businesses. And stores like Midtown or other regional chain comic shops prove that LCS can still be successful so long as its executed properly. As I recall, Midtown was started in the 90s, a decade that killed most comic shops. I don't know what they did to survive and even thrive during those years, but it must have been something right.
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Post by December on Jul 22, 2014 1:24:43 GMT -5
I don't know about shops in general, but the store I frequent is doing very well. They've seen a steady increase in sales over the past few years to the point where they were able to move into a much larger building and increase their stock of trades and hardcovers. Card games like Magic the Gathering and other games of that type account for a lot of their sales but they are selling more comics than they have in years. The employee who told me this actually attributes some of the increase in readership and sales to digital comics. A lot of people are now dicovering comics digitally, then deciding they prefer actually owning the books.
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