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It would be helpful for sellers if Atomic Avenue stated what shipping method was used by the AA servers to calculate the shipping cost. Sometimes it is obvious, and sometimes (as in your case) it really is not. This is especially true for large orders that require multiple boxes. It is also not always clear to me that AA calculates the cost of insurance correctly for packages containing merchandise of more than $50 retail value. It is also confusing that the AA help pages refer to Parcel Post mailing when we were told some time ago that Parcel Post wasn't an option any more. Frankly, none of this should be a mystery. AA presumably knows what kind of shipping parameters were used by their calculator, it isn't spitting out a random number. A little transparency would make seller's lives easier without any negative impact on buyers. (And the AA help pages need a review to make sure that they are all up to date.)

Hi, all, and happy new year. I found this site from some random post on Reddit, and am very thankful for it. I don't tend to have many conventions in my area, and the few comic shops in the area tend to overprice the kind of thing I'm looking for. I love books from the 70's and 80's, and I've found so many reader-quality copies on here for a buck or two a piece. It's a bit of a mini-game to find the right seller combo (minimum dollar amount vs needing issues from different sellers), but I'm happy to do it. I know this is not really a conversation topic, but I just wanted to thank the site owners as well as the sellers on here. I'll absolutely keep coming back.

IMO, the implication that the burden is on buyers prior to making a purchase to investigate whether sellers pocket extra money from improperly using media mail sounds kind of like, "hey, if the sellers can get away with it, then so be it." Since Atomic Avenue takes the approach of determining shipping charges to the buyer rather than allowing the seller to do so, it should be possible for Atomic Avenue to explicitly tell the buyer and the seller the shipping method used for that calculation. If at that point the seller elects to chisel a few extra bucks out of the system by using media mail, then the buyer can call them out in feedback etc... and claims that a seller is improperly using media mail that can be fact-checked using the tracking number that the seller is required to enter when they mark an order as 'shipped."

I've created sets but never sold any. I don't think they are easily found by buyers. Other websites include sets right in with the individual book, so that when customers find or browse for a specific book, they see individual issues as well as sets that include that individual issue for sale. AA is just behind the times on how best to get sets in front of potential buyers.

Is there a way to Save for items Later and also is there a way to add a seller as a favorite.

You can now search Atomic Avenue for issues by the cover artist. To search by cover artist, click on the Find button next to the search bar and select Cover Artist. Enter the name of the cover artist and you will see available issues with covers by that artist. To include unavailable items, uncheck the Show Only Items in Stock checkbox in the upper right hand side. Sellers can now regrade or cancel items ordered in multiples greater than one. For instance, if the buyer has purchased 2 copies of an issue, but the seller discovers one is not available, the seller can cancel one and ship the other. Similarly if one item is overgraded, the seller can regrade it without affecting the other copies the buyer has purchased. US sellers will now see information regarding the shipping cost calculation for USPS shipping on orders wherein the buyer is paying for shipping. Most importantly, this notes whether USPS flat-rate shipping offers the most economical First/Priority option and how many packages the order should be shipped in if flat-rate shipping is used.

It isn't just you. I have also experienced these same problems with the AA wishlist.

I suspect that this is a question about buying multiple different issues from the same seller and how to do that with a reasonably low number of clicks. Atomic Avenue is in need of an overhaul in several areas, and this is one area that should get some attention from the programming team IMO. (Other items that should be on the "to do" list include: better integration of magazines, books, and newspapers into store listings and in-store search results; more transparency to seller and buyer regarding shipping method that was used in determining shipping costs; including the years of publication for titles in the drop-down hits when typing into the search bar much like how this is handled in ComicBase; complete updating of Atomic Avenue's Help pages to reflect current AA policies and standards etc.)

Hello, Brand new to Atomic, placed a few orders and needed to contact two of the sellers re: incorrect issues sent. I clicked the "problem with order" button and sent them an email, was wondering if there is a place where I can see my sent messages and also check an inbox to see if they have replied. thanks in advance for any help!

Another case in point; I just ordered $160 worth of books from a seller, paid almost $19 in shipping, and they're being sent Media Mail. A quick "ballpark" check of how much that might cost shows under $4. I asked that it be sent Priority instead. Developing...

