Edge cases, single-LCS local shop vs. national online retailer, what differs?

The architecture differs by scale:

• Single-LCS local shop ($50k, $1M GMV), pull-list of 50-500 subscribers, mostly pickup at counter, small graded inventory, walk-in traffic drives 60-80% of revenue. Magento is overkill for this tier unless online is growing fast; Shopify or Lightspeed Retail is often the right answer.
• Multi-LCS chain ($1M, $10M GMV), 3-8 locations, pull-list portability across stores, franchise reporting, shared customer database. This is where Magento + MSI shines, one install, one cron, one customer record across locations.
• National online retailer ($5M, $50M+ GMV), modeled after Midtown / TFAW / DCBS. Heavy pre-order operation, deep back-issue catalog (50k+ SKUs), aggressive subscription discount tiers, marketplace presence on eBay + Amazon. Magento is the obvious choice; the work is in operational depth (cataloging speed, pre-order accuracy, customer support volume) more than platform features.
• Manga specialty, differs from generic LCS in supply chain (book-trade ISBN/EAN vs. DM Previews), pre-order window (6 months vs. 3), and publisher MAP enforcement (Viz stricter than Marvel/DC). Worth a dedicated catalog architecture.
• Collectibles + grading focus, each slab is a unique product, cert ID drives canonical URL, photography is far more important (high-res scans of the slab front and back). Heritage Auctions and ComicConnect are the references.

Sketch the model first, then pick the tool. Magento serves the middle and upper segments well; lower-tier shops should stay on Lightspeed Retail / ComicHub until volume justifies the rebuild.