As I understand it, if you subscribe to one of the RPG lines, you get a free PDF each time you get a new book, correct?
This is great and all, but I do believe we should support our local gaming stores if possible. However, because of this subscription, there is more incentive to buy from Paizo and less to buy from your LFGS. As I was told recently, this is one of the reasons why Paizo products are dying out in stores, because they can't match the free PDF offer. Combined with the steep discounts that Amazon offers, I can see how a gaming store would be hesitant to stock Paizo RPGs.
There has to be something Paizo and the LFGS can do to help with this? Perhaps the gaming store could be provided with several PDF codes that they could give out to people that purchase a book, and the person then would go online and redeem said code and get the free PDF?
I just find it sad that my local store is stocking less and less Paizo because of this.
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Feel free to purchase paizo products from wherever you like. I personally find that argument disingenuous because paizo has been using this subscription model from the very start of Pathfinder 1e; it isn’t some new thing.
Tell your FLGS about Pathfinder Society and try to get regular Society games (or any PF games really) scheduled there. That would increase interest in Pathfinder in the area without too much effort on the store’s part, and brings in ancillary revenue for things like snacks and drinks in addition to the books themselves.
I've been buying other RPGs from our local store (which is still able to do online orders).
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Well to quote from the store owner "It probably means we won't carry Pathfinder into the future. It's a trend over the last year."
Paizo has been offering PDFs with subscriptions since Pathfinder became a thing in 2007. This topic has come up periodically ever since.
Nothing has changed here.
-Skeld
Paizo have launched a new edition, together with a significant hiatus in product release.
(I mean, I know you know that but...)
I suspect that's the change the FLGS is picking up if anything (not sure if the source of the comments is actually from detailed analysis or just speculation from an employee/owner/customer) - it's not uncommon for people to identify a trend of economic/financial decline and then associate whatever they're unhappy with as the cause.
To the OP - Paizo have relatively high postage and handling costs - factoring those in means the PDF is hardly a massive perk anyhow but the FLGS analysis is probably just comparing list price without considering (or even being aware of) the high shipping charges.
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To the OP - Paizo have relatively high postage and handling costs - factoring those in means the PDF is hardly a massive perk anyhow but the FLGS analysis is probably just comparing list price without considering (or even being aware of) the high shipping charges.
Now that they are charging local sales taxes, after shipping it's probably cheaper to buy the physical from FLGS and the PDF from Paizo than it is to buy the subscription from Paizo.
I have nothing but sympathy for the plight of hobby stores, and that was before the current pandemic/depression. But in reality Amazon probably does a lot more harm to them than Paizo, as they sell at a deep discount with free shipping, as opposed to no discount and expensive shipping.