Yeah, I don't disagree with anything there. I definitely leverage my buying power and relationships to continue to get "in demand" LEs at release. I also get them to play them and enjoy them because I like to play pinball. I hate scalping and I am a guy who wants my game to play it.
That said, I think there's a balance there. If Distros want to take care of their long time clients and give them an LE at a good price, that's great. If they have 3 left and and 30 strangers want them, I'm on board with them selling over MSRP. Granted, it doesnt really matter what I think, but it's what I would do if I were in that situation.
I do think the difference is you've always been able to get pros and premiums for MSRP and I'm conflicted on how I feel about those games being sold higher by distros. I think so long as folks can get them at MRSP and the worst thing that happens if they have to wait 3-6-9 months then that's reasonable.
If distros are pushing their MSRP buyers to next year and selling NIB stock first runs over MSRP because there are people who will pay $10,500 for a premium Godzilla right now, I don't like that either, but I get it.
Thankfully, I dont think that's happening.
The vast majority of the > MSRP sales have been on LE, CEs, SLE, etc. which "shouldn't" impact the pro and premium buyers.
I also think as long as Stern has the North American distro network as large as it is, there will always be folks selling the pros and premiums at MSRP. You might just be on a 2nd or 3rd run.
If Stern can get their games out the door quicker, none of this is an issue any more. They're leaving a fortune on the table because they cant get their backlog down to a reasonable queue.
Quoted from Frax:As someone with a VASTLY different economic situation as your own, on the other end of the scale... I could give a very direct specific example of this but I'm not all about divulging your personal info... let me offer a different perspective:
I want that, because it means that IF I get a game, I'm getting it for less, as opposed to being *assured* that I'm paying more money up front. I'd rather deal with the launch day gambling and scramble for a game than to just shell out a few thousand extra. I won't buy from scalpers or flippers in the event I don't get a game.
The "problem" is the people that ARE buying from scalpers and flippers, and the sellers they're buying from, as it always has been. The people with zero patience and so much money that they don't give a damn about an extra "few" thousand. The distros are making money. Let's not go pretending that these guys are hanging on by a thread. Craig isn't struggling to pay his bills the last time I checked. Neither is JJ (GEX) or Nitro. They're in business for a reason...to make money. They're not offering things like free shipping and selling a game at a loss just to get a sale unless they absolutely HAVE TO. They work under the rules and contract they agreed to with Stern.
Would I rather see distros making more money than scalpers or flippers? Yes, full stop.
Is my purchase decision based on if I think the distro is making enough money or not? No, never.
Would I be understanding if distros try to capitalize on the flipper/scalper market that currently exists and raise prices while removing free shipping? Sure, but I'm not even going to consider buying at that point.
These guys (distros) are going to do what they're going to do, and not a single fart is going to be given about what our opinions are. The money is there for the free taking, because there's a crapton of people in this hobby that have lost perception of the relative value of money and products. But man I'm sure happy that some people got their CCRs for "currently reasonable" prices, instead of being pre-scalped by a manufacturer or distro.
Keller, TX
