fellow Australian comic bookers

[adam_smasher]

This is a shout out to any Australians out there on the forum.

I gots me a question about how you get your comics.  There really isnt a whole lot of choices for us other than just going to an LCS and bending over and taking the ridiculous prices directly up the ass.  I mean paying up to 50 bucks for a trade paperback is just way way too much.

I looked into DCBS and discovered that they ship internationally, i have run the numbers and if i get my shipment once a month I am going to save over 100 bucks before shipping! I am not exactly sure how much shipping will be but i would say around 30 bucks.  Realistically i will be saving 75 bucks ordering my comics from the other side of the world rather than going a half an hour down the road to my LCS.

Does anyone else get their comics this way or have any other methods? 

[deadpool]

This is a shout out to any Australians out there on the forum.

I gots me a question about how you get your comics.  There really isnt a whole lot of choices for us other than just going to an LCS and bending over and taking the ridiculous prices directly up the ass.  I mean paying up to 50 bucks for a trade paperback is just way way too much.

I looked into DCBS and discovered that they ship internationally, i have run the numbers and if i get my shipment once a month I am going to save over 100 bucks before shipping! I am not exactly sure how much shipping will be but i would say around 30 bucks.  Realistically i will be saving 75 bucks ordering my comics from the other side of the world rather than going a half an hour down the road to my LCS.

Does anyone else get their comics this way or have any other methods? 

It depends on which part of the great land your from

I got ask though how much are you looking to order (comic wise and weight wise remember international shipping is shipping cost plus a weight cost  ) and by what shiping method, keep in mind the normal USmail is the cheapest shipment method but can take almost a month to get so your books if Singles would be up to Two months behind, also the dollar will vary constantly saving 100 now while dollar is good may not be so good next month.

Alot of us aussies have looked into it before and it never works out, that said though i am strongly loyal to my local store and they do look after me quite a bit, so if your not getting anything from your local it may change things.

Adam are you on the Comic Geek Speak forums?

we have an Aussie Hang out thread there and there are a few guys that do buy online through the book suppositry for certain trades, may be worth popping in there and speaking to a few of those guys

But at the end of the Day Australia is the other side of the world to US and there will be a higher cost. but hey it means we a tell the yankees to shut up when they complain about $3.99 prices (Kidding my Yankee Brothers see you in Oct next year)   

[Parker]

I'd been toying with it but with the ever changing dollar, international shipping and the fact I would see my buds at the LCS all that much means I'd rather stay with them.

I'll be at R Us friday DP

[deadpool]

I'd been toying with it but with the ever changing dollar, international shipping and the fact I would see my buds at the LCS all that much means I'd rather stay with them.

I'll be at R Us friday DP

I'll be sure to to steer clear then 

I kid I kid, i'll have to see, i'm back to working at home know so i only tend to drop in on Wed and Mon and fridays now, but this friday i got poker night at my place so don't think i'll be in, say hi to all for me

Adam Smasher the other thing i was going to say is Hunting for a bargin in Australia is always good to, now me and parker are in the comic capital of Oz (Melbourne) we have 7 comic stores around the place and many collectors fairs and such, you will always find me digging the bins, last friday i got Ultimate FF HC vol (first two trades)1 $10 walking dead vol 1 $10 and Green Lantern 50 (1st Kyle Rayner GL, First Parallax) 50c,   

[Andrew a.k.a. Fist-of-Khonshu]

I'm in the same boat as the other 2 guys. I buy from my LCS ( Alternate Worlds in Windsor, sometimes Comics R Us just up the road) and only really buy online if the dollar is good and it's something I really want. Alternate Worlds just lowered their prices a bit, so it's a little under double US price. That being said, they have really good sales a couple of times a year, and the guys in there are always helpful. I even take my 4 month old daughter in with me.

[Milesy]

Well the nearest LCS to me is nearly 300km away. So ordering my books online is the only option for me. I used to buy from a Melbourne LCS's ebay store, but once the prices got to high I had to unfortunatly go elsewhere. I've finished buying new books for the year now (too many I need to catch up on), but I started ordering from the book depository website in the UK. Cheaper with free shipping and a huge range.

[adam_smasher]

Deadpool,
I am ordering 20 books (17 floppys and 3 trades.)  They should get here about 2 weeks after they are shipped.  Even though i will be reading the single issues late, saving the 70 bucks makes it an easy decision.  The aussie dollar is really good right now so that obviously helps.

