If your LGS is at 500% markup that's fucked up one way or another, but arbitrage is super real, and if you want sealed product like precons to exist on your store shelves and not get immediately scalped, it has to be priced around what the cards inside are worth.
- distributors could stop scalping the retailers (which they are doing)
- the publishers could print more cards
- retailers could limit the number of cards purchased to make it less worthwhile for scslpers
- consumers could stop buying scalped product. Just don't.
because they know the scalpers are going to, so they may as well get a cut. Distributors scalp for the ssme reason. The publisher is incentivized to print fewer cards than there is demand for, so that it drives hype and they sell more of the next set.
I dunno if it's just me but I don't think LGSs marking up their prices is very common over here. The ones I can think of have a specifically bad reputation for doing so
I like my local game store for paints and tools, but when it comes to minis and kits? Yeah, online all the way, it's cheaper and I don't mind the wait.
Worth noting, this is usually the distributor's fault, at least in MtG's case. LGSs have to fight to get product, and usually take on stuff they don't want or can't easily sell. They're (usually) not trying to scam you, they jusy get minimal support from WotC and need to make up the difference.
It's been the same issue with comics where one distributor controlled basically everything and just tanked nearly every local store over the last 20 years until they fell apart
Like if they order a case of commander decks (one case is usually one each of four decks). On average two are underwhelming, one is okay, and one is good. The good one (and maybe the okay one) see price increases to make up for the fact that the two bad ones will probably sit on the shelf for years.
They'll either sit on the shelf for years or they'll get a cut in price just to try and break even. They also have to compete with online retailers like Amazon, who won't care if one deck sells out to the handful of scalpers.
Plus, if your LGS closes down, you can't play Magic there anymore.
The one exception to this I've seen are the Fallout UB decks. All 4 are not just viable, but also really good straight out of the box, easily mixable with off theme decks, and can easily be the starting point for stupidly strong customs.
I would hope the idea would be that it gives you a space where you can play the game and socialize, but I've also seen places that gouge and then also charge for table space so who knows.
Yeah I mentioned that and they were just like "Well too bad". I also asked them "You got Sororitas stuff?" and their response was "No...how about a thousand sons combat patrol though."
I don't know the exact details, but I know from my LFGS that they need to stock a certain range of products to comply with GW regulations to sell their stuff. Sounds like your shop is trouncing that rule
Real. Even after shipping and handling, it usually ends being cheaper to just order off TCG player than buy from my LGS. Structure deck MSRP is $10, LGS sells for $20, and TCG player hangs around $15 (my local big box stores stopped carrying TCGs for obvious reasons) it's not even close.
Mine barely ever has any product, too. When I got into MTGA, I wanted some starters to get into it and really didn't want the Assassin's Creed one, sold for like 2x what it was online too, but that was all they had. The two other stores only had Commander decks, which I don't play.
Same with one of the local game stores around here and their Warhammer prices. They do not give the standard 15% discount and wonder why I don't bother getting my kits from them. (Though I usually just print them now)
The LGS's I visit always have cards at a proper price, kits at a discount, and a wide variety of paints, brushes and tools.
Maybe this is just an American issue.
I get what I can from friendly and reasonable LGS's but I live in goosefuck nowhere so it's like 2hrs each way to do that. Anything less than a major Warhammer box isn't worth it. God invented the laser printer and the 3D printer for a reason.
Comments
- the publishers could print more cards
- retailers could limit the number of cards purchased to make it less worthwhile for scslpers
- consumers could stop buying scalped product. Just don't.
But in the end, it's the final step, consumers, where the biggest mistakes are made.
Scalpers scalp because people buy at scalped prices. Stores scalp
If they left the 'F' off tell them to 'f-off"
Plus, if your LGS closes down, you can't play Magic there anymore.
Locally
Grown
Scalpers
My local game shop sells Warhammer stuff at like 20% markup.
Why should I buy stuff from them when the whole reason I was buying stuff from them originally was because it was cheaper?
Though I do buy individual MtG cards from them.
Honestly though I'm also pretty sure my LGS isn't actually local...something about it feels pretty corpo.
They used to be REALLY good about that and now they're just like "We sell at GW price but higher".
They were like 15% more expensive than the one 2 miles away and never adjusted that
Maybe this is just an American issue.