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Message: <blockquote data-quote="woodelf" data-source="post: 2398565" data-attributes="member: 10201">That's funny. I ended up with ~$1000 worth of stuff for ~$400. There seemed to be plenty of deals to be found. As near as i can tell, every booth there was eating the sales tax, so that saves you ~5% right there. Green Ronin had a whole passel of books for $5 and $10. Paradigm had some discounted books. And bunches of other deals that i don't remember right now. Moreover, i found copies of recent-to-brand-new books at Titan Games and Chimera Hobbies for 50% off and better. My friend grabbed Iron Kingdoms, among other things, at half price. I got a copy of Alma Mater, still in original shrinkwrap, for $5. And, among other brand-new books, got Solid! for $10.What, Buy One, Get Three Free wasn't good enough for you? (seen at at least 2 places, one a retailer, one a publisher.) Not to mention the piles of $1, $3, and $5 books? TransHuman Space ($40 book) for $10? There were plenty of deals, if you looked for them. Also, a fair number of places gave you a discount if you bought a lot--save $10 if you bought all 3 books in a series, etc. My friend bought an $18 book and they threw in a $13 book for free. Not to mention the company that was giving away an iPod, no purchase necessary. Dunno how you can expect to beat a free iPod.Anyway, i'd say there are two reasons to buy at a convention: you can't get it elsewhere (or at least not easily), and/or you want to support the company (since they get more money for a direct purchase). Because, IME, you can often get steeper discounts elsewhere, if you have a little patience.All that said, think about the ramifications of what you're suggesting. If a book isn't worth cover price to you, then don't buy it at that price. But given that most RPGs are, at best, underpriced to begin with, also don't be surprised if the company isn't around for long if they can't sell their books at cover price. In general, RPG companies price their books quite reasonably--much more cheaply than books with similar production values and costs, and larger markets. If they can't sell them at their current prices, which aren't really high enough for anyone to make a living in the field, the best writers and artists will continue to flee the industry for more profitable fields. Conventions are expensive for companies who are selling--even selling books at full price they often take a loss. For them, a convention is basically an advertising expense. Most of them don't significantly discount their product as much because they can't afford to, as because of any worries about undercutting retailers.</blockquote>

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