I live in adelaide and my local LCS doesn't really give me much in the way of discounts, so i dont really feel any loyalty to them at all.
 
I will check out comic geek speak, thanks

Milesy,
Thanks for the heads up on that UK website, Free international shipping!!!!!!  I thought i would never see the day.  I had a quick look and something like the complete Far Side which i have wanted to get forever.  70 bucks cheaper there than at my LCS.

BOOYA!!!!!!

[JohnBoman]

Generally order online from Kings Comics in Sydney. But with the dollar so good at the moment go to www.betterworldbooks.com and order your trades. International shipping from these guys is only $3.97 US. For example at the moment a standard Green Lantern or Vertigo trade will cost about $18.00 AUS WITH SHIPPING from these guys (takes 2 weeks to arrive though), compared to roughly $23.95-$25.00 WITHOUT SHIPPING from an Australian comic book shop. Another example a Starman omnibus here will cost $75.95 AUS but at Betterworlds it will cost about $40AUS once again with shipping. Thats nearly $40 in savings! Go to this sight now! And best of all they donate money to charity and save books from landfill  With prices so high here you can't compare really. As much as I want to support local shops it's just too damn expensive sometimes. I always laugh when I see the guys in the US whinge about prices though...

P.S. Always keep an eye on the dollar though and always do conversions before ordering. You might get caught out otherwise!

[deadpool]

Generally order online from Kings Comics in Sydney. But with the dollar so good at the moment go to www.betterworldbooks.com and order your trades. International shipping from these guys is only $3.97 US. For example at the moment a standard Green Lantern or Vertigo trade will cost about $18.00 AUS WITH SHIPPING from these guys (takes 2 weeks to arrive though), compared to roughly $23.95-$25.00 WITHOUT SHIPPING from an Australian comic book shop. Another example a Starman omnibus here will cost $75.95 AUS but at Betterworlds it will cost about $40AUS once again with shipping. Thats nearly $40 in savings! Go to this sight now! And best of all they donate money to charity and save books from landfill  With prices so high here you can't compare really. As much as I want to support local shops it's just too damn expensive sometimes. I always laugh when I see the guys in the US whinge about prices though...

P.S. Always keep an eye on the dollar though and always do conversions before ordering. You might get caught out otherwise!

Is better books a comic store, book store  or like a used book place?

[ford]

Up until a few months ago I got everything from my LCS, but for the last couple of months I have been giving DCBS a go. Ratio would now be LCS - 60-80% and DCBS 20-40%. It has saved me a roughly a third of what I would spend at my LCS before discount but that has been on sort of large orders. The first box I got was for two months of single issues and a couple of small trades but the box I got this morning(for last months books) which was roughly the same size due to three huge trades came to the same postage. Next month will be the real test because it will be much lighter, so it'll be interesting to see the variation in postage if there is one at all. Definitely keep an eye on the dollar because with DCBS they take the money for the order out midway through a month or two before but the postage comes out when it is sent.

[JohnBoman]

Is better books a comic store, book store  or like a used book place?

Online bookstore dealing in new and used books at the usual Amazon style discount. Highly recommended. I've used them quite often.

[JohnBoman]

Up until a few months ago I got everything from my LCS, but for the last couple of months I have been giving DCBS a go. Ratio would now be LCS - 60-80% and DCBS 20-40%. It has saved me a roughly a third of what I would spend at my LCS before discount but that has been on sort of large orders. The first box I got was for two months of single issues and a couple of small trades but the box I got this morning(for last months books) which was roughly the same size due to three huge trades came to the same postage. Next month will be the real test because it will be much lighter, so it'll be interesting to see the variation in postage if there is one at all. Definitely keep an eye on the dollar because with DCBS they take the money for the order out midway through a month or two before but the postage comes out when it is sent.

Tried DCBS last year but they murdered me on postage which ruined any cost reductions at all. Have they changed shipping policy and/or pricing for overseas orders?

[ford]

Tried DCBS last year but they murdered me on postage which ruined any cost reductions at all. Have they changed shipping policy and/or pricing for overseas orders?

Not sure if they have changed anything. Have noticed that they have taken basically they same amount out both times in US dollars for the postage, I just guessed that was due to the two packages I've received being in the same sized box and weighing a similar weight.

[adam_smasher]

 :notworthy:Much love and karma for the help.

I checked out the book depository and better book worlds, and those sights are now going to be the only place i get 
my trades.

As for DCBS i am waiting on my order and happy i have gone with them but i think now i will just get my floppys from my LCS and try to stick to only the essentials.

