Another good idea is getting to know the owner of your favorite local comic shop. Creating a good relationship with them will typically make them much more amenable to negotiating, and holding onto specific books you are looking for. Setting up a pull list with the shop, frequently browsing, and just chatting with the store owner can go a long way in getting you good deals down the road.
I agree, it never hurts to ask for a discount. Based on my personal experience, most shops will be willing to offer up to 10% off especially if you are a regular or if you are buying over a certain dollar threshold. There's no offense in asking, as long as you do it in a respectful way. I would also add, if you see a book that has a significant price, ask to see if they offer a payment plan for the book. Some shops will let you pay a book off over the course of 90 days if it's a large enough grail. In the end, it's a relationship, if you respect both sides of the relationship deals and arrangements can be found. The other thing I would add, is if you don't see it, ask for it. Sometimes, a shop may not have a book on display but they do have it or they are part of a dealer network that can help you acquire the book. Anyways, another great video! Happy Hunting!
Thanks! And very good points on the payment plan and relationship stuff. I've had a few owners mention that to me, fortunately I haven't had to do that yet, but who knows, my LCS has a nice Avengers 1 for 4k that I keep seeing :P
Some LCSes don’t provide discounts or are willing to negotiate, sometimes it’s policy (rare), it usually because it’s ran like a retail store and the people you are dealing with don’t have the power to negotiate. However if you are dealing with the Owner then it’s far more likely to be possible to negotiate some kind of deal.
Never ran into “jacking” the price up part. In the few LCSes near me. Being Canadian, I don’t pay cover price, but the prices are consistent whether the book is hot or not. The only think I see jacked up are the ratio variants, but I understand why this is done. It’s to offset the cost of unsold books to get the ratio variant. Basically the buyer of the ratio variant is subsidizing the cost to the LCS. The other option, no ratio variants for those or any buyers.
Great video !! I own a LCS and I prefer when potential customers review the books before purchasing; it makes me confident that they will be happy (and if they find something bad I would like to know about it too LOL). Bartering is almost a given, back issues buyers love to negotiate and get a deal; hell we do the same when we buy the stuff !!
Yeah for sure. When there is transparency in what is being bought its better for both parties. And that's really cool of you to let people barter, so long as everyone is nice and respectful than everyone can win.
Absolutely great tip on inspecting wall books before purchase. But, 30+ years of Simpsons Comic Book Guy behavior by LCS owners has left me with a pretty thin skin. I get an eye roll for asking to inspect a comic and I'm probably hitting the bricks. I don't buy a ton of wall books but when I do, I ask THEM to open it. That way there's no room for error. I still have PTSD from the time I tape-pulled a big chunk of blue off Spidey's butt on my own 9.0ish ASM #38 back in 1990. The pain is still there. As far as tips of my own, I keep a list (on an index card) of books I'm really hunting for and when/if an LCS asks "Can I help you find something?" I'm like BAM! here's a list. Usually, I get blank stares but occasionally I'll hit on an "I have that."
Very good advice indeed! I forgot to mention that. I also ask the store owners to open it for me (unless they don't care) because, like you, I have PTSD on a tape pull I created on a Journey Into Mystery 109 I own. A list is always a good idea to have as well!
One thing I learn is no matter if you think your LCS is pretty accurate on grading, always take a look at it. I have bought several thinking the grade was accurate like a 7.0 and it came back a 5.5 or worse. But on the flip side, it could be harsh grading by CGC is why they came back so low. Sometimes I tend to just bite the bullet and just buy a graded comic. Its not worth getting pissed off by trying to save a few bucks and buying a raw to send to CGC
Great tips. I don't do detached pages either. I'm working on a complete run of X-Men 1 to 66, and will pick up some pretty low grades but draw the line at loose pages/cut outs.
If a comic has a detached centerfold....below the price of the comic there should be a note written by the lcs owner saying that it is detached. Good tips for everyone. Great topic and video.
