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Author
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Topic: Interesting Experience at a Card Shop
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A1phaMale
Member
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posted December 23, 2014 04:56 PM
      
So, while out of town, I checked out a comic/card store in the DC area to see if they had any cube foils that I would want to purchase. It was a very clean store and had friendly staff. While I was flipping through one of the binders looking for foils, I asked how they price their cards. I was told "prices vary" but they did not provide a price guide which is what I expected, like TCG mid. So, there were a couple of foils I was interested in so I had asked how much? I was told $4 for a foil shards tri-land which was twice tcg mid and then was told $8 for another foil shards tri-land; he told me it was tournament played card. TCG mid for that card was $2 as well, and tcg high was $4. Several other cards that had a tcg mid of 30 cents were each 2 bucks. The guy was just pulling numbers out of the air. I'm guessing he saw me as a huge chump with deep pockets or those were actually his prices. Either way, I didn't buy any of those cards. Afterwards, I had checked the non-foil big cards in the display case: FOW: 120 bucks, LED: 100 bucks, Figure of Destiny (non-foil): 15 bucks. Prices were generally significantly higher than TCG high. I can't imagine them making any money on singles. Has anyone else had experiences with stores that had super ridiculous prices?
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Jubert39
Member
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posted December 23, 2014 05:04 PM
Most stores with smaller inventory seem to sell at SCG pricing. Larger and more successful (in my opinion) stores sell at TCG mid. I guarantee you at those prices those cards have been there forever.The problem with stores these days is the online deals. Back 10-15 years ago, buying online wasnt as prevalant so stores could sell at their "own" prices. Even higher prices than the average due to local demand. Nowadays, everyone has a smartphone and is a few taps away from finding the same card at a fraction of the cost.
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Pail42
Member
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posted December 23, 2014 05:11 PM
quote:
Originally posted by A1phaMale:
Has anyone else had experiences with stores that had super ridiculous prices?
Yes, and I don't buy from them.
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flam flawless
Member
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posted December 23, 2014 05:33 PM
 
There's a few stores near my area that have varying prices. A couple priced themselves directly after SCG on both buylist and sell list (one store had a PILE of sarkhans listed @ $18). Once in a while tho stuff slips past them and you can find decent deals. I agree with what Jubert said -I used to go from store to store 10-15 years ago finding deals on cards and selling them to the next store that was out of that particular card. With technology where it is now that's almost impossible to do.
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Nicksmagic
Member
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posted December 24, 2014 06:42 AM
When considering the price a shop charges for their cards, it is important to consider how much they give in credit for them as well. A store local to me has $120 FOW but gives $18 credit for THS Thoughtseize (TCG Mid).After having the same feeling there as you did in DC, it did later occur to me that perhaps a store does make a certain profit in terms of credibility by simply having those kinds of singles available in the store. Maybe players feel better playing in a store that has those nicer staples in stock.
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paragondave
Member
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posted December 24, 2014 09:26 AM
brick and mortar stores, unlike MOTL members, also have real overhead costs. I do agree that charging way too much does little to give your store cred especially in the sense of what cards are worth but it is important to note that they do have overhead expenses. When I had my shop, I had an issue of Superman hanging on the wall right behind the register that had him getting the crap beat out of him on the cover. I never wanted to sell that issue so I priced it at around $100 so it would always be there (it was worth about $4). Maybe they want that FoW to stick around forever. Stuff I wanted to sell had to be reasonably priced or it would have sat forever too.
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majicman
Member
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posted December 24, 2014 12:39 PM
I have an LGS that is a comic book store/sportscard shop as well and he prices every rare at a $1, every UC at .50 and commons at 7 cents each.The problem is everything is picked through so it isn't worth the price he charges. I tried to tell him, I would give him a local website price (like CFB) so I can give him the money instead and get NM cards that I want that are worth .25/.49./.79 and he said he couldn't do it. Sometimes reasoning with people who haven't embraced the internet just doesn't work. His loss.
