I'm really curious about this.
I am (as evidenced by the bold text beside my handle) an Adventure Path subscriber, and I like to occasionally take advantage of the discount I get from Paizo.com.
However, I like to support local, non-chain stores where possible. It so happens that my FLGS carries a number of Paizo products, but never in great quantities. Not counting the Pathfinder RPG hardcovers, there's usually only one or two copies of the guides, flip maps, and chronicles in stock. I also notice that my FLGS rarely, if ever, replaces the Paizo products I purchase, which are usually on impulse.
I am a great fan of Paizo, and hope to see the company thrive to continue to produce great product. So I want to support it in the best way possible.
The thing that I feel I do, though, when I buy something from the brick-and-mortar store, is that I deprive another potential Paizo customer from that very same product I could have bought from the online store.
Yet, when Paizo products sell out at the brick-and-mortar stores, that's gotta be good for their sales figures, right?
So, my question is, to the marketing and sales folks at Paizo, would you like to keep me buying regularly online, leaving the product on a shelf for another potential customer, or is a sale a sale?
I also realize that I, being one single customer in a vast economy, have a nearly negligible impact. But I like to feel important.
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This was brought up in the early days of the AP.. they are all good
1) buying from Paizo.com - they get a little bit bigger piece of the pie
2) amazon.com ranks based on number of items bought, so the more bought, the greater visibility to the online community.
3) Brick and mortar - You help to show the store that there is a demand for pathfinder products, and how they should stock more - this gives them a larger (future) shelf presence. This increases sales overall in the long run, and more people get the chance to pick up just the right product to have them look it over and become a fan.
4) Subscribe - this is their major method of deciding print runs, meaning the more subscribers, the more they can print.
Chief Technical Officer
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This was brought up in the early days of the AP.. they are all good
1) buying from Paizo.com - they get a little bit bigger piece of the pie
2) amazon.com ranks based on number of items bought, so the more bought, the greater visibility to the online community.
3) Brick and mortar - You help to show the store that there is a demand for pathfinder products, and how they should stock more - this gives them a larger (future) shelf presence. This increases sales overall in the long run, and more people get the chance to pick up just the right product to have them look it over and become a fan.
4) Subscribe - this is their major method of deciding print runs, meaning the more subscribers, the more they can print.
All pretty much right... basically, subscriptions pay the bills, and retail sales generate the profit. (Hopefully.) We kind of need both... so do what works best for you!
If it is something that will be a hot seller, like the GMG or APG, order it online so that other people can walk into a store and see it on the shelf and buy it. If it is something that is a bit of a slower seller, then make sure to buy it from a store so that they see more volume and will order more Pathfinder stuff to keep in stock and the book will not sit on their shelves for a few months and look bad.
On the other hand, my FLGS didn't have much Pathfinder stuff but after I bought the Core and APG books there they said they would order some more stuff in so they could have a Pathfinder section.
Here is an interesting spin on things:
Would you like for Paizo to create products that you could buy in local retail store only (think 32 page sourcebook of some type) or online only (A PDF of some type)?
I get my APs and modules via subscription. I buy rule books in PDF online and get the hardcover at my FLGS.
Thing is... I tell my FLGS that I'm going to do so and they bring in an extra copy specifically for me.
I've been noticing an increasing trend to stock Pathfinder stuff at my store, which is good. Like yours it's usually only one of each, but it's a start. I figure they determine stocking levels based on sales. If they bring in one of each and they all sell then they'll start bringing in two. So really, buying retail doesn't hurt anyone.
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Chief Technical Officer
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Here is an interesting spin on things:
Would you like for Paizo to create products that you could buy in local retail store only (think 32 page sourcebook of some type) or online only (A PDF of some type)?
We have no interest in creating retail-only products; we want our customers to be able to get all of our products, and not everyone has a local retailer to buy from. (That's why we always offer "event" products—like Free RPG Day releases and Gen Con and PaizoCon exclusives—to paizo.com customers after the associated event ends.)
In a slightly related note, the top 4 RPG companies as judged by shelf space at my local Borders:
1) Wizards of the Coast - Lots of 4E, Dark Sun and Essentials.
2) Fantasy Flight Games - Deathwatch, Dark Heresy, Rogue Trader, Anima, and various supplements in stock.
3) Paizo - Only hardcovers, and I don't think they had the APG in stock, but the Core, GMG, and Bestiary made a strong presence.
4) White Wolf - Way down from what I would typically see a few years ago.
Still, it is a testament to Paizo's growing brand that big chain non-hobby book stores are really starting to stock their books. FFG has had fast growth with their 40k RPG line, but it has longstanding brand recognition.
Any type of sale is going to help Paizo. In the long term gaming culture is helped by keeping local game stores in business, so try helping them out when you can.
I forgot which author it was who had this in the front of their books:
"The author heartily endorses the practice of book burning and strongly encourages you to contact CNN to televise the burning of their books."
"Please contact the publisher for bulk purchase rates on this title."
I forgot which author it was who had this in the front of their books:
"The author heartily endorses the practice of book burning and strongly encourages you to contact CNN to televise the burning of their books."
"Please contact the publisher for bulk purchase rates on this title."
~laughter~
If i wasn't broke all the time id buy direct from the site.