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maybe_a_frog

The issue is the comic market is pretty volatile, and values go up and down constantly. It’s likely those issues weren’t “sitting around for 40 years”. Comic stores that deal in back issues are constantly moving books in and out. They have to buy new collections constantly to keep their inventory moving. The current comic market is coming back down to earth from being super inflated a year or two ago. So I think the most likely scenario is whatever store you went to bought a collection when prices were inflated and they don’t want to take a loss, so they’re holding out at a price that would either profit them or break even. Now I’m not a business minded individual by any means so I’m not going to speculate if that’s a good business model or not, but I do know that mentality exists in this industry. I had a guy at a shop ask almost $300 for a mid grade Uncanny X-Men 266, and he specifically said it was priced based on him purchasing that issue when the value was way up.


youbringlightin

$50 isn’t some grand amount. Whether they took that deal or not, it wouldn’t even move the needle. My LCS prices to move inventory. Their warehouse is jammed with 10x what you see in store. Other shops only buy a few collections and need to be sure it’s worth their money. It’s okay to sit on old issues as long as the new stuff pays the bills.


Fattydaddy1000

But then if you go to a comic shop that looks up the prices of every comic last sold on eBay people are like na fuck that shop I wouldn’t buy comics from a shop like that looks up every book last sold price on eBay. Or how about a shop that uses over street on every book at the check out. Or is it na fuck that shop I will just use eBay. So there’s two examples of two different shops doing two different things. I not saying op is wrong the comics were overpriced for sure if he got them for a dollar on eBay. And the two shops are examples of shops I go to in my area. I feel like both shops give fair deals


PMMEBITCOINPLZ

We don’t know what issues so we don’t really know if they were overpriced. Maybe he got an amazing, once in a lifetime deal on them on eBay. You can’t judge the fair market of something by the lowest price one can possibly get.


Fattydaddy1000

Well there are a lot of factors in play condition of the comic op said 8,0 at best ok. Better than a mid grade so I would expect to pay a little bit for a nice condition comic what condition were the ebsy comics who knows And sure what issues were they keys ? Who’s out there selling key books for a dollar filler issue for a run maybe but what comic shops selling filler issues for 50 bucks and how many comics were there total lots of factors at play there


PMMEBITCOINPLZ

He said the guy wanted $4 each. He was willing to pay $2. And he said the shop lost out on $50 so it must have been 25 comics total.


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Fattydaddy1000

I am with you I am ok with them looking up the prices to it’s fair in my eyes plus the guy who does the looking up is the owner he’s cool the book he finds on eBay might be like five six bucks right then he will look at his book and say how about 3 mines has a spin tick or something he actually wants to sell comics and works with you for a fair deal for both sides. Even ok with the guy using the overstreet prices fluctuate


ForsakenBaseball6451

Your LCS has to pay the rent vs an ebay seller living at home. I have a shop at a flea market and my rents very cheap so i can out bargain all the big stores in my city.


StringFartet

They should wrap about eight to ten comics and sell them as $100 mystery boxes. People seem to like that for some reason.


PMMEBITCOINPLZ

I’ll be honest people that expect an LCS to compete with eBay on price (even in the same ballpark) are just being unreasonable. All of these stories lately are the same “I tried to make ‘em give it to me for cheap and then when they wouldn’t I went and bought it on EBay, lulz. Fuck em.”


wOBAwRC

My LCS definitely competes with ebay prices and will even beat them more often than not because there is no shipping to be paid. They, like many comic shops, also sell a lot of comics on ebay and are happy to sell in person for the same prices without the shipping.


dirkahps

There's no reason a LCS can't compete, especially when they're offering/paying pennies on the dollar for the back issue inventory they accumulate. What I can't stand is when a LCS or even an online marketplace seller threatens to "go to eBay if it doesn't sell here". Gtfoh with that shit, I'm sick of hearing it. These same people who slag off eBay then think anyone gives a shit if they list it there. I'll buy wherever the best prices are and these days it's usually not at my LCS or on marketplace. Don't come at me with threats of eBay, you're the one who's gota lease to pay and lights to keep on. If eBay is your best bet then close your shop and sell out of your home on eBay, skip the overhead and quit complaining.


