Sooo Im starting my own comic book shop. Im starting online selling

You have to have to have to stock merchandise other than comic books as well. Just the way it is. What's your location? Like a mall, strip mall, shopping street?

>>93841982
Right now im starting just selling on ebay. I dont have the money for a brick and morter yet

>>93841960
Are you opening an account with Diamond? If so, you're gonna have to jump through some hoops to prove you're not just a collector trying to get a retailer discount.

>>93841960
Two of my local shops do a card game night once a week, where people come in and play stuff like Magic: The Gathering, Pokemon and shit like that. Now I personally do not play those games, but the store is fucking packed on the game nights (Wednesdays, which is also new comic days). I think it's a genius move by them, come in, get your comics, maybe stay for a game or two.

>>93841960
Give up already

>>93841960
when you get that shop. get board games and magic cards since you'll probably want to make money.

do shit like>>93842181 too

>>93842187
I litteraly just started. And no im not giving up this is a dream of mine.

>>93842181
Thats a great idea. I just want to be able to make it fun for everyone I read an Interview of a guy saying he hates when that happenes cause he cant shop.

>>93842124
and im not planning on doing that untill Im into making more money

Best of luck to you OP.

>>93841960
Sell something other that comicbooks, create a nice and comfy atmosphere and offer lots of activities like Karaoke or game nights. You should think about making a small counter in the front where you can sell snacks, newspapers and some comics (preferably Ducks as they have loose continuity and are easy to digest) without them needing to go inside. You'd be surprised how many people would just grab something on the go.

>>93842473
lol not gonna lie so far this is the best advice if ever gotten. Thanks

Dont collect comics. Honestly its the reason why i dont want to own a shop. I worked for a comic dealer and he was successful just because he didn't keep any books for himself

>>93842690
thats another thing i heard. most places that fail are because they want to keep everything. I told myself If there IS anything i want to keep I need to buy it from my shop with no discount. So my shop still makes a profit. and you know not giving myself extra money to buy it either. but that should be self explanatory

>>93841960
Had a great indie dealer in a college town my dad's taken me to since I could read. I grow up, move out, and still continue to go on my own. He survived plenty of tough times, I vividly remember him telling me about when they were doing construction on his street he 'could lie down in a puddle of my own blood and not be noticed'. Always thought that was funny. As of a year or so ago the town fucked him and raised his rent through the roof, immediately replaced by graham crackers. Just like that.

>>93842815
Thats awful... I wonder if I should buy instead of rent. I mean it would be a hell alot more expensive and If i fail then im fucked... Idk pros and cons

>>93841960
My best advice? Other than the advice already given (like get magic cards, etc) would be to do some local research

Go to local stores that sell the kind of things you want to sell. Check out comic book shops around you as well. Then go to /toy/ and see what is popular.

If you're lucky, you will find a product that most comic book stores in your area don't carry (or maybe none of them do) . For example, the Mezco ONE:12 figures. They're very popular with collectors (but at least in my area, only ONE local comic book shop in 3 neighboring cities sells them)

I'm not saying devote your entire stock to a niche, but you should try to squeeze in a niche or two, so you can have repeat customers that will immediately think of you: "Oh hey, I want the new ONE:12 Deathstroke. Well, I'm pretty sure 'Anon's Comics' is the only place that gets those, so I'll check there first"

Even if they don't find exactly what they're looking for, sometimes someone will buy something just to make it not a "wasted trip"

Another possibility to invest in is Anime collectibles. It may not be your thing, but it has a strong market, depending on where you are (again, scouting all the local shops around you should give you a good idea of what is selling in your area)

>>93842957
Yeah, Im also super lucky. My girlfriend works at a local toyshops warehouse so she gets statues and toys for warehouse price so Im thinking if im in a pinch and need money quick have her buy a few things and sell them.

>>93843026
Just make sure you keep that shit lowkey.

She can get fired for that, if her job finds out she's acting as a proxy for you to get stock for cheap

>>93842473
This is great advice. Have events. Create reasons for people to want to come into your shop. The classic examples are card game tournaments, but my LCS does things like book clubs and movie nights as well.

>>93843194

Movie night sounds like a really good idea

One of my local shops does a monthly costume contest that has like a in-store gift card prize of $50.


It's actually pretty successful. People come in to see people in costumes and take pictures with them, and the cosplay people...well, they'll go ANYWHERE that lets them play dress up.

>>93841960
order anything by Skottie Young

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>>93843247
>that last issue of I hate Fairlyland

>>93841960
Invest in merchandise, /tg/shit and anime stuff.

>>93843240
Movie night confuses me. Cause do I need to get the rights to show them? being that technically im making a profit of it.

>>93841960
Dont, print comics are dead.

>>93843327
rip cloudtits

>>93843416
actually according to market studies they are the only book type that is still growing along side its digital counterpart

>>93843386
well are you charging people to come in and watch the movie? Then no.

The point is to get people to come in and look around before the movie and/or after it ends. Also you can sell snacks in your store (or have vending machines, another way to make money)

I have a few comic stores that are always running a live action Marvel or DC movie at all times of the day. Usually it's just on in the background and no one is really watching it, though

>>93843386
That sounds like you'd be charging for admission or something like that to see the movie. That sounds like you're asking for trouble. You might want to look into that before going ahead and charging a fee.

Perhaps you could do it for free. Then you might not have to worry about stepping on someone's toes and you'll still draw in a crowd. Who doesn't want to see a free movie? And if you don't want to buy the films, maybe rent it from your local library or something.

