Ethical Retailers?

['Nuff]

Ditch him...Ebay is not a fair way to judge a price due to the novices...We have covered this subject....

[risingstar]

If you were offered a price for a variant and then he changes his mind on you, that's reason enough to go elsewhere. However, if there is no prior discussion about the variant and you walk in one day and expect it to receive the type of excellent deal you wouldn't generally find anywhere then you may be dreaming here. Many store owners have to buy 20 or more of the regular to get the variant. They have a right to make the profit, don't they? It's quite possible they bought the 20 just to land the variant. I'm not sure why people feel entitled to a great deal every time out. In essence, they're giving everyone a fair chance at paying astronomical prices for a piece very few people will care about in a year's time.

Kidding aside, if he gives you a great deal then he has to give everyone else (or everyone who shops at least as much as you) who asks a great deal as well. People get very easily offended by that sort of thing.


P.S. Even if this guy were being unethical, why is this a surprise? Doesn't anyone remember the 80s?? In those days, it was hard enough getting new stuff off the stands because slimeball dealers would hoard to no end. I remember my LCS selling the first issue of the Grell Green Arrow mini series for $20 two days after the release. He told us that he had sold out on day of release.

['Nuff]

Originally Posted by risingstar

If you were offered a price for a variant and then he changes his mind on you, that's reason enough to go elsewhere. However, if there is no prior discussion about the variant and you walk in one day and expect it to receive the type of excellent deal you wouldn't generally find anywhere then you may be dreaming here. Many store owners have to buy 20 or more of the regular to get the variant. They have a right to make the profit, don't they? It's quite possible they bought the 20 just to land the variant. I'm not sure why people feel entitled to a great deal every time out. In essence, they're giving everyone a fair chance at paying astronomical prices for a piece very few people will care about in a year's time.

Kidding aside, if he gives you a great deal then he has to give everyone else (or everyone who shops at least as much as you) who asks a great deal as well. People get very easily offended by that sort of thing.


P.S. Even if this guy were being unethical, why is this a surprise? Doesn't anyone remember the 80s?? In those days, it was hard enough getting new stuff off the stands because slimeball dealers would hoard to no end. I remember my LCS selling the first issue of the Grell Green Arrow mini series for $20 two days after the release. He told us that he had sold out on day of release.

Then he was a slimeball...

[Underdog07]

I wouldn't say its unethical, however, it is a bad business practice and I would switch stores. Many many many comic retailers/dealers have no business sense. Practices like this may put an extra 5 or 1 bucks in their pockets today, but it costs them hundreds, if not thousands, down the road.

My "worst" story of dealer greed involved a comic seller at one of NYC's "national" crapventions. I was looking for issues of the No Man's Land storyline from the Batman titles. This dealer heard me ask his neighbor if he had any. He then quickly rifled through his fifty cent boxes and pulled all of the issues out. He then raced to his dollar box and stuffed them in. Unknown to him, the other dealer and I stood there watching him do all of this. I walked towards him and he started to say "I've got some of those books." I looked him in the eyes, laughed and walked away.

To this day, I have never purchased a book from him and he is at everyone of the NYC shows.

And, my buddy once had a stack (easily $200 worth of books) that he was going to purchase from this guy. When I saw this, I said he's the Batman dealer. My friend said, thanks, but I'm no longer interested.

So this guy has lost potentially hundreds of dollars in order to make an extra fifty cents or so.

[Brru]

I was going to a shop that kept going closer and closer to gaming so much that he lost his business. The guy never helped anyone and so he went under.

When I went to the store they had transfered my pulls to the guy was nice, but he did stuff like this ebay thing. He did it a couple of times to a friend of mine and once to me. I don't think the way he did it to us was bad and I didnt stop going there cause of that. It was very annoying to come into a store and have the guy say "go home and sit on your a$$ infront of an ebay window". Although Im not sure it was a variant either.

When it comes down to a storefront you need to make it a storefront. If you want to be an ebay business then sit at home and sell. Otherwise you need to help out those that spend the time to come into your store because you will make MORE money from the people that come in. Its just statistics at that point. I dont care if your selling a variant under retail price, that customer will boost your stores sales. Businesses (in general) have a hard time remember that first they need to conquer a city before they can conqure the world.

Oh and thats just common Pinky and the Brain tactics now, so come on.

[devlinboy]

i deal with best comics, ive been out of town on and off all summer, i had pulls that i prepaid from them and havent picked up in 3 or 4 months. i emailed them and they said they still have everything....thats how you do business