Ok...I'm not knocking the necessary increase in magazine prices and future increases in our subscriptions. I know the mag business is cut throat and very competitive and the economics of fuel "gouging" has finally reared its ugly head into the raw materials component which means increased costs to the consumer. Understood...
But...hmmm; lets see...$7 for a back issue and $5 shipping and handling?? So 12 bucks to buy a back issue of Dragon or Dungeon is -- well; insane.
I was about to buy back issue #338, but keep the back issue please...no magazine is ever worth that much money! Subscriber kept, but shopper lost.
I'll remain a subscriber probably until you convert to a new D&D edition( 3.5 is and will remain the final version for myself and my players ) or get carried away with an imbalance of Eberron material.
Happy with subscription unhappy with Paizo's prices in general when it comes to shopping. BTW, don't your folks in marketing realize that most products here can be bought for about 12 to 20 percent less on Amazon?
Just a thought...just a vent.
CEO
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Ok...I'm not knocking the necessary increase in magazine prices and future increases in our subscriptions. I know the mag business is cut throat and very competitive and the economics of fuel "gouging" has finally reared its ugly head into the raw materials component which means increased costs to the consumer. Understood...
But...hmmm; lets see...$7 for a back issue and $5 shipping and handling?? So 12 bucks to buy a back issue of Dragon or Dungeon is -- well; insane.
I was about to buy back issue #338, but keep the back issue please...no magazine is ever worth that much money! Subscriber kept, but shopper lost.
I'll remain a subscriber probably until you convert to a new D&D edition( 3.5 is and will remain the final version for myself and my players ) or get carried away with an imbalance of Eberron material.
Happy with subscription unhappy with Paizo's prices in general when it comes to shopping. BTW, don't your folks in marketing realize that most products here can be bought for about 12 to 20 percent less on Amazon?
Just a thought...just a vent.
Hey SmittDawg:
I can understand your frustration. The price of postage has gone through the roof lately and the US Post Office has announced another hike for the beginning of 2007. WE basically pass along the shipping and handling cost to our customers. It costs Paizo $5 to ship a single magazine. If you bought two or three issues, you will notice that the shipping price should remain the same. This is because the US Post Office allows us to ship up to 3 normal-sized issues for the same price as one. Crazy I know, but that is the way it is.
As for Amazon.com, we just can't compete with the prices of the big corporate juggernaut. We are just a small family of gamers who love gaming and want to provide the best gaming products at a reasonable price. If the lowest possible price is what you are looking for, then paizo.com is not your place to shop. However, if you want to support a group of gamer who are trying to provide great gaming experiences to its customers, then this is your home.
-Lisa Stevens
CEO
Praise yourselves lucky! Living in Europe grants us the joyous privilege of having to pay 10$ (!) shipping costs.
So, obviously, for us ordering just one back issue is madness: that's 17$, almost 60% of which is shipping.
I sincerely hope that Paizo will start considering opening up branches of their printers and publishers in other parts of the world, so the non-US subscriber is treated with a little more dignity and grace. If I weren't so gung ho on this stuff, a mere chuckle might suffice for me to turn my back and leave.
I have to agree with Sektor. On those few occasions when I've ordered from Paizo the service has been nothing short of excellent. I would happily send more business your way, but the postage to the UK is just prohibitive.
In general, if I'm ordering something online, I don't mind waiting for delivery (I might be unusual in that regard). So, is there any scope for offering any cheaper postage options, even sacrificing the speed of the delivery?
On those few occasions when I've ordered from Paizo the service has been nothing short of excellent.
I agree...the service of Paizo is excellent. And I've seen their service in action here on the boards: ie. Helping out a DM when a thief stole all his campaign materials and books; Paizo stepped up and re-imbursed the guy -- FREE the AoW series. Their gaming products are top notch. These are a few of many reasons why I'm a subscriber and fan favorite of their business and niche in the gaming community.
There are just some things that can't be justified, and I understand Lisa's (CEO) point with the postal service. Unfortunately the circumstances in the costs of shipping and handling nips quite a few consumers in the butt. And I have enough people; utilities, banks, insurance agencies, tax man, picking my pockets, that just handing out money because that's the way it is begs savvy consumers to just say..."You know what? I really don't need that." versus, "You know what? I would like to have that."
Lisa, thanks for your response and again, your company's value as a whole far outweighs the complaint I've noted here on the boards.
Fiendish Codex I lists on Amazon for $18.87. Add something for $7 more, and you can get free shipping. You'll get your book in about a week, on average.
On Paizo, the same book is $26.96; shipping and handling is $5. Orders generally ship in 48 hours and arrive in another 72 (based on past experience).
Yes, ordering from Paizo is a little more expensive than even buying the books from a local bookseller. I should state that the nearest game store is far enough away to make it a pain to go with any frequency. I should also mention buying a book that has been thumbed through by hordes of others bothers me. Yes, I'm weird, I acknowledge that.
Paizo and Amazon will get me my order in about the same time. I intend to order from Paizo for two reasons: 1) I will be supporting a company I believe in, 2) Amazon's customer service is lacking, especially in the pre-order arena. Twice now, I have pre-ordered an item, and to date, I'm still waiting for both.
