So this morning CBC radio had a little news segment about the Canadian dollar going on par with the American dollar and how the big consumer product that is getting screwed right now is books. It looked into it as much as a minute news clip could (probably more in the in-depth news hour) and explained the whole publishing process takes time thing and how books are unique for having their price printed directly on the book (problemo numero uno). In essence, any new book price cuts will only be seen some time in 2008.
Then they went to the Silver Snail in Toronto and talked about how you could buy your comics there at the American cover price. I stand corrected. I should go to the two local comic shops I pass on the way home and actually ask them if they've decided to do this as well (one is a Silver Snail branch).
I guess I'm guilty of falling prey to that internet affliction of being the dude alone in the dark room making pronouncements that have no basis in reality. Damn it.
3 comments:
Don MacPherson had a post about this over on his blog, "Eye on Comics"
http://www.eyeoncomics.com/?p=210#more-210
Having only the USD price on the cover would probably make the most sense, as comics retailers could set the local price themselves depending on how the exchange rates doing at the time (as they have to do basically everywhere except Canada). That said, the NZD has been fairly strong till recently and got up to around 80c US, comics stayed at the $6.80 mark though. When you rely on retailers to drop prices in response to exchange rate movements, well let's just say that the flow-on effect can be very slow.
Man, I feel really bad for our geek-brothers in the Southern Hemisphere where everything is shipped in a excruciating prices.
I totally understand the hows and whys of the pricing difference, doesn't mean I have to like it. And honestly, it's just another bullet I feel I've dodged by getting a bit disillusioned with most comics to the point I've more or less stopped buying them all together. I still read them and get the occassional book (The Spirit is just too good while Cooke is writing it, same with All-Star Superman) but for the most part, it's the library and the occassional discounted trade bought online.
Whenever my gf comes with me when I pick up my fortnightly fill of comics, I have to stand strategically in front of the register so she can't see the $160+ being rung up. I would so get my ass kicked if she realised how expensive my little hobby is.
I know what you mean though, bit by bit I'm just getting tired of the majority of titles in my pull list. I'm on the verge of cancelling everything but the bare minimum (leave the All-Star titles, Ex Machina, Buffy, Runaways maybe Madman) and sticking to trades. Would certainly leave me a little more money for those Battlestar Galactica box sets :)
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