Things that work and don't work for an on-line and store front comic book shop

johnarrambide

Hi everyone, I'm getting really close to getting my comic book store started, but before my website goes live I wanted to get some feed back. I'd like to know what things you like and don't like from on-line retailers and store front retailers. What things you'd change or do differently and what you would like to see done. I've done research on my competition on-line and in my city, but I need some feed back. Anything you can tell me will go a long way in helping me get established.

compsolut

Hey @johnarrambide - we just took over our existing LCS with new ownership and management, and we had to make a lot of changes for the store to be viable. The previous owner basically catered to the Wednesday subscriber crowd only, and very little of anything else. As many stores are, we are dependent on card gaming (Magic namely) to keep us moving forward, but for the first time in over 5 years, the store is self sufficient on new comics, back issues, and trade/hardbacks. The best advice I can give you is to hit the local con circuit and look for key issues and trades that are priced very low that you can bring in, and offer at or below market value and still make a good margin.

A lot of our new customers comment on how many priced back issues we have - most shops around us don't take the time to do that. The other comment that we get is how bright the store is, and how our shelves are always full of good things. The previous owner was notorious for sparse shelves, or shelves with crap product on them. We have sections that we have created that sell great together (Batman/Bat Family, Walking Dead/Crepy/Eerie, Brubaker Image (Criminal, Velvet, Fatale), Saga/Fables/Y The Last Man). We also have a number of back issue sets (key runs that we compete, bag, and sell together - we don't so this unless we have duplicates in the bins, and if someone buys one, we will break the set for a customer, and try to refill the set at a later time). Our slowest moving items are clothing, so we don't order much outside of requested items or main characters.

Our online presence is merely a glimpse into who we are, and what we do. We would like to grow that presence by adding subscriber login for pull list updates, but the main things is getting our name, address, and what we do out for the world to see. Our biggest digital interaction is through Facebook. We get reviews, pictures, check ins, post our gaming and comic events, etc.

Bottom line, good for you! It's a tough first couple of months to get established, and tough first year or two to get your regular weekly subscribers. If you ever have questions, just give a shout to myself or any of the other folks on the forums that work at/own comic shops.

johnarrambide

This great information, thank you so much! I will definitely keep you in mind if I have more questions come up.

EdChambers

I'm not sure if Cameron from DCBS is still on this forum, but I would imagine he would be a wealth of knowledge, if he chooses to share that.
Personally, as far as the brick and mortar store, customer service is a key ingredient for me. Friendly service from the staff - make the customer truly feel welcome. If you offer a pull service/ordering service for your customers, don't keep it a secret. Make all of your customers aware of how that service will operate in your store, and how they can benefit y using that service.
Good luck!

Torchsong

Let me use your bathroom.

That's really all I ask. I'm loyal to the store I'm loyal to because I came in, asked if I could, and he pointed to the back room. It was a smaller store without a public can. I go past several other stores to buy from him.