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Are you all going to start selling items on Amazon at a discount?
I was juts looking at the new Pathfinder Chronicles Hardcover on Amazon and it is much cheaper than the subscription I have. What are the advantages of keeping my subscription here? Will it be shipped earlier before Amazon gets it?
The shipping from Amazon would be cheaper, and until recently the prices here were comparable if not cheaper...but it looks like a whole bunch of new stuff is being sold at Amazon at a significant discount from what I'm getting directly subscribing from you all.
Thanks,
Scott
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Are you all going to start selling items on Amazon at a discount?
I was juts looking at the new Pathfinder Chronicles Hardcover on Amazon and it is much cheaper than the subscription I have. What are the advantages of keeping my subscription here? Will it be shipped earlier before Amazon gets it?
The shipping from Amazon would be cheaper, and until recently the prices here were comparable if not cheaper...but it looks like a whole bunch of new stuff is being sold at Amazon at a significant discount from what I'm getting directly subscribing from you all.
Thanks,
Scott
Amazon will always be a lower price... Paizo is not capable of matching that price, And not willing to because it would put off the Gaming store owners they rely on at selling their product.
On Shipping, Paizo does not ship any faster then Amazon, in fact in my experience Amazon ships must faster, by weeks in fact... but that will vary per customer.
What you get for your subscription is a free PDF of that product, depending on your location *ie overseas vs US*, you get a better deal through the subscription then you would through Amazon.
You also get a 15% discount from all products *Except non-Paizo PDFs* with your subscription.
Now if you have no use for the PDFs or the 15% discount, then the subscription is not really for you, and it may be better to buy your products through Amazon. Either way it is a sale for Paizo.
On Shipping, Paizo does not ship any faster then Amazon, in fact in my experience Amazon ships must faster, by weeks in fact... but that will vary per customer.
Wh???
You must mean when both have the item in stock.
For new Paizo releases, Paizo is much, MUCH faster.
On Shipping, Paizo does not ship any faster then Amazon, in fact in my experience Amazon ships must faster, by weeks in fact... but that will vary per customer.
Wh???
You must mean when both have the item in stock.
For new Paizo releases, Paizo is much, MUCH faster.
One thing to keep in mind is that Dragnmoon gets his books shipped to a US army base in Germany, so on some accounts he's pretty much in the same situation as the rest of Europe. Mainland US customers might have different experiences with shipping times.
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On Shipping, Paizo does not ship any faster then Amazon, in fact in my experience Amazon ships must faster, by weeks in fact... but that will vary per customer.
Wh???
You must mean when both have the item in stock.
For new Paizo releases, Paizo is much, MUCH faster.
Like I said..will vary with others.. For me... It takes 1-2 weeks from Amazon... 4-8 weeks from Paizo...
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One thing to keep in mind is that Dragnmoon gets his books shipped to a US army base in Germany, so on some accounts he's pretty much in the same situation as the rest of Europe. Mainland US customers might have different experiences with shipping times.
Oddly enough... Everything *And I mean everything* I order other then directly from Paizo gets to me in 1-4 weeks no matter what distributor I use... But anything I order from Paizo takes 4-8 weeks...
I have no idea why...
One thing to keep in mind is that Dragnmoon gets his books shipped to a US army base in Germany, so on some accounts he's pretty much in the same situation as the rest of Europe. Mainland US customers might have different experiences with shipping times.Oddly enough... Everything *And I mean everything* I order other then directly from Paizo gets to me in 1-4 weeks no matter what distributor I use... But anything I order from Paizo takes 4-8 weeks...
I have no idea why...
Maybe the folks in your mailroom are Paizo fans too, so your mail is "delayed" while they read it. :)
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My wife noticed my last Paizo bill and point-blank asked me if I had looked at Amazon for the Campaign Setting. I told her I had, and that it was substantially cheaper, but then reminded her that I get a perfect PDF as soon as it ships.
"I know you love books," she said, "but why do you care about the PDF--you hate reading on a computer?"
I didn't belabor the point with reminding her that I use PDFs to create player handouts and cheat cards for myself, because at heart she's right, I hate reading off a computer.
