buy.com and wotc collusion?

[darkbard]

does anyone find it odd that wotc brand manager antony valterra is advertising on these boards that a book you can buy directly from wotc for $40 is being sold for $14 on buy.com? can you say wotc cut a deal with buy.com, possibly negotiating an illegal discount rate? this is the sort of thing that puts independent gaming stores out of business.

now, i don't have any evidence of this, mind you, and from what i've seen of mr. valterra from his posts here and elsewhere, he seems a fine chap. however....

 

[Vaxalon]

I think it's more likely that AV is trying to send as much business to them as possible, given that they are selling the book at a loss.

WotC makes money on every sale to buy.com, whether buy.com makes money on it or not.

He'd probably rather sell 20,000 books at the discount rate than 5,000 books at retail.

 

[SpikeyFreak]

So buy.com is honoring that price?

--Skeptical Spikey

 

[Furn_Darkside]

WOTC is too busy making deals with the devil, melting the ice caps, and covering up their involvement in every assassination that took place in the last hundred years.. to be involved in some conspiracy with the megalomaniacal buy.com of doom.

Of course, the picture of them all cackling around the EPH is an appealling image.

FD

 

[EricNoah]

Just a couple of days ago we had someone telling Russ that the fact that he didn't alert the masses to buy.com's deep discount was doing the community a "disservice."

And then I pointed out to him that every time I'd done something like that, someone would tell me I'd done a "disservice" to local gaming shops.

Sheesh. Literally can't win on this one!

 

[darkbard]

i guess my point was more along the lines of this: sure, it's great to save a few bucks, but independent game and bookstores around the country are going out of business by the minute as huge companies undercut them. i feel no pain if buy.com loses money on the ELH, but if my local hobby shop closes down because all their customers jumped ship to save a few bucks, that would be a true shame.

 

[darkbard]

i understand your point eric but this begs the questions: which community's interests. and: short-term or long-term interests?

 

[dagger]

I'm just glad I got such a good deal on it. I usually dont buy online anyway so my purchase wont affect the EN store anyway.

 

[EricNoah]

Darkbard, I'd love to debate the merits of online vs. brick-and-mortar shopping and what "the community" should or should not be supporting. (Well, I personally wouldn't love to do that, but many people would.) So start a thread on that.

But in THIS thread, you are accusing WotC and buy.com of what you consider to be "illegal" activity. And to that I say... I'd believe the Roswell thing before I'd believe something as silly as that. Especially given the fact that others have reported that apparently this whole thing is due to a distributor snafu.

 

[dagger]

Well if you didnt get in before you are too late now, its up to 25 bucks.

http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=30887723&loc=106&queryType=book

But with free shipping and no tax (thank to the net, unless you live in certain states) its still a darn good deal.

I guess someone wussed out and told em. *shrug*