Where Can You Get The Best Deals ?

If you didn't know it by now, I'm Canadian. Besides the fact that I bleed hockey and maple syrup, it means that I have to pay more than my American neighbors to get my comics. If comics fans south of the border can get their books pretty cheap at www.dcbservice.com or www.instocktrades.com, we canucks have to find some alternative to those site as a) they don't ship to Canada or b)shipping, duty and exchange rates makes it useless to order from the States. After having surfed the web for years in search of the best prices, I've come up with the following rules as to where to get comics and collected editions. I thought it'd be nice to share them with you:

1. If you want to buy monthly comics, stick with your local comics shop, especially if they treat you well and offer you a nice discount (from 20% to 30%). If you live in a remote area or if you don't have access to a comics shop, you can try www.allnewcomics.com, a canadian online store that offers 20% off cover price, free backs and boards and free shipping if you subscribe to at least 16 titles or if you order for more than $50.


2. If you want to buy DC Comics or any other publishers' collected editions, go to amazon.ca. As collected editions go, amazon.ca and chapters.indigo.ca are the two best bets. I'd suggest to go with Amazon over Chapters for everything but Marvel books , only because they offer a slightly better discount (27% vs. 24% on softcovers, 37% vs. 34% on hardcovers). On small trades, that won't make much of a difference, but on Absolutes or other high-end books, you'll be very glad to save the extra 3%. As far as Showcase Presents volumes go, expect to pay $16,78. Not a bad deal at all.


3. If you want to buy Marvel collected editions, go to chapters.indigo.ca. The great thing about buying Marvel books at Chapters (and ONLY Mavel books) is that they take the discount off US cover price. That drops the price by around 20% right off the bat ! On top of that, they still offer a 34% discount on most hardcovers and a 24% discount on most softcovers. Usually, an Essential will cost you $15.16, but some of them have a higher discount like Essential Iron Fist Vol.1 which goes for $13.16. All in all, you can expect to get anywhere from 40% to more than 50% off the regular Canadian cover price !

Don't forget that both Amazon and Chapters offer free shipping on orders of more than $39CAN. I strongly suggest you wait until you reach that amount before ordering since the cost of shipping would eat up the money you saved from the discounts.

If any of you have found better deals, or if you're from down south and want to share your buying habits, don't be shy and either post a comment or drop me a line at

blackandwhitewonder@gmail.com

I'd be glad to hear from you !