It can take some space but be willing to expand to other nerdy things.
Like card games and board games and those weird backpacks that looks 2D drawn.

Can't live on comics alone.

Look into becoming an addition to another place.
There's an Arcade I know of that has a super small comicshop connected. Only big enough to cover the basics of new releases but I'm sure still makes passable money.
With so many comicbook movies these days it'd he good to get in touch with some. Seen another comic shop do a small table of stuff in the lobby of a theater when there were big cape opening weekends.

>>93841960

the big head funko toys are very hot right now, but they are awful. funko does have some other cooler toys.

https://funko.com

neca has a lot of bad ass figures and such.

http://necaonline.com/

kidrobot is really cool as well

https://www.kidrobot.com/

>>93841960

there's a comic shop in my town that had a monthly drawing night with some cheesy prizes.

have manga to bring in girls. go to hot topic and books a million and look through their pop culture stuff and ask the employees what they think is hot right now.

>>93843741
>>93843644
no i dont mean charging admission but it is a ploy to bring people in to spend money. I dunno I just was worried there was something there that could come to bite me in the ass

>>93841960
Sell Magic the Gathering cards
Have some tables set aside for MtG fags

>>93841960
Skimmed through the thread, supporting the ideas of:

Tabletop games. One shop I visited had movable book shelves to break out the pingpong tables for gaming nights. Another made money selling overpriced snacks and drinks to players (this can be extended into selling unusual or imported snacks). Depending on locale you might aswell end up with a gaming café. Selling Games Workshop stuff is not worth it, there was absolutely zero margin last I heard.

Manga and european comics, bring in other people than the cape nerds. Dealing in second hand comics is a mixed blessing as valuing items is likely going to suck up all your time. For manga I'd look at selling complete sets of finished series.

Merchandise I'd be careful with. Anime merch shelfwarms forever unless they sell immediately, the scene is extremely fluid and what's popular today may be completely forgotten in five years. I would rather look at coordinating bulk purchases of limited items form Japan and avoid having any stock.

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>>93842815
can confirm that graham cracker comics has swallowed up illinois, some stores are better than others, closest one to me sucks tho run by tumblrinas. Once a year they do an every comic is $1 sale and because they have so much stock its kinda crazy. I drive 40 minutes to go to the closest independent store tho. sucks.

>>93841960
Comic store near my old university got construction on their street for a few weeks and many people didn't come to get their pulllist comics for more than a month. They posted this picture on their facebook of the piles of books.

>>93845800
>many people didn't come to get their pulllist comics for more than a month
I don't see that as unreasonable. Sometimes I go 3 weeks.

>>93845847
a month is the max time unless you tell them in advance, they email you/text you but this pile was from people who just stopped coming in after the construction started and the easiest road crossing to the store was blocked.

They also don't have room to display a bunch of extra comics, they are a small store with 1 line of shelves that stocks big titles and the orders are for specialty titles.

>>93841960
If you get a store, have customers check their bags if possible. It'll save you a lot of headaches involving shoplifters.

Do you live in Ohio because I want to start one as well
lol

My advice for buying is to comb flea markets and online apps like letgo, there's a lot of deals to be had and I've been taking advantage of them for a few months. You can ask to buy the whole box and usually they'll accept it on the spot to get rid of the hassle.

>>93843386
Sports events like NFL are anal about how many people can watch a game. I've heard of churches having problems with them.

Shit like spider-man 2? Nobody will give a fuck about.

>>93841960
Dont put foucus on back issues.

>>93844258
i dont know about movies, but i definitely know that all establishments need a license to play certain music if theyre selling any sort of product or service. it would do you well to look into the legalities of movie nights for sure

>>93841960
Why do you want to lose money?

>>93842211
I heard there's been a big change with the way board games are sold which hurts the comic shops. You may have to research what changed the past year, especially since it's infinitely cheaper to buy boardgames online

>>93841960
Don't do it nobody buys comics anymore

>>93843026
Isn't that against whatever company policy? She's no better than Carla/ultracar from Shortpacked

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Question: Do you think there's a market for animation shops?

What I have in mind is to stock up on a lot of animated stuff, lots of anime, lots of cartoons, both old and current, physical media, but also sell stuff like amazon gift cards and some "out now" lists to orient people. Sell some model kits and art supplies for people who wanna make animation of any kind, have a place in the back where people can pay to get some animation classes and get hands on with animation software and even rent out a space to work on shorts and what have you. Sell Animation cells, behind the scenes art books, some figures and a couple of comics and snacks at the front.

Im guessing the location would have to be some expensive art city place, though I really would like it to be a mom and pop type hobby store where a lot of people might not have access to that sorta thing.

What do you think?

>>93841960
This is going to end badly.

>>93842247
>im not giving up this is a dream of mine

Good for you, man. I wish you the best of luck. My advice is try to get in touch with as many suppliers as possible. If you register as a business and order new toys directly from China, you can beat the brick and mortar stores by weeks, sometimes months. My friend has a direct account with Hasbro for his comic shop and he usually has the latest Star Wars Black figures at least 2 months before they start showing up on shelves.

>>93843386
You can air movies as long as there is no charge. If you charge admission of any sort, the cops could come and shut you down.

Happened at the YMCA here years ago when I was a kid, they charged $2 admission for charity, cops came, kids all got their $2 back.

If the space was available, I've always thought it would be a cool idea to have a small room that people could rent out for DnD or something, and rent the books too.