This July, the staff of Metropolis Collectibles celebrated the 10 year anniversary of the business partnership between Stephen Fishler and Vincent Zurzolo. Stephen and Vincent merged companies in July of 1999, combining Metropolis Collectibles with Vincent’s Collectibles. As quoted in the July 16th, 1999 issue of Comics Buyers Guide:
“Steve has the largest inventory of Golden and Silver Age comics in the world, and I have found myself time and again with too much demand and not enough supply,” stated Zurzolo. “When you are buying, selling and trading comics on a day-to-day basis, it is challenging to take personal care of customers. Customer service has always been a top priority for me. Treating people the way I want to be treated and keeping it fun is my goal. Together, Steve and I are creating a state of the art customer service department that will make customers feel right at home.”
In the article, Fishler and Zurzolo went on to cite that the Internet would be “an integral part of the future of comics collecting” and that Metropolis would dedicate a significant amount of time and resources to establishing an increased web presence.
“We believe that our business paradigm should be that of Fortune 500 companies,” Fishler had added. “We should model ourselves after those who have succeeded on a grand scale. This is the key to continued growth for an industry which has given both of us great joy for many years. We have many plans for expansion and believe our hobby must be promoted beyond the comic-book community in order for it to have a healthy longevity.”
…and expand they have. Metropolis has increased its then inventory of 90,000 Golden and Silver Age comics to over 150,000 comics today, and has also added a wide variety of high-grade Bronze and Copper Age material.
In 2007, answering a need of collectors and dealers to have more control in selling their comic books online, Fishler and Zurzolo launched a sister-company, ComicConnect.com. ComicConnect provides an online marketplace for buyers and sellers of vintage comic books, and is positioned as a low-cost alternative to eBay and auction houses.
“Over the years, comic sellers have seen the ‘law of diminishing returns’ set in with their existing channels for online sales,” contributed a ComicConnect staffer. “As ComicConnect was founded by Stephen and Vincent, we are very ‘comic dealer friendly’. We provide the infrastructure for full-time and part-time dealers to sell online without the overhead and expense, enabling them to remain focused on their core competencies of person-to-person relationships selling to their clientele at comic conventions, brick-and-mortar stores and traditional mail-order. One of the primary benefits of ComicConnect is that it allows sellers to market directly to an expansive clientele that used to only buy exclusively from Stephen and Vincent.”
So what’s next for Metropolis Collectibles?
“We are aggressively buying and accepting consignments, to continue to grow and bring collectors the best comics in the business. I encourage all serious collectors to register for their free memberships on both www.metropoliscomics.com and www.comicconnect.com. Once there, they can sign-up to receive our HTML newsletters, and also set themselves up for automated Want List notifications for when matching inventory becomes available for their comic book wish lists,” stated Zurzolo. “Don’t forget, if you see something you like and can’t afford to pay for the whole thing now, take advantage of our Time Payment service. True blue fans will also enjoy the free online radio archives of www.comiczoneradio.com, featuring interviews with famous creators such as Stan Lee and Will Eisner.”
For a free consultation on investing in vintage comic books, or if you would like to sell or consign your collection, email buying@metropoliscomics.com, call Metropolis Collectibles Toll-Free at 1-800-229-METRO or International 001-212-260-4147.
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