Pull list and comic quality1042
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Icculus private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Hi everyone; just had a quick question for those of you who get your pull lists from LCS. Do you every have problems or feel like you're getting less that top quality books by doing it that way vs ordering online or even just taking your chances and getting the books you want off the shelf? I don't want to give the impression that there is severe damage or anything. Just maybe slightly blunted corner or slight spine creases from less than pristine handling when they set your books aside waiting for pickup. I'm know I'll probably never make a dime on my comics (most likely lose money) if and when I ever sell but the collector in me is a stickler for quality. Do you have problems or found there is a better way? Thoughts? |
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 Collector
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Robots_One private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I was forced to drop mine because of those exact issues. It sucked to do but I like nice books. | ||
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 Collector
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Themaxx35 private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I've had that problem lately. Just today I had to swap out two books at the register because the covers had creases. The worst is when I don't notice until I get them home. Really frustrating, and I've even ended up ordering replacement copies from mid-town comics or grabbing them from another LCS. I don't think my LCS is trying to screw me or anything. I get the vibe from the owner and regular customers that they are much more of a read for fun and not collecting kinda crowd, so condition may not matter as much to them. Because I first got into comics in '90s, when everyone thought their collection was going to pay for their kids' college, I guess I just have it ingrained in me that I want the best copy I can get even though I now know that most of what I read will never really gain value. For now, I just take a few extra minutes to inspect and swap out if necessary before I pay. I've been tempted to go with DCBS for a bit, but I haven't heard if I can trust them on condition anymore than I can my LCS. I would like to hear people's experiences with that service. |
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 Collector
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Oxbladder private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Speaking from experience there are two things people should know when setting up a pull list anywhere. 1. If you anal about condition you must specify that the store employees take care when putting issues aside for you. 2. If you are anal about condition you must check the books over when you buy them. Each store usually has plenty of other pulls and they simply cannot always catch every defect especially if the person pulling the books isn't particularly anal. Also, they may not have a choice but to put a book in with a minor/small defect because every copy they got may have that same defect. I don't know how the online stores are but I would never use one because it would be a royal pain in the rump to exchange books if I needed to and reordering or adding books a week's pull would be a pain. Never mind not being able to shoot the breeze with the owner. I should also point out that Diamond's QC and packaging sucks balls and there are always damaged books. |
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 Collector
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dpiercy private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Sometimes I get great books...sometimes...not. I just put back/exchange what I don't like. I have been shown how Diamond ships books...it ain't too thoughtful. | ||
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Collector
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Themaxx35 private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by dpiercy Can you elaborate on Diamond's shipping, now I'm curious. |
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 Beaten by boat oars
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Studley_Dudley private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I only buy back issues and keys from the LCS's in the area. I have a pull list set up through Graham Crackers Comics because they get me the Transformers incentive books. However, there are times when it looks like Hawk & Animal just beat up a book or two in the shipment. If it's particularly bad, I just contact them and get a replacement or refund. I'm aware of Diamond's pathetic distribution habits as well. Overall my books arrive 9.6-9.8 99% of the time. | ||
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 COLLECTOR
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Wolverine private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I just swap out the bad books for ones that are better quality. One of the guys at my LCS always makes sure to give me the books in the best condition. Most of the others don't. | ||
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Beaten by boat oars
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Studley_Dudley private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Themaxx35 The store owners I've spoken with do not speak highly of Diamond. Mostly because they don't put the best care into packing books for delivery to stores. |
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 Collector
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roarzola private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I know the owner at my LCS cares because he submits his books to cgc. But I think his employees really don't know about how important. I remember one time seeing a Robocop variant behind the count and it looked really cool. I asked the clerk if I could get a better look at it and he grabbed it in the way where your thumb and hand are in the middle so the weight of the book folded on both sides. When it was placed in front of me, I could already see the creases near the staples. I thank him and said I just remembered I already had that one. I would rather get them myself. There are enough stores around me that if they happen to sell out, I can always try the other stores. |
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Collector
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Icculus private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Themaxx35 This is exactly how I feel. The collector in me always wants the best quality. I guess I'm just so new getting back into the hobby that I'm not sure what should be expected as the norm. Very interesting to hear that the distributor may be one of (although definitely not the only) source of the problem. I guess for me I just got a little irked when last time I was in my shop I asked that they bag and board my comics (a service they provide) to try and at least protect them some while sitting in a folder, getting banged around, and for the trip home yet when I showed up there they were raw again. |
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Collector
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Oxbladder private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Themaxx35 What would you do if you were packing a lot of books in boxes unbagged and boarded to ship out to stores around the country/world so the books survive the trip? Now throw that picture out and pile the books and other items in in basic stacks with no packing to prevent movement. |
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Collector
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Themaxx35 private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Oxbladder That just made me ill. |
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 Collector
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leesoul21 private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Oxbladder Can confirm this as well. My LCS's hate/hate relationship with Diamond is always entertaining! My favorite diamond rant he went on recently, his order count was off by five books, he complained, I show up the following Wednesday and ask had they fixed the problem...he says "oh yeah" points to five GIGANTIC individual boxes in the corner, 1 comic per box all the same title/run/issue. The stupidity of it was enough to cause a spontaneous aneurysm. Back to the original point, I think if you find the right store, right owner, and they know you're looking for as mint as possible it helps. Only ever had to swap out books a couple of times with the current shop I use and it's never an issue. I won't buy current books from certain shops regardless of how bad I want them if the shop has them in those wooden newsstand drop boxes. Brilliant store I love to visit an hour from my house, wonderful back issue selection in long boxes, bag and board everything the enters the shop, awesome right? Have all those bagged and boarded currents overstacked in those wooden newsstands, all with the same massive bend in the middle of spines and typically the collectors have already cherry picked the nm issues at the far back of the stack. Hilarious to think of the effort though, "better go the extra mile bag and board these so the customers will be inclined to buy more" now shove 15 each into wooden slots that are built for 8. |
