Flying off the shelves!

[jeffh]

Well, I'll go to whomever has the product I want at the best price provided their service meets certain (fairly stringent) standards. Sometimes that's my FLGS (who are not great but are better than the ones that have been raked over the coals in this thread), at least once I consider shipping, but often it's one of several stores in the southern half of the US I discovered on eBay.

As for small press companies, I can't see eye to eye with TalonComics on that. It seems to me the Internet is the best thing that ever happened to them, as they can get word out cheaply and easily to the people most likely to be interested in them. There are any number of small d20 companies I'd never have heard of if not for this site. For example, I did purchase Masters At Arms at my FLGS, but I'd never have looked at it twice (given the awful cover and not-so-hot production values) if not for enworld. This web site was an absolutely indispensable part of the process of my finding that little gem, whereas I would eventually have got it even if my FLGS had folded.

 

[Desdichado]

It's not the only way but it is the one important to the point I am making. So despite your expression of disagreement, you've managed to leave room to completely agree with me.

True, I'm not saying I'm right, just that you aren't necessarily right either!

Regarding the statistical principles you mention, I hope you do not mean the polls we make here. Those might bear some resemblance to a sampling of this community but cannot be extrapolated to engender the opinion of D&D gamers in general. Not even EN World's front page polls do that. It's too small a fraction of the whole. It's never been a large enough sampling to bear validity as that of D&D gamers in general.

No, I'm no referring to any polls, just that enworld as a whole, as a sample of the population of total gamers, is relevant and representative. That doesn't mean that vocal posters makes up a relevent sample, or that any poll taken here is scientifically meaningful in any statistical sense. But I have a funny feeling that we're more representative than we give ourselves credit for sometimes.

 

[Malin Genie]

The problem with no-holds-barred market capitalism is that, doing the sums, it is generally more profitable to discount heavily for just as long as you need for your small competitors to go out of business, or take just enough of the manufacturer's product that you can stitch up exclusive distribution deals and then pull in monopoly profits.

I don't want to be a part of that, but I don't face the question of 'do I but groceries this week or pay more for my PHB' so I speak from a position of relative privilege....

 

[Victim]

Except that with Walmart.com, Amazon, and buy.com all discounting, a monopoly is unlikely.

 

[KDLadage]

I have no local game store here any longer. The owner was an idiot (business wise) and so he drove himself out of business.

I do not care for places like Walmart, Amazon and the like. My reasons are many and varied but tend to stem from the fact that I believe more in small businesses where you can get a personal feel for whom your money is going to.

Agree or not agree with the opinions of a small business owner... entirely up to you. But Talon Comics just got my money for the three revised edition books.

 

[Malin Genie]

Except that with Walmart.com, Amazon, and buy.com all discounting, a monopoly is unlikely.

Okay, okay - oligopoly profits then

 

[SemperJase]

Whether I continue to own a gaming store in the future or not I don't want to see speciality gaming stores go away. They make a major difference in our hobby and if they go away I think our hobby will become extremely crippled.
~D

Sorry Talon, I respect your endeavor as a small business and wish you success. Your reasoning in this area is luddite. Industries are constantly changing. Retail is in the midst of a change as large as the industrial revolution in the early 20th century.

At that time some people lobbied (actually rioted) for consumers to buy handmade rather than machine made products for their own self interest. The Luddites interests (keeping their jobs) was contrary to consumers interest who needed more value for their money.

The discounters are now satisfying that same need. Asking people to pay higher prices for the same product is a losing proposition. I guarantee your efforts in this area will not work in the long run. At best, you can only delay the inevitable. Hopefully, you will be able to compete by satisifying an even greater desire through your storefront - that is immediate gratification. A 10 or 15% price increase may be worth the immediate gratification over having to wait a week (or paying overnight delivery costs) of web ordering. Of course you will be competing with the local Wal~Mart store. In that case, you will have to provide products that are not available through their store since a small business won't be able to compete with their buying power.

 

[Malin Genie]

more value for their money.

Interesting choice of words. To me a good small retailer value-adds in providing good and knowledgeable service. How many Wal-Mart employees know the first thing about RPGs?

 

[Nephet]

My FLGS sells used copies, discounts all new gaming books 15-20% and still has the best selection of gaming books I've ever seen. I buy all my books from them.

 

[Zaruthustran]

My FLGS sells used copies, discounts all new gaming books 15-20% and still has the best selection of gaming books I've ever seen. I buy all my books from them.

That's cool. Did you know that you can sell your used books (and video games, and music, and whatever) on Amazon?

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/subst/misc/sell-your-stuff.html/

Or, if you want to get into the d20 publishing business, you can sell and distribute worldwide through Amazon. It's especially cool if you're a musician and want to get your music out to Amazon's 35 million+ customers--for free.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/subst/partners/direct/advantage/home.html/

-z, stopping with the Amazon-boosting after this.