I'm in UK in London, I buy online but from a "local" games shop - it's in London. The prices are high (RRP + 10% p&p) but the service is fast & reliable. I could get slightly cheaper buying from a US discounter but it would take weeks to arrive. Amazon.co.uk isn't very cheap and often doesn't carry stuff I want.
where do you get your RPG books?
- Thread starter thol
- Start date
Joshua Dyal said:
True. I actually agree with most of your assessment except that I've had good luck meeting gamers through stores.
As I said, I don't have a problem with people buying from whatever source they want. If my FLGSs wasn't providing enough value-add, you can be sure I wouldn't buy from them. I was only arguing against the implication that the FLGSs could match prices with online outlets but only choose not to in order to gouge the customer.
Treebore
First Post
RFisher said:
BTW, I am in retail, in fact I own the business. So my "outline" up above is very close to dead on for store owners. I am not in the RPG business, or book business, other than my wife being a romance author, so there is some room for error. But LGS are not ripping you off unless they are somewhere that has a large RPG customer base. I would guess large as being 150 or more regular "buying" customers. Even that number varies from industry niche to industry niche. Like in mine, I would define a large customer base as a 100/month.
But I will not buy from an LGS, at least not books. Reaper miniatures, dice, and such, yes. But not the books. Or WOTC miniatures.
One more vote for option #2. In the past six months I have purchased my books almost exclusively from Amazon. I actually use priceowl to find better prices, but the cheaper prices are generaly only a couple of dollars under Amazon, and my books usually get to my house within 4 days when I use Amazon's free shipping option.
If I want a 3rd party book, or some other obscure game product, that I can't find at a significant discount... I go to my FLGS. I have an excellent store in my area, and they tend to have all sorts of odds and ends in stock.
I wish I could buy all of my stuff at the FLGS. I understand the "support your local FLGS" mentality. I understand that they are selling a niche product and that they need sales to continue operating. But, with an average 30% discount when shopping online, I am able to buy 30% more of the stuff that I really want. I don't know how I could pass that up...
If I want a 3rd party book, or some other obscure game product, that I can't find at a significant discount... I go to my FLGS. I have an excellent store in my area, and they tend to have all sorts of odds and ends in stock.
I wish I could buy all of my stuff at the FLGS. I understand the "support your local FLGS" mentality. I understand that they are selling a niche product and that they need sales to continue operating. But, with an average 30% discount when shopping online, I am able to buy 30% more of the stuff that I really want. I don't know how I could pass that up...
pogre
Legend
It is a shame the playing field is so uneven for brick and mortar stores. I do not think anyone has mentioned the additional advantage of buying online - no sales tax. That is another 7.75% in Illinois.
It seems like a store really has to work hard to become a destination like a few do or die a slow painful death. I think we saw a similar phenomena happen to malls with catalogue shopping.
It seems like a store really has to work hard to become a destination like a few do or die a slow painful death. I think we saw a similar phenomena happen to malls with catalogue shopping.
JoeGKushner
Adventurer
I didn't vote because for me, it varies.
Sometimes I get them at the old store Games Plus. Sometimes, if it's a huge $40-$50 book, I have to go online. The discount is too high, it's another book.
Sometimes I get them at the old store Games Plus. Sometimes, if it's a huge $40-$50 book, I have to go online. The discount is too high, it's another book.
Cbas10
First Post
I get them at the FLGS. Sure, books can be a bit cheaper online, but not enough to make much of a difference. I'm already spending/wasting money on these books (clearly wasted money on a luxury); so what if i could have saved 20% on the books? Additionally, i hate giving credit card info to stores that i don't know well, and sending checks/money orders is too much of a pain in the ass. The FLGS allows us so many perks (discounts, free gaming area [including after hours some nights], casual and comfortable atmosphere, etc) that it is WELL worth the extra few bucks to "support the shop."
Treebore
First Post
Cbas10 said:
I have bought enough RPG books that if I spent the additional 30% (which is what my average discount has been) I would have spent another $900.00+ on my library of RPG books. That is one and a half mortgage payments for me. Well, more like 1 and a 1/3. I'll keep shopping where it is cheapest.
