D&D 5E D&D Lateness in the UK (and other places...)

[MerricB]

ICv2 have recently posted an opinion piece on D&D Lateness in the UK, where Dave Salisbury of Fan Boy Three rants about the inability of Wizards to get stock to the UK for the release day (while managing it for Magic).

This is also a topic of some disgruntlement in Australia and New Zealand, where several stores are still waiting for copies. (I have mine, but some New Zealand stores will have to wait for October).

With the global nature of communication over the internet, these delays have a significant effect on how people in other parts of the world feel about D&D and Wizards. It gets worse when some US stores get copies a week-and-a-half earlier. Having to watch other people talk about something you won't see for a month or more? That's not fun.

(@Morrus, this one's for you! )

 

[Rya.Reisender]

Most countries don't even get releases at all. Hasbro is like "Bleh why bother with releasing it in every country when people can just import it?".

 

[delericho]

Yeah, availability of 5e has been pretty spotty.

One of the game stores in Glasgow was on their "preferred supplier" list, so got very small quantities of most of the hardbacks two weeks before the 'real' release date. But you had to get in quick to get them, or wait another two weeks for a restock. (I can't speak for the others, and I was last there for the DMG so can't comment on RoT, PotA, or OotA.)

Amazon UK have been very poor throughout - they obviously don't get the books for the early release, but they've tended to not get them for the 'real' release date, either. And they've not been having their usual discounts either, mostly - at release the PHB was full price (where the US were getting, what, 30% off?). That said, they appeared to have input RoT to their database incorrectly, so listed the RRP as £12.99 for that one (a de facto discount of ~30%), and both PotA and OotA haven't been bad, either.

FWIW, my copy of OotA arrived on the 17th (from Amazon), despite being set to free shipping. I guess I was just lucky.

 

[Morrus]

I got mine eventually, but it felt like it was after everyone else. I agree, it's incredibly frustrating.

 

[Staffan]

It appears one of Sweden's major retailers, SF-bokhandeln, still haven't gotten it (unless it came in today - they update their website nightly).

 

[The Grassy Gnoll]

This is why Wizards should hire Graeme Morris and let him set up Wizards of the Isle like TSR UK back in the day. Then stock would be better plus there may just be some British flavoured stuff come out (UK1-4 modules, Imagine, ah, those were the days)...

 

[discosoc]

Might have to do with the fact that books are a lot heavier than boxes of magic cards of similar size, especially considering how much more popular magic is. I think they've been pretty upfront about saying how the success of 5e kind of took them by surprise. Anyway, at least they aren't price gouging and making shady business decisions like Games Workshop, so there's that.