Dear Hasbro: about those minis

[Agamon]

Thank you. I understand your predicament. Your LGCs are kinda dumb, for starters, you should let them know that (just not in so many words, maybe ). There is a market for this, why they wouldn't supply it is beyond me.

And if they can't because they sell out the boxes...well, it's kind of hard to argue against that the currrent method of distribution, isn't it?

As for your choice of transaction methods, well, that's your choice. And it's a reasonable one, but it's beginning to get less and less so. And it's certainly a minority issue and not one to base a business model on, I don't think.

I still feel your pain, but you should slap your FLGSs, really. Maybe ask them why they don't like making money or something...

 

[rgard]

OK, I'll respond.



For many people, nothing. For people like me, a great deal.

In the first place, the secondary market is difficult to reach in a first-hand manner, at least in my area. The closest place I've found that sells individual minis is in Myrtle Beach, SC...some five hours away from me. I stop in when I'm on tour (I work as an actor and as a close-up magician), but that isn't all that often. In order to reach the secondary market, I'm forced to use the internet...bringing up the next problem.

Internet secondary market sources usually want online payment via credit card, Paypal, etc.

I deal in cash/money order only. I do not (and will not) use a credit card. I have an ATM card, but will only use it in physical point-of-sale purchases, never online. I do not (and will not) have a Paypal account. I, meanwhile, insist on being paid in physical, paper checks--never a direct deposit situation. E-commerce can, as far as I am concerned, burn in...well...that hot place.

I am, therefore, reduced to trading with online traders, which costs me only the price of postage but means I have to work out deals for what I want vs. what they have that I want vs. what I have that they want--not an ideal situation; or just buying booster after booster, racking up more and more minis that I have no interest in.

That, in a nutshell, is what I find wrong with using the secondary market. Remember...you asked.

Regards,
DK

I'm working putting my excess minis on Ebay. You can pay via postal money order. I don't require paypal or cc.

Thanks,
Rich

 

[mhacdebhandia]

I deal in cash/money order only. I do not (and will not) use a credit card. I have an ATM card, but will only use it in physical point-of-sale purchases, never online. I do not (and will not) have a Paypal account. I, meanwhile, insist on being paid in physical, paper checks--never a direct deposit situation. E-commerce can, as far as I am concerned, burn in...well...that hot place.

Sure . . . but no-one is obligated to make allowances for people, like you, who deliberately restrict their options, you know?

Wizards of the Coast isn't obligated to ruin their very successful D&D miniatures product line because you find it difficult to buy individual figures due to self-imposed restrictions.

 

[Rel]

In the first place, the secondary market is difficult to reach in a first-hand manner, at least in my area. The closest place I've found that sells individual minis is in Myrtle Beach, SC...some five hours away from me. I stop in when I'm on tour (I work as an actor and as a close-up magician), but that isn't all that often.

I dunno what part of the state you live in but I believe All Fun & Games in Cary sells individual minis. As a bonus that's where we'll be next weekend for the January NC Game Day.

Just sayin.

 

[Darrell]

Ok, I understand, you only answered because asked. So that is fine.

BUT

You have self imposed these restrictions. WotC has a good thing going and they are making money. The idea that they should change that over someone's self created limits is pretty much nonsense.

I'm not really asking them to change their business plan, per se. I'm simply saying that it would be nice to be able to buy commons en masse, rather than trading or buying a squintillion booster packs. Note, however, that I'm only advocating theme-packs of commons--the ones that there are supposed to be a bajillion of. Uncommons and Rares, going by what I suggest, would still be left to the random boosters.

I realize full well that WotC is making a butt-load of money doing it the way they're doing it, and they won't be changing any time soon.

Regards,
Darrell

 

[Darrell]

Thank you. I understand your predicament. Your LGCs are kinda dumb, for starters, you should let them know that (just not in so many words, maybe ). There is a market for this, why they wouldn't supply it is beyond me.

I have told him that. He maintains that it's 'too much for him to keep track of;' and then he'll have box on box of used '80s toys (Transformers, GI Joe, He-Man, etc.) all over the store.

And if they can't because they sell out the boxes...well, it's kind of hard to argue against that the currrent method of distribution, isn't it?

That's just it. He's not selling out. I buy dust-covered boxes of minis there every other week.

As for your choice of transaction methods, well, that's your choice. And it's a reasonable one, but it's beginning to get less and less so. And it's certainly a minority issue and not one to base a business model on, I don't think.

The world can leave me behind on that one. I won't miss it. And, as I said above, I don't expect (or even ask) that they change their business model to accomodate me. I'm just making a suggestion that I think would stand to make them more money.

I still feel your pain, but you should slap your FLGSs, really. Maybe ask them why they don't like making money or something...

