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4 pages:1[2]34
pottersan
Monday, January 20, 2025 8:20:54 PM
![]() | Rank: Beyonder Groups: Member, Super Seller Location: Hiding amongst the 1% Joined: 9/28/2007 | Posts: 5,742 | Points: 50,937 Shop at My Store |
Joe wrote:
Hey CCL Members,
It is with great sorrow that I am writing this email today. As many of you know, for almost 18 years, Comic Collector Live has been operating at a loss. The website was supported with media revenues from our other main business, and the staff and I ran CCL in our off time as we are all comic book lovers.
Unfortunately in January of 2024 we lost our media business, laid everyone off, and have been operating at a loss for the last year. Steve and I have been running CCL for the past year as we looked for a buyer, or someone to take over the platform. On a personal note, I have been dealing with some family health issues and have not been unable to allocate time to do as much as I used to with CCL. Because of these extenuating circumstances we are writing to you today.
As of today we have not found anyone who wants to take over CCL, so it is with a very sad heart we are writing to inform you that we are forced into phasing out ComicCollectorLive.com. On February 1st, it will no longer be available.
Members: Please download your inventory reports as soon as possible. Reports will not be available after February 1st. Also, Member fees will be reimbursed through PayPal for time remaining on their membership over the next few days. We will no longer be accepting new membership as of today.
Store Owners: Please set your store to vacation mode as soon as possible. Complete the shipping of all your remaining orders. We will no longer be running invoices for stores. Your final sales will be commission free. Be sure to run your store reports as store information will only be available till February 1st.
This is a very sad day for us and the comic book community. I want to thank everyone who has been with us throughout the last 18 years for being a great part of a great community. Many of you are friends, and I am truly going to miss this community.
If you need anything or have any questions, you can contact us at helpdesk@comiccollectorlive.com
Sincerely,
Joe Butler
How one final email blast with all of the Sellers willing to give out their contact information?
If I don't have what you need, please check out these other great CCL Stores;
BlueMoon Comics, ComicVortex,The Goblin's Cavern, Manhattan on Mars, Edgewood Comics,Hall of Heroes,
Please visit my wonderfully amazing eBay store for loose figures, CDs, DVDs and much more; Alpha Comics.
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Spider-Man
Monday, January 20, 2025 8:59:45 PM
![]() | Rank: Celestial Groups: Approver, Beta, CR-Management, Member, Subscriber Location: USA Joined: 1/5/2007 | Posts: 4,749 | Points: 384,034 |
Wow. Sad news.
I have been here since the beginning and have loved it. Thank you to all the great members, sellers and especially the great Approvers I had the pleasure to work with.
Pat
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![]() | Rank: Sidekick Groups: Member, Super Seller Location: Chicago Joined: 7/10/2023 | Posts: 62 | Points: 1,441 Shop at My Store |
pottersan wrote:
Joe wrote:
Hey CCL Members,
It is with great sorrow that I am writing this email today. As many of you know, for almost 18 years, Comic Collector Live has been operating at a loss. The website was supported with media revenues from our other main business, and the staff and I ran CCL in our off time as we are all comic book lovers.
Unfortunately in January of 2024 we lost our media business, laid everyone off, and have been operating at a loss for the last year. Steve and I have been running CCL for the past year as we looked for a buyer, or someone to take over the platform. On a personal note, I have been dealing with some family health issues and have not been unable to allocate time to do as much as I used to with CCL. Because of these extenuating circumstances we are writing to you today.
As of today we have not found anyone who wants to take over CCL, so it is with a very sad heart we are writing to inform you that we are forced into phasing out ComicCollectorLive.com. On February 1st, it will no longer be available.
Members: Please download your inventory reports as soon as possible. Reports will not be available after February 1st. Also, Member fees will be reimbursed through PayPal for time remaining on their membership over the next few days. We will no longer be accepting new membership as of today.
Store Owners: Please set your store to vacation mode as soon as possible. Complete the shipping of all your remaining orders. We will no longer be running invoices for stores. Your final sales will be commission free. Be sure to run your store reports as store information will only be available till February 1st.
This is a very sad day for us and the comic book community. I want to thank everyone who has been with us throughout the last 18 years for being a great part of a great community. Many of you are friends, and I am truly going to miss this community.
If you need anything or have any questions, you can contact us at helpdesk@comiccollectorlive.com
Sincerely,
Joe Butler
How one final email blast with all of the Sellers willing to give out their contact information?
Great idea. I tried to send info via Messenger here and info got flagged down.
