Frequently Asked...
Q: Where are you located?
Comix Experience is located at 305 Divisadero St. (at Page) in the beautiful city of San Francisco
Q: What are your hours?
Look over at the side bar ------>
Q: What are you?
We are San Francisco’s comic book and graphic novel specialist. Probably the best in whole Bay Area since the passing of Rory Root, but we don’t update this FAQ frequently enough to freeze that one in amber, and we’ve got a lot of fantastic peers. Comix Experience has been in business since April Fool’s Day 1989.
Our goals in the world are entirely about spreading the joy and wonder that is the medium of comics. We are entirely focused on READERS and much less on COLLECTORS — we’ve been in business long enough to recognize that our industry is especially vulnerable to The Grifters, and we actively oppose things that value short-term gain over accessibility to the market. We also have little loyalty to publishers, per se — our focus is on the creator, and the wonder that their dedication and passion and craft produces. We’d like to assert that while the Marvel and DC brands are SUPER HYPER-AWESOME and man, we will sell you comics from those publishers, but that’s just a teeny tiny fraction of the wonder and joy that is the medium of comics. BRANDS should never capture your loyalty; CREATORS should!
We want to spread the love of amazing comics to all humans, regardless of their race, creed, or color. We also want to spread amazing comics FROM all humans, regardless of their race, creed, or color. Comics are an incredible form of expression, and should be widely accessible for everyone!
Doing business in San Francisco is very expensive, so a significant focus for us is our Graphic Novel of The Month Clubs — available in flavors of New Releases for Adults, and one aimed at Kids and Middle Readers. These clubs bring you livestreamed interviews and very exclusive swag — buttons and magnets for the kids, and hand-signed limited bookplates for the adults.
The GN clubs also are the main source of paying our incredibly awesome staff. We are proud to say that during COVID-19 we did not have to reduce hours, and raised base pay for our staff thanks to the Clubs! Please take a look and Join Today!
Q: Do you buy comics?
At this time we are not buying any comics at all, and do not expect this to change any time soon. When we do, it is for fixed and flat rate of fifty cents a pound. Of course, one should call first before bringing your books in; sometimes we get overstocked and need to suspend buying until we sell down our back issue supply. Seriously: CALL FIRST. (415) 863-9258
Depending on the comic, this averages out to approximately five cents a book. We never ever vary from this scheme, regardless of what the comic is, or how old it is (if you've got pre-'62 comics, sell them on eBay) -- we have a freight scale that we'll plop your comics on, sight-unseen.
At this point in the conversation, things usually go one of two ways. Either the caller thanks us profusely (no one WANTS to sell their comics, after all — they’re doing it because they need cash right now), or they start screaming obscenities at us, and accuse us of "ripping them off". Well, no. I mean, first off, selling comics is a mutual transaction. We can't "rip you off" if YOU are agreeing to sell them for that price.... But, more importantly, MOST old comics aren't worth a thing. No, honestly.
Before there were comic book price guides, comics were worth money, because most people either through their comics away or read them over and over and over again until they fell apart. That’s WHY old Golden- and Silver-Age comics are valuable – you can’t find many of them, and less in terrific condition. But that changed with the advent of price guides – after about 1976 everyone started keeping all of their old comics in bags and boards, and no one threw them away, and the market is just drowning in high condition copies of almost every comic after that point. If you walk in to a comic shop with 100 comics, odds are fabulous they'll pick out 1, maybe 2 of your books, and offer you a realistic fraction of their selling price, and the other 98 comics they won't give you one thin dime for.
We started this policy when I went to sell my LPs. I went to 14 different SF record shops trying to sell my albums. Each took 2 or 3. By the time I made it to the last shop, I still had more than 80% of my collection left, and I had spent five hours of my life to make maybe $50. Yuck. I would have KILLED to find a place that would buy everything for a flat rate. Think about it this way: your time is worth money. MY time is worth (at least) $50/hour. Looking at it from that POV, I LOST $200 selling my albums. If you think 50 cents a pound isn't enough for your comics, you've got many options: You could donate them to charity (or a children’s hospital, or a homeless shelter, or a veteran’s hospital), and take the write-off from your taxes; you could go from store-to-store and see what you might get; you could go onto e-bay (or the like), and sell them that way.... But, again, if you spend an hour of your time scanning, listing and tracking the comic you're selling, have you actually made any money?
