Posted in: Comics | Tagged: comic shop, diamond

Diamond Makes First Comic Shop Shipping Charge Reductions This Week

In February, Bleeding Cool scooped the news that Diamond Comic Distributors was to offer a cut of 40% to freight and UPS shipping charges to US comic shops.

Published Wed, 05 Apr 2023 14:29:10 -0500

by Rich Johnston

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In February, Bleeding Cool scooped the news from the ComicsPRO Summit that Diamond Comic Distributors was to offer a cut of 40% to freight and UPS shipping charges to US comic book stores going forward, later confirmed by the distributor.

The initial 20% price reduction for boxes containing print goods went into effect this week, appearing on invoices for products with an on-sale date of the 12th of April, 2023. The additional 20% reduction will take place from the 3rd of July, for a total reduction of 40% from the current pricing. Diamond states that discounted pricing will be applied to:

Individual boxes that consist of more than 50% print material (Diamond categories 1-5 and 13-14), calculated by piece count. For example, 126 print pieces in a box containing 250 pieces.
Shipments that qualify for hundredweight pricing from UPS (see below) with over 50% of the boxes being considered print material (using the criteria above). For example, if 6 of 11 boxes are considered to be primarily print merchandise, then the hundredweight shipment will be priced at the discounted rate. A shipment qualifies for hundredweight pricing if multiple boxes weighing a total of more than 200 pounds are shipped to the same address as part of the same shipment. Pricing is based on the total weight of the shipment and not the number of boxes or their individual weights.

Diamond Comic Distributors state that they "continue to test offerings from the USPS and FedEx as we explore other ways to positively impact freight costs, and will provide further updates."

This is, of course, up against Lunar Distributors, famed for their generous packing care and lower shipping charges (until now, at least) and Penguin Random House who offer completely free shipping. I understand however that, given the choice, most comic book retailers are sticking with Diamond Comic Distributors, in order to simplify their options. For DC Comics, they have no choice but to use Lunar. Unless they are in the UK, when they have no choice for the direct market other than Diamond. Changes made when the pandemic cancelled exclusive clauses with publishers and Diamond are still playing out and there is still much to play for.

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