Online Action Figure Store questioneer

[Saint553]

Hey folks-

I'm somewhat helping my local comic shop set up their online shop and even some of the stuff they sell in their store. So, I'm asking those who probably know best (the Hypers!):

What do you buy online?

What would you like to see sold online?

What would you say would be a fair price for what you buy online?

What type of customer service would you like to see out of an online company?

What do you not want to see out of an online store?


And feel free to add in anything else you want. If you guys help me out, I'll put a good word in at the store for those who give constructive ideas and comments.

 

[FEAR THE BAT]

What do you buy online? Anything really, but mainly figures and/or DVDs

What would you like to see sold online? Mainly figures, comics, TPBs, anything a comic store would have.

What would you say would be a fair price for what you buy online? Whatever is a competitive price is good enough for me. If its 3 times what most online stores or comic/specialty shops have it for then it doesn't make sense to even sell it.

What type of customer service would you like to see out of an online company? I'd like someone to own up to screwing up an order, and compensating you for anything that went wrong that was outta our control. I'd like some nice pictures of the actual item being sold, not stock photos. And some reasonable shipping. And some promotions.

What do you not want to see out of an online store? Crappy service & overpriced shipping.

 

[Roughneck]

What do you buy online? Figs, Statues, Busts, Harder to find DVDs....comics

What would you like to see sold online? ....I dunno.

What would you say would be a fair price for what you buy online? I don't really understand this question.....I need to know what I'm buying...it completely varied based on size, quality, rarenss and what it is.

What type of customer service would you like to see out of an online company? I am all about Customer Service, being in that industry...I think e-mails notifiing of shippments being late would be nice, I also like a notification of when it does go out...and I think a Follow up would be a nice touch

What do you not want to see out of an online store? I hate being e-mailed a survey with the offer of a free gift only to find out that I am not eligible as a Canadian....I shouldn't have even gotten the survey



Fair shipping prices to Canada are a must.....some places try to rape for international shipping when it aint really that bad

 

[FEAR THE BAT]

True. Shipping to Canada isn't bad at all.

 

[SpiderHulkThing]

I'm somewhat helping my local comic shop set up their online shop and even some of the stuff they sell in their store. So, I'm asking those who probably know best (the Hypers!):

What do you buy online?

Figs, DVDs

What would you like to see sold online?

I'm liking the sealed cases of MLs. Figs that are not marked up at an insane price. Its cool to see exclusive figs and variants as well.

What would you say would be a fair price for what you buy online?

I think for a sealed case of MLs, I'd go for a $20 mark up. As far as individual figs go, I wouldn't pay more than $11.99 and that's when hasbro takes over and marks up prices.

What type of customer service would you like to see out of an online company?

One that gives accurate release dates. Definitly one that takes pre-orders first. That's my main beef with TRU, is they take pre-orders but have no idea what the concept means. They send to people who order right when they are released before the ones who ordered 2+ months prior. I don't pre-order stuff so I can end up not ever getting it.

What do you not want to see out of an online store?

Inaccurate release dates. Outrageous prices. I understand that some mark ups must be made, but they should be reasonable. I do not want to see misuse of the concept of pre-ordering. Pre-orders should get priority. First come first serve.


And feel free to add in anything else you want. If you guys help me out, I'll put a good word in at the store for those who give constructive ideas and comments.

 

[Saint553]

Also, if you guys can give me specific things you'd like to see sold. The more you can give me, the better. For instance, I'm going to recommend Attack of the Living Dead in a limited quantity.

Please, keep 'em coming. You guys can basically semi-delegate how an online store comes together.

 

[FEAR THE BAT]

Oh, in that case definitely some Mezco and NECA stuff. The Cult Classics for sure. And the Hellboy stuff and zombies from Mezco. Definitely some SOTA stuff. Gotta have Street Fighters.

 

[Saint553]

They currently do not carry any of those and I'm putting in a word for Street Fighter and Mezco products.

 

[SpiderHulkThing]

yes, street figthers is a must. plus, the spiderman figs and other ML like figs. I'd like to see the comic books on CD-roms as well if possible.

 

[FEAR THE BAT]

Another thing that would be cool is if they offered apparel, like the t-shirts and caps. And even the wallets and belt buckles.

 

[Saint553]

They have tons of shirts. I don't remember about hats, wallets, and belt buckles. But anything is possible. They also carry lots of DCD stuff. Lots and lots of it. Also, lots of statues. Rough, I'm looking at you statue boy. I do believe they're having a sale on statues soon.

 

[FEAR THE BAT]

If there's a sale on busts I'd like to know. There's two that I want. I'll find pics.

 

[Saint553]

Well, I've heard several people say there is a sale. Don't know when, but there is one coming up rather soon. If you promise to check out the online shop when it's up and running, I'll hook ya up if possible.

 

[FEAR THE BAT]

Thats no question, I'm ready and waiting to check it out.

And he's gotta have forums for us to talk on.

 

[SpiderHulkThing]

maybe a myspace. that would be easier.

 

[Ben Urich]

What do you buy online?
Comics, trades, hardcovers, figures, statues, music, and movies that I cannot find in a local brick-and-mortar store for a reasonable price.

What would you like to see sold online?
Uh... basically the above. I would say that I tend to go the collectible route online more than comics. The comics I'm interested in are fairly recent and can be found on the racks of most local stores. With collectibles, the selection varies widely by store, so I tend to go online for those items and just save myself the hassle.
I'd also like to see a wider focus on indie titles. I know that it is risky for stores to order such titles in large quantities because they may not sell well, but indie titles sell out quickly at brick-and-mortar stores.
I also wouldn't mind buying gently used trades and hardcovers online. eBay and Amazon have sort of cornered the market on used books, but perhaps the store could work out an exchange program of some kind to allow readers to trade in their book (in good condition, of course) for credit.

What would you say would be a fair price for what you buy online?
Anything reasonable.
One policy that really irks me is how much retailers mark up the variant covers of comic books. I know that they need to make a profic because oftentimes the variant covers are allotted based on how many standard issues they order, but paying $50 for a new comic book is ridiculous. If there was a way to work out a system where maybe subscribers could get a discount and/or first crack at the variant covers that might make more sense. That way, chances are that the variant would be in the hands of a regular customer instead of on an online store where John Q. Public can see it and perhaps be disgusted by it.

What type of customer service would you like to see out of an online company?
Accountability. I understand that people make mistakes/computers glitch, etc, but the stores should at least of the common courtesy to own up to their errors and offer some sort of compensation, even if it's something as small as a 10% off coupon.

What do you not want to see out of an online store?
Unfair prices and/or a confusing interface. Keep it simple.

 

[Roughneck]

They definatelly need to stock the Play Arts Final Fantasy figs.