D&D 5E My failed attempt to preorder the revised core rulebooks

[Epic Meepo]

A Tale of Mild Annoyance

After careful consideration, I decided I want to preorder all three revised D&D core rulebooks. Specifically, I want the store-exclusive, alt-cover versions. As it so happens, I moved to my current town just before the pandemic lockdown began, so I wasn't yet familiar with any local gaming stores. A quick internet search revealed two such establishments relatively close to my apartment. So far, so good.

Neither store’s website mentioned anything about D&D rulebook preorders (although I could definitely preorder thousands of dollars worth of Magic cards, if I were so inclined). No worries. I enjoy an occasional drive across town—moreso than making phone calls—so I hopped in my car and drove to the closest store, a quick ten-minute drive from my apartment.

After waiting in line behind half a dozen people making extremely convoluted trading-card-and-snack purchases and/or sales, I was able to inquire about preording the revised D&D core rulebooks. At which point I learn this store won’t be taking preorders until “the end of the month. Or maybe August? No, I think it's the end of the month.” Okay, thanks. I’ll check back in at the end of the month. Or maybe never? Yeah, probably never.

Not a problem. I had a second store to visit. So I hopped in my car again and drove to the next closest store, an additional fifteen-minute drive from my apartment. I enter a cavernous, dimly-lit space and eventually locate a staff member willing to acknowledge me. I inquire about preordering the revised D&D core rulebooks, and I’m told I’m in luck! The store is just about to announce that preorders will soon be available! I can join their Discord server to get the announcement sometime soon!

I grumble about this development on my twenty-five minute drive home and decide, sure. Why not? I’ll join the second store’s Discord server. Sure enough, a few days later, the store posts an announcement to Discord… and it’s just a link to their store website. Which I could have checked directly without doing anything on Discord. Also, their preorders are at full cover price. And I can only preorder the Player’s Handbook. And they reserve the right to give me the non-store-exclusive cover.

So, just to recap. Store #1 isn’t taking preorders yet, and can’t tell me for sure when they’ll start taking preorders. Meanwhile, Store #2 is taking preorders, but only at full cover price, one book at a time, with no guarantee I’ll get the store-exclusive cover.

I had thought walking into a gaming store and announcing, “Here, take my money!” would have been sufficient for one or the other of these establishments to accommodate my simple request. Apparently, I was mistaken.

 

[Quickleaf]

... And they reserve the right to give me the non-store-exclusive cover.

That, as the cool kids say, is suss.

 

[Reynard]

Game stores order stuff differently than book stores and Amazon.

 

[Parmandur]

A Tale of Mild Annoyance

After careful consideration, I decided I want to preorder all three revised D&D core rulebooks. Specifically, I want the store-exclusive, alt-cover versions. As it so happens, I moved to my current town just before the pandemic lockdown began, so I wasn't yet familiar with any local gaming stores. A quick internet search revealed two such establishments relatively close to my apartment. So far, so good.

Neither store’s website mentioned anything about D&D rulebook preorders (although I could definitely preorder thousands of dollars worth of Magic cards, if I were so inclined). No worries. I enjoy an occasional drive across town—moreso than making phone calls—so I hopped in my car and drove to the closest store, a quick ten-minute drive from my apartment.

After waiting in line behind half a dozen people making extremely convoluted trading-card-and-snack purchases and/or sales, I was able to inquire about preording the revised D&D core rulebooks. As which point I learn this store won’t be taking preorders until “the end of the month. Or maybe August? No, I think it's the end of the month.” Okay, thanks. I’ll check back in at the end of the month. Or maybe never? Yeah, probably never.

Not a problem. I had a second store to visit. So I hopped in my car again and drove to the next closest store, an additional fifteen-minute drive from my apartment. I enter a cavernous, dimly-lit space and eventually locate a staff member willing to acknowledge me. I inquire about preordering the revised D&D core rulebooks, and I’m told I’m in luck! The store is just about to announce that preorders will soon be available! I can join their Discord server to get the announcement sometime soon!