Draw your own conclusions, decide what you think is best for you. I have opted to support Paizo as I am able.
I'm in the same boat. I really want that Village Map Pack (and since it's your line, there's nowhere else to get it), but just went into shock when I saw the S&H was (barely) over half the $9.95 price. Any plans to PDF that baby?
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Paizo and Amazon will get me my order in about the same time. I intend to order from Paizo for two reasons: 1) I will be supporting a company I believe in, 2) Amazon's customer service is lacking, especially in the pre-order arena. Twice now, I have pre-ordered an item, and to date, I'm still waiting for both.
Draw your own conclusions, decide what you think is best for you. I have opted to support Paizo as I am able.
MB,
I'm with you on that one. I buy different products from different locations (my LGS, for instance), but really, Paizo really does take an extra step in the Customer Service Dept. I've had a subscription with them for over 2 years now ...and every single time the Post Office has lost an issue, they've shipped me a replacement for free.
After Hurrican Katrina did its little number on New Orleans, they caught up not only all my mags that were lost, but also sent me a care package to help get me back into my game! That's not something you'll ever find with Amazon.
Some things I won't be able to afford to buy from Paizo, but when I can, I do!
~Jaye
It would be nice to see different shipping options that are cheaper (rather than just priority mail). I regularly use media mail and first class postage instead and save considerably on mailing items.
Logistically however, with priority mail you don't have to weigh it, measure it, or really do much other than stuff it in a box. Quick and easy, difficult to mess it up.
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Chief Technical Officer
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It would be nice to see different shipping options that are cheaper (rather than just priority mail). I regularly use media mail and first class postage instead and save considerably on mailing items.
We can't send magazines Media Mail, because Media Mail can't contain advertising.
We could, theoretically, send them BPM (Bound Printed Matter), though. If we did, the USPS delivery time would go from a 2-day target to an 8-day target—keep in mind that the longer an item stays in the postal system, the more likely it is to be lost. Also, we could no longer use the free Priority Mail envelopes provided by the USPS, so the "handling" portion of "shipping and handling" would have to be increased to cover the cost of the envelope. BPM pricing is based on location—for a single issue, we'd probably have to charge customers within our own zone about $3.25, while customers in Zone 8 (far East Coast) would have to be charged about $4.
So, yes, we could offer issues with slightly cheaper postage, and significantly slower shipping, and it would complicate our fulfillment process. Does anybody out there still think it's worth it?
-Vic.
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I feel $5 is a small price to pay for getting a back issue, shipped miniature (I just bought the dragon limited edition one). $5 is a standard shipping fee to cover postage and handling.
If you don't want to pay, don't order it... Or, get a subscription and don't miss any Dragons or Dungeon magazines!
Just wanted to throw in my own observations from a part of the world that normally doesn't stock those precious back issues. Occasionally I find back issues of Dragon 2nd-hand in the corner 2nd-hand bookstore and they sell for, when converted to US$, below the original price. Of course, this is a hit-or-miss thing for me.
Or sometimes, when I see a bargain on eBay, I bid for it, have it shipped to my aunt and cousin in the US, then wait for it when they shipped out the next box of gifts over to us. That's how I did it with three WotC books, and I'm willing to wait.
While the $5 shipping is a pain point, it is a relatively minor one compared to the overall positive experience I've had with Paizo's customer service.
Someone mentioned Amazon earlier and you don't want to get me started on how many of my preorders they have screwed up and how many problems I've had with them.
I'm willing to support a company like Paizo, not only because they carry cool stuff that nobody else does, but they also are willing to occasionally help a gamer in need. When I hear stories like the one from the Katrina victim (I hate that word) about Paizo hooking him/her up, it definitely makes me want to continue shopping with them.
Support your hobby. Support those who support your hobby. Paizo caters to gamers. Amazon (and its contemporaries) see us as a niche market at best. Paizo makes us their market. They demonstrate a passion for gaming that equals our passion for gaming. The listen to our concerns. We're their #1 customer. #1. See that. Its really cool. #1. We're not even WOTC's #1 customer. Ah, we are the royalty here and it is good.
When i went to order my Black Dragon Promo I noticed the S&H (to Canada) was $13. All that did was prompt me to order that new battlemat I'd been eyeing - S&H was still $13. It's obviously a clever ploy to get me to spend more money here (and fill out my missing issues of Dungeon & Dragon mags!).
You evil people you ;-)
Support your hobby. Support those who support your hobby. Paizo caters to gamers. Amazon (and its contemporaries) see us as a niche market at best. Paizo makes us their market. They demonstrate a passion for gaming that equals our passion for gaming. The listen to our concerns. We're their #1 customer. #1. See that. Its really cool. #1. We're not even WOTC's #1 customer. Ah, we are the royalty here and it is good.
I, just like everybody else here, it seems, am very glad to be a Paizo customer. Indeed, both their products and customer service are top notch. As such, I am more than willing to pay my share and support Paizo as much as I can.
I am a little reluctant, though, to pay almost the same price of the product to the postal services in ways of shipping and handling.
