Price Gouging

[KobeBryan]

How do you feel about the stores who are jacking up the price on these commander sets?

They probably purchase these sets for maybe 50% of the MSRP, but still jack up the price 3 folds to sell to the same people who keep their stores open.

I know stores are free to charge whatever they want and its ultimately up to the customers who will decide whether to purchase the products or not. However, when you see a store jack up a price for a commander set to like 70 bucks, how do you feel about that store?

[thecrav]

How do you feel about the stores who are jacking up the price on these commander sets?

They're screwing themselves. The only people who will pay these prices are people that need (verb: American for want) them immediately.

1. It is not a limited print-run product. [source (http://markrosewater.tumblr.com/post/64417495055/there-are-rumors-swirling-around-the-net-that-commander)]
2. It will be available at or very near to MSRP at Wal-Mart, Target, and possibly GameStop.

[KobeBryan]

I mean you see these stores jack up the price 2-3 folds and wonder in the future...would you ever trust this store to be fair?

They simply are taking advantage of the uninformed.

This is a poor business model if you intend to stay in business for a long time.

[Phoenix Ignition]

On the flip side if you're a store that is known for selling at MSRP, you get a flock of customers whose only intent is to flip the cards on ebay, thus making it just as price-gougey over all.

I don't really mind it just because the brick and mortar stores make a profit on this, as they are the places that keep most of Magic running, at least at a local level. It's not like they make a ton of profit off of running a 5 dollar FNM, surely not enough to stay open.

[Megadeus]

They're screwing themselves. The only people who will pay these prices are people that need (verb: American for want) them immediately.

1. It is not a limited print-run product. [source (http://markrosewater.tumblr.com/post/64417495055/there-are-rumors-swirling-around-the-net-that-commander)]
2. It will be available at or very near to MSRP at Wal-Mart, Target, and possibly GameStop.

I think with Commander sets it is dumb of them to jack the prices.

With FTV and other limited sets however I am fine with it

[thecrav]

With FTV and other limited sets however I am fine with it

FTV's are really just a gift to stores. "Hey, thanks for selling our product and helping to build the brand. Now pay around $17 each for these sets you can sell for $150+."

[Megadeus]

FTV's are really just a gift to stores. "Hey, thanks for selling our product and helping to build the brand. Now pay around $17 each for these sets you can sell for $150+."

Right. Which is why I am fine with them selling them for not MSRP. I hate when people bitch about how they cant get 150 dollars worth of value for 35 bucks just so they can go eBay it.

[Nebuchadnezzar]

I think the stores are getting us back for all the times we would buy out their stock of a card that jumped the day before

[(nameless one)]

When do these go available?

[KobeBryan]

When do these go available?

November 1, 2013

There is an unlimited supply so I wouldn't worry about these damn stores jacking up prices.

[Barook]

November 1, 2013

There is an unlimited supply so I wouldn't worry about these damn stores jacking up prices.
It's probably going to be expensive for those who plan to play it at the BoM.

But even with the unlimited supply, I could see the same thing happening as with Rat's Nest (the precon that had Jitte in it) - while you can order an unlimited number, you can only get the whole package, meaning you have to sell the other junk, too.

[cdr]

If you're going to blame anyone, blame Wizards for not printing enough that the market price is equal to MSRP. If a store sells something at MSRP when market price is 3x MSRP, that's literally just giving money away.

If the market price is in fact not 3x MSRP and some LGS is just trying to gouge locals, they're just driving people to buy online.

[Barook]

If you're going to blame anyone, blame Wizards for not printing enough that the market price is equal to MSRP. If a store sells something at MSRP when market price is 3x MSRP, that's literally just giving money away.
The only thing you can Wizards blame for is their dickish distribution model. If you could order batches of the Precon without the other ones, supply wouldn't be a problem.

However, they're only selling whole boxes of the precons, jacking up orders due to "Mind Seize" while nobody else wants the other ones.

From a business point of view, brilliant. From a player point of view, a dick move.

[phonics]

Just go to any big box store and get it there at msrp then. People only get away with gouging because there are people willing to buy it at that price.

[Star|Scream]

Just go to any big box store and get it there at msrp then. People only get away with gouging because there are people willing to buy it at that price.

But won't other people go and purchase all of the Mind Seize products specifically to sell on eBay?

[KobeBryan]

But won't other people go and purchase all of the Mind Seize products specifically to sell on eBay?

let them.

WOTC said that it will be printed in abundance. If they want to hoard, jack up the price and fail to sell on ebay, pay the fees, and commission, its their choice.

[Megadeus]

Ill head to local walmart/target/whatever to get one at MSRP. I dont have an EDH deck and I figure Ill just modify one of these with some cards. The Bant one looks fun. Though getting a Baleful Strix and a Mini Progenitus is pretty dope as well.

[Dan Turner]

My issue is the same people who are complaining about stores charging more than MSRP for items are a lot of the same people who will bitch if a store doesn't charge low eBay price for singles. One of our local stores is going out of business because people refused to sell if cards for less than Ebay and then refused to buy cards when he started asking star city prices for them.

I am sorry but you can not afford to keep a shop open without a decent profit margin on product. Everyone cries they have no place to play but then brag about how they can get cards for half the price the shop is selling them at.

When you buy from your LGS your not only buying the card or product, your also buying a place to play and hang out. Another shop got smart he sells at ebay but charges $45 a month for a membership to play there and that gives you free FNM every week and 1 free draft a month. You can also earn member ship by getting a frequent buyer program every $100 in purchases gets you a free week.

