Marvel sends out mailers to retailers and this is the latest mailer in hopes to handle and support local retailers who depend on weekly shipments of books for their business. This is their corrected version and includes their new deep discount tiers for retailers.
CORRECTION:
Marvel Mailer #700
Marvel Retailer Support Measures
Dear Diamond Customer:Please be advised that the Marvel Retailer Support Measures in this week’s Marvel Mailer (#700) from Marvel Comics contained errors in the text.
A corrected version of the item follows:
To all our partners in the retailer community,
As we all encounter new and uncertain challenges in response to COVID-19 and take extraordinary measures to prioritize the safety and wellbeing of everyone in the industry and beyond, our thoughts are with you, your loved ones, and the community.
We have spoken with many of you about the economic impact to your stores from this situation, and we are here to help. To assist and support you and retailers around the country during this unprecedented time, Marvel will be implementing the following support sales measures, effective immediately:
• For Marvel titles scheduled to go on sale between March 18 and April 8, Marvel is offering extensive deep discounts (adjusted on top of the existing discounts you have in place) to help alleviate cash flow pressures and give you the flexibility to sell your product in response to customer demand as needed.
*Please see the chart below for new discount tiers.
• This move will increase total discounts for you upfront and preserve the cash you have immediately available. These discounts will also allow your store to fully dedicate your resources and staff to selling comics and other essential tasks.
• Marvel and Diamond will also be preserving your current regular Marvel discount tier, regardless of any decreases to your order levels. By maintaining your current regular discount tier, we hope to give you the confidence you need to reduce and adjust your orders and steadily accommodate your ongoing pull and hold list customers.
We are aware that based on the guidance of local government and health officials, many of you are already providing services to accommodate your communities, including holding or creating pull lists, curbside pick-ups, special deliveries or other shipping options, and more. We will continue to amplify and create awareness about these efforts as best as we can to help encourage your customers to use your additional services.
We are actively monitoring the situation every day, and we will continue to listen to your input and share regular updates with you in the coming days and weeks.
Our industry is built upon the resilience and passion behind each and every retailer and fan, and shops like yours are the reason we all can come together. This is uncharted territory for all of us, and we are here to support. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out to your Diamond representative for more information. Please stay safe and well.
| Current Discount |
New Discount |
| 35% | 65% |
| 45% | 65% |
| 50% | 65% |
| 53% | 70% |
| 54% | 70% |
| 55% | 70% |
| 56% | 75% |
| 57% | 75% |
| 58% | 75% |
| 59% | 75% |
ATTENTION RETAILERS:
Regular standard discounts will be frozen at the currently calculated discount to avoid this difficult time from impacting future standard discounts.
If I’m understanding this correctly….this has to be considered a net positive, right? This will at the very least, offer the shop owners the ability to make more profit per item with the likelihood of now selling less total items. I think that’s the gist of it. Nice to see Diamond stepping up.
Yes, bigger discounts mean retailers make bigger profits but it’s all mute if they’re not being shipped products and or their city is on lockdown, hence making them shut down as well. My assumption this is the books that were originally on sale during these weeks they indicated so when shops do reopen, when sold, they’re making more profit then. But it’s not entirely clear to me how this is going to help a lot of them and also how those who were buying comics before will react. A lot of people live pay check to pay check as well, so some that bought books weekly could have to forego their books while they play catchup on bills and other necessities of living…
Exactly, Mr Poyo .. I really don’t know if the left hand knows what the right hand is doing, anyway .. I was at the 55% level and still got 55% on this weeks books ..
Same boat as you Willie, but I emailed my rep and got this Answer:
“Part of the problem is that the credits for those retroactive credits is that they’re supposed to appear on a future invoice. However, with Diamond not shipping after this week I’m not sure how that is going to effect Marvel’s plan. I’m going to try and find out if these are even still relevant.”
and the followup email response is this:
“So yes, Marvel’s discounts are still going to be applied and the credits will appear on future invoices. However, those invoices might not be generated until Diamond resumes normal shipping.”
This is a ridiculous letter from Diamond. They are not shipping any new product moving forward until further notice. Who cares what the discount may be 2 months from now when shop owners need to survive under the current circumstances.
It was pretty ridiculous for Diamond to even ship this week’s books to begin with when so many stores sales have been falling hard.
My point is that Diamond couldn’t care less about stores. These were books in their inventory and it’s better for them if they sit unsold in someone else’s inventory than theirs. To think otherwise is naive.
Just as one of the posters here said; they were at a 55% discount…and that’s what they received. They sure could have used that 70% off this week though……but it doesn’t matter just as long as Diamond gets their cashier’s checks.
I think Diamond has been just plain awful throughout this. Some stores still haven’t even received their books due to being in UPS limbo.
I doubt things will go strictly digital moving forward, but I sure do hope for a rival to appear and at least offer stores an option to whom they use for comic distribution.
Someone correct me if I’m wrong but yes, the email is sent out by Diamond but these Marvel Mailers are likely written up by Marvel themselves.
These are written by Marvel and sent by Diamond. I think somewhere there is a link to get them directly from Marvel. So Marvel is setting the terms, not Diamond.
As a observer, the charts are interesting. DCBS normally gives customers 40% off on preorders. That means in some instances before COVID19, ordering from DCBS could be cheaper than buying from Diamond. This doesn’t account for taxes and shipping, which would even it out. Still, its strange that a regular person could in theory get a better deal than a shop owner.
Thats what makes DCBS so appealing to alot of people. Its funny that the higher up you go the less discount you get. Those that have a 35% account are making out like bandits!
Has diamond suspended taking orders now that there will be no new releases for a while? And when the stores resume business, will all the back titles (if ordering is still open) be released at once?
Those areas seem to me to still be somewhat nebulous .. I placed my Previews order as per normal the other day .. if Diamond releases any and all on hold books in one large swath at the end of the moratorium, it would further bury Retailers that are already under stress .. unless Diamond develops some “plan” ..
Who really knows .. I think Diamond and the Publishers are flying by the seat of their pants right now .. the only consensus (from anybody, it seems) is “Our Primary Concern is the Health and Safety of our Customers and Employees ..” .. how many times have you had that in an email the last couple weeks .. ??
Heh, I’ve just been deleting any email about our “Health and Concern…”… they all seem to be using the same template. It’s like, thanks for the warm fuzzy reassuring measures but I don’t need every freaking company telling me this. Now if I get an email claiming they’ll send me free TP that I don’t have to stand in line for, that’s truly caring.. 😉
You and I must share a DNA strand somewhere along the line .. 😉
If you got any family from the East Tennessee Hillbilly neck of the woods.. then there’s a good chance those DNA strands are more recent relations.. 🙂
Gramps came from the Mississippi Delta, Grandma came from Tennessee .. that may explain in ..
Nice!!
My ancestors came from Ireland during the potato famine…
Sorry, Longshanks popped into my head when you mentioned Ireland.. 😉
It’s all bogus lies. No one ever got any discounts improvement from Marvel, as no books “qualified.” Marvel is doing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to help retailers. They have lots of PR guys claiming this and that, but EVERY OTHER major COMPANY has done something. I’ll be cutting my Marvel order to subscription only.