Board game and tabletop game shops
A game shop fills game nights and tournaments, and sells new releases.
Comic shops
New comic day's books take pre-orders, with every variant cover. Your readers get the week's list before Wednesday.
The shop and the people behind its counter work in one Magpie team.
Get started free
This combination of four Magpie areas fits a comic shop.
- Store
- Store sells new books, variant covers, trades and back issues, online and at the counter.
- Newsletter
- Newsletter sends this week's releases to your subscribers before new comic day.
- Calendar
- Calendar lists signings and launch parties, with RSVPs up to a capacity.
- Social Media
- Social Media schedules posts about new books, variants and signings.
New comic day's books take pre-orders, and each variant cover keeps its own stock.
Store is the shop's online shop. A new book can take orders before new comic day, with the date it should ship. Customers pay when they order, and a Pre-orders tab lists them.
Variant covers are options of one book, each with its own price and stock. A back issue can be a product with a stock of one.
This week's releases reach your subscribers before new comic day.
Newsletter gives the shop a sign-up page with double opt-in. Checkout can ask buyers to subscribe too. You write each week's list, send yourself a test and schedule it for Tuesday.
A sent issue has a web copy, which can start a social media post. The newsletter's page counts the subscribers and the copies delivered.
Signings and launch parties go on a public calendar, beside your final order cutoffs.
Calendar gives the shop a public calendar of its signings and launch parties. You turn on RSVPs and set a capacity. The event's page says when it is full.
Each final order cutoff can be a To-do with a deadline, on the team's calendar. Sharing an event starts a social media post about it.
New books, variants and signings go out on your accounts at their time.
Social Media posts to the shop's Bluesky, Mastodon and LinkedIn at the time you choose. For Instagram, Magpie reminds you and opens it with the post filled in.
Promote on Social Media, on a product, starts a post with its name, address and cover. Instagram's shapes are cropped around a focal point you set on each cover.
Three more areas cover the rota, a readers' board and the accounts.
- Staff Scheduling
- Staff Scheduling plans the counter, with more hands on new comic day.
- Message Boards
- Message Boards gives your readers a public board to talk about this week's books.
- Accounting
- Accounting keeps the accounts, with sales, payments and distributor bills in them.
A new series goes from the final order cutoff to new comic day.
The stock you receive counts up from the pre-orders already sold.
The cutoff
The final order cutoff is a To-do with a deadline on the calendar.
The order
You send the distributor a purchase order, with each variant cover on it.
The pre-orders
Readers pre-order the first issue online, with the date it should ship.
The list
Tuesday's newsletter lists the week's books.
The delivery
The order is received, and stock counts up.
The pickup
You mark each pickup order ready, and Magpie emails the reader.
The signing
The artist's signing fills up to the room's capacity on the public calendar.
Setting up takes five steps.
Add your books
You add new books with their variant covers, and your back issues. Help: Create products, options, and inventory.
Add your distributors
You add the distributors you order from. Help: Suppliers and purchase orders.
Offer pickup
You add local pickup with the shop's address and times. Help: Collections and shipping.
Start your newsletter
You name the newsletter and open its sign-up page. Help: Start and configure a newsletter.
Connect Stripe
You connect your Stripe account, so readers can pay by card. Help: Connect Stripe to receive money.
Plans
A shop with staff fits the Team plan, one price for up to 25 members. It has room for 5,000 calendar events and higher newsletter limits.
Magpie adds no fee to your shop's sales. Stripe's processing fee is taken from each payment. Prices are on the Pricing page.
Other shops and comics people have pages of their own.
Bookshops
A bookshop sells new books online and at the till, and runs author events.
Comic and webcomic artists
A comic artist publishes their own work and sells it to readers.
Questions comic shops ask
Can readers pre-order next month's books?
Yes. Sell when out of stock lets a book take orders before it arrives. An expected ship date is shown, and readers pay when they order. A Pre-orders tab lists those orders until the stock arrives.
Can I sell variant covers?
Yes. A book has a Cover option, and each cover is an item. Each has its own price, stock and barcode. A ratio variant can cost more than the main cover.
Can I limit a hot variant to one per customer?
Yes. Most per customer limits how many one email address can buy across its orders. The product page shows the limit, and the cart refuses more.
How do I list a back issue?
As a product with a stock of one and its own photos. Its condition goes in the description. Once it sells, it shows as sold out until you take it down.
Can readers collect web orders on new comic day?
Yes. You add local pickup with the shop's address and pickup times. When you mark an order ready, Magpie emails the reader the address, times and any instructions.
How do we record a sale at the counter?
You choose New order, pick the books and record how the reader paid. The order is created paid, and the books leave stock.
Can I order from my distributor in Magpie?
Yes. Each supplier has its lead time. A purchase order goes by email or as a PDF, and Add low-stock items fills it. Receiving it adds the stock at its cost, and makes the supplier's bill.
Can people RSVP to a signing?
Yes. You put the signing on the shop's public calendar and turn on RSVPs. You can set a capacity, and the event's page says when it is full. People RSVP while signed in to Magpie.
Can readers be told when a sold-out book is back?
Yes. When a book with counted stock sells out, its product page asks for an email address. Magpie sends one email when it can be bought again. You see how many people are waiting.
Can our readers talk about this week's books?
Yes. A public Message Board can be read without an account. Anyone signed in to Magpie with a handle can post, reply and vote. You and the board's creator can remove any post or comment.
Can we sell gift cards?
Yes. A gift card sells fixed amounts and, if you choose, a custom amount. The buyer can have it emailed to someone on a date they pick. The holder spends it in your online shop.
What does Magpie take from our sales?
Magpie adds no fee to your shop's sales. Stripe's processing fee is taken from each card payment. The rest goes to the shop's own Stripe account.
Put new comic day online.
Create a Magpie account and add this week's books.