[kylactus]

I don't own a comic shop so I don't know all the ins and outs but if the problem, as described above, is that they have to deal with diamond because of volume issues related with direct manufacturer purchase, why not contact say every LCS in your area, go in together and buy large volume from Hasbro, Marvel, DC, and the like. just set up a LLC in witch all the LCS's are partners (this is just for the sake of large purchases) contribute funds accordingly and split the order up once you receive it. then you could even sell cheaper than a chain store, this would also help in the case of international items as you would only pay one bulk lot import tax and you could divide the order however you want. I know that traditionally competition is the back bone of retail, but with the Wal-Mart's of the world dominating maybe the "little fish" need to band together to eat the shark. To quote "the enemy of my enemy is my friend"- the art of war.