Please stop paying full price for rulebooks.

[jgbrowning]

[sarcasm]
Gaming companies are doing more to damage the FLGS by offering their products via on-line than Mr. Chance is by buying them. If the producers simply refused to sell to amazon.com and other on-line gaming distributors (like ENWorld) the gaming stores would have more customers. That way Mr. Chance would be forced to support his local gaming store by buying fewer products from game producing companies due his financial situation. Everyone should call up the gaming companies and tell them they're killing the gaming industry by selling games on-line.
[/sarcasm]

Silly, huh? Personally Mark, I'm glad you game at all. I can't imagine what commerce is going to be like in 50 years, but it isn't hard for me to believe gaming stores may dissapear and the industry still live on. In that period of time its mind-boggling to think about what the internet will be like.

joe b.

 

[Mark Chance]

Mark, you stated your money situation. And I made the counter arguement that you do have the capability to buy what you want. That's not uninformed, I was indeed making a point with the given information.

And did I ever once say that I can't buy what I want? Nope. What I said is that according to my budget, I can't afford to pay full price for my book purchases.

And once again, your putting words in my mouth, I never claimed that you were arrogant.

You do seem very interested in making this conversation about you though. [/B]

Well, that's because I need to get over myself, right? IOW, I really am arrogant, right? Those are your words: That I need to get over myself. No one ever tells the humble to get over themselves, right?

And right now, because of the persistent personal attacks against me, I guess this is pretty much about me. Which is fine by me. I am, after all, one of my favorite people.

Vaxalon wrote:
He's saying noone has a gun to your head about buying at a discount. Noone's forcing you. You have made a decision that the books are only worthwhile to you at price KX, and not at X. That's your decision to make.

Well, how generous of you to admit that it is my decision. Of course, it is apparently a wrong decision, even a decision that is actively harming hundreds of other people, and is made only because I'm a lying, arrogant so-and-so who dares to have the temerity to make his own financial decisions based on his own extremely accurate assessment of what is best for his family from month to month.

I never cease to be amazed and bemused by how many double-speaking people are so quick to judge others, often in the most libelous terms.

 

[Storm Raven]

Did "herald" share my financial information with you? You know for a fact that I purchase X number of books every X number of days for X number of dollars?

No, it is just that your claims don't square with reality.

You claim that "I can't afford to pay full price for books". This claim is total crap.

Your actual claim is"I can't buy as many books as I want to when I pay full price". Which is much less sympathetic.

You are not unable to buy books for full price. You are simply unwilling to do so. Hence, you buy from unstable online retailers, who will likely be belly up in a year or two.

If the FLGS's go out of business, and the online retailers go out of business, who will you buy books from?

 

[jaerdaph]

Okay, this thread's starting to get a little out of hand, and I think people aren't being totally fair to Mark.

When it comes down to it, people do have the right to do what ever they want with their money, or spend it how they see fit, as long as it's legal.

 

[jgbrowning]

No, it is just that your claims don't square with reality.

You claim that "I can't afford to pay full price for books". This claim is total crap.

Your actual claim is"I can't buy as many books as I want to when I pay full price". Which is much less sympathetic.

Hrm... I can afford a lot of things I can't afford according to that logic. Mark, I'm sympathetic to you. Not everyone here thinks your an evil, industry-destroying madman.


joe b.

 

[herald]

Mark, I'm sure that you will do what you feel you are right to do. You don't need anyone else to tell you that.

I've even tried to offer a olive branch, but you don't seem to have a sense of humor about this and as far as I'm concerned we're not going to see eye to eye.

I think that you take your finacial ability and budgetary concerns to be far more extreme than it really is and I have pointed pointed that out and the reasons why.

I don't think that you are liar, or arrogant. I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that you are probibly a good guy. Catch up with me at GenCon and I will buy you a beer, or any other tasty beverage of your choice, I promise.

 

[EricNoah]

Hmmm, my instinct to stay out of this thread was right on target....

I'll give you guys one chance to get it back on track -- no more personal attacks, accusations, etc. -- or it goes bye-bye.

 

[Dr. NRG]

Go with Amazon.com

The site usually has the books priced at least 20% off.

Encouraging the "WalMartization" of your hobby will result in a monopoly (or at least a least-common-denominator buying experience).

If you enjoy going into bookstores, if you think that FLGS employees might have something to add, if you enjoy playing games at your local store, or even if you just want to have a chance at browsing a book before buying, don't buy from Amazon. If you want a consistently bland "McDonalds" experience when buying books, and don't mind driving your local mom and pop game store out of business, do buy at Amazon.

It's that simple.

To address the original point, the Sean K Reynolds link early on in this thread pretty much says it all. You can't sell for less than it costs to make the product and expect to stay in business for long.

NRG

 

[Tiefling]

If the FLGS's go out of business, and the online retailers go out of business, who will you buy books from?

If there is demand for the books, someone will supply them.

 

[Umbran]

Hr. It seems to me some folks need to get off Mr. Chance's case. He is supporting his hobby by buying the books. That's sufficient. If you need to get on someone's case, go gang up on the pirates, who really are stealing something.

Otherwise, the next logical step is probably that anyone who does not spend X dollars at their FLGS each month will cause their demise, and that we will personally be at fault for the death of RPGs if we fail to meet the quota.