Crappy distributers! (was [FFG] AtS?)

[Sir Osis of Liver]

Not to worry, it is not back ordered. They are just shipping from our warehouse today! SeoK that is. They will be in retail stores in a couple weeks.

Well that is good news. Thanks for clearifing that for me. Now i don't have to send Hal hate mail.

Seriously though, i think Mirthcard is absolutly right. The shop i deal with is primarily a comic shop. They do a lot of CCG's and the owner wants to dip his toes in the RPG market sence there aren't a lot of places in the area to get the stuff. Everythings at least a 1/2 hour minimum trip. The problem i've run into is his distributer just doesn't seem to be relable when it comes to non WOTC product.

 

[Mirth]

I just now checked Ingram specifically for AtS and Ebonring.

Midnight CS & CoS are both in stock (although I know for sure that the CS wasn't in until about 2 months after it was published). AtS isn't even listed. Checked by title, ISBN & keyword. Nothing. What's up with that?

Ebonring shows 20 on order for two of four warehouses (40 total) but none in stock, which is understandable considering what Doug posted.

Any others?

Jay

 

[FFG_Brian]

If the smaller companies are not willing to ship their product to the largest book distributor out there (the one that services Barnes & Noble, Borders, BooksAMillion, etc, BTW), how do they expect our hobby to grow or penetrate into major markets?

This is not a situation of smaller or mid-sized companies being unwilling to ship, but rather a situation of Ingram being unwilling to order, or failing to update their system. Ingram will only order through a larger distributor (not directly from us). We do have a distributor that ships to Ingram. We do send Ingram information on all of our titles four months in advance in the proper Ingram format. We do ship every order we receive within 48 hours of receiving it.

Beyond all that, there isn't a whole lot we can do to make sure they have our books in stock. For the most part Ingram considers RPG books to be games and not books. They don't look at it as part of their core business, and they don't prioritize them. Both WotC and White Wolf have large novel lines, and so get more attention from a book distributor.

Brian W
FFG

 

[Mirth]

This is not a situation of smaller or mid-sized companies being unwilling to ship, but rather a situation of Ingram being unwilling to order, or failing to update their system. Ingram will only order through a larger distributor (not directly from us). We do have a distributor that ships to Ingram. We do send Ingram information on all of our titles four months in advance in the proper Ingram format. We do ship every order we receive within 48 hours of receiving it.

Beyond all that, there isn't a whole lot we can do to make sure they have our books in stock. For the most part Ingram considers RPG books to be games and not books. They don't look at it as part of their core business, and they don't prioritize them. Both WotC and White Wolf have large novel lines, and so get more attention from a book distributor.

Brian W
FFG

Brian,

I wasn't aware of this and only saw the situation from the pov of the retailer. Thanks for clearing that up. It makes more sense that the fault lies with Ingram, you being a small fish and them being the humongogigantic whale.

I wish that the FFG rep that I called many moons ago had explained this to me because I would have pushed my Ingram rep to get the buyers to stock your stuff. I don't know that it would have mattered in the long run, though, because all things considered I was a considerably smaller fish than you

I apologize if I came off as antagonistic in any way and I want you to know how much I love your company and the excellent products that you produce. As a fan and as a former retailer, I wish Ingram would have helped me sell more of your books.

Good luck in the future,

Jay

 

[d20books]

stock is available, your store just doesn't have the connections

FG MN-01
Midnight Hc
$34.95

FFG MN-02
Midnight Against the Shadow (d20)
$21.95

FFG MN-03
Midnight: A Crown Of Shadow
$14.95

This is available, and always has been available, from my main distributor. If they don't have it, I have two other distributors that I could check into to get these books. Unless the publisher is totally out of stock (Damn QLI, I need Traveller D20!!), there is no excuse for a game shop not being able to get items.

Honestly, if your FLGS is telling you they can't get it, they just don't care to get it at all. I'm sure it is not malice, just apathy and laziness rolled into one.

As for FFG, they only make money by selling books and making sure they are available for retail stores to buy. My experience with them is that they understand this and provide excellent customer service.

 

[d20books]

Seriously though, i think Mirthcard is absolutly right. The shop i deal with is primarily a comic shop. They do a lot of CCG's and the owner wants to dip his toes in the RPG market sence there aren't a lot of places in the area to get the stuff. Everythings at least a 1/2 hour minimum trip. The problem i've run into is his distributer just doesn't seem to be relable when it comes to non WOTC product.

Boy, you guys are really frustrating me. I'm a full fledged game shop that specializes in getting D20 Books. FFG is a personal favorite of mine for publishers so they are always available. I would love to be your new game shop.

Contact me... I guarantee 100% satisfaction and I have 100% of my customers that can attest to it (and they all do if asked).

I've had to change from hauling books to the USPS for shipping to having a FedEx account to do my shipping. Better services for my customers.

Seriously... go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/d20books and snoop around.

 

[Xeno]

Folks,

I can understand you are all frustrated by not being able to get your books. However, you seem to be ignoring a very simple solution.

Order from Jeff/d20 Books!

Many people have ordered form jeff and been extremely happy with his prices, his delivery times, and his customer service.

He really is a FLGS.

As much as I'd personally love to order from Jeff, the cost of shipping from Jeff to Australia makes it unfeasable, but if you're in the US or Canada, it's definitely worth it.

He also does some great pre-order discounts.

Xeno.

 

[fiddy]

As someone who has purchased (quite a lot) from Jeff (d20books), let me tell you the service is great... He's always quick to respond to questions, and haven't had a single problem with him.

Other than a few things I picked up at GenCon, I all my RPG purchases in the last 6 months or so have been through him. The discounts are a big drawing point, but the service is why I've stuck with him. I've probably spent close to $1000 at his "store" (with a total MSRP value on the books probably approaching $1300).

Jeff's always letting us know about the best deals he can get and offers some good opinions of what to get and what not to get.

~fiddy

 

[word-of-caution]

Be wary of glowing recomendations from posters who have a super-low post count. Could be ID's created just to advertise. (Just like this ID was created just to add a word of caution.)

 

[Mirth]

Be wary of glowing recomendations from posters who have a super-low post count. Could be ID's created just to advertise. (Just like this ID was created just to add a word of caution.)

Ditto what word-of-caution said. That just smacks of bad business.

If you want to order online, Derek from www.taloncomics.com seems to be a nice enough chap. I've never ordered anything from him myself, but at least he does post here about gaming as well as business instead of relentlessly pimping his site in every thread he can.

Jeff, take this from someone who has 21 years of retail experience under his belt. Starting out your sales pitch with "Boy, you guys are really frustrating me" is not going to entice any customers. Rather, it will in all likelihood send them packing. Calling other store owners apathetic and lazy doesn't make you sound professional at all, instead you come off more as a obnoxious jack@$$. I'm not saying that you are, but you DEFINITELY come off that way. The low-post-count endorsements that have suddenly appeared are just the icing on an already spoilt cake.

I honestly wish every small entrepeneur success in their endeavors, but you my friend need a serious course in manners and customer service before you get my money or anyone else's. Good luck...

Jay