E-Tools pricing?

[zyzzyr]

Hello all,

Does anyone know what is up with E-Tools pricing? At SVGames it's 29.99 US, at the ENWorld shop it's 31.95 (marked down from 34.95), at cyberdungeon.com its listed at 48.07 US. What the heck kind of pricing is this? My local gaming store is trying to sell it to me at 59.99 Canadian, which is roughly 44 US.

Does anyone know why the pricing is so erratic? Is there a difference between versions (which I have heard, but I don't know if it's related to the price).

Thanks,

zyzzyr

 

[myrdden]

My local game store (in Canada) was selling it for around $77.00 CAD.

Ouch!

Myrdden

 

[Glyfair]

The "standard" price is $29.99 US. However, you will find many prices if you go to your local stores.

For example, one store in my area has it for $40 the other for the $30. The problem is that there is almost no profit margin for the stores if they sell it for $30. The owner of the store who is selling it for the SRP has told me he probably isn't going to order any more. It's not worth it for him to carry it.

From what I understand, this is a pretty common occurance with roleplaying software. By the time it makes it was through the various distributors and they take their markup, the price a retailer pays is almost the retail price.

David A. Blizzard

 

[EricNoah]

Here's what the eTools FAQ at wizards.com says:

"Retail prices may vary from store to store. The software market handles pricing differently than books and games."

I recall the same thing with AD&D Core Rules and its expansion.

 

[zyzzyr]

Wow

Thanks for the info.

In another thread I asked about store.wizards.com, which was apparently outsourced to svgames.com.

svgames.com sells it the cheapest, since there's no middleman.

So Wizards is undercutting their resellers. Unbelievable.

I don't understand why it should vary while books rarely vary - books usually have the MSRP printed right on the book, and E-Tools doesn't for some reason.

I can probably justify spending 45 CA for the software, but no way can I justify spending 60.

zyzzyr

 

[WizarDru]

Re: Wow

I don't understand why it should vary while books rarely vary - books usually have the MSRP printed right on the book, and E-Tools doesn't for some reason.

Different markets, different sales numbers, different distribution systems and different standards. The software market works very differently from the book market. The cost to field software is much greater by several orders of magnitude than printed material, and the margins are much slimmer. I can't recall a single piece of software that had a MSRP right on the box, thought it's possible I've missed it.

Chalk it up to WOTC's lack of understanding of the market, the relatively small market that it's being sold to (this is a PnP RPG tool, after all, not Icewind Dale II) and the two disparate distribution chains it's being passed through.