And I will take this opportunity to repeat some things that I have stated multiple times: What mailing service types are recommended/permitted is not fully clear to sellers for several reasons: (1) The Atomic Avenue shipping calculator does not tell sellers what shipping method it used to calculate the shipping reimbursement to the seller. Sometimes it is easy to tell, but sometimes the number that comes out is a real head-scratcher. More transparency there would help sellers, I think. (2) I suspect that sometimes the AA shipping calculator isn't savvy about USPS insurance thresholds or charges. When shipping via Priority Mail, insurance is free for package value up to $50... but the charges can add up once you get up above that $50 mark. IMO exactly zero AA packages should be shipped via USPS Priority Mail without being fully insured. (3) The Atomic Avenue help pages need an update. For example, the AA help pages refer to Parcel Post mailing when we were told some time ago that Parcel Post wasn't an option any more. As a seller, I can tell you that sometimes (especially with orders that are large both in terms of high $$$ and physical size) the shipping calculator undershoots by a decent amount. In those cases, I typically elect to just eat the extra postage costs. It is poor form to go to AA and ask them to bug the customer for a postage adjustment after that customer thinks that they completed their full order... and three-way email conversations (me, AA, and the customer) take time to resolve themselves, and I make it a point to get my packages in the hands of the USPS by the next business day. I will say, however, that once in a while AA substantially overshoots the shipping reimbursement. I just filled an order last night that cost me ~$20 to ship including full insurance... but the AA calculator billed the customer $36. I asked AA to make the adjustment at their end. But not all sellers do that, some will just pocket that difference and that's just uncool.

For what it is worth, I hear what you are saying, and I cannot disagree with you. It is indeed very bad form on two fronts: you were charged much more for shipping than the seller's cost, and you received a slower shipping service than what you paid for. You are correct that periodical comics are not supposed to be sent via Media Mail b/c of the advertising contained in them. Books without advertising can be shipped via Media Mail. Occasionally there will be a story of a postal clerk who denies a Marvel omnibus' eligibility for Media Mail, but those are supposed to be allowed. I assume that magazines (which are now sold on AA) cannot ship via Media Mail, but prose books (which are also sold on AA ) can still go via Media Mail.* Sellers may not know (or care) that when USPS inspects the contents of a Media Mail package (doesn't happen often, but it doesn't *never* happen), if the inspector determines that the contents do not qualify for Media Mail the *recipient* of the package gets charged the additional postage that is due. So a seller that sends periodical comics via Media Mail is asking the buyer to assume some risk of additional postage costs. Also bad form. IMO if you feel that an AA seller shipped at a substantially lower shipping service than what AA requires so that they could pocket the cost difference (which is what it sounds like for your situation), you can (and should!) indicate this when you leave feedback on AA for the transaction. If you *really* feel like you got badly overcharged for shipping relative to the shipping service that the seller actually used, you can also contact AA support via email and politely tell them the specifics of your experience. If this is a recurring problem related to a specific seller(s), then AA needs to know. *Another nudge to the folks at Human Computing that it sure would be helpful for buyers and sellers if books and magazines were browsable in sellers' store inventory pages on AA. This should have been in place when magazine and book sales first went "live" on AA.

I think the cost for mailing needs to be looked at overall. I would like to see it established that books have to be shipped at least First Class and Media Mail not be used at all. I've been under the impression that comics aren't supposed to be sent via Media Mail anyway. I just paid almost $14 to get 4 books shipped (two transactions, my own fault.) and the seller has sent them Media Mail. Kind of bad form, when you think about it.

No. We had a hardware-caused system-down a couple weeks ago, but no data breaches. Feel free to forward the article or alert to us directly at support@atomicavenue.com so we can correct it with the source.

I have a buyer that I would like to block from buying my comics in the future since no matter what concessions I give him on a sale it is not good enough. So I can see this buyer giving a low rating just because he is not agreeable. This one buyer could easily get me banned even though I am trying to be a good seller.