I grumble about this development on my twenty-five minute drive home and decide, sure. Why not? I’ll join the second store’s Discord server. Sure enough, a few days later, the store posts an announcement to Discord… and it’s just a link to their store website. Which I could have checked directly without doing anything on Discord. Also, their preorders are at full cover price. And I can only preorder the Player’s Handbook. And they reserve the right to give me the non-store-exclusive cover.

So, just to recap. Store #1 isn’t taking preorders yet, and can’t tell me for sure when they’ll start taking preorders. Meanwhile, Store #2 is taking preorders, but only at full cover price, one book at a time, with no guarantee I’ll get the store-exclusive cover.

I had thought walking into a gaming store and announcing, “Here, take my money!” would have been sufficient for one or the other of these establishments to accommodate my simple request. Apparently, I was mistaken.

That's bizarre: full cover price is normal, but the rest of that is frustrating.

 

[Epic Meepo]

That's bizarre: full cover price is normal, but the rest of that is frustrating.

I was hoping an offer to pay for all three products at once, months in advance, would warrant at least a small discount, since money now is better than money later. Either way, not getting that consideration was the least annoying part of this experience.

 

[Vael]

Ooof, that sucks.

I will not be getting the alt-art covers, only because one store is preordering significantly (well $5) cheaper than the competitors but has sold out of their alt-arts. I'm mildly annoyed (with myself), as I waffled on preordering only a couple of days earlier when they were still available.

 

[Parmandur]

I was hoping an offer to pay for all three products at once, months in advance, would warrant at least a small discount, since money now is better than money later. Either way, not getting that consideration was the least annoying part of this experience.

Unfortunately, the margins on RPG books are low enough for stores that discounts are rare. Which is part of the vicous cycle.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

So, yeah: From a game store owner's perspective, there's a few strange things going on here on this thread. For example, I don't know why both of @Epic Meepo's stores are waiting to take preorders - that's weird. We'd normally like the biggest possible window to collect orders in before we have to place ours, for the most accurate we can get on or own orders.

Speaking of which - I don't know how @Vael 's store can be "sold out" of their Alt Covers - when OUR ORDERS ARE NOT DUE YET. Meaning, we can still order as many of them as we like! I mean, it's possible that WotC will under-produce them and there will be allocations (meaning we won't get our full order) BUT - we have NO WAY of knowing that yet, or if it happens, how bad it will be.

Which is to say, that @Quickleaf says, the "we reserve the right to give you the other cover" is a suss-move, it actually MAKES MORE SENSE than anything else (other than the full-cover price - While I've chosen to give 15% off to people who preorder the books at my store, not every FLGS can manage that. Most of the time, we sell stuff for full price too. I just felt like it was a good time to do it.)

As I was saying - the "cover-thing" makes the most sense, even though I would NEVER do that to my customers - It makes sense because they can't be sure that they'll get all the Alt Covers that they order. However, if I were them, I would just order extra and hope for the best. I doubt WotC's going to short-ship it, or at least, not by much. There's no real reason to think that they'll be short - if they do their jobs and order it properly. However, if for some reason we DON'T get enough Alts to cover our orders, I'd let the customer choose to get the regular cover, or to get their money back. I sure as heck wouldn't just swap covers on them and tell them to lump it.

 

[pukunui]

That sucks, @Epic Meepo!

Meanwhile, here at the bottom of the world in little old New Zealand, our local version of Amazon (mightyape.co.nz) appears to have convinced WotC that they're an FLGS (despite being an online-only vendor) as they are offering all three alt-cover books for preorder on their website.

 

[Vael]

Speaking of which - I don't know how @Vael 's store can be "sold out" of their Alt Covers - when OUR ORDERS ARE NOT DUE YET. Meaning, we can still order as many of them as we like! I mean, it's possible that WotC will under-produce them and there will be allocations (meaning we won't get our full order) BUT - we have NO WAY of knowing that yet, or if it happens, how bad it will be.

... Thanks for telling me this, because I double-checked and they've got the alt-arts back in stock for preorder. Now I have to decide whether or not to change it.