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<blockquote data-quote="bowbe" data-source="post: 3732691" data-attributes="member: 6328">Correct.As I got the story, when TSR was mostly under the control of E.G.G. the deal he had with distributors/retailers was that if they returned a book, they took more books of equal value in exchange, rather than repayment on books not sold. Post E.G.G someone got sweet-talked into a different deal, whereby more cash was offered up front by the distribution chain, which would in the short term flush you with cash a pile of cash.It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out how this arrangement can bite you in the butt. Distributor buys 4000 copies sight unseen with an agreement that you will pay them back for each unsold copy. They sell only 1000 copies and you have to repay them the value of the 3000 that didn't sell. Thus if you already spent the money on salaries, art, production of new product you are hosed. BTW those returned &quot;unsold books&quot; by law are supposed to have the cover ripped off and be &quot;destroyed&quot; in essence so no chance of re-selling them to a secondary market or have a fire sale to recoup the money you lost when the distributor came knocking for the return check.Basically the overabundance of those expensive, limited utility faux leather kit books had TSR hemmoraging cash. Anyhow thats more or less the story I've heard a few times around the campfire. No doubt WOTC has a much &quot;better&quot; distribution deal, one where-by they can afford to eat the cost of returned books in exchange for 50,000 ish copies of each of any new core rulebooks at around $40 a pop. Case</blockquote>

[QUOTE="bowbe, post: 3732691, member: 6328"] Correct. As I got the story, when TSR was mostly under the control of E.G.G. the deal he had with distributors/retailers was that if they returned a book, they took more books of equal value in exchange, rather than repayment on books not sold. Post E.G.G someone got sweet-talked into a different deal, whereby more cash was offered up front by the distribution chain, which would in the short term flush you with cash a pile of cash. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out how this arrangement can bite you in the butt. Distributor buys 4000 copies sight unseen with an agreement that you will pay them back for each unsold copy. They sell only 1000 copies and you have to repay them the value of the 3000 that didn't sell. Thus if you already spent the money on salaries, art, production of new product you are hosed. BTW those returned "unsold books" by law are supposed to have the cover ripped off and be "destroyed" in essence so no chance of re-selling them to a secondary market or have a fire sale to recoup the money you lost when the distributor came knocking for the return check. Basically the overabundance of those expensive, limited utility faux leather kit books had TSR hemmoraging cash. Anyhow thats more or less the story I've heard a few times around the campfire. No doubt WOTC has a much "better" distribution deal, one where-by they can afford to eat the cost of returned books in exchange for 50,000 ish copies of each of any new core rulebooks at around $40 a pop. Case [/QUOTE]

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