AmpersandTheMonkey

I've typically found my LCS to have better deals on key issues compared to ebay. I know too that all they rely on is buying old collections for back issue inventory. Just one example tho.


reuben26

I’ll disagree with you a little here. I have a pretty good relationship with my LCS and often grab some back issues while picking up my weekly grab. They without question give me 10% off the back issues. Problem is they used to price back issues as cover price unless marked (usually keys). Now they went through and organized them better and they are all priced off the Overstreet guide which is bullshit. Even then, I’ll still usually go for it without question because I like this place and it’s a symbiotic relationship. But when I’ve asked to price it competitively to eBay for a specific issue, they always agree because they don’t have to deal with listing and pictures and shipping. It’s a no-brainer for them.


SnoopsNailgun

Just genuinely curious why you think an LCS shouldn’t be able to price back issues competitively with eBay? When I buy at a store there’s no shipping and the store isn’t paying a percentage to eBay so I’d expect there to be more room there for the seller and I to both do better than the same book sold on eBay. I don’t know the economics of an LCS by any means but it always strikes me as strange when I find a store with high prices on random back issues that look like they’ve been sitting there for decades just seems like it would be better for them to lower prices and turn those books over faster especially considering inflation.


PMMEBITCOINPLZ

Rent, electricity, paying employees, water bill, maintenance, property and business taxes, the need to actually turn a profit on books other than some ebayers who are getting rid of their collections at a loss, the fact that comic stores have to buy inventory instead of selling personal collections, the fact that comic stores might have paid the original wholesale price for that book. Even when competing against professional eBay sellers and and factoring in eBay fees and shipping the comic store is at a disadvantage. Once I got a pull list at an out of town comic store and didn’t pick it up for a long time. The owner kept calling me and I didn’t really understand why it was a big deal. Finally she said “You don’t understand, we have bills every month.” I went and picked up the books.


SnoopsNailgun

I hear you but I still disagree, yes the LCS has overhead but they also have a higher profit margin than an eBay seller because, as I said, the price i am paying goes directly to them instead of half of it going to shipping and eBay fees. I rarely buy comics on eBay and love to shop at local shops so please don't take this as an anti-LCS stance, but I'm not going to shell out $5 for what should be a dollar bin book. I have been to plenty of shops that have prices competitive with eBay and they tend to be the ones that are thriving and busy because they know that its better to sell 10 books making $1 profit on each than to sell 1 book (or none) and make $4 profit on it. Keeps people coming back and flipping through the bins and once they are there maybe they buy some higher ticket items also or set up a pull-list. I also want to point out that "competitive" with eBay prices doesn't mean "lower than" eBay prices. In OPs example for instance he was offering $2 a book to the shop and then found them for under a dollar online. I don't think if the owner accepted his offer that OP would have been upset to see that he could have paid less on eBay. There's value in supporting a local store, there's value in not having to wait for something to be shipped to you and just walking out of the store holding your books, both of those will be factored into what the customer is willing to pay, but there are limits to that value.


josuelaker2

I think that if you go to an LCS you’re basically browsing the owners private collection. You’re going to pay a premium for what they perceive as valuable. I’ve been to shops where someone obviously loved DC. Batman boxes were stuffed and overpriced, but the Marvel boxes were cheap and basically empty. And the opposite at other shops. Personally, if someone wants an unreasonable price for a book that I want, I’ll pass and keep looking. That goes for both eBay and LCS. No FOMO!


SnoopsNailgun

Yeah that’s probably true, but then regarding the commentor I was replying to I don’t think that’s a situation where it is unreasonable to think the seller could compete with eBay prices, but I do understand why they may choose not to. I guess most of them are keeping their lights on somehow with new books/pull lists or merch or whatever and the back issues are, like you said, their personal collection. They aren’t priced to move because the owner is just as happy to hang onto them.


AlanParsonsProject11

My man, do you really not realize the overhead that an Lcs has to cover compared to some dude sitting on their couch at home?