We are sorry you are having a negative experience with a seller on Atomic Avenue. The seller has offered to reimburse you for your return shipping cost. But to get the refund for the book and the reimbursement, you need to ship the item back to the seller. Your feedback is visible to other buyers. Many buyers will review the statements from other buyers, as well as the seller's rank and rating before they buy. There is no need to correspond with the seller further, other than to return the damaged item, check your confirmation that your return has been received, and expect a refund within 5 days of the seller's receipt of the returned item.

hi! is there a way to change the currency us to canadian price value in the COMICBASE?

Just placed my first order. Was charged $10 for shipping. Seller sent media mail for 3.45. I understand supplies cost money but charging $6 more for shipping and shipping via a method that is technically not allowed for comics is a bit too much.

In this time of increased shipping delays, we are working to improve customer support and satisfaction on international orders. As of Friday, March 26, 2021, tracking will be required for all international orders. Sellers shipping internationally will have to provide a tracking number before they can mark an order as shipped. We strongly encourage sellers to use tracking on all their orders as this allows buyers and sellers to locate their order in transit and be able to know when an order is expected to arrive. If tracking is not provided, Atomic Avenue may hold the seller’s disbursement until the buyer reports receipt or a refund is issued to the buyer.

Hello, all! I tried posting this in the "Feature Suggestion" thread, but I don't think that's been enabled. I'm curious if there would be interest out there to see a list of transactions over the past week or two (scrubbed of personally identifiable information, perhaps) so that sellers can see what's being purchased and at what price. I think this would be very helpful to many sellers who might then make adjustments to inventory or prices. I know the "Top Sellers" box is on the homepage, but without corresponding information on price or when those comics were sold, it's not very informative. Just a thought! Thanks! DD.

Ever since Magazines were moved out of comics, I've had a heck of a time with them. Try searching on Amazing Heroes. Its an absolute mess and does not take you to that series. You can find Amazing Heroes in ComicBase, but if you click Find Copies for Sale in CB, it gets all confused and you get an odd page. I think it was a big mistake trying to segment magazines from comics. It might seem logical, but when people are searching for a book, they don't care if its a magazine or a comic - they just want to find what they typed in. Also, now I have a bunch of books still in Comics in ComicBase that no longer connect to Atomic Avenue and thus can't be considered for sale. Please fix magazines and if you're sticking with this unfortunate move to segment the two, provide us with an easy way to convert our former comic entries to magazine entries. I shouldn't have to manually document everything and re-add it under magazines. Moreover, Magazines should properly link to Atomic Ave for sale....

I'm still having problems with magazines and I've upgraded to ComicBase 2021. Is this all still in the works?

Yes, that would be a good way to let customers know you have not disappeared.

@Paul Wills We used to allow store inventory to be visible when a seller had set the store to be "on vacation." Unfortunately, it generated so many questions and aggravation amongst buyers that we chose to hide stores that are on vacation. Sellers typically do not repost and update inventory while their store is on vacation, and if their inventory included a comic that had undergone a price spike, value-oriented buyers would bombard the seller with email and phone calls wanting to know when the item (at that price) would be available to buy, as well as send inquiries to Atomic Avenue, and to other sellers asking them to match the outdated price. Sellers have various reasons for setting a store to be on vacation -- typical ones are going out of town or temporarily not having access to inventory; others are illness or care for others. In the latter case, the inquiries were unwelcome. And Atomic Avenue pointed out that if it was a store with a lengthy break (as might be the case for illness) that the prices would almost certainly undergo a price update before being placed into active sales again. Your concern about buyers having an impression that a favorite seller has disappeared is valid. Would it make sense for you as a seller to have a "will return by" annotation, even though it would only be seen by buyers who are looking for you by your user ID, as inventory would still be hidden?

Can you put a comment field in the on vacation feature so if a buyer can still search your store but see the comment that you set. This way they don't think you just disappeared.