For what it is worth, the "average" back issue is sold at CE in sets -- for prices that range around 25 cents a book. Single-copy (bagged and boarded) comics almost always go for 50 cents above cover price, and in the insanely rare circumstance where we look something up in a guide, we almost always price it at 50% or less of Overstreet at the main location.
But, either way, we are not buying comics at this minute.
Q: Will you appraise my comics?
Sure, though we have a pretty steep hourly fee to do so. Please contact brian@comixexperience.com for more details. Note that we can not appraise books if they are not in order: Alphabetical by title, and in numeric order. Having said that, appraisal is almost never worth your money, unless you have a big collection of rare and valuable comics (which you probably don’t!) – read a few paragraphs back about how most comics are sold.
Q: Do you sell Pokemon cards, or Toys or Magic The Gathering or things like that?
No. We put 95%+ of our purchasing power into comic books and graphic novels, and are very proud of being that kind of a dedicated specialist. If you are interested in games, our flagship store has San Francisco’s finest game store (Gamescape!) just a few doors down the block at 333 Divisadero. You can call them at 415-621-GAME.
Q: Do you have a subscription service? (also known as "pull and hold" or "saver box" depending on where you're from.)
Yes! Our Point-Of-Sale system tracks all pulls and orders, so it is astonishingly accurate. We have no minimum number of titles that you must order, but you must arrange for payment at least once a month. We offer standing order service, and we also produce our own, free, in-store magazine (Comix Experience: Onomatopoeia, or CEO for short — follow that link for recent issues) that list each month's new releases so you can conveniently add books. Subscriptions require a valid credit card as a deposit. We also encourage you to come into the store for more details.
Q: Do you take returns?
If a comic or graphic novel is brought back in the exact same condition as it was purchased, and you have your receipt, and it is within 30 days, we can exchange for store credit. Under no circumstances will you get cash back. All exchanges are purely and 100% at our discretion, and we reserve the right to withdraw this offer for any reason at any time.
Q: Can I order straight from the web-site?
Generally, this is a "business-card" site, not an "e-commerce" one, but because the COVID-19 crisis made us rethink business, we now have a fully functional webstore that can be accessed from the “locations” link in the navigation bar. Or you could click here for Divisadero St.’s Webstore. We also have a monthly Graphic Novel of the Month Club and a Kid's Graphic Novel Club as well! These are great ways to engage with comics! If there's something else that you're interested in that you don't see in our online store, please feel free to email owner Brian Hibbs at brian@comixexperience.com
Q: I'm a creator, can I do a signing at your store?
Feel free to e-mail Brian at brian@comixexperience.com, and we can discuss it. Over the decades we've hosted a lot of events, and are always looking for the right event that will draw a lot of attention, but it has to be special and fit in with our clientele. We're always happy to talk with you, though. We already have a full calendar of events that are based around our Graphic Novel of the Month Clubs. If you think you have a book that is as good as the books that we’ve already done, then by all means send a copy to the Divisadero location.
Q: Will you hire me?
Maybe! I mean, not NOW. Right this second we’ve got a really excellent and hard-working staff, but if you want to leave a resume we might call you at some point in the future should any of them decide this is no longer the life for them. Physically walk into one of the stores and bring your resume. This is one of the few cases that emailing Brian will get you derision.
We’re also way more likely to hire people who we know LOVE comics, and the way we tend to know that is if you shop with us and we get to know you. Not like that is a promise of any kind, but it helps.
Q: I have some other question you haven't answered, you heartless bastard!
Cut me some slack, most of this FAQ was first written in like 2007 for a store that has been open since 1989! And it can be years between updates! Bu, ask your question to brian@comixexperience.com, and we'll do our best to accommodate you. Hell, maybe we'll even add it to the FAQ!
Visit our shop at the address listed below or subscribe to our Graphic Novel Club Online!
General Inquires: brian@comixexperience.com
Comix Experience
305 Divisadero St.
San Francisco, CA 94117
(415) 863-9258
divisadero@comixexperience.com
Our Online Store (Available 24 hrs a day!)
Monday 11am-5pm
Tuesday 11am-5pm
Wednesday 10am-7pm
Thursday 11am-6pm
Friday 11am-6pm
Saturday 10am-7pm
Sunday 11am-6pm