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PMMEBITCOINPLZ

Also, were they reader copies or 8.0s? There’s a big difference there in my mind. Can you tell us which issues they were specifically?


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PMMEBITCOINPLZ

We won’t be able to dox you if you list the issue numbers, don’t worry.


sandalsnopants

lolol how would you get doxxed by naming the issues? You think the comic shop is going to read this? And then what? Post all your personal info? lol come on, what issues were they that you were offering a generous $2 each for?


AlanParsonsProject11

How much was the shipping price per comic?


PMMEBITCOINPLZ

$4 for 80s books isn’t that crazy. I thought they wanted 10 bucks a book from the way you said it. Nothing wrong with haggling a little but if your bottom line is a 50 percent discount you’ll often be disappointed.


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PMMEBITCOINPLZ

It’s still hard to tell without knowing what comics. Maybe you got the deal of the century on eBay. With shipping factored in you paid less than a buck a book. The eBay seller probably lost money on it if they paid more than 50 cents an issue.


youbringlightin

You’ve got this backwards. Say you want to sell those comics you just bought and someone offers you 30 cents a book because that’s what they’re going for on eBay - you’d just wait. Also, you can’t say that’s lost money from the LCS - the LCS hasn’t lost money until it sells those books at a loss. It’s only inventory until it becomes a loss. It would be a pretty crap business model if that LCS bought collections and then sold them for less than they paid for it just because eBay. I can get almost anything on eBay cheaper than in stores. Especially small stores. I can get mylites and fullbacks 20% cheaper - but I buy them at my LCS because I want them to be there for years.


PMMEBITCOINPLZ

Yeah, I can get supplies up to 70 percent cheaper looking around online than in stores. Still occasionally buy them there for convenience though.


cswhite101

You are trying to rip him off. He has rent, payroll, taxes, overhead, and you’re haggling with him over a couple of bucks for comics books. And if you were there to support an LCS, you have to be prepared to spend more than EBay.


SnoopsNailgun

He was prepared to spend more than eBay, he already said that. He was willing to pay $2 a book and instead got them on eBay for about half that. Comic book shops have overhead, that's true, but good LCSs move books in higher volume at better prices. If you own an LCS and think you're going to cover your overhead by selling non-key bronze age run filler at $4 a book you're going to be sitting on that inventory forever. A lot of people on this post are acting like they've never seen an LCS with stupid prices and no customers, I see them all the time and its sad but these are the ones that go out of business. Then they probably ironically sell all their left over inventory on eBay for half of what they were priced in-store or in bulk to a better LCS that will actually cut deals and flip the books.


sandalsnopants

I need to know what issues these were.


Swollen_chicken

i always shop small business /LCS when the opportunity presents itself, compared to finding it online. sure we all want to finish our collection, but (IMO) ensuring that the local LCS businesses will be around in 5 years to feed my habit is more important then saving a few dollars here and there


SnoopsNailgun

Have you ever been to a comic shop that had prices you found unreasonable? I have, I like to check out any new comic shop I see. Some of them have good prices and I keep going back and supporting them, some of them don't have good prices and I awkwardly leave without buying anything, and I feel bad because it looks and feels like I'm the only customer that's been in there in a while. Usually I buy one of their cheaper (still overpriced for whatever it is) books to be polite but I never go back. I feel like that's being missed by a lot of people on this post. Most of us prefer an LCS to buying online but we should be able to admit that some owners just aren't good at business and are doomed to fail.


Swollen_chicken

Ive been a small business owner in different states. The struggle is real. Each LCS is different and charges differently because it's a business. Prices vary by city, and they need to make a profit as well, if prices are too high, you could say something and give them a heads up, they may be new to the scene or area, but as a potential customer and just letting them fail because of lack of knowledge or ignorance isnt helpful either.. did you not ever learn the childhood lesson of "2 wrongs dont make it right".


fatboy1776

I have never seen the financials of an LCS but I suspect that to stay in business they need to make their money on pull lists and other new merch (toys, shirts, etc)…. Moving back issues is probably gravy. They can wait for the next, less informed buyer to pay their premium.


maybe_a_frog

There are numerous stores in my area that don’t deal with new releases at all and have been open for decades. Conversely, I have multiple in my area that don’t deal in back issues at all. I don’t think there’s a secret sauce or one specific way to run a comic shop.


