Good folk of Paizo. I recently found myself in need of miniatures and love the simplicity and ease of storage of the Pawns. I was seriously - very seriously - considering taking out a Pawns subscription. And then I saw the shipping cost. I don't doubt for a second that this is what it costs to ship the pawns, they're not the lightest of items, but it almost doubles the cost - $15.99 for the pawns, $13.60 for the shipping - total subscription cost about £18.60. In the UK, the pawns would cost £12.69 (not the best dollar-pound exchange rate, but hey!). So the tempting idea of saving 15% would actually cost me about £8.
Would it be possible to enter into an agreement with one of the UK game suppliers - Esdevium, perhaps, or Leisuregames - and have them fulfill subscriptions from the UK end of the market? After all, they're already distributing your stuff to gamers of the UK.
Last time Paizo tried using a UK distributor for subscriptions (in the old Dragon/Dungeon days) it ended very badly for all parties (and cost Paizo a fair bit to put right I'd expect). They may not want to repeat the experience.
I would definitely up my subscriptions if there were a cheaper option. I wait for everything to hit the UK, and then get from Orcs Nest or Amazon. I keep up the AP sub because I want to show support for Paizo, but I just can't justify the cost beyond that.
Customer Service Happiness-Inducement Imp
|
Unfortunately, we do not currently have any plans for international subscription fulfillment. As crazy_cat mentioned above, we tried this previously with the Dungeon and Dragon magazines and it did not turn out well for anyone involved. And these were simple, yearly or multi-yearly prepaid subscriptions. With the subscriptions we have now, it would only be more troublesome.
For a more in-depth discussion on this, please see Technical Director Vic Wertz's excellent post here. This answer addresses why we don't offer subscriptions through local retailers, but it covers the same issues without addressing the additional complication of international shipment.
We totally understand the desire for international fulfillment of your subscriptions. However, the realities of the situation indicate that this would probably not be up to the standards of service that we require and that you have come to expect from us. We want you to be happy with your Paizo products, and this means getting them from the outlet that works out the best for you.
Thanks,
cos
Cosmo,
Thanks for your reply - one of the things that's striking me about these forums is how involved the company appears to be. Vic's post makes a lot of sense, I can see the business logic there.
Until such time as a UK base of operations is established, I shall continue to purchase my Pawns from wherever my nearest games shop happens to be.
Thanks, guys.