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Mobtownjoe
Tuesday, January 21, 2025 7:34:37 AM
![]() | Rank: Large Noggin Groups: Member, Super Seller Joined: 1/29/2013 | Posts: 409 | Points: 3,461 Shop at My Store |
Facebook comments are locked...
I have always wondered: If it was $30.00 per month to be a seller, would that provide enough money to continue at least in its current state?
There is so much good and bad here, I just am blindsided.
Historically, I do not find Joe to make rash decisions, but I NEVER for a moment thought CCL was operating at a loss.
No go fund me?
Move the community to Facebook?
I hate when such a superior product gets knifed.
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willnbeth07
Tuesday, January 21, 2025 9:19:18 AM
![]() | Rank: Supporting Cast Groups: Member, Subscriber Joined: 12/13/2009 | Posts: 47 | Points: 141 |
Hate to ask this with the wound still fresh, but any suggestions of another software to use to catalog and have a wish list? Going to suck to re catalog over 21k books
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pottersan
Tuesday, January 21, 2025 9:22:24 AM
![]() | Rank: Beyonder Groups: Member, Super Seller Location: Hiding amongst the 1% Joined: 9/28/2007 | Posts: 5,742 | Points: 50,937 Shop at My Store |
willnbeth07 wrote:
Hate to ask this with the wound still fresh, but any suggestions of another software to use to catalog and have a wish list? Going to suck to re catalog over 21k books
Man, it does not look like there is nothing close out there for sellers and buyers.
Atomic Avenue sounds like a possibility.
If I don't have what you need, please check out these other great CCL Stores;
BlueMoon Comics, ComicVortex,The Goblin's Cavern, Manhattan on Mars, Edgewood Comics,Hall of Heroes,
Please visit my wonderfully amazing eBay store for loose figures, CDs, DVDs and much more; Alpha Comics.
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Thundercron
Tuesday, January 21, 2025 10:13:12 AM
![]() | Rank: Beyonder Groups: Approver, Member, Super Seller Location: Redland, Oregon Joined: 9/14/2008 | Posts: 5,351 | Points: 86,151 Shop at My Store |
Mobtownjoe wrote:
Facebook comments are locked...
I have always wondered: If it was $30.00 per month to be a seller, would that provide enough money to continue at least in its current state?
There is so much good and bad here, I just am blindsided.
Historically, I do not find Joe to make rash decisions, but I NEVER for a moment thought CCL was operating at a loss.
No go fund me?
Move the community to Facebook?
I hate when such a superior product gets knifed.
Totally agree. No effort to raise commission fees? Even with an increase, CCL would still be cheaper than ebay.
I would also like to personally thank those that complained about the ad banner that used to run in the software some years back. Getting Joe to cave on that must have really helped the bottom line. Probably why we never saw much in the way of ads on the website. All the pop up ads on League of Comic Geeks is pretty annoying, but guess what? Ads work, and LofCG probably isn't in danger of closing.
Always baffled me that nothing changed around here (ie, promised updates) during Covid, with the government handouts plus the increased sales in the collectibles market. My biggest years selling here were during Covid, as is true for many others.
Aside from the loss of revenue, I get the feeling this was a gigantic waste of time, particularly helping to build the database.
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Thundercron
Tuesday, January 21, 2025 10:59:21 AM
![]() | Rank: Beyonder Groups: Approver, Member, Super Seller Location: Redland, Oregon Joined: 9/14/2008 | Posts: 5,351 | Points: 86,151 Shop at My Store |
willnbeth07 wrote:
Hate to ask this with the wound still fresh, but any suggestions of another software to use to catalog and have a wish list? Going to suck to re catalog over 21k books
A thread has been created for this:
#707634
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jeremyshorr
Tuesday, January 21, 2025 11:16:41 AM
![]() | Rank: Watcher Groups: Member, Super Seller Joined: 8/26/2011 | Posts: 651 | Points: 18,494 Shop at My Store |
Very sad news. At least my employees will have job security for a while as we move our inventory to a yet to be determined site.
If we have the opportunity to contribute to the purchase of CCL in order to keep it running, we will definitely consider that option.
In the meantime I wish each and every one of you the best.
Joe and Steve: Thank you for all the years of hard work you put into the site. I for one appreciate it deeply. Please do well in your future endeavors.
Jeremy Shorr
Owner
Titan Comics
3128 Forest Lane Suite 250
Dallas Texas 75234
214-350-4420
www.titancomics.com
11am to 7pm Monday through Saturday closed Sunday
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Groups: Member
Joined: 10/23/2010 | Posts: 1 | Points: 3
I'm really sad to hear this. I don't sell here but I buy here VERY often. This is the first I've heard that CCL was for sale. If very few people know that it's for sale, it's hard to sell it. Have you tried putting this out there on Bleeding Cool? That would garner some major attention and maybe a major buyer. Let's try to get this thing saved!
