I eBay a $2.99 comic. costs me £2.20.

arrives in a hardback A4 envelope, costing 81p delivery

I'm puzzled as to how he can be making a living

The seller's cost price must be considerably lower than £1.39. Without knowing more about the seller, I can only assume that he must be selling a high volume of stock on eBay for a few pence here and there to add up to a tidy sum.

He has a comic-book shop so I guess being a high-volumer rather than an everydayer clearing space from the loft means he does pay lowlow for it originally - makes me now wonder how all those comic book creators can make money - but I withdraw that question and enjoy my big bundle of cheaply bought comics - a bundle of which has (iiuc) just popped thru my letterbox (goes to check)......
.................
- Batman 700, 701, 702 and 703 (ebayed from an everydayer, absent from collection cos local comicstore had 2yr long money twubles)
-> widening the letterbox so it can accomodate A4 sized envelopes was a good idea.

Yes this is very common on ebay, lots of comic book sellers on there charging 2.10, and 2.50 for new comics. They can do this because of the sheer bulk they are buying in. Most are real comic book stores somewhere, who order a lot more in now they sell online as well.

The good thing is, that you can buy online and still being supporting an LCS somewhere. It's not like buying GNs off amazon for a much better price, and knowing LCS are hurting.

I was happy supporting my LCS, and had been doing so for ~8years (during which time they'd moved location 3 times). But their money troubles which led to 'lapses' (couldn't think of a better word) in buying stock meant my comic collection was missing issues from over a year ago. Not a good thing, especially during the 'current' Batman dead storyline. Bit hard to keep up with the story if you're waiting for one old-old issue F before you read all the other G thru P. (F=may2010!!!) Been eBaying the gaps but by the time they are filled Batman will have died, the cowl been fought for, Dick takes over, Red Robin knows Bruce is alive, Bruce journeys back thru time and now The Dark Knight is out. So I missed experiencing the drama as it unfurled. And that was the last straw. So LCBS be dammed, I'm having everything eBayed thru my letter box from now onzies.

BTW: if Damien ever becomes Batman I'm stopping collecting right away - he bugs the bjebies outta me. Fingers crossed the ptb don't mark Batman 800 or even Batman 1000 with such an event. - gonna be in my 70s when/if Batman 1000 comes around - I feel old.

As I said, you can feel good you're supporting a better comic store in another part of the country (that's how I see it at least).

I don't think Batman will stop being Bruce Wayne as the long term default for some time, especially with the films still being a hot property.

I getcha now


You mean Bruce stop being Bats, right ?!

iiuc currently we've got Dick as Bats and also Bruce as Bats. So 2 Batmans going about their crime fighting ways in Gotham.
And we've also got Red Robin, Batgirl and Batwoman battling the baddies in the city too. Methinks Gotham is getting a little over-crowded with Maskers.