The ironic thing is i grew up only about half an hour from DCBS's actual store in the states but didn't read comic books back then.

[kinetic]

I'm in the exact same boat as you Adam Smasher. I just can't afford to keep supporting my LCS when they do diddly squat to help me out. No discount for pull list books, or anything for that matter. I have regularly missed out on books because they haven't read an email or not ordered enough (Batman & Robin #3, Chew #2, Wonderful Wizard of Oz #1 etc), so I started looking at other options.
DCBS - I got a postage quote from the guys last month on about 8-9 books + 3 trades and the shipping came out to be about $45 US. Books came to about $40. Even with the shipping it was still going to work out a fair bit cheaper. From memory it was basically a case of getting most of the singles for free when I compared DCBS with my LCS.
I agree with the other guys about trades. Book depository is good.
Shame you are in Adelaide, if you were up my way we could do a combined order and halve our shipping
Anyways, let us know how you go with it all.
I think I may put a DCBS order in this month. With what I want I will save about $100 if my guessstimates are correct.Big month this month.
Cheers.

[Milesy]

:notworthy:Much love and karma for the help.

I checked out the book depository and better book worlds, and those sights are now going to be the only place i get 
my trades.

Glad I could help you out dude.

[deadpool]

I have regularly missed out on books because they haven't read an email or not ordered enough (Batman & Robin #3, Chew #2, Wonderful Wizard of Oz #1 etc),
Cheers.

Thats no good, i gotta ask though cause i have seen this problem sneaking up alot, How much notice did you give them with your email. Now that not a good excuse because most good store should be stocked enough with these  main titles like batman and Robin (Chew and OZ i can kinda understand) to get through checking emails before they run out. but i know at my local there is a guy who changes his pulllist in weird ways every month and dosen't pop in for ages then complains if he missed books that the store guys then have to search down extra copies for him which they don't make a profit on.

Not Saying you do this Kinetic but i know you live a little out from your store it may be worth asking when they submit the Final Order and when is the cut off for orders (which you probably know already)

 

[kinetic]

Thats no good, i gotta ask though cause i have seen this problem sneaking up alot, How much notice did you give them with your email. Now that not a good excuse because most good store should be stocked enough with these  main titles like batman and Robin (Chew and OZ i can kinda understand) to get through checking emails before they run out. but i know at my local there is a guy who changes his pulllist in weird ways every month and dosen't pop in for ages then complains if he missed books that the store guys then have to search down extra copies for him which they don't make a profit on.

Not Saying you do this Kinetic but i know you live a little out from your store it may be worth asking when they submit the Final Order and when is the cut off for orders (which you probably know already)

 

Fair enough question mate.

Basically the LCS posts the list on Wednesday of whats coming in on the Friday. I usually put my order in for anything not on my pull list on the Wednesday or Thursday night and go in and pick it up on teh Friday or Saturday afternoon. Both Batman and Oz weren't on my pull list at the time but I missed out because they didnt read the email at all, until I came in on the Saturday. When they got out my pull box and I enquired as to where Batman was they basically told me they had only ordered a few extras above the pull lists and had sold those. If they had read the email the day after I sent it I would have got it. They didn't, so I didn't
The email/order that contained Chew apparently never got to them.

[deadpool]

Fair enough question mate.

Basically the LCS posts the list on Wednesday of whats coming in on the Friday. I usually put my order in for anything not on my pull list on the Wednesday or Thursday night and go in and pick it up on teh Friday or Saturday afternoon. Both Batman and Oz weren't on my pull list at the time but I missed out because they didnt read the email at all, until I came in on the Saturday. When they got out my pull box and I enquired as to where Batman was they basically told me they had only ordered a few extras above the pull lists and had sold those. If they had read the email the day after I sent it I would have got it. They didn't, so I didn't
The email/order that contained Chew apparently never got to them.

Do you have a good idea of how the store runs, i actually have Comics R US on my Mobile cause i find if i ring it gets done (plus they don't have email)

also Diamond has shipping list out on its website just over a week before the wednesday so if you have good idea of what store stocks it could be good to get in ahead of other shoppers emailing on the wednesday

[Parker]

Do you have a good idea of how the store runs, i actually have Comics R US on my Mobile cause i find if i ring it gets done (plus they don't have email)

also Diamond has shipping list out on its website just over a week before the wednesday so if you have good idea of what store stocks it could be good to get in ahead of other shoppers emailing on the wednesday

What he said.

Get my grubby hands on some books after work!