Not really a story here. I wanted to see what everyone’s experience has been with buying the 3d DC covers. I have been getting mine from one store at cover and have gotten and subsequently sold the books. Have you seen price gouging? Don’t be afraid to name names. Have you seem sell outs. Have you been lucky and gotten them? Just curious what everyone’s experience has been.
16 thoughts on “DC Villains Month Open Forum”
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I’m a regular at one store, they’ve been good enough to add whichever ones I want on my pull list without problems. All the stores here in Austin seem to sell at retail price, none trying to price gouge.
It was a good day. I’m only missing Clayface & Dial E. At cover price at the LCBS that I went to.
I also picked up a few Variants of ZERO #1.
It was a good read.
Also picked up Kiss Me Satan #1 from Dark horse.
I’ve had a similar experience with my LCS. I’ve only missed out on one so far – Harley Quinn. They’ve sold out of all of them so far and have been selling them at cover. Some of their subscribers who didn’t want the 3D covers have just been putting them back on the shelves. As they were saying, these customers should’ve told them they didn’t want the 3D covers so other subs could have them. The shop’s been finding other copies hidden in their back issues!
Here in Northern California, one shop in my town has been putting all 3D books out at cover price and selling them till there gone, which is usually by the end of the day. I get there around noon and usually over half are gone, but the owner has had mine pulled of my pull list and saved for me. The other shop in town however puts out tons of 2D covers and keeps the 3D covers hidden behind the counter and sells them to whomever “HE” wants to sell them too.
I haven’t had any problem getting what I want, no price gouging going on EVER! I’ve been loyal to Als Comic Shop here in Stockton CA. if you’re ever around the area go check it out. I had to go to another store to get CLAYFACE, but then again I dont buy all covers either, just get what I feel is worth it. My overall opinion regarding the DC 3D covers is that they are way overrated. Some of the stories are weak and honestly from a readers standpoint I wouldn’t even bother, but I’ve made a few bucks though so In OUR business its been great. Again sell them fast because this is gonna fall fast
Oh and all have sold out except RELIC and CREEPER and they had a lot of PENGUIN when I left.
I have 2 shops in my area and they are literally 50 yards away from each other. One shop I go to is Texas Toyz, they sell the covers for cover price the 1st week of release then whatever is left sell for $10 each the next week. The other shop Comics Plus sells the covers for $10 right off the bat. I don’t get all the covers just get what I want when I can get it. I just need to top it off with the Jokers Daughter, praying to the comic gods I get 1.
Happy hunting to everybody next week!
I made out well in my area. Between the stores I visited and the help of pre-orders, I found everything. Really, pre-orders is the way to go with free shipping and discounts.
However, Joker’s Daughter maybe next to impossible to find. Pre-orders for that sold out in 15 minutes today. This means that store allocation next wednesday maybe insane and some of us have to work. So by the time I get off, I won’t have a chance to acquire another. Other than that, it’s been great!
i made a pull list of all the ones i actually wanted when the creative teams were announced in solicits. my regular shop has gotten me every one that i originally asked for, and my wife has been able to find a few on the shelf (she gets off work before i do, and never plans purchases ahead, preferring to browse the shelf). we have DARKSEID, DEADSHOT, COUNT VERTIGO, JOKER, COURT OF OWLS, HARLEY QUINN, REVERSE FLASH, ROGUES and DIAL-E. for the most part i have enjoyed these. i have said before i barely even read DC anymore, but i am a sucker for villain one shots and the covers are honestly pretty cool. sadly, my favorite character, DARKSEID, had by far the worst of the ones i read. DIAL-E was so ridiculously awesome, HARLEY QUINN was a great looking surprise and REVERSE FLASH was basically an issue of the ongoing (i say this as a positive).
my shop pulled what was requested, which means some of these 3D versions had ZERO shelf copies. they havent hiked any prices up though (except the FOREVER EVIL 3D ltd variant, obviously). ANother shop nearby still has a bunch of RIDDLER, JOKER and a few others at cover, with the others that arent as plentiful (POISON IVY, VENTRILOQUIST, GRODD) getting kicked up to $10 a week after release.
