RE: [OT] Mini Pictures was Re: 6-10mm ST Bugs

<rant>
Back at Games of Berkeley (c.1990) Scott Jensen and I had historical
mini sales
up to 1.5% of total sales. That was tending towards 2% when I left, but
did
include the special order business.

The big problem is that GW figures are less work to order. I've never
seen a
gamestore that stocked its shelves in any relationship to what the game
requires, nor does anyone seem to take care that someone can walk in,
pick up
the rules and a few packs of minis to strat an army or a fleet. 

At GOB the problem turned into: all minis have a SKU based solely on
price
(plus the DbaseIII (not III+) inventory system couldn't cope, even if I
would
do all of the data entry for every miniature in production). We already
have
200 packs of minis at $1.25 (oldstyle Grenadier fantasy for example), so
you
can't order 30 more. Explaining that these are the same 30 packs we sell
every
weekend (and will sell again next weekend)  met with blank stares. The
popular
figs sold out and stayed that way, sales of miniatures immediately
tanked.

To do things right requires someone who will keep accurate inventories,
make
detailed orders, and maintain the stock you'll actually sell on a
regular
basis.	You have to know what figures everyone only needs one or two of,
and
which can be picked up on a whim to expand an army. It requires a
dedicated
specialist, I spent two hours every Friday and Monday doing the orders.
The
same figs kept selling, we made a lot of money.

*sigh*

Nowadays, you can order exactly what you need over the Internet, and
usually
pay less even with shipping. At Gamescape (SanFran) these days I just
look at
Fleet Action and Star Blazers minis just out of morbid curiosity. I
don't even
go into GOB more than twice a year anymore (although I am dead sorry I
missed
the clearance sale when they got rid of the old display cases, a lot of
unique
OOP figs went by - plus there were all our clever names for figs).

</rant>

Thanks for listening.

Does anybody think a local gamestore would actually do the work to
implement a
"How to Double Your Miniatures Sales" pamplet ?

--- Michael Brown <mwbrown@veriomail.com> wrote:
> Not to mention that most stores (at least in the Bay Area) carry only
Evil 
> Empire.  Closest store that carries no Evil Empire is an hour away.
> 
> Michael Brown
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Casquilho, Daniel
> Sent: Friday, February 09, 2001 7:36 AM
> To:	gzg-l@csua.berkeley.edu
> Subject:	[OT] Mini Pictures was Re: 6-10mm ST Bugs
> 
> 
> Glenn is right, No pictures means No sales to me. I live in
California. Most
> of the good miniature conventions are on the East coast so they are
> inaccessible to me. Many of the mini companies are also from the UK,
again
> out of my range for "personal inspection". So that leaves me the web
and all
> of you.
> 
> When I start a new scale or genre I often start by looking at what my
> friends have, then do web searches. It is sad that in some cases these
> companies loose not just my money but that of many of my friends. I
have
> become one of their sources for information. For example when we
wanted to
> do colonialism it was the printouts I did from Foundry that caused
almost 50
> packs to be ordered. Had there not been pictures I would not have even
> brought them up and we would not have ordered.
> 
> OK I will get off the soap box for a while :-)
> 
> Daniel
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Glenn M Wilson [mailto:triphibious@juno.com]
> Sent: Thursday, February 08, 2001 6:36 PM
> To: gzg-l@csua.berkeley.edu
> Subject: Re: 6-10mm ST Bugs
> 
> 
> Daniel's point remains, at least for me,  NO pictures means NO sales
from
> me.  Again, custom created (Eureka) is an exception.	Ditto if I could
> find someone to do Nektons in 6mm - John McEwan e-mailed me a go ahead
to
> find a 6mm sculptor...
> 
> *And* if your 'model' is so close a copy that it invites copyright
> infringement then maybe the lawyer is over-zealous,  Or maybe your
model
> is an attempt to skirt copy right on purpose.  [Yeah, that's harsh but
is
> it true?  Yes, in some cases.]
> 
> Gracias, Glenn/Triphibious (American Mongrel)
> You don't have to be French to be a 'frog', or even human!
> Nektons - Real Marines! (Die, Ralnai, Die!)
> Starguard, Dirtside 2,  Ratner's Space Marines, Stellar Conflicts
> and Uprisings, and Full Thrust/2nd.  Resistance is everything!
> 
> 
> 

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