Longish, and regarding gamestuff supply only, so if you aren't interested,
jump out now...
Your question is directed at KR, and I wouldn't presume to answer for him.
FYI however, we've had the same kind of problem at a couple of gaming stores
here in Toronto. We have purchased much in the Heavy Gear line by Dream Pod
Nine, and one of the local stores had a lousy selection. We asked after the
product, and were told on several occasions that "the distributor couldn't get
it in" or "that supplement is out of print" or "they are late supplying that
miniature" or whatever. Unfortunately for them, two of my friends write and do
demos regularly for Dream Pod Nine, and have lots of contacts with the
company. Calling DPN, we discovered that these "supply problems" were a total
myth. None of the products were out of production and supply was ongoing.
Not to paint them all with a broad brush here, but lots of gaming stores have
a tendency to invest much of their money in stock like comics, books, action
figures and other collectibles, specialty movies (old sf, anime, etc),
magazines, and those endless dreaded collectable card games. These are the
"bread and butter" items which bring in a regular income. If you are a store
in a small population centre, you can't afford to just sell the "pure" gaming
related stuff, 'cause there's really not a big market for it.
The problem is that when we gamers go into a store and say "can you bring in
FT models 'cause my group is totally into it...", they may not have the $$ to
invest in bringing in that product, 'cause their $$ are tied up in other
stuff. Another BIG contribution to this problem is the consolidation
of game-stuff distributors over the past decade or so. Without going
into the sordid details, there are far fewer distributors for gaming stuff
here in North America than there used to be, and most of the existing
distributors have discount policies that make it worthwhile to order as much
as possible (ie, the bigger your order, the bigger the discount). Since
there's not a lot of competition, if you order one item (say, a single FT
starship blister), it may be that the store gets such a small discount that
they will not make enough money to cover the costs of processing your order.
This kind of thing happens a lot and annoys
everybody - but that's the reality of the industry on this side of the
pond.
My group has mail-ordered stuff from all three manufacturers (GZG in UK,
Eureka in Oz, and GeoHex in USA) and has had good service from all three. We
alternate between them depending on availability of what we're after and the
fluctuating value of our peso...er...dollar (this has led to the odd situation
where it was actually cheaper for us here in Canada to mail order a bunch of
stuff from Australia and pay the postage than it was to get the stuff from the
US or the UK, which are obviously a LOT closer...). Eureka is FAST too...
If your local store can't supply you what you want when you want, bypass
them and get it direct from one of the manufacturers - they're good
guys.
Another suggestion, try some of the bigger stores who have an on-line
presence.
Example: there's a store in Calgary (Alberta, Canada) called The Sentry
Box. They are HUGE - a full service Gaming store with an enormous
selection of everything. They are a chapter approved GW supplier, but
don't get caught up in the "GW Only or Else" B__L S__T that the Evil
Empire forces on stores. They have an extensive selection of miniatures from
MANY different companies, including MUCH historical stuff, and are one of the
few stores I've seen with a good selection of FT and DS minis (little SGII
though). They mailorder, and have a fairly extensive online catalogue. And
Alberta doesn't have a provincial sales tax. And it's in Canadian
$$.
Haven't looked at prices recently, tho. Try their website -
www.sentrybox.com
No, that isn't a plug - I live in TO and have nothing to do with the
store, other than shopping there when I'm in Calgary...
Adrian
> Will this also speed up the ability to get the minitures? I live in
Adrian spake thusly upon matters weighty:
Another BIG contribution to this problem is the consolidation
> of game-stuff distributors over the past decade or so. Without going
The amalgamation of two distributors seems to have caused Books and
Battlefields in Kingston to have a lot of difficulty getting stuff in, and
I've heard other Canadian companies complain of similar problems. I've advised
them to cut out the middle man and go directly
to KR - I don't mind using distributors (they serve a function) IF
they are organized and can deliver - otherwise they are cutting their
own throats AND mine and that bugs me.
> Since there's not a lot of competition, if you order one item (say, a
Sure, and for people like KR, that has to be frustrating and costly. I think
KR and others in a like boat should make a point to get
Internet Point-of-Sale systems running so as to eliminate this issue.
If the demand exists, the product should be getting sold.
> We alternate between them depending on availability of what we're
Yes, that is true. International monetary markets do strange things sometimes.
> If your local store can't supply you what you want when you want,
And point out to your local store that you are doing that - and that
they should do the same - everyone likes to support their local store
so encourage the store to seek out faster avenues of distribution.
They have an extensive selection of miniatures from MANY
> different companies, including MUCH historical stuff, and are one of
And if you are in Calgary, they have a HUGE store - easily in the
area of 3500+ square feet.
> And Alberta doesn't have a provincial sales tax. And it's in Canadian
And they have a mailing list for product updates one can get put on.
So, I think folks like US have to point out to our retailers that a
distributor that can't provide does us no good, and them no good, and folks
like KR need to be aware and monitor their distributors for performance. And
they need to arrange methods for those of us who get little or no service to
spend our hard earned sheckels on their wonderful product.
Tom.
/************************************************
> From: "Thomas Barclay" <Thomas.Barclay@sofkin.ca>
> So, I think folks like US have to point out to our retailers that a
We have extended our normal store discounts and shipping terms to Canadian
stores, so they can receive our goods via UPS and qualify for free shipping as
well. I am well aware of the problems in Canada at the moment, and the
consolidation of distributors both here and in
Canada - but none of them are calling to order miniatures at the
moment, and it has been my experience that consolidation leads to lower
inventory levels industry wide. I am no longer selling to businesses that
compete with each other, I am selling to regional warehouses of a single
company.
We will be adding a secure transaction area to the website, and hope to add an
online wholesale area as well, where stores can place and TRACK their orders.
It just takes time and money, both of which are always in short supply!!
KR
> Tom.
> Thomas Barclay wrote:
> > If your local store can't supply you what you want when you want,
I did this with the Fleet Book. Tried for two months to get it from a local
store (I'm a very patient person), then ordered it direct. Told the owner
(when 2 people I knew were interested in it were standing right there) and the
next week he had 3 on the shelf.
Chan
Hi folks -
Well, just to show KR some support, I've -never- had a problem with
service when ordering from Geo-Hex direct. Case in point: on Monday I
ordered 2 new minis that I haven't been able to find locally (my 99th and
100th GZG minis!), today (Friday) I have them in my hand and assembled...
You can't beat that!
TTYL..
> Thomas Barclay wrote:
> Sure, and for people like KR, that has to be frustrating and costly.
(snippage!)
> > If your local store can't supply you what you want when you want,
> So, I think folks like US have to point out to our retailers that a
But what if your local hobby store isn't the problem? My local hobby store has
been treating me well for several years now. I trust these guys. They have
told me they couldn't order the FB because their one remaining gaming
distributor doen't do business with Geohex! (The other gaming distributor went
belly up three monthes ago.) This company only allows orders of a case (!) at
a time....So I have to go direct. I would rather support my local store, not
some stuck up distributor.
Stuck in the middle...