Instead I asked her, not unkindly, "Why do you buy your coffee at the Alaska Coffee House when Starbucks is actually cheaper, and closer, and they taste virtually the same?"
A look of complete understanding followed by--
"Ohhh--it's patronage; you like Paizo."
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That is it! Enough! D&D does not hinge on WotC. The world does not hold its breath while WotC files for bankruptcy. The world keeps turning and people keep roleplaying. Where was WotC back in 1982 saving Dungeons & Dragons? Oh, that is right...IT DIDN'T EVEN EXIST. How did D&D ever make it here without Wizards of the Coast? I guess it was on the dream that WotC would someday buy it so it would never die....off. So, you would have me believe that without Wizards of the Coast, D&D will die off. Uhu, sure. That is like saying that if TSR goes under D&D will die off. In the real world though, it is bought out for its intellectual property and roleplaying recognition. Then it is reviewed by the owning corporation and the game designers are shifted to a new location, preferably Paizo offices. Hahah.
I agree with you... If WotC had to get rid of D&D it would not kill the RPG world... though so shortly after a Edition change it would hurt D&D for awhile... especially if who ever bought it wanted to change the rules..
WotC have some great people..But I think at this time D&D would do better under a company that the game came first..And was able to handle the game Financially..
There are few RPG companies that could handle D&D financially to the level WotC can in fact there maybe only 1*Other then WotC*.
At this time I think only White Wolf has the finances to handle the behemoth that D&D is, and only because they are owned by CCP *Developers of Eve online*.
Any other company, including Paizo, could not give D&D what it deserves financially.
There are few RPG companies that could handle D&D financially to the level WotC can in fact there maybe only 1*Other then WotC*.
At this time I think only White Wolf has the finances to handle the behemoth that D&D is, and only because they are owned by CCP *Developers of Eve online*.
Any other company, including Paizo, could not give D&D what it deserves financially.
I think there is at least one more company that would be able to shoulder the financial "burden" of taking over D&D (not talking about a buy-out of the D&D brand at its prime, I don't even think WW would be able to pay what Hasbro/WotC would sell it for).
Fantasy Flight Games.Granted, they don't have the backing of someone like CCP, but they do have a successful company with lots of successful branches (board games, RPGs, comics, CCGs etc.).
On another note, more related to the thread itself, I wanted to get a clarification from Dragnmoon.
When you say that everything you order that isn't from Paizo gets to you quicker, do you only mean from Amazon.com or from all other sources too?
The reason I'm asking is that several times when I've ordered from Amazon.com the books in question have actually been sent from their German warehouses (i.e. technically from the Amazon.de subsidiary), even though I've ordered them from Amazon.com and paid for shipping from the US (which saves them money and I don't mind paying the larger shipping fee, compared to paying a shipping fee when ordering from Amazon.de, since the price of the books themselves is higher on .de than on .com - especially with the current exchange rate).
The shipping from Amazon would be cheaper, and until recently the prices here were comparable if not cheaper...but it looks like a whole bunch of new stuff is being sold at Amazon at a significant discount from what I'm getting directly subscribing from you all.
Paizo cannot discount their stuff much or it would alienate their distributors and bookstores which they rely on. The AP subscription is the big exception to that.
I subscribed to Chronicles specifically so I could get the PDF which would be an expensive second purchase otherwise.
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On another note, more related to the thread itself, I wanted to get a clarification from Dragnmoon.
When you say that everything you order that isn't from Paizo gets to you quicker, do you only mean from Amazon.com or from all other sources too?
The reason I'm asking is that several times when I've ordered from Amazon.com the books in question have actually been sent from their German warehouses (i.e. technically from the Amazon.de subsidiary), even though I've ordered them from Amazon.com and paid for shipping from the US (which saves them money and I don't mind paying the larger shipping fee, compared to paying a shipping fee when ordering from Amazon.de, since the price of the books themselves is higher on .de than on .com - especially with the current exchange rate).
I meant from Amazon.com and all other sources..
Nothing is ever shipped from Germany, since that would be silly since My address is a US address.
I am in the US Military and even though I live in Germany my Address is a US address. Anything I order is shipped to NY and from there the Military picks it up and sends it to me, so I only pay for shipping to NY.