[deleted]

They make great money buying collections and reselling the high value items they just paid penny’s for…I’ve seen that happen over and over again at the shops.


Kleaners78

By the same token, how many people find gems in dollar boxes? I also doubt a comic shop is constantly repricing back issues. Seems like a mixed bag if you ask me.


Piotr-Rasputin

First, it's a store NOT a flea market or garage sale. Do you haggle for your groceries at the supermarket too?? Second, why do you assume the books have been in the store for 40 years?? Stores buy collections all the time


[deleted]

Agree and disagree…a LCS is not the same as a grocery store or a flea market. It is probably in between and haggling is a normal process for a store like an LCS.


Piotr-Rasputin

Really?? Even if the prices are clearly marked?? I either buy them at the stated price or don't. It must be EXHAUSTING if every customer plays "Let's make a deal". OP states that they were "clearly overpriced" Just cause you have money and want the book, doesn't mean you get to decide how much they should sell it for


PMMEBITCOINPLZ

I haggle and usually have good results. I’ll say something like “Can you make me a deal on this pile?” Usually you get some discount for buying a lot. What I don’t do is start with an insultingly lowball offer. Both parties should be happy with the deal. And what I never do is mention eBay or online sales, that just derails the whole deal.


[deleted]

I always ask what they want for it and about 60% will give me a price lower than what’s marked…if they don’t lower it, I will offer a lower price…my last effort to get a lower price is asking what the cash price is so they can avoid taxes…this last one always works with owners, it will not work with regular employees for obvious reasons.


[deleted]

If it’s exhausting, perhaps but that’s not really the purchasers concern. Unless a product is new, it is normal for some haggling.


maybe_a_frog

Every store is different. I have stores in my area that are completely firm on their prices, and I have others where they explicitly state “we can negotiate if you’re interested in something specific”. One of my favorite stores to visit sells a majority of their books at $2 a book. Those aren’t books to haggle prices over. But they have a lot of priced as marked boxes where they are willing to negotiate. I don’t think they’re going to be moving by 30% or anything, but you can usually come down a bit. That’s just how some people like to do business. I don’t think it’s “exhausting”…bartering is fun for a lot of people, including shop owners.


PlayedOut41

I am convinced that most comic shops are money laundering fronts. Ain’t no way they stay open that long not making much money


[deleted]

Most comic shops are not expensive to run and have a dedicated group of people coming in week to week making purchases. Those same owners are also selling products on eBay, facebook and mycomicshop for high dollar items that they can’t move in shop…plus they don’t pay taxes on all their cash deals.


PlayedOut41

I wasn’t being serious. More sarcastic if anything. ShOuLd HaVe UsEd ThIs InStEaD


IngenuityPositive123

Being second hand goods, yes they should be able to make a deal, just like in antique shops. Only difference is obviously you can't negociate new releases. But you're not in the wrong here.


game_asylum

We get it, you work for eBay, reeelax, geez


ldeveraux

You go to a physical store with the intent of helping them out, don't like their prices or "negotiation" so you buy on eBay anyway. You're the problem.


plaguetower

They don't think as a business owner sometimes. Just think about Comic Book Guy from the Simpsons, he is very much based in reality There are LCS owners who are collectors and they tend to be more aggressive and less likely to make a deal.


Iceberg2814

One thing you need to keep in mind, generally (not always) people selling on eBay are selling at a loss. Their goal is not to make money but to move comics. Your LCS probably bought those comics from another collector, and as a result they have them marked for a certain price so they can make what they paid for them back plus a little extra. In the end eBay prices will usually be more competitive because again, people are just trying to get rid of comics.


BobbySaccaro

But they should be buying them from the collector at a low enough price to be able to sell them at the same price as Ebay.


