Effect of WotC's PDF policy on on-line stores?

[Toben the Many]

You know, I am a bit concerned about what WotC policy for PDFs will do for on-line stores like RPGnow. After all, WotC controls the bulk of the market share.

So, if I'm an on-line store, and my biggest seller suddenly pulls their product from my line up...I've now lost a lot of revenue.

Someone help me out. Is this true? Or is the PDF market an entirely different beast. Perhaps WotC was not the dominant seller in the PDF market.

 

[El Mahdi]

I can't speak to whether WotC was RPGNow's (or any other online pdf retailer's) biggest seller. RPGNow would have to address that.

But, if you believe WotC's argument, if WotC was losing money on pdf's due to piracy, then RPGNow would have to have been losing money also.

That's something I Would like to hear RPGNow address.

I've also heard it said from some publishers here on ENWorld, that a portion of purchases of their products, were the result of people buying a WotC pdf and picking up one of theirs as an impulse buy.

That may adversely affect pdf sales, but who really knows.

It could be that, at least in the short run, you may see people buying more 3pp pdf's because of WotC's action. But for the long run, I think we will probably have to just wait and see.

 

[Derulbaskul]

I also recall seeing some posts that other PDF sellers often sold their products when a WotC PDF was purchased.

Similarly, I suspect that the decision of WotC to drive those who desire PDFs to pirate sites will also involve those who are downloading WotC PDFs to acquire other D&D PDFs illegally. It's a double-whammy for the 3PPs: no spin-off sales from RPGNow et al and also more pirating of their products.

So, WotC, Arcane Power is already on the file sharing websites without any sort of anti-piracy feature within to allow you to track the culprits. You're not really good at this anti-piracy stuff, are you?

 

[Grymar]

But, if you believe WotC's argument, if WotC was losing money on pdf's due to piracy, then RPGNow would have to have been losing money also.

Let's be clear here, piracy did not cause them to lose any money, just lose potential sales. There is no cost in a pdf like there is in a real book (or at least minimal cost per unit).

That isn't a defense of piracy, just pointing out the differences.

 

[falcarrion]

theft is common place for any company in retail. It is figured into projected profits. That is why companys have lost prevention departments. There is no way a company like Hasbro didn't take this into account when Wotc decided to sell pdfs. Any lost they acure will be written off at the end of the year.
The real people being hurt are the internet pdf sellers.
Go listen to the Green Rohnin pod cast well worth the listen.

 

[fjw70]

theft is common place for any company in retail. It is figured into projected profits. That is why companys have lost prevention departments. There is no way a company like Hasbro didn't take this into account when Wotc decided to sell pdfs. Any lost they acure will be written off at the end of the year.
The real people being hurt are the internet pdf sellers.
Go listen to the Green Rohnin pod cast well worth the listen.

Physical inventory being stolen may be able to be written off (I am not an accountant) but I doubt WotC can write-off potentail lost sales through pdf downloads.

 

[Aberzanzorax]

Go listen to the Green Rohnin pod cast well worth the listen.

Thank you.

It truly was.

 

[Grymar]

Thank you.

It truly was.

Yep, very interesting podcast, even with the low flying planes.

And I agree that potential future sales cannot be written off. We may have a nicer IRS these days, but not that nice.