COMIC RESERVES & WEBSITE INVENTORY
Here’s a little peek behind the scenes at how our website handles inventory. It might not be obvious, but the system performs some clever juggling to manage payment and reservations for each customer’s comics.
Let’s say we receive 50 copies of Absolute Batman #13. Of those, 45 are reserved for customers, and 5 are available for sale online and in-store. The website keeps track of this automatically—making 5 copies available while holding the remaining 45 in a virtual “PULLED” pile.
When it’s time for MK1 to send Customer BRUCE WAYNE his payment link for Absolute Batman #13, the system temporarily moves one copy out of PULLED, makes it available, then instantly reserves it again—linking it exclusively to Bruce’s checkout page.
All that juggling is handled by Manage Comics, our subscription and preorder system. It works best when everything follows its natural order:
- Customer places a preorder.
- MK1 orders the right number of copies before the deadline.
- Stock arrives and is checked in.
- The system divides copies between “PULLED” (reserved) and “AVAILABLE” (for sale).
- When payment is due, it moves the right copy between those states automatically.
Where things get tricky is trying to do it backwards—like moving an available comic into PULLED because someone wants to reserve it after release. The best way to secure that copy is simply to buy it directly from the site.
Handy hint: Choose the “HOLD – DON’T SHIP YET” option at checkout to avoid paying multiple shipping fees.
That’s why we always recommend placing preorders before the cutoff, and why it’s simpler to buy available comics rather than “reverse juggle” them!
Any questions? Please get in touch.
