Just sent us the secret links in the secret forum… 
It does not seem like TFAW has much, as far as back issues available. What happens to them or am I missing something?
They’re more of a new issue, stock what they know they can sell type of shop.
Even here in Austin, out of the 4-5 shops total, only one of those shops now carries books/back issues beyond the 6 month time frame… After Capstone closed, it really limited the back issue hunt here in Austin and it’s a shop I no longer support or step foot in…
These shops can’t be selling out on all the titles they order. What are these different places doing with back issues? The hunt through back issues is 97% of the reason I’ll make the trip to any actual brick and mortar stores.
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That’s why we do things like dollar comic sales a few times a year.
In our physical stores, things that sit too long (and last through some dollar sales) eventually become grab bags which sell super quick.
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Yeah, having been into a TFAW physical location once looking for something I saw online (whoops, I didn’t realize the warehouse and stores kept different inventory), the back issue bin was maybe half of a short box.
You can ship to stores for free or have it transferred the next day for free. But yeah inventory is separate at every location, although they can check what’s in the warehouse or in the other stores.
Each store has maybe 5 - 7 long boxes of back issues but a lot of them only come out during dollar sales.
I was in Portland for a conference and didn’t have any additional days, but yeah, that would have worked well!
This was the NE Broadway location; they may have had bins in the back, but nothing to look through out front when I was there. I got a TPB I wanted, so it all worked out 
Dragons Lair puts books that are over 6 months old or when the trades for the issues arrive in their 50% off bins… when they can’t dump them fast enough from the 50% bins I think they send a lot of them off to the local children hospitals to donate them (at least the ones okay for children).
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Also, Dragons Lair for me here in Austin seems to fulfill pulls and subs, then get shelf copies. At one time they seemed to be over ordering with a ton of copies on the shelves not moving. In the past 2 years they’ve cut down their numbers and seem to be doing fairly well in not over ordering…
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It’s just strange that a shop wouldn’t have back issues. I understand why it’s done but it can also turn customers off of ever shopping there. I guess if space is an issue it also helps there.
Dragon’s Lair is a game shop that just happens to sell comics… they make more money off their board games and tournaments they hold, etc.
Generally speaking, not specific to them but that makes sense if they don’t specialize in just comics.
Almost all the shops in Austin are more than just comic shops. Only Austin Books is purely a comic related shop (sort of) as their game shop and art store are separate stores… they also operate Gudzu Gallery and Outlaw Moon & Games, all right next to one another in the same mini strip mall…
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Some stores in Saint Louis only order floppies if people have a pull list. Otherwise, they just do trade paperbacks. They also do cards, tabletop games, and such though. One of my favorite stores does comics but goes light on things that aren’t pull orders or first issues, consistently big series, etc. He tells me how comics take up the most space in his store but offer the least profit margins generally. Most of his funds come from card games, and of those card games Magic is the big dog.
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David, do you ever hit up Vintage Stock stores in your area? Do they still carry back issues? I’ve pulled some random gems in the past from their KC-area stores.
Yes, @enabler! I am a fan of Vintage Stock. I found, “Wyrd,” #1 the other day for four smackers in the back-issues right after it was optioned. I also like to rent video-games from Vintage Stock seeing as how most rental places are gone now but they let you rent movies and games if you want. I used to rent HBO shows on DVD to watch before we got HBOMAX recently for free as a part of my wife’s AT&T phone service. There are some employees at the ones near our house who know me pretty well for my comics and rentals. Pretty much all Vintage Stocks have decent back-issues to root through and lots of dollar bin stuff.
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I love HBO!! I recently watched Raised By Wolves and loved it looking forward to the next season.
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Wonder Woman 84 tomorrow on HBO Max! WoooHooo
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Cant wait !!! Starts at noon et.
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