That "bad locking system" line hits home. I once spent a weekend trying to install a floor that just would not stay clicked, and it turned out the whole batch had a molding defect. Sometimes the product is just wrong from the start.

Got the auto-reply and actually replied to it" is the part that gets me. A person not only read an automated message but felt moved to write back to it. That's like getting a thank you note from someone who just saw your out of office alert. I guess even a basic script feels better than shouting into the void after hours.

So what brand did you end up using? I'm curious if the hold is still that good after a full year of traffic.

Was it a specific cover that made you finally stop? For me it was the third printing of X-Men #1 with the weird foil that looked cheap. I had it in my hands at the shop and just thought, why am I buying this? I don't even like it. Now I only get covers from artists I really love, and it feels like I'm actually choosing what I want instead of just checking a box. Does your shop give you a hard time about cutting down your pull list?

Honestly that number seems low to me. I ran a small appliance repair service for years and we'd do that many in a single busy summer. A lot of people ignore the problem until their food spoils. The corners are always a pain, but warming the new gasket with a hairdryer makes it way more flexible to work with.