Retailer Brian Hibbs considers the problems with publishers polybagging comics for sale:
Well, let’s take bags for the example: bags cut down on browsing, they don’t “sit right” on a rack (as they generally don’t have a true edge), and they look shabby. There’s some interesting questions on the secondary market as to whether or not a bagged comic without the bag is still “mint.” They add shipping weight (which we retailers pay for), and, based on recent experiences, they’re both prone to more distribution damages as well as taking up more room in shipping boxes, increasing costs.
What’s the upside for the retailer for any of this tradeoff?
I admit, the idea that polybagging could hurt sales by cutting down on browsing never occurred to me – in part because my local store bags everything before sale – but I do wonder how much the loss of browsing is offset by any “I have to know what’s inside! Maybe I should buy it!” impulse. It’ll be interesting to see what (if anything) happens to sales of the Ultimate books longterm as polybagging the issues becomes matter of course.
November 18th, 2011 at 1:20 pm
I do wonder how much the loss of browsing is offset by any “I have to know what’s inside! Maybe I should buy it!” impulse.
When you can find the contents of that same comic online easier than ever, since the comics are being polybagged precisely because they offer digital copies? Doubtful.
November 18th, 2011 at 1:33 pm
Polybags make sense when you really don’t want to leak whats inside… but in many cases the non-bagged version is sitting right next to it and recently the media has leaked the story before it hits shelves…
November 18th, 2011 at 3:54 pm
GT: Seriously. QUICK, NAME ME THE MRVEL ISSUE WITH SOMETHING THAT WAS SHOCKING AND STATUS QUO-CHANGING THAT MARVEL ITSELF DIDN’T ALREADY LEAK TO THE PRESS FIRST! As you yourself acknowledge, there is no such story, and since most modern Marvel storytellers’ skills at actually telling a story rank right up there with the authors of Cliff’s Notes — a plot summary is NOT a story in and of itself — there’s no real reason to read the issue to see how it plays out. If you click on Wikipedia and visit The New York Post, you’ve got all you need.
November 18th, 2011 at 3:56 pm
… Really, self? “Mrvel”? I’ve become Homer Simpson, going, “I AM SO SMART! I AM SO SMART! S-M-R-T!”
November 19th, 2011 at 10:17 pm
My former comic shop used to bag comics in protective covers. That way he could justify charging $3.00 for a $2.99 book. (i.e. he charged a penny for the bag). I was ok with that because he always left an in store copy to browse through. What I don’t like about these Marvel (trash) bags is the genuinely hide the content of the book. What exactly is Marvel ashamed of? Oh, they want to keep the digital code a secret? I guarantee it shall remain a secret, just like the rest of the book which I won’t be buying. You gotta draw a line in the sand somewhere. If anything, this will definitely make me wait for the trade. That is, if I don’t lose interest in the meantime.