As a point in case, I was looking to order the D&D card game Three Dragon Ante, which is listed here in the online Paizo shops at a mere $13.49 (which is even way below the amount I would have coughed up for it -- so thank you again Paizo ;)). However, when I designate Belgium as my shipping address, the total price goes up to $24.99.
That's a big $11.50 in S&H, and the only reason why I'm not placing my order here (or anywhere else for that matter). I'm very sorry (both for Paizo and me), but I have no choice.
Well, if it helps; keep in mind that a shipping and handling fee is what pays the salary of the guy who boxes up the stuff and ships it out as well as other considerations; somebody has to do this stuff so he has to get paid; nobody is in business to loose money; 5 bucks really isnt that much, but many businesses use a sliding scale that can be a bit obscure to individual peoples.
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I want to say that I think the quality of product provided by Paizo is more than worth the price. You have to pay a bit more for shipping, but tell me a single campaign published by another company that is as good as AoW for example. A few extra dollars is tough to swallow in a tight economy, but I would rather pay those extra dollars to make sure the people who write the adventures and gaming material that make my hobby so fun still have jobs and can continue to make my game fun. I can't buy as much as I would like, but I will buy what I can and be glad I can contribute to keeping this company going, regardless of shipping costs.
Big companies like Amazon have a lot of ways they can cut costs on thinks because of the sheer volume of stuff they sell. Paizo is a lot like your local FLGS in that they will take care of you way better than Borders, but their ability to cut costs just isn't the same as a monster company that sells as much as a Borders or whatever. To me the Customer Service and high quality product that Paizo offers more than makes up for the few dollars I would save by shopping online somewhere else.
Hey guys,
I guess that I'm one of the few for whom the shipping price is really not an issue...
Thanks to our overvalued EURO, I can tell you that ordering in the US is cheaper than buying the same stuff in Italy, EVEN AFTER ADDING the S&H costs...
Lucky me then! (at least until the EURO will start losing something to the $...)
Or should I say poor me for the normally outrageous prices we have here in Italy....
Oh, well, I just hope than when some issue of my dragon subscription will get lost (a very likely event given the state of the Italian mail system nowadays...) Paizo will share some of its well known LTC to me... ;-)
Yay for Paizo!
So, yes, we could offer issues with slightly cheaper postage, and significantly slower shipping, and it would complicate our fulfillment process. Does anybody out there still think it's worth it?-Vic.
I'm going to say "NO." A dollar or two difference for double the shipping time isn't worth it for me. I don't mind waiting a week to receive my merchandise, but I don't want the quality of the handling by USPS to go down (they chew up enough of my stuff as is). With regards to magazine issues, I live only about 20 miles from the printer, and it takes me a long while to get my subscription (not your fault); I'd rather not wait even longer for a 5% savings.
Good Sunrise!This is kinda related to the topic.You guys sent me an e-mail charging me shippping and handling for an ELECTRONIC download.Im wondering how in the heck does this happen.Also dungeon #140 still is M.I.A.It says was shipped on the 19th.I get stuff from NobleKnight games which is in Wisconsin and it always shows within 3-5 days max.Not placing the tardiness on you guys. And you all respond quickly to everyones pleas so T.Y. for that.Id be willing to shell a couple dollars just to get my mags delivered in a reasonable amount of time.The method you're using would seems to be costing you more headaches and money than a tracking system would.Maybe try it for a few weeks and see what the heck is going on with your missing* mags perhaps?
Yeah, I don't see how shipping can be 5 dollars. now the handling part I can see- you need to put it in an envelope and print off a label. I have shipped similar items for less then 2 dollars. first class
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Chief Technical Officer
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Good Sunrise!This is kinda related to the topic.You guys sent me an e-mail charging me shippping and handling for an ELECTRONIC download.Im wondering how in the heck does this happen.
I don't see such an order on your account history. Did you use a different account?
Also dungeon #140 still is M.I.A.It says was shipped on the 19th.
I've put in for a replacement.
I get stuff from NobleKnight games which is in Wisconsin and it always shows within 3-5 days max.
Magazine subscriptions aren't shipped like standard products. They go periodicals rate postage (which is slow) from the printer. Sending them first class would likely require us to more than double the subscription price.
Keep in mind that each month, many thousands of subscriber copies arrive with no problems. At most, a handful have delivery problems. That's going to be true no matter the shipping method.
-Vic.
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Good sunrise!Nope used this one.I dont use any others.#675288 is the order.Now im confused as to weather it means the pdf i downloaded (which was supposed to be FREE) or a replacement of the actual paperback issue.But it says in the e-mail theres a $5.05 s+h fee.Now if i've already paid for my subscription in full then why would i have to pay for a replacement that got lost.Or am i just misunderstanding.And as always thank you for your quick and generous response.
Good sunrise!Nope used this one.I dont use any others.#675288 is the order.Now im confused as to weather it means the pdf i downloaded (which was supposed to be FREE) or a replacement of the actual paperback issue.But it says in the e-mail theres a $5.05 s+h fee.Now if i've already paid for my subscription in full then why would i have to pay for a replacement that got lost.Or am i just misunderstanding.And as always thank you for your quick and generous response.
I've sent you an email about your orders.