Brits ripped off by comic distributors!

[Weetomuncher]

I was reading the Forbidden Planet International website tonight with the intention of buying some comics in the near future (I haven't been buying US comics as I haven't been able to get to the store through illness) and I noticed the prices didn't correspond to the normal conversion rate and and were in fact over 10% higher than normal.

I checked the exchange rate and according to Bloomberg Interactive it is 1.56 US dollars to the UK pound which means a $2.99 comic costs £2.45 ($3.82)

I understand that a pound was worth over two dollars a couple of years ago but the price of comics did not drop at that time and remained at the same rate it had been at while the dollar was 1.43 to the pound which is a poorer rate than the current level.

The store claim the increase was due to an increase in comic costs passed on by the distributors.

I think this is a greedy move and will only drive more readers away from comic stores in the UK.

I,ll probably still end up buying comics again soon but I don't think I'll return to buying dozens of comics each month like I have in the past.

[Lester C.]

I was reading the Forbidden Planet International website tonight with the intention of buying some comics in the near future (I haven't been buying US comics as I haven't been able to get to the store through illness) and I noticed the prices didn't correspond to the normal conversion rate and and were in fact over 10% higher than normal.

I checked the exchange rate and according to Bloomberg Interactive it is 1.56 US dollars to the UK pound which means a $2.99 comic costs £2.45 ($3.82)

I understand that a pound was worth over two dollars a couple of years ago but the price of comics did not drop at that time and remained at the same rate it had been at while the dollar was 1.43 to the pound which is a poorer rate than the current level.

The store claim the increase was due to an increase in comic costs passed on by the distributors.

I think this is a greedy move and will only drive more readers away from comic stores in the UK.

I,ll probably still end up buying comics again soon but I don't think I'll return to buying dozens of comics each month like I have in the past.

It could be worse. Every Canadian has been getting !@#ed for as long as I can remember as they have to pay more for everything over there from comics to DVDs.

[Matt Doc Martin]

Comic readers are getting ripped off by comic publishers. $3.99? Really?

[Weetomuncher]

I know that Canadians, Europeans and Australians get robbed buying American items but what pisses me off is that prices never seem to get better in good times and always increase in poorer times.

Video games were extremely expensive in the UK for many years and it took years to get prices to an acceptable level.

Games in the UK were often costing 120% more in the UK than in the US!

[OzBat!]

yeah, Australian comics increased with the drop in the value of the Aussie dollar, but when it was really really strong the beginning of last year, somehow that price never reverted back down... funny that. I pay on average $4.50 for my comics currently, and often more. That's 3 or 4 issues a week, at best, for my twenny bucks.

[NickThompson]

Games in the UK were often costing 120% more in the UK than in the US!
But on the other hand the British minimum wage is £5.73, currently higher than anywhere in the US (And remember the £ has crashed against the $, it used to be even better for us). Last year, someone on minimum wage over here would have just about been earning twice what an American on minimum wage would earn.


Also, let's not forget that our comics as such have to cost more because of shipping. Cost me £2 to post an A4 piece of paper to the US last week, wouldn't cost that to post it within the UK. Great stacks of comics will cost a bit.




It sucks that prices have gone up, but everything is going up in price right now. Don't blame Diamond for the economy tanking, that's not greed that is being a business.

[KJ_81]

yeah, Australian comics increased with the drop in the value of the Aussie dollar, but when it was really really strong the beginning of last year, somehow that price never reverted back down... funny that. I pay on average $4.50 for my comics currently, and often more. That's 3 or 4 issues a week, at best, for my twenny bucks.

I'm also in Australia, and apart from 2 months a few years ago when they went down to 1.8 times US price, I've always paid double US price.

Here in Brisbane DC Direct figures will cost you 40-45 Aussie each, ALWAYS. Yet every other state sells them for 30ish, usually a bit less.

[KJ_81]

yeah, Australian comics increased with the drop in the value of the Aussie dollar, but when it was really really strong the beginning of last year, somehow that price never reverted back down... funny that. I pay on average $4.50 for my comics currently, and often more. That's 3 or 4 issues a week, at best, for my twenny bucks.

I'm also in Australia, and apart from 2 months a few years ago when they went down to 1.8 times US price, I've always paid double US price.

Here in Brisbane DC Direct figures will cost you 40-45 Aussie each, ALWAYS. Yet every other state sells them for 30ish, usually a bit less.

[Alan Lynch]

Video games were extremely expensive in the UK for many years and it took years to get prices to an acceptable level.

Games in the UK were often costing 120% more in the UK than in the US!
I hate that. Something costs $150 in America so they charge £150 for it here. Dicks.

[oddballuk]

Yeah, Diamond UK has been notoriously bad for years.

My LCS (a Forbidden Planet) already had to raise its prices once this year and now has had to do so again last week, this time due to Diamond raising their shipping costs. I don't blame the manager of my LCS though as he was very apologetic and knows this will impact on his store sales greatly.

My weekly shop last week was £5 (approx $7.50) more than it would have been before the price hike. As such I had to go back to my LCS on Saturday and reduce my pull list by several books to compensate (as I have a limited budget to what I can afford).

I would hope that if the pound were to strengthen again against the dollar that Diamond will drop their shipping costs back to what there were allowing stores to drop their prices but I don't put much faith in Diamond doing that unless the price hike severely hurts their profits.

Diamond UK was bad enough before this with many Darkhorse and Indie books shipping later than the US, in my area at least and they are a pain to deal with on re-orders as the managers of both shops in my town can testify.

Damn Diamond and damn the economy!