I can only beat a dead horse for so long.

Regards,
Darrell

 

[Darrell]

I dunno what part of the state you live in but I believe All Fun & Games in Cary sells individual minis. As a bonus that's where we'll be next weekend for the January NC Game Day.

Just sayin.

Around the Gaston County area. My usual touring path doesn't take me to Raleigh/Cary/etc. very often. I'll look in when I'm up that way. Thanks!

Regards,
Darrell

 

[Kae'Yoss]

As I said already: If you don't want to brave the world of e-business, it's fine. But don't expect that others will suddenly pay a multiple of what they're paying now because you won't go get an eBay account. You're the one who chooses not to use options, you're the one who has to accept the consequences.

I do not (and will not) have a Paypal account.

Why not?

1. Unless it's changed since I last used it, you need a Paypal account. A Paypal account involves giving out sensitive financial and personal information over the internet. A lot of people are just not comfortable with that, and in many cases (spyware, identity theft etc) rightly so.

Never had a problem with this. You can usually spot faked emails, given some common sense.

I don't know if it's available for you, but I use what Paypal.de calls "Giro-Pay". It's like doing a cash transfer online: You need your PIN and a TAN from your bank, and you actually do a cash transfer to paypal's bank accounts, but the Paypal payment will be made instantaneously.

Since those TANs are only good for one transaction, the method should be fairly secure.

2. Geographic location: depending where you live (and yes, though it may shock you, many of us D&Ders live OUTSIDE of the USA), the shipping logicstics push the price way up, or make delivery not possible at all.

I'm from Germany. I'd say that if you have a decent eBay store, the cost is bearable. I ordered from Hubb's several times now, and it's much better than going to eBay.de (where there is a much smaller minis market): I get to use buy-it-now (no waiting for auctions to run out, no sniping), pay instantly via eBay, and get the stuff shipped to me. It's usually cheaper than buying those minis on eBay.de (including shipping), and Air Mail was on occasion faster than the local postal service.

Can someone please explain to me why WotC cannot or should not do some reissues of current and old minis in theme packs, alongside their collectibles?

They'd have to produce them again (old minis) or more of them (current ones). That might interfere with their regular schedule.

Plus, given the demand for this, I'm sure they'd have done it by now, if it were feasible.

Assuming, as I said earlier, that they are stamped differently on the base so as not to impinge on the collectibles series, and even not sold with cards.

Then they would exclude skirmishers completely from this. Not really fair to them.

I am sure that somewhere out there the dies or casts or assembly lines that put them together still exist.

I guess so. But it's not as if they bought a new factory for each new set, meaning that the machines that were used to create those minis (as well as the people who were working on them) are now busy doing the latest set...

All that aside, if a 3rd party started producing non-randomized , prepainted plastic SRD miniatures on a par in quality with the WotC lines, I would be MORE than happy to shell out a bit more per miniature in order to be able to buy them over the counter, prepackaged, from my LFGS.

I doubt that anyone will want to compete with WotC/Hasbro on this. Very high investment, going against an established product, going against a company with considerable power in the segment. And while you may be willing to pay more (and make no mistake, it would not just be "a bit more per miniature") for those, others might not. This could very well destroy whoever tries it. I guess that's why noone will try it.

As has been said: You'll have to spend quite a bit of money to get into the prepainted plastic minis business, it's not something for niche markets within niche markets.

 

[Thurbane]

I give up. I guess the collectable/eBay roxxorz crowd and the "I just wanna buy non-random minis over the counter" crowd will just have to agree to disagree. The differences seem irreconcilable.

...oh, BTW, for those on my side of the debate, I will be collecting signatures for an online petition to email to WotC soon - if we show them that there really IS a consumer base out there for non-randomized and/or theme packs, they MAY just listen...

 

[Darrell]

...oh, BTW, for those on my side of the debate, I will be collecting signatures for an online petition to email to WotC soon - if we show them that there really IS a consumer base out there for non-randomized and/or theme packs, they MAY just listen...

Let me know when you get this going. I know WotC isn't going to stop random-packing; they make too much money. Separately-sold themed packs of common minis, however, would be a different story. They would allow for a small degree of non-randomization, but wouldn't affect the collectibility of the random-packed minis.

Oh, and with regard to the existence of the dies that cast the plastic minis. I'm sure they're out there in one form or another, but may not be in good shape. If they use the same method as the casting for plastic action figures (and I see no reason why they shouldn't), many of those dies deteriorate over time. Look at the difference between an action figure when a line first debuts, and another of the same figure (though possibly repainted) made from the same die some time later. The change is often very noticable. Early minis, say from the Harbinger or Dragoneye sets, may need to be resculpted entirely...which may or may not be cost-prohibitive.

Regards,
Darrell