Comments on: Important things we didn't mention yet

By: michael

michael — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 03:59:47 +0000

Them’s Canadians sure are some laid back peeps.

I never understood the whole, international trade on paper-thingy between the US and Canada. We take their paper and sell it back to them for much higher prices. Canada SHOULD be charging higher prices for it’s dwindling natural resource.

The Canadians must think that DC and MARVEL are incredible works of art! If I lived there, I’d probably never be a fan of comic books, for the cost alone.

By: Don MacPherson

Don MacPherson — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 20:29:49 +0000

Thanks for the link, Heidi. And might I add, I am in awe of your awareness of the Canadian wonder of Tim Hortons coffee. :)

Alan wrote:
Check out the shocking difference in price on the backs of some of the old stock tpbs, still reflecting those days of 40% difference in exchange rates. Some chains and comic shops are insisting that we pay those inflated prices, even today.

To play the role of devil’s advocate, retailers would have paid a higher price for those more expensive hardcovers back when the loonie was much weaker. It would be reasonable to expect that older trades (as opposed to reordered ones) would be more expensive than newer ones in Canadian shops. Was the wider difference between the U.S. and Cdn prices even back then justified? Probably not, but there is a reason for more dated stock to be more expensive than newer stock, even if they carry the same or similar U.S. cover price.

By: Chris Chuckry

Chris Chuckry — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 19:06:50 +0000

The rising Canadian dollar has also resulted in a 50% to 60% pay cut for Cdn freelancers, over the past 5 years, as page rates remain relatively unchanged. I’m buying significantly less comics & books as a result.

By: Torsten Adair

Torsten Adair — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 16:46:07 +0000

1. How is manga defined? Is Paul Pope, working in Japan, manga?Or is it indie? Is his Batman Year 100 superhero, or indie? There are a variety of styles from Japan, but what happens when American techniques influence Japanese comics? Are there examples from Japan which are exceptions to these definitions?
2. Platinum is a penny stock. One of the principles has an independent business which works with Platinum, causing a possible conflict of interest. In a bankruptcy sale, share holders get screwed. Also, if the entrepreneurs cashout and take their vision with them, the company could suffer.
3. How are the currency fluctations affecting British and European retailers? When I was in New Zealand, the stores posted a conversion price list. I do not recall if they totalled everything in American and then did the math, or if they did it title by title.

By: Alan Spinney

Alan Spinney — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 14:33:47 +0000

Not all retailers in Canada are adjusting their prices to reflect the true exchange rate between Canada and the US. Check out the shocking difference in price on the backs of some of the old stock tpbs, still reflecting those days of 40% difference in exchange rates. Some chains and comic shops are insisting that we pay those inflated prices, even today.

Also, some Canadian comic shops are still charging the inflated Canadian prices printed on today’s new release floppy comic issues, which are up to 30% too high.

My advice? Inform them. Negotiate. Laugh. And walk, in that order.
Good luck.

By: Christopher Moonlight

Christopher Moonlight — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 13:48:14 +0000

That Alexa Kitchen IS amazing. I’ll have to point her out to my students, to show them that you don’t have to be as good as the adults to start telling stories. I also think it’s classic that she has work in a collection of women comic artist, called Sexy Chicks, with her photo on the cover, and everything.

By: joncormier

joncormier — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 12:41:06 +0000

That pesky Canadian Looney is troublesome for enjoying the hobby. But it’s always great to read about retailers who are basically doing what their customers are bellyaching about not happening. I understand the whole chain of supply, order-delivery mechanism (and why would you stop collecting money when people are paying for stuff?) but it still sort of bugged me that I’d be looking at online retailers as the only competitive option.

Sometimes knowledge is a curse because if I never knew the CDN dollar was doing well, I’d be less perturbed by the pricing bump up. As it is, there are a lot of “Good News” comic book stories in the local media. There’s a lot of “books cost too much” stories going around, but then they always add in a segment about how comic shops can adjust their prices on an almost weekly basis based on their order-supply chain. So, huzzah, comics! I think?