Here's a purchasing tip for cash-strapped retailers:

I'm sure by now many have noticed that their invoices seem to have become a little higher over the last couple of weeks.  That's because the new terms that Marvel announced a couple of months ago have gone into effect.

Marvel said that their discounts wouldn't change.  But they did change - kind of.  I didn't take the time to read their new terms - because I'll admit that I'm cynical when it comes to dealing with Marvel.

But I was under the impression that there would be no changes in discount levels, so I didn't change the way that I ordered Marvel.  Since the asterisks (*) are still there next to the mainline Marvel listings in the catalog, I continued ordering as if the full-line incentive was still in effect.  It's not.

The full-line incentive of an extra 1/2-point and 1 point in discount is gone.  The rest of the discount schedule remains in place, now calculated on an annual basis - but the incentive to carry the majority of Marvel titles is gone.

I'm not going to whine about how Marvel 'got to me again.'  Heck, I expected them to take something away, that's why I didn't even research their terms.  Actually, the timing of this discovery couldn't come at a better time - since I've just started working on September shipping titles.  I can't speak for the rest of the country but, here in Arkansas, September is a dismal sales month.  So many of my customers are either going back to school, or they are paying for their children to go back to school.  Looking at my sales charts for the last 20 plus years, and there is always a major dip in September sales.  I've always felt that this pattern contributed to the sales bust of the multiple-covered X-Men #1 released in the September of 1991.  Sure... for the distributors and Marvel that was a banner month.  But for retailers around the county - stacks of X-Men #1 still sit in the back rooms.