I own a comic book store – this is how comic book fans drive me crazy There is an evil insidiously weakening Local Comic Book Stores (or LCS, as we in the industry call them). It’s […]

There is an evil insidiously weakening Local Comic Book Stores (or LCS, as we in the industry call them).

It’s not Dr Doom or Lex Luthor – no, it’s much worse.

It’s unpicked orders.

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When a customer goes into an LCS and asks for the store to keep them a series that they will pick up as it comes out, it’s called a “pull list” (or a “standing order”, or a “pull box”, or any other local terms).

Unlike in most modern businesses, money is rarely exchanged when this order happens Comic Book retailers trust the customer to pay for the comic that they ordered, and the customer trusts the retailer to order and keep a copy of the comic for them.

It’s all based on trust, because this is the way it’s always been.

Unfortunately, some people will never come back for their orders.

In most businesses, a retailer could return the unsold stock to the suppliers. But not in comics.

‘We know of at least two shops in the UK that closed recently and quoted unpicked orders as a major contributing factor’

Due to arcane distribution deals, there is one single comic book distributor in the world that supplies all LCS with your favourite Marvel, DC, Image and every other comic book publisher’s titles you can think of.

It’s an effective monopoly, where the number one rule is that the LCS pay for all stock and there are no returns save very few, very limited exceptions.

So any time a customer orders a book but then decides to not pick it up for whatever reason, the LCS has already paid for it and there’s nothing they can do. Customers will say to just put it back on the shelf, but as any retailer will tell you, the shelf is not a magical place where things sell out regardless of age or content.

Ghosting a shop

Even worse, some customers will promise their LCS that yes, they haven’t been in in a while but they will be in next month, sure, keep ordering comics for me. Then months go by before they stop replying to emails and phone calls and effectively ghost a shop, sometimes leaving behind hundreds worth of unsellable stock just like that.

Margins in an LCS are already razor thin compared to other businesses, and for a lot of people getting worse all the time with the weakening pound in the UK vs the dollar that these comics are bought in.

We’re in Ireland and things aren’t as bad here post-Brexit, but we know of at least two LCS in the UK that closed recently and quoted unpicked orders as one of the major contributing factor for it.

All retailers understand that people sometimes can’t pick up their orders anymore. Life changes, people lose their jobs and have unexpected expenses.

But it would help your LCS immensely if you contact them and are upfront about it. We rather know and stop ordering (and paying for) extra stock for you right now, than have you telling us in 3 months when we have 300 euros worth of stock here for you.

It is a very unique situation that I don’t think happens in any other business.

Heroes needed

And even if people don’t think of comic book stores as a real business, because we are so niche and unique, we ARE a real business, just like any other. We pay rent, wages, bills, and taxes, like everyone else.

This is our livelihood, so we feel very strongly about it, especially when we see friends having to close down because of stuff like this.

At the end of the day, if you order something with an LCS and never pick it up, what you are doing is contributing to the possible demise of that place. Multiply that by various customers and you’ll see the scope of the problem.

All you have to do to fight it? Be honest and have a word with the person behind the counter if your situation changes. We’ll appreciate it with no judgement.

Want to be a hero and help your comic book store? Pick up what you ordered. That’s what Superman would do.

Bruno Batista is the Manager at Big Bang Comics