Comic Kingdom needs a Gordon Ramsey visit!

[bowspearer]

I realise that this section is for online stores, but I figured that being bricks and mortar, that feedback on Comic Kingdom (and when I say feedback, I mean a warning to avoid it like ground zero of a thermonuclear blast) is a pretty close fit.

A few weeks back I made the mistake of stopping in there and learning first hand what it's like to feel dirty having bought something from a comic book shop when the shop is bad - the kind of dirty that people reportedly experience when doing adult films for the first time- yes, it was that bad.

The first and last time I'll go there and the first time I've ever walked out of a comic store having felt dirty for having shopped there.

I went there a few months ago, having first called up to see if they had Marvel Transformers Comics in after asking for help, the woman I spoke to told me they didn't. However I decided that as it was on my way to where I needed to go, that I'd look to see what else they had.

I initially dealt with a woman who I would learn is the living embodiment of a whinging pom, when I asked about the condition of a particular vintage Transformer. She didn't know so she got someone else to help me. The older man I dealt with asked me what I wanted to ask about. I pointed to the Transformer and named them, asking if it was just the outer shell (the figure in question was Monster Pretender Slog) or if the figure was complete. The man responded with "who", to which I named them and pointed again. Again they responded with "who?" I wound up describing the figure to which I was asked "oh, so you want to ask if it transforms". I responded by clarifying that I wanted to know if it was complete. You would think that unlike an op shop, that a comic shop specialising in vintage comics and toys, would have bothered to learn about their products.

Then again, considering that most of their comics are without bags and boards and stock seems to be indiscriminately thrown around, caring about their business doesn't appear to be their strong point.

I then looked around at various things on the bottom floor and at no point was I asked whether I needed assistance or if I was looking for anything in particular.

I then went up to their second floor and asked if they had any vintage GIJOE comics in. I was told they were downstaris and asked how I could possibly have missed them like there was something wrong with me. I was about to head back downstairs when out of the corner of my eyue, I noticed some GIJOE Comics on the side shelf- predictably missing bags and boards. I took the whole lot over the counter, wanting to avoid risking further damage to them.

I then asked the man behind the counter if he could sell me individual bags and boards for the comics I might buy, to which I was told he would only sell bags and boards in lots of 100 to me. After some prying, he reluctantly agreed to see if he had any spare bags he could use for comics I might buy.

Some comics had been marked around $20, but after looking at the current prices for some of them, he decided to do them all for $5 each, which I felt happy about - so happy after the train wreck of an ordeal I'd had that I decided to go downstairs and take a look at more of them. I'd soon learn what a mistake it was.

Firstly, in amongst the comics that were there, were comics with price tickets on them - I don't mean price tickets from 20-30 years ago, I mean price tickets that had been clearly applied directly to vintage comics within the past couple of years or sooner.

I then took those I was interested in, mentioned what had happened upstairs and asked whether the same thing applied. She immediately became slightly panicky and called upstairs and demanded to know from the man upstairs that I'd been dealing with what had happened. I could only hear her end of the conversation, but what sticks out in my mind is her stroppily uttering "well, I'm not seeling them for lass than $8" (I honestly felt like saying "hello, I'm right here"). She then gets off the phone, wants to see the comics, tells me "he made a mistake while wanting to know what issues he sold and saying with the higher price oones "see, he should have sold them to you for $X".

At that point, it was only generousity of spirit which prevented me from walking out of the store right then and there. After totalling up the comics, I decided to just get half of them- partly because it was more than I had expected to spend based on what had transpired upstairs and partly because she'd killed off any chance of me having an "oh what the hell" moment and deciding to get them anyway.

Then when she bagged them up, she took my card to pay for it -at which point I was left wondering if what she was doing was being done as an act of comedy. She took my card, but could not figure out how to use the chip slot on the EFTPOS machine. She inserted it every way but the correct way, before finally giving up and swiping it. I then entered my pin and paid for it - at which point, I actually had to ask her for the receipt. She at first claimed she couldn't give it to me because the til was shut- at which point she first printed one off, but then insisted on trying to get one out o the register, at which point I told her 3 times that I only needed the EFTPOS receipt, before finally having enough and walking out of the store - feeling really dirty, like I was some 50c hooker.

The place needs either a wrecking ball or the comics equivalent of a Gordon Ramsey to go into there and whip them into shape- they treat their customers like they treat their stock (like crap) and I honestly have to wonder how, besides a stream of innocent victims- I mean first time customers - how they even stay in business.

My advice to anyone reading this is to avoid them like ground zero at a thermonuclear blast.

[SMHFConvoy]

They're still around? Yeah, don't go there.

[kurdt_the_goat]

Would be checking your card activity if i was you!
I wouldn't trust she put through the right amount after all that

[ChlorHex]

They sound like a dodgy bunch...
As if the shop's a front for other activity.
Would check on your card like Kurdt says mate.

[reillyd]

Bowspearer, you're just not going to be able to find Marvel TF here in many Australian stores. If you want them, try online like Milehigh Comics, or consider purchasing the IDW reprints as trade paperbacks.

I have a set from Milehigh, with some issues being dirt cheap but others staggeringly high (low print runs). If cost is a factor, the IDW or Titan trades are just awesome, though IDW has extra additions and historical notes

[Sam]

So sorry to hear you had a bad experience at that shop.

