Manicmac Posted May 12, 2010 Report Share Posted May 12, 2010 I have notified the proper personnel but my frustration is growing. As a micro business owner, game store, I am finding my distributor is lacking in the stock of Malifaux! I have been a gamer for many, many, (many, many), years and have never seen a game hit like this. I have people that have never played a table top game in their lives show interest and even bring more into the fold. They are speaking with their wallets, which is great. Bad news, my distributor is lacking. Worse, they are not seeming to grasp that this is hot! Two weeks in a row now I am met with OOS. . .OOS. Sorry just venting a bit. Anyone else finding or NOT finding OOS a problem? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nathan Caroland Posted May 12, 2010 Report Share Posted May 12, 2010 This has been and is still being addressed with distributors, emphatically. I can assure you that Wyrd has plenty of product on hand to fill needs. From time to time we may run out of something for a few days or a week at most, but that's uncommon. Continue hollering, loudly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hylentor Posted May 12, 2010 Report Share Posted May 12, 2010 I feel your pain there. Back when I managed a game store, there were occasional things I went round and round with my Alliance rep on (not in a "this is your fault" way, in a "well, can you check, or find someone who can? way). Occasionally I did just what you did and asked the game company itself what's up Okay, it was occasionally in a "this is your fault" way, but only when it actually was Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PanzerKraken Posted May 12, 2010 Report Share Posted May 12, 2010 (edited) As a former retailer, this is a very common thing sadly for gaming. Gaming distributors generally... suck. So many game products come and go and they have lot of fear of getting stuck with inventory. Unless its a really popular game like Warmachine or a WotC product, they generally don't do much restocking of a product line. You have to basically have lot of different distributor accounts set up to basically dig out stock of anything. Problem also is that lot of the distributors are fairly good sized companies, but retailers only talk to some sales rep who really just wants to take orders and push onto you the new arrivals or "sales". You can ask for them to restock something, but does this ever get to anyone who actually does the ordering? And it all just hurts the LGS, since people can't get something in store, they go online and find it easy and at a big discount. Edited May 12, 2010 by PanzerKraken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreadpiratelynx Posted May 12, 2010 Report Share Posted May 12, 2010 And it all just hurts the LGS, since people can't get something in store, they go online and find it easy and at a big discount. I agree wholeheartedly. My LGS has the same problem with their distributor and it has forced me to make my last few purchases online. I really want to support the store that introduced me to this wonderful game, but the distributor is making it exceedingly difficult. They still haven't even gotten any of April's new releases. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harliquine Posted May 13, 2010 Report Share Posted May 13, 2010 This has happened with several new "hot" games in the past and currently. I work at a local shop and we have problems from time to time with various products. The best thing for us to do is to get together and start finding distributors common to our areas that can serve the product and reps who will listen to our concerns and make things happen. If you do that then you can weed out the poor preforming reps and distributors who just don't seem to ever have certain products in stock. The other thing you can do is to preorder a head of time. And by a head of time I mean as a retailer hit your local shop forum and advertise a preorder as soon as it hits your fax/email from the distributor. The managers and myself do this at my local shop and other than occasionally being shorted it really cuts down on the not getting product. You can even offer a small discount in exchange for prepaying for the product or at least putting X dollars down for the preorder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manicmac Posted May 13, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2010 Well, I have eliminated the buy from someone else issue. If you do not buy from me you automatically get a -,-,- on every draw in the now forming league! Caused a few heads to spin with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
costampede Posted May 14, 2010 Report Share Posted May 14, 2010 I'm starting to get alittle frustrated also. I ordered the Ronin pack from my local hobby shop, trying to support them instead of going through the internet, and I have been waiting a MONTH. It seems that they are having a hard time getting Malifaux through their distributors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbdrand Posted May 14, 2010 Report Share Posted May 14, 2010 I generally will buy a little something from my local hobby shop even if it is something i do not need just to make sure they are getting money off of Malifaux but I if I really want something I order from either Wyrd directly or from the war store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zethal Posted May 14, 2010 Report Share Posted May 14, 2010 Well, I have eliminated the buy from someone else issue. If you do not buy from me you automatically get a -,-,- on every draw in the now forming league! Caused a few heads to spin with that. Not sure if you are being serious or not; honestly I hope you are joking. This is unlikely to benefit you or your community in the long run. To suggest an alternative; why not have an entry fee to the league that gets waived if they purchase X dollars of products from you. This is easily understood by your locals and allows them to feel like part of the community rather having you try and control the scene, something that is likely to result in you losing a few players. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaosobscuros Posted May 14, 2010 Report Share Posted May 14, 2010 Not sure if you are being serious or not; honestly I hope you are joking. This is unlikely to benefit you or your community in the long run. To suggest an alternative; why not have an entry fee to the league that gets waived if they purchase X dollars of products from you. This is easily understood by your locals and allows them to feel like part of the community rather having you try and control the scene, something that is likely to result in you losing a few players. Lol. I'm pretty sure that was a joke. