Price-Sensitive Gamers

[mmadsen]

In a recent thread, I believe it was Ryan Dancey (or someone quoting him) who said that he'd like to see just how much gamers would be willing to pay for a high-end gaming product. Forgotten Realms sold even better than projected, and it was a $40 book.

Someone else, a game publisher, pointed out that he wasn't selling many of his super-cheap water-damaged products off his company's web site.

Basically, they were both saying that gamers aren't that price sensitive. They'll buy a really good product even if it costs more, and they won't buy a so-so product (or one that isn't right up their alley) even if its cheap.

Really, I'm not so sure about that. Today I swung by the Wizards of the Coast store, and they had a 50%-off clearance section. I picked up both Creature Collections and three adventure modules. I would not have bought any of those products at full price, I don't think.

Further, I perused Rokugan and Magic of Rokugan, and I was quite impressed by both books -- but I picked up the bargain books instead.

 

[Crothian]

I depends on what it is and how my money is doing. I'll buy the expensive sourcebooks, but the most of the modules I own were picked up for a buck or less.

 

[Falcon]

I am not quite sure what the question is that you are asking.

 

[Sulimo]

Well, I know I am definitely a price sensitive gamer. I think the last Wizards product I bought was Sword & Fist - the value for money of that product burnt me big time.

Some of the reason for that may be that I'm not involved in a regular 3e game - thus mechanics focused books hold little interest for me.

 

[James McMurray]

The lack of sales for super cheap products is not a good gauge of price awareness when those items are damaged. This is especially true over the internet, where it becomes extremely difficult to ascertain the extent of the damage without buying th item and then looking at it when it arrives. Even if the store you go through allows returns, its rarely worth the discount should the product be too dmaged to use.

 

[mmadsen]

I am not quite sure what the question is that you are asking.

The implied question was, "Are you a price-sensitive gamer?" Does price affect your decision dramatically, or will you buy an expensive must-have product over cheaper products?

For instance, have you bought the whole line of splatbooks? If you haven't, would you buy them at 50% off?

 

[Falcon]

OK.

If the product is what I want and within my price/budget threshold, I buy it. Otherwise, I peruse the products I am not quite sure about, check online options, and consider how useful they will be to me for the campaign I DM and as a player.

I have no qualms for spending between $30-$50 for a good product that will bring me and my players months, if not years, of inspiration and entertainment.

 

[bramadan]

I am fairly price-insensitive in general. That is I have a fairly nice scholarship/grant and little expenses (not driniking, smoking having a car or family) so most of my money goes to books (d20 and otherwise) and traveling. Therefore I am buying a lot of d20 product. Easily $100-150 canadian per month.

That said I think I have finaly seen where my limit is - it is justy at the point where "Alchemy and Herbalism" book stands.

I just got it the other day, it is a great book, one that is definitively going to see a lot of use on my campaign and one on the topic I am not likely to write somethin myself. With all that I was still tossing the coin as to whether to get it or not at its $40C for 96 pages. Eventualy I did bit it is a top. No matter how much I need a book I will not pay more the $40 for a 96 page softback just on the matter of principle.
I believe that the simmilar limit for hardbacks will be somewhere arround $120C (and those better be some 300+ page monstrosities). Above this sort of numbers I will either look for a book on the net, wait till it hits a discount bin or just not bother.
I honestly did not know where is my limit. Severe misgivings with which I bought the A&H (no matter how good I find it to be) helped me finaly establish what my ceiling is...

 

[Mistwell]

Personally, I think the better D20 products are underpriced. In my opinion, the suggested retail price on a good RPG book should be about the price of a good video game (which are now up around $49.95 or so). I certainly don't mean to say the two types of items are anywhere near identical, but I think the elements that go into buying patterns for each type of product are similar enough to make a good comparison.

If you start by selling the products at a higher price, 6 months later you have the option of discounting the item in a clearance sale. That way you get the early and eager buyers to pay more, and the patient buyers to buy later. In fact, sometimes you essentially trick the later buyers into buying a product at 50% off, say $24.95, when they would not have bought that product had it hit the stands at the $24.95 price originally, because they did not percieve it to be a "bargain". I believe this is how most other consumer items work.

 

[ThomasBJJ]

I know I'm not very price sensitive. At least not with RPG books. There are a few things I might have bough had they been a little cheaper (Wheel of Time for example) but the stuff I pass on due to price is stuff I have only a passing interest in.

If FRCS was $48 I would have still bought it. If the class books were $24 I would have still bought them. If Monster Manual 2 is $40 I'll still buy it. But Enemies & Allies, even at $14 I didn't buy cuz I didn't think I'd get much use out of it, nor even be entertained or inspired by it. If I saw it somewhere for $4 I might pick it up.

Basically, If it's something I KNOW I want, price is not a big factor (within reason). Something I THINK I might use (For ex. Tomb of Abysthor module by SSS) or at lease pick stuff out of, well, It was thick and only $11, so I grabbed it. If it was $16 or more, i probably wouldn't have without more info on it.