How to buy kids comics for cheap?

In a recession, what's the most economical way to buy physical comics for kids? When I was a kid there was a comic store every 20-30 blocks in Brooklyn. In the late 80s and early 90s, there were still comics at your local deli or newstand. It's now a little bit tougher, but there are still some good options.

You can buy comics straight from your local comic store if you're fortunate to have one close by. Most shops give 10% discounts for regular customers. Kids comics usually don't sell many copies, so each comic store usually doesn't stock many copies. Unlike books, comics are purchased by stores on a nonreturnable basis.

Parents should setup a "pull" list to ensure they get a monthly copy of their favorite comics like Sonic the Hedgehog, Tiny Titans, Supergirl Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade, Simpsons, Futurama, or comics from the Marvel Adventures line.

If you don't have a comic store nearby, you can order comics at an online comic store. Midtown Comics, TFAW, and MyComicShop are respectable online stores to purchase from. For those just interested in kids comics, TFAW has a really good kids-comics-only filter at http://www.tfaw.com/comics/kids.

If you find that you're ordering the same titles every month, it may make sense to pre-order the comics and buy them at a substantial discount at the Discount Comic Book Service aka DCBS. A lot of the risk in running a comic store is predicting what will sell and what won't. Remember comics bought through Diamond distribution are all nonreturnable! To remove this risk, DCBS only accepts preorders and is able to pass along up to 50% off cover price. The only drawback of preordering is that you will need to know ahead of time what your kid wants and hope they don't change their mind.