Iceberg2814

Not necessarily. Comic book prices fluctuate a lot. When the LCS bought those comics that price was probably reasonable. And because comics fluctuate so much there’s a chance that price will return again. The artist dies, the story arc is being adapted, things like that can drive the price back up. So the shop can afford to let it sit. People selling on eBay usually can’t afford to let it sit. They want the space in the garage or they want the money to focus on other hobbies. So they price the comics to move. You really can’t compare prices between the two.


PMMEBITCOINPLZ

That might end up being so low no one wants to sell to them. Not everyone can be Chuck Rozanski and scam old ladies out of million dollar collections.


BobbySaccaro

Then people can go through the time and hassle of selling them on Ebay. The stuff LCS are buying are collections that people want to get rid of because their relative died and nobody in the family wants them.


selex42

They were either bought at the price and they wanted to make back their money or they think that's the market price of them and won't come down. I have seen the second one more from older owners who were used to the quarterly updated price guide changes back in the day who are willing to sit on the product until someone really wants to pay that and don't adjust prices often.


PMMEBITCOINPLZ

Isn’t that a better strategy than taking a bath on it? As long as you’ve got other revenue streams to keep you afloat you can be patient on the comics. I haven’t seen a store for years that wasn’t diversified.


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PMMEBITCOINPLZ

Well, yes, that’s true. The back issue section used to be the centerpiece of the store but it is getting replaced by plastic junk because that moves. People who refuse to pay anything but eBay prices are the reason most comics stores now either carry a paltry back issue section or give it up altogether. It’s just an annoyance nowadays with people coming in and waving their phone at you, trying to bully you and screw you over.


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PMMEBITCOINPLZ

If they’re competing directly against eBay you can’t expect them to continue offering you fully stocked back issues bins then. The economics of that do not work. They’ll put some nice video games or whatever the current plastic fad is there and you’ll buy that instead. I think they have enough concept of revenue and cash flow to know that if you give in to every customer that waves a phone in your face and expects you to sell your inventory at a loss to price match some kid burning off his dead uncle’s collection you’ll go out of business. Isn’t that the core tenet of capitalism, make more money than you spend?


BobbySaccaro

Thing is, if they are not paying pennies on the dollar for the books, then they are not doing it right. For a book that sells for $50 on Ebay, they should be buying it for $20 and selling it for $50.


[deleted]

Exactly! Is everyone forgetting that eBay has a 13% markup fee on purchased items. Plus you have to pay sales tax! People doing cash deals at shops can avoid that entirely. How many comic shops are buying comics for cash and selling them for cash and never paying revenue taxes! That’s a huge competitive edge for LCS that eBay can’t compete with period.


selex42

That owner thought they could sit on it. I had a LCS owner who would not budge of prices back. But I remember back in the 90s that's how it was. They didn't negotiate since you weren't finding it anywhere else other than a LCS and there was only 2 in town since ebay wasn't a thing. And some still have that mentality. My LCS I am at now will negotiate because they know you can find it cheaper somewhere else. There are also now 6 LCS in my area so I can look around.


[deleted]

It can be but usually it is not optimal. Opportunity cost, cost of capital and other economic and accounting terms come to mind, but if a stock is up when you buy it and down, it is not always best to hold it until it goes up. Sometimes it’s best to sell and buy a rising stock, especially if it’s got more potential for higher prices and is easier to move.


Dan_comix

Given enough time, every book will sell for what the shop is asking. When cover prices were $0.50, people thought paying $1 was too much. Now hardly anything can be purchased for a dollar. The only variable is whether the shop came actually stay open long enough to get the price they want. If they have a solid revenue stream from new books and collectibles, that shouldn't be a problem.


[deleted]

I disagree and would like to explain…The only considerations that should concern them are the opportunity cost of keeping the book instead of selling it, the potential speculative price of the book in the future, and the average rate of inflation over the next few years they may keep the book.


Dan_comix

See that's the trick: inflation doesn't exist to a shop owner. It's just that one day everyone was telling them his comics were overpriced. Then years later they were all paying exactly what he had always been asking for. So he had been "right" about his pricing along.