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rats60
Member
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posted December 24, 2014 01:35 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Jubert39:
Most stores with smaller inventory seem to sell at SCG pricing. Larger and more successful (in my opinion) stores sell at TCG mid. I guarantee you at those prices those cards have been there forever.
What do the larger stores do for the many cards that SCG is lower than TCG Mid? I guess half their inventory never sells.
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caquaa
Member
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posted December 24, 2014 02:01 PM
quote:
Originally posted by paragondave:
brick and mortar stores, unlike MOTL members, also have real overhead costs
this doesn't matter, its just an excuse. Charging higher prices doesn't mean they're making more money to make up for overhead. They're in it just like most people selling cards, to make money. The only difference is stores have a minimum they need to make to cover their overhead. If anything, it should really be the other way around. I don't have any overhead so I can charge whatever I want because I don't need to make $X this month. The store on the other hand should have stuff priced to move so that profit is made.
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Arcades057
New Member
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posted December 25, 2014 09:22 AM
When I used to live in Florida there was one card store in a reasonable area. Now that I live in Michigan there are five that I know of within a thirty-minute drive. I avoid higher-priced stores and go for the more reasonable priced ones for everything. I would rather drive a bit farther just for a pack of sleeves to give my business to a store who charges reasonable prices.
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ryan2754
Member
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posted December 26, 2014 09:44 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Arcades057:
I would rather drive a bit farther just for a pack of sleeves to give my business to a store who charges reasonable prices.
+1
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paragondave
Member
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posted December 27, 2014 08:47 AM
quote:
Originally posted by caquaa:
this doesn't matter, its just an excuse. Charging higher prices doesn't mean they're making more money to make up for overhead. They're in it just like most people selling cards, to make money. The only difference is stores have a minimum they need to make to cover their overhead. If anything, it should really be the other way around. I don't have any overhead so I can charge whatever I want because I don't need to make $X this month. The store on the other hand should have stuff priced to move so that profit is made.
whether you like it or not, the truth is still the truth. If you are going to focus on just one bit of my post, I am glad you focused on the truth, even if you disagree with it.
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caquaa
Member
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posted December 27, 2014 09:49 AM
quote:
Originally posted by paragondave:
whether you like it or not, the truth is still the truth. If you are going to focus on just one bit of my post, I am glad you focused on the truth, even if you disagree with it.
I'm just tired of people bringing up that brick and mortar stores have overhead. There are even people in the TA forum that use it as an excuse to attempt and offer low buy prices. Its the worst rationalization possible.
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paragondave
Member
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posted December 27, 2014 05:50 PM
quote:
Originally posted by caquaa:
I'm just tired of people bringing up that brick and mortar stores have overhead. There are even people in the TA forum that use it as an excuse to attempt and offer low buy prices. Its the worst rationalization possible.
I think arguing against an actual fact, just because you don't like it, is a worse rationalization. Nobody is holding a gun to your head forcing you to deal with anyone. Be sure, I don't deal with MOTL members who have to make a profit off of a trade whether they claim to own a brick and mortar or not. My only thing is I need to want what is offered more than what I'm giving up. Other than that, nothing else matters.
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hilikuS
Member
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posted December 29, 2014 05:48 AM
quote:
Originally posted by A1phaMale:
Has anyone else had experiences with stores that had super ridiculous prices?
Welcome to my area...
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Dresden
Member
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posted December 29, 2014 07:19 AM
You'd be surprised at the number of people with 'want it now' syndrome, hence why local stores usually have high prices. OP's post seems to be the norm.quote:
Originally posted by rats60:
What do the larger stores do for the many cards that SCG is lower than TCG Mid? I guess half their inventory never sells.
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Pail42
Member
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posted December 29, 2014 08:15 AM
quote:
Originally posted by paragondave:
I think arguing against an actual fact, just because you don't like it, is a worse rationalization.Nobody is holding a gun to your head forcing you to deal with anyone.
QFT. If somebody's price is too high for you it doesn't matter why; just don't buy from them. B&M do have higher overhead and in order to make a profit can't compete on price with somebody selling part time from their house. They win on instant gratification, no hassles with lost orders or poor grading, and providing a place for people to play the game.
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