You are right in that it'd be good to avoid that place - the stairs feel like they are about to give way whenever you walk on them.

There are also a couple of other issues, such as hidden cameras behind some of the shelves on the ground floor, and some bad history between this shop and another shop which sells similar products...

[Sinnertwin]

i would've just walked out without buying anything, but hey, that's just me.

[5FDP]

I initially dealt with a woman who I would learn is the living embodiment of a whinging pom

Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black All I'm saying is that the last three topics you have started (including this one) have all been about cautionary tales towards less than favourable customer service experiences. Granted, there may be a fair amount of truth to them, however it comes across as whinging to me especially given the length of your posts. If I found myself in similar recurring situations, I would consider taking a different approach e.g. walk away as Sinnertwin suggested and / or evaluate the situation and determine what is the one constant that these instances of 'bad luck' have in common.

[Trent]

Been in there once. I asked about a g1 Weirdwolf they had and the conversation went like this:

Me: How much for Weirdwolf?
Him: The wolf? Don't bother. It's broken. It has no head.
Me: No it isn't, it's just missing the head. So how much?
Him: (Sigh) $10. But I'd call the head missing pretty broken, wouldn't you?
Me: No because it's a headmaster (proceeds to explain headmasters concept)
Him: So it's not broken? Oh in that case it's $60.
Me: You just told me $10 and that I shouldn't bother. Now you want $60?
Him : $60
Me: You're an idiot. (Leaves, never to return).

[UltraMarginal]

This really is hilarious, I've occasionally shopped at Comic Kingdom since 1997 when I came to Sydney to go to Uni.
Initially I was stoked to find them they had a massive range of TOS and TNG star trek novels out the back that must have come from some collection purchases or something, back then they were only $5.00 each, as a poor uni student they were the only source of science fiction books I could afford.
The place was old and musty then... but so was kings at the time.

They've always expected that you leave your bag at the front counter. that's cool, but then when you're walking around looking at their stock, theres a creepy old guy that keeps eyeballing you while he walks around the shop to make sure your not stealing anything. there's not much feeling of trust.

I've never really had much other use for them, like stated above, they don't stock even their new stuff with much care and while a lot of their old action figures and memorabilia is in cabinets, its very mixed and pretty much all overpriced. A lot of it is stuff I wouldn't take for free from a garage sale, that could just be my taste though. I do occasionally go there to try and source an old phantom issue that I might have missed out on as they tend to have a pretty good back catalogue, again though they can be in pretty poor shape.

I went there for FCBD this year, mainly because I didn't have time to stand in line for 2+ hours at either kings Comics or Kinokuniya. the line was 8 people long. While I was there with my wife, they were trying to tell other people that other retailers were being stingy and only giving away 1 comic while they were legends giving away 3. I know for a fact that kings were giving away 4 and i'm not sure about Kinokuniya but probably at least 2.

I went downstairs to see if I could pick up a phantom issue i'd missed out on a few months ago and it almost looks like they've stopped getting in any new issues of the phantom, their rack was desolate.


The place hasn't changed in nearly 20 years, I do wonder how they stay in business, maybe they own the building, which would explain why the stairs creek so much, they've invested as much into that as they have the rest of their business. when we were there on Saturday for FCBD I made sure that both my wife and I stepped on the sides of the stairwell as they were by far the least worn parts of the structure.

It's an interesting comparison, seeing the development of comic kingdom against kings comics over the last 17 years. kings used to be in a dingy hole in the basement of a building up the street from where they are now by about 2 blocks, there was very little room to move and if you went in there with a back pack you'd be glad to leave it behind the counter so you could avoid accidentally turning and knocking something over.

Since then Kings have invested heavily in their business, they moved to a new shop, they opened a second shop at Fox Studios for a few years (it's now closed). they regularly partner with films and other large events to provide competitions and giveaways and cheap cinema events. their online store is pretty handy to navigate around and you can pre-purchase books to then later pick up in store or have sent to your home.
This investment is shown by their massive following, the cue for them on FCBD this year was at least 3 hours long, I asked someone halfway down the line how long they'd been waiting and they said 2 hours.
Their shop is open and inviting, it's large and bright and well organised. they do still stock some things that they're never going to sell, recent examples are a Hard hero ironhide Bust still with a sticker for $150 and they have the Covenant of Primus for $100 when it's been in big W's all over the country for $50 for a month now. The new starships collection magazine has just started here it's $20 an issue, they've been importing them from the UK I think and they're selling them for $30. These things are just not competitive but they're overall a very popular store. I'm sure they've invested a massive amount of money into their business, they always s have a lot of staff on, but as a result of this effort their business is thriving.

On the other hand Comic Kingdom haven't spent a cent, they don't stay open late on a Thursday, they haven't updated their website since I don't know when, the stairs in their shop are probably unsafe. yet they still survive.
Maybe they own the building and don't pay rent, maybe there is a large market for some of their really old product. I don't know but there was only ten people in line at their shop for FCBD and most of us didn't buy anything else. They are clearly not popular, but it doesn't look like they work anywhere near as hard as the folks at Kings Comics and maybe they are happy with that. they are certainly not my go to comic shop until I've exhausted all other avenues.


And Trent I would have paid my ten dollars up front and been happy not to educate.