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BlueMoon
Tuesday, January 21, 2025 11:33:43 AM
![]() | Rank: Watcher Groups: Member, Super Seller Joined: 9/28/2007 | Posts: 629 | Points: 9,948 Shop at My Store |
Thundercron wrote:
Totally agree. No effort to raise commission fees? Even with an increase, CCL would still be cheaper than ebay.
I would also like to personally thank those that complained about the ad banner that used to run in the software some years back. Getting Joe to cave on that must have really helped the bottom line. Probably why we never saw much in the way of ads on the website. All the pop up ads on League of Comic Geeks is pretty annoying, but guess what? Ads work, and LofCG probably isn't in danger of closing.
Always baffled me that nothing changed around here (ie, promised updates) during Covid, with the government handouts plus the increased sales in the collectibles market. My biggest years selling here were during Covid, as is true for many others.
Aside from the loss of revenue, I get the feeling this was a gigantic waste of time, particularly helping to build the database.
I, for one, am angry. I'm angry that they've given us a whopping 11 days before they shut down the site, and our store. I'm angry that, as an approver on my personal account, I've wasted so much time adding books, and credits, and images. I'm angry that, right now, I don't know if our physical store will survive, because we counted on the revenue from these sales to help keep the bills paid, and now we don't know what's going to happen.
Some warning would have been nice. More than 11 days.
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Thundercron
Tuesday, January 21, 2025 11:41:33 AM
![]() | Rank: Beyonder Groups: Approver, Member, Super Seller Location: Redland, Oregon Joined: 9/14/2008 | Posts: 5,351 | Points: 86,151 Shop at My Store |
BlueMoon wrote:
Thundercron wrote:
Totally agree. No effort to raise commission fees? Even with an increase, CCL would still be cheaper than ebay.
I would also like to personally thank those that complained about the ad banner that used to run in the software some years back. Getting Joe to cave on that must have really helped the bottom line. Probably why we never saw much in the way of ads on the website. All the pop up ads on League of Comic Geeks is pretty annoying, but guess what? Ads work, and LofCG probably isn't in danger of closing.
Always baffled me that nothing changed around here (ie, promised updates) during Covid, with the government handouts plus the increased sales in the collectibles market. My biggest years selling here were during Covid, as is true for many others.
Aside from the loss of revenue, I get the feeling this was a gigantic waste of time, particularly helping to build the database.
I, for one, am angry. I'm angry that they've given us a whopping 11 days before they shut down the site, and our store. I'm angry that, as an approver on my personal account, I've wasted so much time adding books, and credits, and images. I'm angry that, right now, I don't know if our physical store will survive, because we counted on the revenue from these sales to help keep the bills paid, and now we don't know what's going to happen.
Some warning would have been nice. More than 11 days.
1000%. I see a lot of "gee whiz, Joe, thanks for all the years, it was so much fun" comments here.
Not me. I'm (banned). For all the reasons you outlined.
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willnbeth07
Tuesday, January 21, 2025 11:51:50 AM
![]() | Rank: Supporting Cast Groups: Member, Subscriber Joined: 12/13/2009 | Posts: 47 | Points: 141 |
Thundercron wrote:
willnbeth07 wrote:
Hate to ask this with the wound still fresh, but any suggestions of another software to use to catalog and have a wish list? Going to suck to re catalog over 21k books
A thread has been created for this:
#707634
Thank you
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![]() | Rank: Sidekick Groups: Member, Super Seller Location: Chicago Joined: 7/10/2023 | Posts: 62 | Points: 1,441 Shop at My Store |
It would definitely be nice to receive some answers to the questions here to help guide both sellers and buyers. I feel for those who have invested and contributed so much here only to be given a very short notice of all this. I think we all agree that there is no other website remotely close to this and if there is ANY chance of saving it. There were zero warnings and puts people in a bad spot financially as this was their main source of income (or a large portion of it). Can a discussion be had to possibly work out any solutions or was this decision finalized?
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Thundercron
Tuesday, January 21, 2025 12:40:58 PM
![]() | Rank: Beyonder Groups: Approver, Member, Super Seller Location: Redland, Oregon Joined: 9/14/2008 | Posts: 5,351 | Points: 86,151 Shop at My Store |
The_Brotherhood wrote:
It would definitely be nice to receive some answers to the questions here to help guide both sellers and buyers. I feel for those who have invested and contributed so much here only to be given a very short notice of all this. I think we all agree that there is no other website remotely close to this and if there is ANY chance of saving it. There were zero warnings and puts people in a bad spot financially as this was their main source of income (or a large portion of it). Can a discussion be had to possibly work out any solutions or was this decision finalized?