Now I could use my German Address, but that would be silly since it would cost me an arm and a Leg...or 2..
CEO
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On Shipping, Paizo does not ship any faster then Amazon, in fact in my experience Amazon ships must faster, by weeks in fact... but that will vary per customer.
Wh???
You must mean when both have the item in stock.
For new Paizo releases, Paizo is much, MUCH faster.
With new releases shipping from Amazon, we tend to ship subscriber copies around 3 weeks earlier than Amazon can because of the time it takes to make it through the distribution system. Now, it may actually be quicker for Dragonmoon to get this products through Amazon once they are shipped, but because we ship immediately upon receipt from the printer and Amazon has to wait for us to ship to Diamond Books, then Diamond has to sort and repack orders to Amazon, who has to receive and reship to customers, all the while your shipment from us has been merrily wending its way to you. I would bet that we beat Amazon shipments of new product by a healthy margin.
-Lisa
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With new releases shipping from Amazon, we tend to ship subscriber copies around 3 weeks earlier than Amazon can because of the time it takes to make it through the distribution system. Now, it may actually be quicker for Dragonmoon to get this products through Amazon once they are shipped, but because we ship immediately upon receipt from the printer and Amazon has to wait for us to ship to Diamond Books, then Diamond has to sort and repack orders to Amazon, who has to receive and reship to customers, all the while your shipment from us has been merrily wending its way to you. I would bet that we beat Amazon shipments of new product by a healthy margin.
-Lisa
And you would lose.. :-p...
Like I said.. I have no idea why, But If I was to order the same item From Paizo on release day and Amazon the same day.. Amazon would still beat you..
I think it is the shipping category used..
It is like anything shipped from Paizo is shipped to me like a Magazine with can take 1-2 months to get to me.. and Amazon is Priority which takes 1-2 weeks to get to me...
I am constantly getting Items from Paizo a week or 2 after the next months shipment is sent, a Few times I even had 2 Months of shipments sent to me before the first one sent got to me.
For example I am still waiting for Last months Shipment *I don't expect it for a week or 2* and Most likely Monday you will be shipping me This months Shipment.
I am constantly getting Items from Paizo a week or 2 after the next months shipment is sent, a Few times I even had 2 Months of shipments sent to me before the first one sent got to me.
Wow... and I complain about ordering something and not getting it for a week. Bummer.
With new releases shipping from Amazon, we tend to ship subscriber copies around 3 weeks earlier than Amazon can because of the time it takes to make it through the distribution system. Now, it may actually be quicker for Dragonmoon to get this products through Amazon once they are shipped, but because we ship immediately upon receipt from the printer and Amazon has to wait for us to ship to Diamond Books, then Diamond has to sort and repack orders to Amazon, who has to receive and reship to customers, all the while your shipment from us has been merrily wending its way to you. I would bet that we beat Amazon shipments of new product by a healthy margin.
-Lisa
And you would lose.. :-p...
Actually in my experience, and the reason I added Chronicles and Companion to my subscriber list here, was that even with Amazon Prime they did not ship two preordered items (Gazetter and Guide to Korvosa) until several WEEKS after people here started discussing the products they had received. When you went and looked at the product on Amazon it said the item had not yet been released.
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Actually in my experience, and the reason I added Chronicles and Companion to my subscriber list here, was that even with Amazon Prime they did not ship two preordered items (Gazetter and Guide to Korvosa) until several WEEKS after people here started discussing the products they had received. When you went and looked at the product on Amazon it said the item had not yet been released.
Just as a Reminder....
The Military gets their hands on My shipment before it gets to me. They are really Quick with Amazon and other Distributors, not so much with Paizo for some reason. They seem to treat my Shipments from Paizo as Magazines which go slower through the system.
I have Pre Ordered things on Amazon and even with the delay of them getting the items.. for me.. Amazon is still quicker.
The Military gets their hands on My shipment before it gets to me. They are really Quick with Amazon and other Distributors, not so much with Paizo for some reason. They seem to treat my Shipments from Paizo as Magazines which go slower through the system.
I have Pre Ordered things on Amazon and even with the delay of them getting the items.. for me.. Amazon is still quicker.