This is why i no longer have a shop and why so many are failing, you can not buy singles at $10 and sell for $10.50 it does not work that way, and that is why so many stores jack the price through the roof on these box stuff and other "limited" items. So next time you need a place to play go to Wal-mart and set up a table and chairs and see how that works for you, or even better go to eBays headquarters and play in their lobby.

[Technics]

that is why so many stores jack the price through the roof on these box stuff and other "limited" items.

MaRo has already confirmed, this product is in no way "limited".

[Megadeus]

MaRo has already confirmed, this product is in no way "limited".

Which is why I do not feel bad buying it from Wal Mart. Last time around I remember every single store in our area charging inflated prices except for one store. They had plenty in stock and they were fine with how many copies of the deck that they had

[Phelix]

For those of us not living in the US - say Scandinavia, where packs cost $6,25 msrp and there are NO big box stores... "Price gouging" is simply competitive marketing. since very few stores carry this product, say less than 1 store per million capita, and they get less of each, its a natural thing for them to charge more on... everything.

considering that VAT is 25%, odering online is quite a gamble (and customs is vat+25 bucks, +fee)

[Dan Turner]

MaRo has already confirmed, this product is in no way "limited".

That is why I put it in quotation marks. But I bet it will not be available anywhere a year from know at MSRP so in a sense it is limited.

[guelahpapyrus]

That is why I put it in quotation marks. But I bet it will not be available anywhere a year from know at MSRP so in a sense it is limited.

Sure. In that case, it's limited like Magic 2014 is limited.

[phonics]

But won't other people go and purchase all of the Mind Seize products specifically to sell on eBay?

I think that for the most part ebay sales will end up going to places that dont have good availability of the set, like countries not in Asia, Europe or North America, I don't know the availability situation, but there are probably places in the middle of nowhere that dont get much stock. The only other people that would buy off ebay would probably just be really uninformed since most likely ebay + shipping would be more than any gouging lgs.



My issue is the same people who are complaining about stores charging more than MSRP for items are a lot of the same people who will bitch if a store doesn't charge low eBay price for singles. One of our local stores is going out of business because people refused to sell if cards for less than Ebay and then refused to buy cards when he started asking star city prices for them.

I am sorry but you can not afford to keep a shop open without a decent profit margin on product. Everyone cries they have no place to play but then brag about how they can get cards for half the price the shop is selling them at.

When you buy from your LGS your not only buying the card or product, your also buying a place to play and hang out. Another shop got smart he sells at ebay but charges $45 a month for a membership to play there and that gives you free FNM every week and 1 free draft a month. You can also earn member ship by getting a frequent buyer program every $100 in purchases gets you a free week.

This is why i no longer have a shop and why so many are failing, you can not buy singles at $10 and sell for $10.50 it does not work that way, and that is why so many stores jack the price through the roof on these box stuff and other "limited" items. So next time you need a place to play go to Wal-mart and set up a table and chairs and see how that works for you, or even better go to eBays headquarters and play in their lobby.

All of my lgs do a bunch of other things that make the money, selling/trading cards shouldn't be a primary source of income, someone I talked to that did it said that trading and selling cards amounts to almost no profit and it is almost like a service to customers, and their money is made selling other products like accessories, other card/board/fantasy games, comics or whatever. With the existence of an online market it would be silly to try and make a significant profit competing against places that don't have to spend money of physical stores, and have better prices and availability.

[ReAnimator]

All of my lgs do a bunch of other things that make the money, selling/trading cards shouldn't be a primary source of income, someone I talked to that did it said that trading and selling cards amounts to almost no profit and it is almost like a service to customers, and their money is made selling other products like accessories, other card/board/fantasy games, comics or whatever. With the existence of an online market it would be silly to try and make a significant profit competing against places that don't have to spend money of physical stores, and have better prices and availability.

Out of curiosity, where are you located? I have encountered multiple stores that have magic singles/sealed product as their primary source of income by a wide margin.

[phonics]

Out of curiosity, where are you located? I have encountered multiple stores that have magic singles/sealed product as their primary source of income by a wide margin.

Sealed product is probably a different story. I live in Calgary, afaik there are no stores that are strictly card games or mtg specifically here. The only place where I have seen mtg only game stores was in Hong Kong, most likely only because there were like a couple legit shops and the population density allows it to work.

[JACO]

It's not price gouging per se, but rather just pricing what their local market and customers are willing to pay. Price gouging is a specific term related to pricing so far above the market when no alternative seller is available, which clearly isn't the case with these. Wal-Mart, online retailers, other local retailers, and eBay certainly exist as alternative and realistic means of getting these around MSRP.

[ReAnimator]

Sealed product is probably a different story. I live in Calgary, afaik there are no stores that are strictly card games or mtg specifically here. The only place where I have seen mtg only game stores was in Hong Kong, most likely only because there were like a couple legit shops and the population density allows it to work.

Yeah that's probably it, cause i can think of a lot of Ontario stores that pretty much survive on Magic alone. Though we have a huge player base, as evidenced by our back to back world attendance record breaking PTQ's (68 players short of the size of the Australian GP the same day a few weeks ago).

[Megadeus]

Sure. In that case, it's limited like Magic 2014 is limited.

lol truth. If my LGS sells at MSRP then Ill get one from them, but if not I dont see why I wouldnt just go somewhere I can get it at that price.