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manicmac Posted May 14, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2010 Oh it was! A heart felt joke Frustration, Nathan assures me WYRD has massive amounts of stuff and my distributor doesn't stock enough, obviously, and continues to be left behind. They want me to put it on back order. . .which bothers me no end. I have had far too much on back order as it is, some as far back as January with a promise date of April, and still no product. The fee to join a league is interesting, never thought of that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleeding Through Posted May 14, 2010 Report Share Posted May 14, 2010 This is a particulary bad problem in the UK. Small game stores or as the one and only local one I have being a comic book store can`t get stuff in at all. I mean more recently its been getting more but not a lot. Nothing Malifaux has reared in yet but there are plenty people talking about it so hopefully it will. At the minute though they get in enough warmachine to see them through and they recently starter getting anima tactics so I am really hopeful they can start supplying Malifaux in store as well and get some events organised for it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macgowan Posted May 14, 2010 Report Share Posted May 14, 2010 Dear Wyrd, Howzabout selling to retailers direct? Love, All Retailers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manicmac Posted May 15, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 15, 2010 Big smiley face. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandoryan Posted May 15, 2010 Report Share Posted May 15, 2010 We had the same problem here in Ireland. Can't remember the UK distributor, I believe there is only the one stocking Malifaux at the moment. Ended up having to buy the book online so we could proxy until the stock came in (which took 4 months from the US release date). Sadly it means Malifaux is smaller here than it would have originally been. We have a strong core, but a lot of people were extremely excited and had it eroded away after months of waiting. Luckily there has been a fair amount of demoing and EVERYONE who plays it ends up walking out of the shop with a gang, card deck, and rulebook. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hatchethead Posted May 15, 2010 Report Share Posted May 15, 2010 I guess I'm pretty lucky. Our large LGS (massive store, elite GW retailer etc.) has zero Malifaux in stock. The employees wouldn't know a Rotten Belle if it stabbed them in the mouth. If it's not Privateer Press or Games Workshop it's not on their radar. Thankfully, our FLGS (note the "F") is all about the Malifaux. The owner has at least two distributors who ship Wyrd stuff on a weekly basis. He has an entire wall section devoted to Malifaux and runs regular demos. So good. He's been moving Malifaux like crazy, and I've stopped asking about it at the big store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manicmac Posted May 15, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 15, 2010 I am trying! I would love to do a wall for Malifaux! Realistically though I have to start slow with Demo's and stuff. I have "Bad Things Happen" on the window in poor penmanship, (I excel at that anyway), some figures I painted, and am getting the curious in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ciaran Posted May 15, 2010 Report Share Posted May 15, 2010 Manicmac, DO you encourage Malifaux players to hang out and play at your place? That seems to be what's working the best for my FLGS. We come in, take over his demo table up front, or set up on one of the folding tables and start playing. I'm averaging a new player a week just playing our normal games. I'm also staying there painting and building terrain for the game, and that seems to get attention as well.... Regardless, best of luck to you on it!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manicmac Posted May 16, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2010 I ALWAYS encourage players to hang out. Come and play, or paint or just actually hang out. I have four tables set up for gaming and two for painting or terrain or what ever. I do not charge for playing or hanging out, EVER. The word is getting out there, slowly, so very slowly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ciaran Posted May 16, 2010 Report Share Posted May 16, 2010 It sounds like you're doing the right things! Beyond that I might encourage a customer with the right personality to become a Henchman. It's something I'm working on myself, I'm just slower than I care to be with my painting.... If you work out something with that person (Henchwoman might well provide a good draw to the game!) it can be a great mutually beneficial relationship. I think FLGS's should encourage these "unofficial" reps for every game they carry. Admittedly I'm biased to being the only one at my local store.... and that would be for Malifaux! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manicmac Posted May 17, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2010 Haha! I am selfish! I want to be the Henchman! I have a demo lined up for a ComicCon in June whether I become a henchman or not, but I do like the t-shirt! I do have a few young ladies interested in the program, one has a faction almost complete and the other is in it for the t-shirt only. I am teaching the first one to play and beat her quite badly yesterday. . .hey it was back and forth for a while, she killed the ice gollum! It is a fun game and so filled with gotcha's it is anyone's game! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nomad Posted May 23, 2010 Report Share Posted May 23, 2010 Around here we have the opposite problaem. No store wants to get a new product in in numbers, so when the first starter boxes went, there was no options. Then the 1 store which got Malifaux in was a bit less than active in supporting and promoting the product. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbdrand Posted May 23, 2010 Report Share Posted May 23, 2010 Henchmen get a t-shirt? That is the first I have heard of that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manicmac Posted May 24, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2010 Asking your t-shirt size is for. . . .? Perhaps to run a survey to see the average size of Henchmen no doubt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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