Are there suspicious pizza stains on your APs? Maybe some of them are suspiciously creased?
Supply clerk is a closet gamer!
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i subscribe because a) its convenient, b) i dont like amazon anyway, and c) as far as i know, paizo gets to keep a larger percentage of the $, so they can put more back into the company and more into the pockets of the talent and support staff. (i don't really care about the pdfs one way or another, they're nice to have, but i have a copier anyway as far as player handouts and what-not are concerned)
i posted my opinions on pdf piracy elsewhere on the boards, so no need to add to the discussion here.
the d&d "brand" is important to gaming, not the company that owns it. WotC are just the stewards of the brand for the time being. imo, not very good stewards, but that's neither here nor there. as long as they can attract enough new players that i can, at a later time, poach for pathfinder, then its all good...
Here's the truth, for all the people who hate WOTC that much. Watch DnD die off and you'll see the industry follow. Pretty much everyone gets introduced to pen n paper gaming by DnD. The industry needs a strong DnD (and so WOTC) to keep stores open and new gamers coming in.
Very true. That and Warhammer.
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i subscribe because a) its convenient, b) i dont like amazon anyway, and c) as far as i know, paizo gets to keep a larger percentage of the $, so they can put more back into the company and more into the pockets of the talent and support staff. (i don't really care about the pdfs one way or another, they're nice to have, but i have a copier anyway as far as player handouts and what-not are concerned)
This is what I was curious about, whether it made a difference to paizo where their products were bought or is it all the same.
Anyone know?|
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i subscribe because a) its convenient, b) i dont like amazon anyway, and c) as far as i know, paizo gets to keep a larger percentage of the $, so they can put more back into the company and more into the pockets of the talent and support staff. (i don't really care about the pdfs one way or another, they're nice to have, but i have a copier anyway as far as player handouts and what-not are concerned)
This is what I was curious about, whether it made a difference to paizo where their products were bought or is it all the same.
Anyone know?
maybe we'll find out when someone from the office gets to work tomorrow. i'm curious whether my supposition is correct as well. either way, example "a" trumps everything anyway...
This is what I was curious about, whether it made a difference to paizo where their products were bought or is it all the same.
Anyone know?
Paizo makes a bigger profit if you buy directly from them. It's pretty clear when you consider that no one else gets a cut and they charge the same amount.
HOWEVER, they have pointed out repeatedly that ordering from FLGSs and/or other retailers makes their products more desirable to distributors and third party retailers (because it increase the sales figures), which helps Paizo in the long run, because it increases their shelf area and market penetration.
Therefore they are happy wherever you buy from.
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Paizo makes a bigger profit if you buy directly from them. It's pretty clear when you consider that no one else gets a cut and they charge the same amount.
HOWEVER, they have pointed out repeatedly that ordering from FLGSs and/or other retailers makes their products more desirable to distributors and third party retailers (because it increase the sales figures), which helps Paizo in the long run, because it increases their shelf area and market penetration.
Therefore they are happy wherever you buy from.
Hmmm...interesting...
Thanks.
I should add that the side benefit of buying from your FLGS is that it helps keep said FLGS in business, which is good for the hobby and therefore the industry. Amazon less so.
So if I had the right to tell people what to do with their hard-earned money, which I most certainly do not, I'd advise them to either purchase directly from Paizo or to support their FLGS, since Amazon frankly doesn't need the help.
Of course, my advice is absolutely non-binding, so if you prefer Amazon because it is faster/cheaper/more convenient/whatever, then by all means go for it. Personally, I'll just be happy that you're buying Paizo products.
Of course, my advice is absolutely non-binding, so if you prefer Amazon because it is faster/cheaper/more convenient/whatever, then by all means go for it. Personally, I'll just be happy that you're buying Paizo products.
I agree with everything you've said... but still recommend people buy from Amazon if they are strapped for cash and Amazon is the best deal. I'm thinking about buying the beta from Amazon because I want 3 copies and I'll get free shipping. I'm still undecided. I don't get how Amazon can sell for as cheap as they do.
