As you’ve no doubt already heard us say over the counter at one time or another, the economic climate in Michigan is having its effect on comic books. Publishers are raising their prices to try and stay even with struggling circulation and rising costs. Customers like yourself are ever more discerning on their purchases, and fewer “so-so” titles are ending up in your checkout pile.
As we continue to refine our ordering numbers to meet changing demand, it becomes much more critical to use Diamond Previews to preorder small press comics you want to make sure you receive on new comics day. We’re good with mainstream titles, and anything we consider “blockbuster” we always stock in depth; but there are *many* small press books of which we receive exactly ONE copy on new comics day. If you check such a book off on the weekly subscriber checklist, we’re not going to have extras for you.
We want to make it as easy as possible for you to use Previews for small press titles, so, for the record, here’s how:
On a new Previews week – you may buy a copy to take home and read at your leisure or scan a copy at the counter. Whichever is easier for you.
If you need only a few titles, use the postcard-sized insert inside the Previews. If more than a handful of items, ask for an order booklet and we’ll make sure you get one.
Zip through the Previews, jotting down needed quantities on the order sheet/booklet. Make sure your name & phone number is on the book so we can contact you with any questions.
Note that Previews isn’t just comics, and we can take preorders for anything else (toys, posters, smurf belt buckles) you find in there.
It’s that easy! Keep in mind that we also base our rack numbers for small press books on our customer preorder quantities, so a preorder is your way of telling us what you think is going to be good. Books that we might have overlooked, but which receive a lot of preorder activity, will much more likely get extras ordered for the rack. Books that nobody or just one person preorders are less likely to get racked.
We’re trying hard to balance the simple math of staying profitable with the expectation that “good” books will always have quantities on the rack. We appreciate your help in this regard. Between the two of us, we’ll keep Back to the Past Comics the best place for comic books in Michigan!
Thanks for your business.