Send Joe an email. I doubt he'll show up again in the forums. He answered my email, and I know he's answered others.
My only hope is that this public announcement was a hail mary moment, in the hopes of finding a buyer. He says he wants to find a buyer, but he didn't give me a price. Also, what are the operating expenses here? Servers and....what else?
Best case scenario would be a seller with some pockets that also has a successful store here. Income as a retailer could offset operating expenses here. Joe's dilemma is that he no longer has any other revenue stream to keep this place afloat.
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Mobtownjoe
Tuesday, January 21, 2025 1:32:43 PM
![]() | Rank: Large Noggin Groups: Member, Super Seller Joined: 1/29/2013 | Posts: 409 | Points: 3,461 Shop at My Store |
Thundercron wrote:
The_Brotherhood wrote:
It would definitely be nice to receive some answers to the questions here to help guide both sellers and buyers. I feel for those who have invested and contributed so much here only to be given a very short notice of all this. I think we all agree that there is no other website remotely close to this and if there is ANY chance of saving it. There were zero warnings and puts people in a bad spot financially as this was their main source of income (or a large portion of it). Can a discussion be had to possibly work out any solutions or was this decision finalized?
Send Joe an email. I doubt he'll show up again in the forums. He answered my email, and I know he's answered others.
My only hope is that this public announcement was a hail mary moment, in the hopes of finding a buyer. He says he wants to find a buyer, but he didn't give me a price. Also, what are the operating expenses here? Servers and....what else?
Best case scenario would be a seller with some pockets that also has a successful store here. Income as a retailer could offset operating expenses here. Joe's dilemma is that he no longer has any other revenue stream to keep this place afloat.
Both KICKSTARTER and GoFundMe are options to sustain the site, but I cannot even guess what Joe would need.
I feel a bit foolish that I have not spent more time pointing people to this site.
I wish I had known about it during 4th quarter, I'd make flyers and I'd give away memberships if that were to help.
Ideas?
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MoonKnight1
Tuesday, January 21, 2025 1:48:10 PM
![]() | Rank: Beyonder Groups: Forum Admin, Guru, Member, Moderator, Sports Host, Super Seller Location: Richmond, VA Joined: 5/24/2010 | Posts: 10,203 | Points: 48,245 Shop at My Store |
Sorry, I'm a bit distracted at the moment. My Mom fell and broke her arm and is in the hospital right now so I'm having to juggle two things.
Anyway, I have also talked to Joe via PM and he does seem open to a solution other than closing down. I'm not sure what it will take but I am willing to at least try. How many other people would be interested in helping out in some way?
Just brainstorming right now, any ideas you might have will be appreciated.
Hall of Heroes Quote of the Week
When life gives you lemons you make lemonade. Then find someone who life gave vodka to and become friends with them.
Check out my eBay store here: Hall Liquidations
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![]() | Rank: Sidekick Groups: Member, Super Seller Location: Chicago Joined: 7/10/2023 | Posts: 62 | Points: 1,441 Shop at My Store |
MoonKnight1 wrote:
Sorry, I'm a bit distracted at the moment. My Mom fell and broke her arm and is in the hospital right now so I'm having to juggle two things.
Anyway, I have also talked to Joe via PM and he does seem open to a solution other than closing down. I'm not sure what it will take but I am willing to at least try. How many other people would be interested in helping out in some way?
Just brainstorming right now, any ideas you might have will be appreciated.
Definitely count me in for any form of help contributing to the site. I just would hate to see this go away if its avoidable.
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Mobtownjoe
Tuesday, January 21, 2025 2:09:40 PM
![]() | Rank: Large Noggin Groups: Member, Super Seller Joined: 1/29/2013 | Posts: 409 | Points: 3,461 Shop at My Store |
Me too! How much can we raise? What is the goal?
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Thundercron
Tuesday, January 21, 2025 2:11:33 PM
![]() | Rank: Beyonder Groups: Approver, Member, Super Seller Location: Redland, Oregon Joined: 9/14/2008 | Posts: 5,351 | Points: 86,151 Shop at My Store |
It's hard to brainstorm when we have no idea what the dollar figures are. Are we talkiing hundreds of thousands to buy the site? Or is it more like the price of a new car?
Another concern is what type of person will buy this place. I could totally see a retailer buying the site simply for the database to sell their own inventory, and getting rid of the multiple sellers/marketplace format.
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