The 3d books seem to be the factor in finding out where you buy your books. One shop I have been going to for about a year pulled some BS on me and I would assume most of the customers that support the brick and mortor store. Anyways, I walk into the shop looking to pick up a few of the 3d books and as it turns out the shopowner compains that they ran out, in fact not enough copies for the regular customers. I was offered a Riddler. In any event, I didnt buy anything as I figured I would try my luck at another shop, and if I was able to get some of the 3d books, I might as well buy my non 3d stuff at that shop as well. A few days later, at a toy and comic show the same shop that didnt have any of the 3d books had stacks of each one, marked up a few bucks each. “oh, some customer just sold these to me”. I have yet to yelp that shop about this, but I have strongly considered doing so as that was a pretty shady thing to do to a regular customer. I have since found a new place to buy my books.
I have come across a shop that is marking them up to $7.99 as they are “variants” no point in discussing this with them. That is why I don’t shop there. Maybe put together a bad comic merchant list.
Wow. Pretty messed up
Honestly, it is not messed up or even bad business. Comic shops have the odd mix of being purveyors of initial sales and of the collectors’ market. No one thinks it odd if a shop sells variants for more than cover price. Unless Diamond or DC institutes a policy for price gouging then this practice will continue, but be rare. I frequent two local shops. One has my pull list and the other I go to for a few things here or there. i’ve picked up a few 3d covers at the second store slightly marked up, 4.99, but the first store got me everything I pre-ordered. I do not begrudge them the extra buck. DC kinda screwed vendors on this. If retailers want to act like speculators and screw flippers, eh, why not?
The thing with variants, and why people expect to pay more, is that they know the retailers have to buy x amount of books to get them, 1 in 20, 1 in 50, 1 in 200. People buying know that they have to help offset the cost for the exclusive covers. These are often mistakenly called variants and not exclusives, and there is a difference. With the 3d covers, these are regular covers that DC printed with the expectation of going to the consumer via the distribution channels (aka your local comic shop.) to charge a premium on the day they come out is just bad business and I have been to shops this past three weeks that are hurting for the practice
I do agree with all you guys.
I have had no problem getting the 3D covers.
Now! I do know for a fact that there is one shop that do not I repeat do not put them out.
I don’t hit that shop up like that.
I asked to use the bathroom two weeks ago and as I walked by to the next room I found plenty off boxes of books.
I seen at least 5 boxes of Catwoman #23.
And a TON of 3D covers.
Lol
But the person that owns the shop I heard is a slime character.
These shops make me laugh.
But like I said.
I have no problem getting all the 3D covers.
I do have 8 copies of the Harley Quinn cover.
Plus I have 5 Joker’s Daughter cover for this Wednesday.
One interesting point is that some retailers do sell online and some cater to selling long term. Retailers do NOT have to put out comics on the shelf that they ordered. They can do what they want with their product – it costs them money. I do know retailers that pull some copies immediately off the shelf and stick in the back room so they have back issues later for sale. Retailers take a big chance tieing up money on books they don’t put out. If they make some profit on some I don’t think that would be considered bad business. And one more defense for retailers is that how many people right now are buying the 3D covers only cause they might make money with them. The store had to order these books before they knew there was going to be a shortage or hype or a price increase. I personally never would have ordered those DC titles and so I knew I would never be able to get the 3D covers and that was a simple fact. Only loyal customers of those titles in the first place deserve a copy at cover. If a store wants to keep a box of Catwoman #23 in the backroom they have the right. It might be profitable for them or it might not. They might just stick them there for 6 months and the comic hype will die down and it might be back to cover price again. They might actually get stuck with them. Speculating on comics is all about timing. I have many books that I did not sell fast enough and missed out selling them at their peak. You never know what can go on! It’s a fun and amusing game and nobody should get worked up about it and be bitter at other retailers who are just playing the game in their method.