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Revelations private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I stopped going to my LCS a while back. Not because of the pull list, but because they give preference to their pull list customers for variants in order of seniority. Basically, I would never be able to get any of the hot title variants. I order from Midtown Comics. Out of the hundreds I've gotten from them, only a few ever had spine problems. The books were zenescope books for reading enjoyment. They all come bagged and boarded at no extra charge. I save %15-%50 off their books and save extra on not having to buy bags and boards. No tax for me either. It's a win win. | ||
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Collector
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Themaxx35 private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Revelations I've always been happy with my occasional orders from midtown, though I haven't ordered back issues from them yet. I keep with my LCS largely because I want to support them. I like that LCSs are still around. It reminds me of the fun I had collecting as a kid. But it's good to know that I can shift to midtown exclusively if I need to. |
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Collector
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Icculus private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Revelations Quote: Originally Posted by Themaxx35 I also am in the boat of wanting to support local businesses whenever possible. I did recently place an order with Midtown and I've placed several orders with MyComicShop. So far I've been very pleased with what I received from online although "occasionally" their definition of NM has seemed a bit loose. I haven't received my order from Midtwown yet so I can't comment on their quality yet. MyComicShop has a great selection of back issues and I've been mostly please with what I received from them. Haven't got my only order from Midtown yet which leads me to my only comment I can make about them so far....SLOW. With my several orders from MCS I've ordered (using USPS Priority) and from my time of order its been 3-4 days till I receive my order which seems fair for processing and transit time. My first order from Midtown was placed last Friday and I just received the email that it was processed and shipped today. Can appreciate that they do volume but I wouldn't think any more than MCS. My guess is that from order to doorstep using USPS priority its going to take close to 10 days vs 4 with MCS. ETA: Of course I guess both are an improvement over ComicConnect. I ordered my first graded book ever from them and while admittedly their business model is a little different its been 10 days since I completed my order and still haven't received word my book has shipped. Based on what I've read I'm not holding my breath I'll hear anything in the next week either. |
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 COLLECTOR
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DarthLego private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I use Things From Another World to preorder my regulars. I pay an extra quarter each for bag and board. So far service from them has been flawless and I've never received a damaged book. | ||
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 I bought a meat grinder on amazon for $60 and it's changed my life.
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kaptainmyke private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I still have my LCS....BUT I have now started buying books from Midtown and Jetpack. I setup a comixology pull list with Jetpack, who's 2000 miles away from me. laffo She just doesn't order enough copies of books to get the variants I demand. I can preorder from ebay and get a better deal than my LCS imo. | ||
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 COLLECTOR
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JLS_Comics private msg quote post Address this user | |
| My pullist is with one of my LCS's and - for the most part - I've not had many issues with damage. A couple times I have caught some serious blunting and dogears and am able to exchange them for another book on the shelf but I like that they have everything. One of the benefits for me of a pull list is building that relationship with the LCS and so now I can request books put aside for me like they're more than happy to throw a Once Our Land (for example) on my pile and have it sit there for 1.5 weeks until I pick it up...super cool of them. One gripe I have is that they don't bag and board my books. They have them available at the register for an extra quarter but I'd like them protect while they're in my subscription box. I initially set up with my LCS because of the Wednesday Warrior in me and the YouTube guy in me wanting the books on the day of however I've been finding myself more and more getting in there on the weekends. I'm going to blame that on my work schedule. I did have a pull through Midtown Comics and I really like the service. Everything I wanted, great %off, especially with Previews, great packaging. My issue was the timeliness of the shipping but that ties in to what I said above. I had ONE issue with a book I received from them, a JSC exclusive, where the spine was mashed in around the staples. I communicated with them and they shipped out a NM copy right away. I always like to hear about how a company rectifies an issue more than one where nothing goes wrong, it says alot about them and their attitude towards customers. With something as impersonal as a mail order service it helps to humanize it a little. A previous LCS had some issues with books recieved but it all - according to them - went back on Diamond. They'd not get books in their order, books would be really damaged (Apparently the strapping used on the boxes has damaged countless numbers of books) and other issues that they'd blame on the distributor. Anyway, that shop closed and thats when I decided to try Midtown. |
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 Collector
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DertyComix private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Revelations This is true that some LCS will give preferences, the LCS I go to will hold variants to store employees first, then long time friends of the owner, but my daughter is friends with the son of the owner, and I occasionally will get good books in my pull. But ive since been able to directly go to any of the employees now and tell them directly what variants i want and i will 98% of the time its there for my taking. |
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Collector
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Revelations private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @DertyComix I don't fault them for catering to pull list customers. But I'm not going to get on a pull list in the off chance I can get a variant. Midtown is great because of the advanced order savings and free bag and boards. | ||
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Collector
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DertyComix private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @Revelations I dont blame them either. I have not even looed at doing a pull on line, i beleive this is due to the old shool ways of having the experience of going to a LCS and dealing with people directly. I may look into it some day. | ||
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Collector
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Revelations private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I guess the other thing for me is that I don't have time to hit the various shops to hunt for a specific cover. I wanted astonishing ant-man 10 in the death of x cover because it had psylocke on it, but no one had it. Ended up having to buy on eBay for 3x the price. I could have gotten it from Midtown, but figured my local shops would have it. It wasn't even an incentive variant. They also never order enough Harley Quinn to get the incentive variants. | ||
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