[/quote]One question about Atomic Avenue, how do they shipping charges work if you order from multiple people?[/quote]
That is the one downfall/major downfall of Atomic Avenue. Since Atomic Avenue is a site for individuals to sell comics and not one large store, you would have to pay each individual seller on shipping.
The one thing I have done which has helped me out is do a mix and match. Most times the shipping is extremely cheap for each seller, $4-$6 with expedited shipping available. Example I picked up Adventure Comics 461 and 462 from one seller, then picked up 463-466 from another seller. The total shipping on 2 packages ended up being $7.50.
Testing out on-line stores
Moderator: JohnMayo
That is the one downfall/major downfall of Atomic Avenue. Since Atomic Avenue is a site for individuals to sell comics and not one large store, you would have to pay each individual seller on shipping.TravAzz wrote:One question about Atomic Avenue, how do they shipping charges work if you order from multiple people?
The one thing I have done which has helped me out is do a mix and match. Most times the shipping is extremely cheap for each seller, $4-$6 with expedited shipping available. Example I picked up Adventure Comics 461 and 462 from one seller, then picked up 463-466 from another seller. The total shipping on 2 packages ended up being $7.50.[/quote]
So it make sense to get a number of items from a particular seller and not just a single item. Otherwise the shipping charges might eat up and savings on the cost of the comic. Not a big deal, just something to keep in mind if/when I shop there. Good to know. Thanks.
Exactly, it is like ebay in that respect if you are buying from one seller check to see what else they have. Also make sure to check the rating of the seller before purchasing.johnmayo wrote:
So it make sense to get a number of items from a particular seller and not just a single item. Otherwise the shipping charges might eat up and savings on the cost of the comic. Not a big deal, just something to keep in mind if/when I shop there. Good to know. Thanks.
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Interesting comparison. As I have said before, Atomic Avenue is an interesting alternative but I think it's unfair to AA and to MCS to compare them; it's not apples to apples. AA is much more comparable to eBay Stores. AA is a composite of lots of individual sellers. You could order 10 things and be buying from 10 different people. That creates all sorts of issues that a retailer like MCS doesn't bring:comicm wrote:I just did a comparison of Atomic Avenue and MyComicsShop.com for the following items:
1)Daredevil Vol 1 #13 FN AA: $28.00 MCS: $33.00
2)Daredevil Vol 1 #156 VF AA: $6.00 MCS: $9.00
3) A Dummy's Guide to Danger #1 AA: $3.25 MCS: $2.40
4) First Born #2 Variation A AA:$5.00 MCS: $2.40
5) Witchblade #100 AA:$4.99 MCS:$4.00
6) Witchblade #101 AA: $2.99 MCS: $2.40
7) Witchblade #102 AA: $2.99 MCS: $3.20
Witchblade #110 AA: $2.99 MCS: $4.00
9) Witchblade #111 AA: $2.99 MCS $2.40
Atomic Avenue came with bags and boards MyComicshop does not. Atomic Avenue Free Shipping after $40.00 (for this seller) and MCS free after $50.00.
Total AA: $62.19
Total MCS: $66.00 plus and additional 5% for the week in comparison comes to $62.70
Atomic Avenue won out and I got some bags and boards. The big difference seemed to be in the earlier issues. I order these from Pete Bickford himself and was very very satisfied with the grading.
Just thought I would let you guys know.
Mike M.
*** Grading...I know you mentioned being satisfied with grading but I've frankly been really disappointed. Now it could depend on what types of books you're looking to buy but in two cases, I looked for VF/NM copies of Fantastic Four 52 and Luke Cage Hero for Hire 1; and of about a dozen vendors who listed their books as of that grade, their cover scans (sent at my request) fell WELL short of VF/NM grading.
*** Grading, Part II...the biggest issue I have with AA is the way the listings default to VF/NM. When people start listing their collections, they can either import them directly from ComicBase, or use the tools provided on AA. In each case, any comic listed defaults to the high grade. Now if you are meticulous in listing your collections grades, this isn't a problem. But I've found that MANY MANY people simply use Comicbase to list their comics in inventory, but don't go ahead and take the time to update the details. The result is that tons of sellers on AA say they have VF/NM copies of books when in fact they don't.
*** Shipping...Again, you could be getting shipments from 10 different sellers. No telling how each will choose to package the shipments nor how reliable and timely each seller is. Much more like buying stuff off eBay than MCS.
*** Dispute Resolution...If I have a problem with MCS, I know which throat to choke. They also know that I'm a regular, lucrative customer and are far more motivated in solving my complaint than an individual seller. This is where AA is even worse than an eBay. On eBay, reputation is such a huge part of the equation that there are literally dozens of dispute resolution checks and balances in place. On AA, it's 100% caveat emptor. If I get a book that's completely misgraded or I feel ripped off somehow, I have no recourse other than to hound the individual AA seller and hope they don't play hard ball.