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I agree with everything you've said... but still recommend people buy from Amazon if they are strapped for cash and Amazon is the best deal. I'm thinking about buying the beta from Amazon because I want 3 copies and I'll get free shipping. I'm still undecided. I don't get how Amazon can sell for as cheap as they do.
amazon makes a lot of money from advertising. a lot of their products are sold at a loss or a "break even", but they get paid for the click throughs and hits.
I'd really rather folks weren't posting locations on our messageboards to download illegal anything. Regardless of how YOU feel about it, it could potentially create liability on our part and get us in real legal trouble. Because of that post, I had to suppress a bucket of other posts related to it. Let's keep the conversation on Amazon and stay away from illegally downloading anything. If your post got caught in the suppression crossfire, try removing references to the illegal downloads posts and then repost.
I agree with everything you've said... but still recommend people buy from Amazon if they are strapped for cash and Amazon is the best deal. I'm thinking about buying the beta from Amazon because I want 3 copies and I'll get free shipping. I'm still undecided. I don't get how Amazon can sell for as cheap as they do.
I work at a book store. It turns out book seller isnt quite as lucrative a job as one would think. I make just under $8/hour, so I have a very limited 'stuff thats for my entertainment and not for survival' budget. I get books for 33% off at my job. Despite all that, I like Paizos products enough that Ive cut out the bulk of my other entertainment from said budget so that I can further support Paizo by buying direct from them.
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...It is like anything shipped from Paizo is shipped to me like a Magazine with can take 1-2 months to get to me.. and Amazon is Priority which takes 1-2 weeks to get to me...
I am constantly getting Items from Paizo a week or 2 after the next months shipment is sent,[sic] a Few times I even had 2 Months of shipments sent to me before the first one sent got to me.
For example I am still waiting for Last months Shipment *I don't expect it for a week or 2* and Most likely Monday you will be shipping me This months Shipment.
Exactly the same with me; it's my only real gripe with Paizo.
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Just as a Reminder....
The Military gets their hands on My shipment before it gets to me. They are really Quick with Amazon and other Distributors, not so much with Paizo for some reason. They seem to treat my Shipments from Paizo as Magazines which go slower through the system.
I have Pre Ordered things on Amazon and even with the delay of them getting the items.. for me.. Amazon is still quicker.
Also, the same with me; and many of my Amazon packages require a signature, which may account for the quicker service.
Amazon? Where's the Amazon? Manimals, attack!
*crickets*
Manpig? Anyone?
Also, the same with me; and many of my Amazon packages require a signature, which may account for the quicker service.
There are multiple shipping options with the subscription, have you tried the other shipping options? Apologies if it's obvious, just a thought.
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I buy from Paizo over amazon because of the free downloads pdfs.. if it wasn't for that I'd probably be going the amazon route.
I suspect as more people buy from Paizo and Pathfinder gets bigger, so will the advantage discount.. I hope. :)
BTW... the APs are discounted pretty competitively with amazon if you have the advantage discount. ;)
I buy from Paizo over amazon because of the free downloads pdfs..
Yep, the PDF download is what seals the deal for buying from paizo.com versus a FLGS or from another website.
I don't mind paying a bit extra to get it from a FLGS since that greases all the wheels, but without the PDF version I cannot justify it.
If only there was some way to subscribe at the FLGS level and still get the PDF .. oh well ..
To back up Lisa and put my own spin on it:
If you order a Paizo product from Paizo at the time of its release, you will get it much more quickly from Paizo than from anyone else.
Let's take the Campaign Setting as an example. Preorders and subscriptions are going out last week and this week. Many of them are already in the mail.
The copies that Paizo is sending to Amazon are not even packed up yet. And once they get packed up, they will go by much slower ground shipping to Diamond. Diamond will receive them, then have to turn them around and send them to Amazon. Then Amazon has to put them in the mail.
The people who preordered it will likely have it before Amazon even has it in their warehouse.
Now, for a product that's already been released? Say you order a copy of Guide to Korvosa. From Paizo, that will likely ship out in a day or two. Then it goes standard mail, unless you upgraded it. From Amazon, if they happen to have it in stock (not likely, I know how many they ordered total) they can send it out same or next day. If they don't, they have to order it from Diamond, wait for it to arrive, process it, and then send it out. So, could be same day, could be a week. You're likely to get it faster from Paizo.