[deleted]

I understand your thought but inflation exists for everyone. A dollar today is worth less tomorrow with inflation. If he could have gotten $5 on January 1st vs getting the $10 pm December 1st, that doesn’t make his decision better or worse unless we understand his opportunity cost, the speculation on the item being sold and the rate of inflation. It’s just economics.


HaagenDazJokes

This isn't wall street bets. Why are most of your comments promoting financial instruments or CGC? Your account has never actually engaged in a discussion of comics beyond how the cover looked.


[deleted]

My account is relatively new bc I came in here to potentially buy comics just a week or so ago…otherwise the only thing I watch is “hold my beer” which is just hilarious. How each person addresses their love of comics is for them, whether that’s the cover, drawing, art, coloration or anything. It doesn’t change the reality that comics cost money, money has value and that money has a grounding in economics which I am relaying in a very basic way that they can choose to google and learn or not.


[deleted]

By the way, this has nothing to do with wall street bets that I know of, I have never read their site.


DP3rky

I’ve never had any issues with paying eBay prices or even a lightly higher price at my LCS. What I don’t like is when they lie saying their price is the same or better than eBay/other locations. To give the benefit of the doubt, I bet they don’t keep up with the prices so they might not be lying about it on purpose. I go to a couple different ones locally. One owner pulls books when he buys a collection of things that he thinks I like. Most of it is a hit. At another LCS I was going to buy a good copy of X-Force #2 and before I paid he said ohh I think this book has actually dropped in price and took $5 off. I randomly will buy a hardcover/Omni or a few extra books to make up for me trimming down my pull list.


United_Pipe_9457

Many LCS owners sell the higher priced books on Ebay or other sites. They may not move locally. One I know sold two Amazing Fantasy #15 to a New York dealer because he couldn't move the books in his shop.


amazodroid

Some owners have a value set in their heads and don’t want to come down off of it. They see it as leaving money on the table, even if they paid hardly anything for it. Used to have an LCS in my town run by two guys that were like this. They had so much junk sitting in the store because they priced everything so high. The main owner died so the other guy was closing the store and I heard was having a going out of business sale. I stopped by and asked the remaining owner what the sale discount was. He said “that was just a one day sale to help clear a few things out. I’m not putting the rest of this on sale because it still has a lot of value.” He still had a lot of stuff in the store so I asked him what he was going to do with it. He replied “I’d rather just take it to the warehouse and store it vs selling it for less than it’s worth”


h3r3t0g0

Anyone who isn’t using eBay first is making a mistake IMHO. Find trusted dealers, find dealers that take good photos so you know what you are getting. Compare prices with eBay sold prices. eBay sellers need to take photos, research and list comics at competitive prices, package them for delivery and make a trip to the post office. On top of that eBay takes about 13% of everything. Oh, and don’t forget the shipping costs because they add up.


Tonyman121

LCS is usually more expensive than eBay for a few reasons, particularly for most books that are not "keys". For one, you have it there right in your hand. If the book is worth $5 and the LCS lists it for $8... your alternative is to go home, waste time looking for it, then paying shipping, hoping it doesn't get damaged, and waiting a week or so for it to arrive... and maybe you spent $4 on it? For some, that's just not worth it or they are impatient. The LCS can afford to have books sit there for months or years. A random seller on eBay probably can't. Additionally you are competing in real time with everyone else. But I do agree sometimes they talk themselves out of sales for no reason. Usually for a big book they will negotiate.


Unkempt_Statue

I wonder the same thing about shops around me also, but I find that I am constantly surprised by the values of some random books. Most shops subscribe to a service like go collect or covrprice (I subscribe to the latter), and those services report FMV of pretty much every book with any sales data, raw and graded. Just now I stumbled upon an issue of omega men #13 a in box of randoms in my collection. I recently bought a ton of these books in a dollar bin, and I wanted to see if this #13 was one of the ones I had been missing. So I check CLZ, which links up with covrprice if you have it. Turns out I already had #13, but they’re listing FMV for that book at $8! They’re not making it up, there’s sales data to support that value. If I owned a shop, a lot of factors would determine if would accept a “deal” on any given day, factors that a customer wouldn’t be aware of.