Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Only 28 days until SDCC 2014!






Only 28 days left until the doors open for the 2014 San Diego Comic Con!  For those who can't make the convention this year but want to get something, we will be having our yearly SDCC Exclusives Sale!  No traveling, no standing in lines, no crowds, no hassles!

Be sure to stop in and see what's hot at the hottest comic con of the year!

Sunday, June 22, 2014

2014 San Diego Comic Con Sale!

The 2014 San Diego Comic Con is right around the corner and we are preparing for our latest convention exclusive sale!  We'll be offering many convention exclusives live from the con July 23 - 27!  Be sure to check our Convention Exclusives section for updates.

Here's a list of some of the items we'll be offering:

  • Ever After High Cerise Wolf doll
  • Monster High Manny Taur & Iris Clops two pack
  • Transformers Dinobot Action Playset
  • Transofrmers Knight of Unicron set
  • Infinity Gauntlet figure set
  • Thanos Imperative figure set
  • Star wars Black Series: Jabba the Hutt
  • Funko White Lantern Flash
  • Funko White lantern Superman
  • Funko Stay Puft Marshmallow Man
  • Previews Exclusive Harley Quinn statue
  • Convention exclusive comics and more!

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Buyer Beware: Online Comic Book Scams

Buyer Beware: Online Comic Book Scams

We've recently been made aware of several online comic book scams involving ads running on Craig's List and Facebook.  One person we know was taken for about $1,000.00 and is working with the police and banks to try to get his money back.

The person bought two books for a decent price through an online ad where the seller initially asked for a payment via Western Union.  Paying for goods via Western Union or similar money transfer services have absolutely no protection for a buyer. Knowing this, the buyer instead offered to make a PayPal payment and the seller asked for a check.  The buyer thought it wouldn't be a problem since he had the seller's phone number and address.

The check cleared and the books never showed up.  The buyer attempted to contact the seller, calling only to have the seller hang up the phone on him several times.

This is just one of many unfortunate scams we've heard of in the past couple of weeks, and we'd like to offer you some advice when buying expensive comics or other items through online ads of any kind:

1.  Never, never, never, ever, never send money to pay for something through Western Union, Wal Mart payments or other similar wire payment services.  You have absolutely no protection and no way of finding out who the money is going to.  Many con artists will try hard to convince you to send the money that way - don't fall for it.

2.  Beware of online ads where the ad may be placed in your area, but the seller is in another state.  This is usually a sign that things are are likely not legitimate.

3.  If you pay for something online, PayPal provides excellent protection with a 45 day period in which you can dispute a transaction. If you don't receive what you were promised within two-weeks, contact the seller and if you get the run around you should immediately file a claim with PayPal.

4.  When something is being shipped to you, always request a tracking number for the package.  If you receive the package and it seems light for what you're getting, be sure to open it in front an employee for the company from which you are receiving the package (USPS, UPS, FedEx, etc.).  If the contents are not what you ordered, you now have a witness.  We have heard about packages being sent with nothing but crumpled newspaper inside when there was supposed to be several thousand dollars worth of comics.

5.  Never pay with a check and never give your credit card information to anyone over the phone.  While you think you might be protected using a credit card, today's thieves are technically savvy and will likely make multiple unauthorized charges to your credit card.  This sort of mess can take a long period of time to clean up and depending on how the thieves obtained the information, you may not be protected by your credit card company.  You have no protection when using a check.

6.  This is old but rings true; if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.  This is sound advice in today's world of push button purchasing, it is always good to take the extra time to look at a deal when you get even the slightest notion that something doesn't seem to right.

We simply cannot stand thieves who operate online and try to take advantage of our fellow fans and collectors.  We always recommend buying from reputable and established sellers, like us!

Saturday, June 14, 2014

'Toon Tumblers Glassware

When asked what makes 'Toon Tumblers glassware so special and why we think it is the best on the market, here's why:
  • The president of the company is a huge fan of comics.  For us, that rings in big because instead of having a company that simply gets a license for a product and mass produces whatever it can, the president of 'Toon Tumblers is careful about each and every item made.
  • 'Toon Tumbler glasses are made in the United States of thick, quality glass.
  • Every item is officially licensed.
  • The glasses made by 'Toon Tumblers are lead and cadmium free.
  • 'Toon Tumblers are simply cool!
Don't forget that Comic Safari carries a wide variety of 'Toon Tumblers pint glass and shot glasses!

Monday, June 9, 2014

Steve Borock Introduces New Comic Grading Company!

(This news is a bit late, but better late than never.)

Steve Borock, the former Senior Consignment Director for comics at Heritage Auctions and the founder of the Comics Guaranty Company (CGC), has formed a new comic book grading service.

Comic Book Certification Service (CBCS) will open for business to the public via the Internet this coming July and will be offering a myriad of services for those wishing to have their books authenticated and graded.  CBCS has already appeared at a comic convention and will be appearing at more to come.

CBCS is offering faster turn around times on grading books, better quality control, a better comic holder, a signature service, and more to be announced.  

Steve Borock has had a lifelong love and career in the collectible comics field, and his name in the industry has become synonymous with trust and integrity.  We here at Comic Safari know Steve personally and professionally, and we are very excited to see CBCS breath new life into the third party comic grading arena.

Best of luck to Steve and CBCS, and we have no doubt the company will be successful and bring more innovation to third party comic grading!