was there even a real demand on the second series ?
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I canāt speak towards online spec but I sold out almost all copies ordered of the second series and Iāve already sold multiple hardbacks that collect it. Thereās also action figures, sodas, Funko Pops and coffee mugs for them as well. Forgot the lunch boxes and minimates. A nice selection of complimentary items put out already you can scan thru previewsworld and see.
Item Search - Previews World
Guess theyāll have to go with CBCS!
Mwaa haa ha ha haaaa!
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āif they use a special cover for this thatās only sent out directly from IDW and signed wouldnāt that pretty much mean every copy has to be legit and recognized by people whether cgc does or not?ā
The Dawn limited edition appeared to be all signed but green labels are common if signed on exterior. Have seen Linsner Limited Edition books with blue labels but it looks like interior signatures.
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Retailer reasons to get ratios:
- Youāre pre-orders qualify you to obtain a ratio variant.
- You have a customer asking (and committed to buying) for a ratio and willing to spend the inflated price that covers the cost to qualify for it.
All other reasons are just bad on a business and financial sense. Nuff said!
And you have the place to store the āunwantedā books or a plan to move them out (I.e. discounted/clearance prices).
Still gotta move that inventory.
Space costs money as wellā¦
Thatās a nice list but there are other times as well that make sense. One of the most glaring was publishers mixing ratioās with returnability. You basically order all you want to qualify for the ratioās and then if the sales donāt materialize, you strip cover the leftovers and reduce the price on any remaining ratios. Another popular one is if youāre hovering under the next discount tier up and need some additional comics ordered to add to your totals to get that extra discount on everything for the next six months to a year. Another favorite is if the ratio cover is really nice looking and you think it may sell all by itself. A simple example is say that sweet 25 quantity ratio is based on a $3.99 comic. That makes it roughly a $50 buy in to get it. You sell it for $25 and now youāve got 25 comics cover priced $3.99 to sell to cover the other $25. Basically a 25% sell thru over a time frame youāre comfortable with and youāre there and everything else is profit from that point on. If having that particular cover available attracts a new customer that comes in and spends enough, that one customer can make it worth the āriskā. There are others as well including at times you may need some more invoices to lower your profit numbers you have to pay taxes on.
As for storage, thatās up to the individual but empty space costs as much in rent as used space so you might as well make sure you max the space out. I havenāt gone there yet but I actually bought velcro to attach those cheap plastic Funko Pop holders directly to the track the ceiling tiles sit on facing down. Someone sees one they want, grab a stool pop it down, add a new one to the protector and pop it back up there for the next shopper to see. I figure Iām paying rent for that space as well.
Do you have to pay return shipping? If so, still depends on circumstances and this is retailers acting like consumers chasing ratios cause they can return unsold books. Order what you know you can sell is still or should be the golden rule.
Thatās playing consumer, not retailer. Sure it might sell but you are then sitting on copies of a book that might take a long time to sell or never sell, you are then just paying to store them by not moving them. Bad for business.
If I found myself with space being used up with things that arenāt moving, I would try to find something that sells instead to utilize the space. Itās all about equal balance and moving inventory, not just sitting on it.
No, strip cover photo return or affidavit return is fairly common. Affidavit just means you sign a piece of paper saying you destroyed them.
What happens if they fall off the stool and sue you for damages?
Thatās an opinion you have. How long it takes for something to sell is a choice each individual business has to make for themselves to feel comfortable with. Everything can be moved eventually one way or another. What matters is that you have your bills aid and are comfortable with whatever happens. I can tell you right now I wish Iād ordered more Ultimate Spider-man #1 A covers. More of those Justice League vs Godzilla vs Kong #1 and 2ās would be nice to have as well. leftovers if you decide can be donated to Childrens Hospitals and such for tax write offs under certain situations, maybe at other times you want to send them out as direct mailings to attract new customers, thereās a lot of options for what can happen. The individual business has to make the oneās that are right for their situation and that can change from month to month and year to year.
Thatās me getting them down just like I do already for stuff on the high shelves and items already hanging from the ceiling like t-shirts and Wonder Woman shields.
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True, I just havenāt seen too many shops with āspaceā to fill. Many rent storage to keep the store itself tidy. Which is questionable whether thatās really paying dividends or just accumulating more costs to hold on to inventory.
I know in my case I have tons of free space in the back and even more at my parents right down the road if I ever need it. Those boxes the suppliers ship in can hold and stack a lot of excess inventory when needed. You may not be seeing the back room space some places have that customers arenāt allowed in. Itās like I said though, itās up to the individual business to decide whatās best for their situation.
Not all the space in a business is generally for public access and retail purposes. Iām sure it varies widely. I have an apartment set up in the back I donāt want people going thru even if I could restructure the inside of the retail area to allow them access to it. You can get a lot of comics in an Xās dresser if you want to. Her nightstand is great for stacking up a large pile of Diamond shipping boxes broken down flat on to save until you need them for shipping. Itās very rare in life when you can make one or two rules that fit everyoneās situation perfectly.
Yeah we all know that doesnāt always happenā¦
So that proves my point, if you over buy a title to get a ratio and hope to sell off the copies slowly, how are people going to buy if theyāre shoved in the back where customers donāt go? Now you are paying for storage costs and not moving the inventoryā¦ 
Shoulda coulda woulda is not a good way to liveā¦ I should have bought more bitcoin 10 years ago, but I didnātā¦ Gotta move forward, not live in the past!
Youāre making assumptions that items have to be in a visible retail space to be sold. Thereās online websites, having a couple copies on the shelf and fetching others as needed and plenty of other options.