I collect not only comics but sports cards. My LCS likes sports cards as well and has traded cards for comics and even slabs. I also haggle on price on older books and even slabs with him. Good tips! Thanks for the knowledge.
Nice video. Really wish i could go back in time and watch it before. Great advice for checking the books before buying. Got UXM 107 first imperial guard for $22 the tag said it was a special prize. Went home and found that some kid had drawn a mustache to some of the characters 😅😅
Great advice for collecting any collectable! I've experienced the watch-it-walk-away and shoulda-inspected, and agree on the friendly neighborhood negotiations!
Great tips..and as a small shop owner. I have no issue what so ever with a customer. Wanting a deal. Just dont be these guys. "Well on ebay its $10 dollars cheaper". That for me is a complete. What Moment. Much better to ask as you mentioned. With some understanding and appreciation of a store. They are not Ebay. Alot better to ask for a deal if possible. I've never turned down anyone making a fair and respectful offer. $25 book, hey would you take $20? Or as you mentioned. Is there any room on this book. And another huge tip buying any where. Dont be insulting to any seller. $100 book hey would you take $25. Yeah not going to go well after that. :) at least in my experiences. Great post as always bud.
I'm probably in the minority, but I never ask for a discount at my LCS. I'm lucky to have a great LCS and it's just a matter of respect. If they want to let me pay $60 for $65 worth of stuff, I'm not gonna argue, but I don't haggle. Why? Their pricing is fair, the people who work there are cool and I really, really want the shop to remain open so I'm not gonna try to peel off 10% of the profit they make from my transactions. I wanna be one of the customers they're happy to see walking into the shop. The trade-off is, the owner occasionally offers me a cool free comic or a great deal on something that just came in -- got a beat-to-heck copy of ASM 122 for free one time, another time scored two short boxes' worth of Spirit reprints for my wife (who's crazy about Will Eisner) for $100. And once I was hurting for money and sold some excess and the owner gave me double the price I asked for. In the long run it's worked out real well.
Yeah I agree with your approach. Generally speaking I usually only ask for discounts if I'm buying something SUPER pricey (that I feel like may be over FMV) or buying a lot of stuff. If a store has books priced fairly, then I will respect that :). Sounds like you got a really good LCS near you!
Tbh I work the opposite. I start with the dollar bin and work my way up. Cuz like I said sometimes a wall book can be on the wall and on the bargain bin at the same time.
Pretty cool tips man. I only have one good LCS where I live in new zealand, so opportunitys to buy old ASM issues for my collection is pretty rare and I missed on some good ones.
You’ve mentioned you had a little OCD before, and hearing you say to Check the Comic Book before buying, few “new” floppies of mine are ruin in my mind cause of some dinks 😭
These are all extremely good tips. It’s a shame I don’t have a real LCS to use these. Most of my subscription books come from an online retailer (I do get discounts!) and a smaller portion of my sub is at a large toy/collectible store where the comics are a very small portion.
Thanks! I haven't tried subscription books/online retailers yet, but it looks like that might be the future. How do you like getting your books like that?
@@Swagglehaus I actually really enjoy it. The admin/owner provides excellent customer service and helps out with any questions or concerns in a fast manner. Only downside is the shipments are slower as he waits until the maximum he can ship as to save on shipping
It just happened to me. I had been looking for the Nas Miles Morales variant cover and I didn’t check the wall first. I go to walk around, grab some currents and while I’m paying for everything I noticed this guy buying the Nas cover. 🤦🏾♂️
Favorite comic book that came out? My pick would be Department Of Truth #1. But as far as what books I think will continue to go up? FF48/FF49...Avengers #8 all come to mind.
Lol. Clearly this is not the video for me. First tip is “check wall books and keys first”.... Naw, man. First words outta my mouth are almost always “yo, where the dollar books at??” Lol! Ok, hold up, hitting the bargain bins is tip 2, ok, we are back on track here!
I cannot stand going to my LCS, the owners are arrogant and never want to work with you. With the economy potentially tanking. You will a good amount of LCS go out of business!