Carolyn, I've fought this same battle with you guys for years. A flat rate envelope without a stiff gemini mailer is not sufficient protection for books, especially these days. I'm not sure why AA insists that this is a sufficient way to ship books, because it's simply not. It's just asking to get bent, folded or crushed. Looks at the Facebook comics buy sell trade groups and see example after example after example of shipping done how you are proposing and how the books look after getting manhandled along the way and then bent and stuffed into mailboxes. And a gemini or uline mailer will not fit in a flat rate mailer with 10 books. It's too thick to do so with more than 4-5 books. First you insisted on paying us rates based on Media Mail, and now you are asking us to send our books out without sufficient protection. It's no wonder that the bulk of the comic book marketplace hasn't got a clue that AA even exists. I've tried my best to hold out on AA, but your insistence on using insufficient postal rates - and charging us commissions on shipping charges to boot - just means the time is nearing to end selling on AA. I can't lose money on shipping like I have recently. My last 5 sales has resulted in losses of at least $1 or more in shipping charges alone.

I would have posted this in the Feature Suggestions section of this forum, but apparently that section doesn't allow me to post there. As a moderator, that shouldn't be... and even more importantly, if a mod can't post there, then neither can regular users of the board either. Any way that can be fixed? 🙂 Anyway, here are the items that I had in mind to post in the Feature Suggestions: 1. Can we have a link on the AA boards to point to the old AA msg board? There is a similar "Archive" tab on the ComicBase forum page, it would be nice to have the equivalent here. 2. Would it be possible for Atomic Avenue to inform sellers the expected weight and the shipping method that the site used to calculate the shipping charge for the transaction? Often a seller is able to figure that out just from the amount that was charged to the buyer, but once in a while it isn't obvious. Some transparency to the seller would be helpful in those cases where it is not. In those cases where there was not an error in the calculation, it would save everybody time: the seller doesn't need to email support, the folks at AA won't need to spend time responding to the seller, and the buyer will almost certainly get their shipment sooner. In those cases where an error *was* made, the seller can recognize it that much quicker and everybody can get it ironed out faster and more easily. 3. Can we have an Atomic Avenue livestream sometime in the near future? It was suggested in the chat during one of the ComicBase livestreams that it would be worthwhile to devote one of those Wednesday sessions to AA. I know Pete shied away from any commitment that such a thing would happen, but I think that there was some positive response in the chat to the idea. In addition to taking questions, it would be an opportunity to share some fun facts about AA such as oldest book sold, order containing the largest number of items, most expensive book sold, that kind of thing.

As to the original post - I'm not a fan of the shipping setup with Atomic Ave. I should be able to set up my own shipping prices. ComicCollectorLive does it perfectly where they let their sellers determine the scenarios for shipping and how much they want to charge. Some customers are being charged over EIGHT dollars to send 2 measly comics ... I can send those to half the country for under $5 and the other half for under $6 with First class. That can make a big difference in making a sale or not, when a buyer has to spend about as much on shipping as they do for the books.

Store Scores are apparently being calculated with a round down approach, which does not accurately represent a store's performance. I received one single 4 out of 5 stars back in September 2019 (in spite of trying to reach out to find why as no explanation was given), have since received over 100 5's and have never before received anything lower than a 5 (except that one occasion) in the several years I've been selling on Atomic Avenue. Can we use basic rounding (.5 and above rounds up, less than .5 rounds down) and perhaps base store scores on the most recent scores (perhaps scores from the past 12 months)? In a world of online score inflation for collectibles (largely because people don't want to be cut off from ordering something they may really want because they gave honest feedback), the difference between 5.0 and 4.7 can be significant. As such, I would greatly appreciate it if we could more accurately reflect our store scores. Thanks.

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With the 2022 tax year, Atomic Avenue is required to file a 1099 form with the amount of disbursements to each US seller with sales over $600 during the year. This is typically redundant with amount reported by Paypal in their 1099-K form, as sellers receive their disbursements via Paypal. For this reporting requirement, all US sellers will be required to provide their US tax ID, i.e. social security number or EIN, in order to sell on Atomic Avenue and receive disbursements. Sellers who meet the reporting threshold (currently $600 or more in annual disbursements) will see a window requesting tax ID when they log in. Your information is SSL secured when you enter it and is stored with double encryption. We will only access this information when we file the reports with the IRS. As required, all sellers will receive a copy of this form.