Monday, November 10, 2014

Shop Early (Shop Often)








  1. I was in shopping yesterday, and I can tell you the price of games has gotten so high it is prohibitive to getting a game. Most board games seem to be between $40-$90. This is no longer an impulse buy, it is now a savings effort to buy into a board game.

    The miniatures are even worse. The pricing has gotten out of hand and sadly, local shops suffer the most from this.

  2. Board games have gone with inflation. If I take a $35 Settlers of Catan in 2004, voila, we get $44 in 2014 (it sells for $42). What's happened is paychecks have not risen to match the higher prices.

    Price points vary quite a bit too. I don't believe there's a price that's too high. $500 board game? Bring it. It just needs to have $500 in value. Whether every customer can afford it is another issue, and not necessarily a major concern.

    Kickstarter has also effected prices. There are some KS projects for board games that have great values, but high price points. When they hit retail, we often balk. Sometimes we don't.

    And yes, when prices go up past impulse purchases, which for us is probably around $40-50, that price pressure tends to push people online. So although I said I would carry a $500 board game, I'm going to need to know Amazon isn't going to sell it for $300. The pressure there is enormous.

  3. I think price points are what is driving FFG so hard down the LCG/minis/expansion path. $15 for a card expansion or X wing expansion is impulse territory and low enough not to drive a lot of people online.

  4. Agree completely. If you can get in early enough, you can keep up with the latest for a decent price. But if you miss the entry, you are looking at $100's to catch back up in many cases. Even with X wing, you are paying $10 for one ship. It just seems steep for painted plastic they produce for a few pennies over in China.

  5. Here's how I would break down a $10 plastic model. It probably costs $1.50 to make. FFG grosses about $4, of which 50 cents is their net profit. Distributors get a buck, and profit a nickel. Retailers gross $4.80 and make a little less than 50 cents in net profit.

  6. As an american consumer I reserve the right to bitch and complain, regardless of how irrational those complaints may be. TYVM.