Amazon.com no more for game purchases: Hypothetical...

[JoeGKushner]

So RAR and Ptlous aren't going through Amazon.com and presumably Buy.com and other online bits.

What if other books went that rotue and even the standards like the Book of Eldritch Might, etc... were no longer being sold by Amazon.com or other online discounters. Or being sold, but with no discount?

Would you pay full price for RPGs?

Would you start hunting down e-bay more?

 

[amethal]

Amazon.co.uk only offers a fraction of the roleplaying items on Amazon.com, and in some cases these are sourced directly from Amazon.com but with the US dollar to sterling conversion based on the list price rather than the Amazon.com price.

I sometimes order stuff on Amazon.com, but I hate paying the postage so I tend to limit it to stuff I really want and can't order through my FLGS.

I already spend more time on eBay than is healthy, but that's only for obscure, second hand or out of print items. I prefer to buy new items, especially WotC stuff, via my FLGS.

 

[Twin Rose]

This is very interesting. I've noticed that the 'health' of many LGS has been sliding. Often this is because they don't discount to match what people can get online. Or, even worse, after 60 days on their shelf - invariably - they deep discount the products to cost just to get them off the shelf. Gamer's are, if nothing else, a very perceptive bunch. 60 days isn't too long to wait to get something at 50% off. So this puts them in a perpetual cycle of trying to charge full price, and then charging next to nothing - no middle ground - and gamer's are always looking for a deal. (Heck, I have people try to haggle with me on the ENGS somtimes!)

If companies do not sell on the deep-discount online retailers (amazon, FRP Games, etc) then I expect that they will do better at the LGS level. The question is whether or not they will sell enough units at that level to be good for the health of the company. Retailers are a bit scared of carrying RPG product right now - especially d20 - though if it's known they won't sell through amazon etc they might be more active in buying it.

I suppose using the release of Ptolus isn't a very good benchmark either.

 

[JoeGKushner]

Ptlous and RAR aren't good benchmarks. One is Monte, a trendbreaker, the other a limited edition boxed set.

But would all companies stop dealing with Amazon?

If True 20 can only be bought at your FLSG but WoTC new book can be bought for 37% off... which one do you buy?

 

[philreed]

I realized this last weekend that the local store no longer serves my needs. Pretty much everything they carry I can get on Amazon (or a similar site) at a deep discount. The games I _want_ them to carry, the small releases that don't make it into chain stores, my local store no longer carries and I'm forced to order direct.

 

[DaveMage]

Not sure what I would do.

I would, of course, seek out the retailer with the lowest price.

If no one offered a discount, then I'd certainly be buying fewer products.

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

It would certainly cut down on my 'hmmm...that looks kinda interesting' purchases. I have no FLGS, and I get free two-day shipping from Amazon, so on top of their discount, it makes those purchases that aren't 'must have' a lot more attractive.

This trend towards uber-expensive and limited edition stuff will have a longer term impact on my buying, though.

For the 'must haves' I don't mind buying direct from the creator, especially if the price is reasonable and I like the company.

 

[Karl Green]

Would you pay full price for RPGs?

Would you start hunting down e-bay more?

No and No... I don't like buying more then a VERY few books at full price, and I am not a big eBay fan either.

So, books that are not listed there I rarely look at... if it REALLY blows my socks off when I look at it in the FLGS I might grap it on the impluse, but that does not happen as much as it use to.

Supporting FLGS is cool and all, but its a business and I am not that a loyal a customer to any business... just me though

 

[Umbran]

Would you pay full price for RPGs?

Yes, but I'd have to be a whole lot more picky about what I purchased, and I'd purchase fewer products. I'd probably wind up returning far more products than I do now, as well.

 

[philreed]

Supporting FLGS is cool and all, but its a business and I am not that a loyal a customer to any business... just me though

I think I'm at this point, myself. I used to spend $100-$200 each month at the local store. Now I'm down to _maybe_ $20 a month at the local store. The selection just isn't there any more and it doesn't make sense for me to buy a $35 book there when I can get it for $20 at Buy.com.