This is really great information to know. I've been really looking for a better online retailer than Mile High Comics or Atomic Avenue (Atomic Avenue is great, but shipping can be ridiculous, as stated in other posts here) so I guess it looks like MyComicShop is the way to go.JLAFan wrote:OK, I went thru my entire list and came to a couple of conclusions:
Torpedo Comics: Their search engine REALLY SUCKS. They are going to need to fix this, and soon, if they want to be a viable store. Also, their stock selection is terrible compared to other on-line retailers. In order to be competitive, this needs serious work also.
NewKadia: While not as bad as Torpedo Comics, their search engine really needs some work. Selection & pricing leaves a lot to be desired also.
MileHigh: Excellent selection marred by higher on-average pricing. Their web-site is in serious need of an overhaul, but while the site is overall pretty crude, their search engine has the ones at Torpedo & NewKadia beat hands-down.
MyComicShop: I went in preferring these guys, but was very objective in the evaluation. They came out as the clear winner. Best selection, best overall pricing, and FAR superior search engine.
Personal experience with NewKadia, MileHigh, and MyComicShop on a number of orders (>5 from each site) gives MyComicShop a VERY CLEAR win in grading accuracy also. Newkadia tends to get over-zealous with the + & minus grades to inflate pricing, and I am personally not that happy with their grading accuracy. MileHigh, in general, has their own personal grading system with I have a lot of issues with in lower grades.
In order:
MyComicShop
MileHigh & NewKadia tie for 2nd (each has advantages & drawbacks)
Torpedo is a DISTANT last place. (sorry. Not a stellar debut)
Thanks for the info!
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I agree it is like comparing apples to oranges. In my case I was rating the grading based on the two Daredevil books because they were not current. The were both graded excellent and when it came to Daredevil #13 I thought it was better than fine. When I shop at Atomic Avenue I always look at the rating just like ebay and the goal is to buy from the same seller to avoid shipping costs. In this case shipping was for free. With AA it is like ebay they have reputation as well so you can read all of the reviews before making a purchase. This is my 4th order from AA and I have been very happy so far.Wood wrote:Interesting comparison. As I have said before, Atomic Avenue is an interesting alternative but I think it's unfair to AA and to MCS to compare them; it's not apples to apples. AA is much more comparable to eBay Stores. AA is a composite of lots of individual sellers. You could order 10 things and be buying from 10 different people. That creates all sorts of issues that a retailer like MCS doesn't bring:comicm wrote:I just did a comparison of Atomic Avenue and MyComicsShop.com for the following items:
1)Daredevil Vol 1 #13 FN AA: $28.00 MCS: $33.00
2)Daredevil Vol 1 #156 VF AA: $6.00 MCS: $9.00
3) A Dummy's Guide to Danger #1 AA: $3.25 MCS: $2.40
4) First Born #2 Variation A AA:$5.00 MCS: $2.40
5) Witchblade #100 AA:$4.99 MCS:$4.00
6) Witchblade #101 AA: $2.99 MCS: $2.40
7) Witchblade #102 AA: $2.99 MCS: $3.20
9) Witchblade #111 AA: $2.99 MCS $2.40
Atomic Avenue came with bags and boards MyComicshop does not. Atomic Avenue Free Shipping after $40.00 (for this seller) and MCS free after $50.00.
Total AA: $62.19
Total MCS: $66.00 plus and additional 5% for the week in comparison comes to $62.70
Atomic Avenue won out and I got some bags and boards. The big difference seemed to be in the earlier issues. I order these from Pete Bickford himself and was very very satisfied with the grading.
Just thought I would let you guys know.
Mike M.
*** Grading...I know you mentioned being satisfied with grading but I've frankly been really disappointed. Now it could depend on what types of books you're looking to buy but in two cases, I looked for VF/NM copies of Fantastic Four 52 and Luke Cage Hero for Hire 1; and of about a dozen vendors who listed their books as of that grade, their cover scans (sent at my request) fell WELL short of VF/NM grading.
*** Grading, Part II...the biggest issue I have with AA is the way the listings default to VF/NM. When people start listing their collections, they can either import them directly from ComicBase, or use the tools provided on AA. In each case, any comic listed defaults to the high grade. Now if you are meticulous in listing your collections grades, this isn't a problem. But I've found that MANY MANY people simply use Comicbase to list their comics in inventory, but don't go ahead and take the time to update the details. The result is that tons of sellers on AA say they have VF/NM copies of books when in fact they don't.
*** Shipping...Again, you could be getting shipments from 10 different sellers. No telling how each will choose to package the shipments nor how reliable and timely each seller is. Much more like buying stuff off eBay than MCS.
*** Dispute Resolution...If I have a problem with MCS, I know which throat to choke. They also know that I'm a regular, lucrative customer and are far more motivated in solving my complaint than an individual seller. This is where AA is even worse than an eBay. On eBay, reputation is such a huge part of the equation that there are literally dozens of dispute resolution checks and balances in place. On AA, it's 100% caveat emptor. If I get a book that's completely misgraded or I feel ripped off somehow, I have no recourse other than to hound the individual AA seller and hope they don't play hard ball.
www.geekbrunchpodcast.com - Geek Brunch
www.dcnoisepodcast.com (both available on iTunes via the iTunes store.)
www.dcnoisepodcast.com (both available on iTunes via the iTunes store.)