Discounts?

Started by Leon, 17 February 2016, 01:21:29 AM

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Leon

This is something that gets discussed by the traders quite regularly, and after it came up on another forum recently I thought it would be interesting to discuss it here as well. 

Discounting seems to be quite the trend these days, from the various voucher websites and apps for everyday items, the regular holiday and 'Black Friday' sales that we see, all the way through to the host of online sellers heavily discounting all manner of goods.

Within wargaming, there's a variety of mainly online and eBay sellers offering upto 30% discounts on GW stuff and similar, and then there's other traders who categorically state they don't do discounts.  On the customer side, I've seen comments on other websites from people who won't buy anything unless they get 20% off?  And then there's folks who are happy to just pay the price and get their goodies.

From a Pendraken viewpoint, we've had all sorts over the years.  We've had customer's place a £500 order as normal through the website without any expectation of getting a better deal.  At the other end of the spectrum, we've had people asking for discount on 1 or 2 items.  At Salute a couple of years back a guy came over with 2 sets of decals, totalling £5, and asked us 'What's the best price you can do on these?'!

I've often wondered if it's something that the younger gamers expect more, due to it being so common within the GW and related Sci-Fi sellers?

So:
- Do you ever ask for discount on your gaming goodies?
- Is there a certain value of order that you expect a discount on?  (Over £50, over £100, etc)
- Should a discount be expected on larger orders?
- How much discount makes it worthwhile?


DISCLAIMER:  This isn't a 'Oooh, Pendraken are going to start doing discounts' thread, it's just an interesting discussion!
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Ithoriel

Some random thoughts.

I'm not averse to haggling if I think it's worth it.

E.G. Compact Digital Camera already discounted from £120 to £99.99 as it was end of range and ex-display. Haggled down to £50 plus 50% off the headphones I was buying.

I've haggled over new kitchen units and got a fridge and under-unit lighting thrown in.

Tumble dryer - took extended warranty, got 10% discount, cancelled warranty during cooling off period.

I need to feel the sales person is up for haggling though, so careful conversation always precedes the attempt to reduce costs!

With most wargames companies I'd be less inclined as I think they are run on a shoestring as it is. I'm happy not to get a discount if the trade off is that the company is still around next time I want whatever they make. If wargames companies are charging more for their figures than they are worth to me I'll buy them cheaper (discounted/ second-hand) or do without.

I still have piles of GW stuff from the days they ran regular sales in the shops that I would never have paid full price for.
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paulr

I seem to agree with most of Ithoriel's random thoughts  ;) :-\

Except I have NO GW, each to their own

Quote from: Leon on 17 February 2016, 01:21:29 AM
- Do you ever ask for discount on your gaming goodies?
- Is there a certain value of order that you expect a discount on?  (Over £50, over £100, etc)
- Should a discount be expected on larger orders?
- How much discount makes it worthwhile?


DISCLAIMER:  This isn't a 'Oooh, Pendraken are going to start doing discounts' thread, it's just an interesting discussion!

- being on the far side of the world and often doing 'special orders' I normally have to ask what it will cost and usually get a nice surprise with a discount or reduced postage, haven't had to ask :)

- being so far away all my orders tend to be large, I would look to get something if my order was more than £50

- a discount or other acknowledgement of a large order is appreciated, one large order is easier for the seller than multiple small ones ;)

- on a large order even 10% is appreciated

Bugger ;D

For me good service is more important than discounts but I want to pay reasonable prices as it allows me to buy more
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FierceKitty

I haven't given it much thought, save that Newlines have a periodic "four for the price of three" sale, which I wait for when I use their stuff in a big project (like their impending 10 mm ancient Chinese).
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Shecky

I've been on both sides at shows - as a seller and a buyer. As a seller I would often offer discounts on the last day as that meant more money for me and less books to pack and carry home. As a buyer I don't recall ever asking for a discount but there have been times the vendor reduced the price or threw in other things to sweeten the deal. I suspect it had more to do with them wanting the money and reducing what they had to cart back.

For online gaming purchaes I usually buy based on quality rather than sales or discounts. However, the one time I bought solely because a manufacturer was having a half off sale I regretted it because the quality of the figures were not that great. If there is a choice of vendors for the same product I usually weigh the cost between who deliver it to me the quickest and at the cheapest price. For example, I was looking for some 28mm crusades figures. I found that ordering directly from Perry would be cheaper and quicker if I ordered over $100 worth than if I ordered the same figures from a vendor in the states.

Btw, I've found Pendraken to be the most affordable and highest quality 10mm figures around.

Sandinista

I am a member of the Pike & Shot Society and through them I get a few discounts when I remember about it http://www.pikeandshotsociety.org/documents/Membership%20Benefits.pdf As others have said, I would prefer the company to still be trading than worry about saving the price of a pint or 2.

Cheers
Ian

jambo1

Work in sales so haggling is part of my life, some people see it like a game and it can be fun, as for my gaming needs I never really think of asking for a discount if it's not there most companies I use are very well priced so probably don't feel the need to offer discounts.

Duke Speedy of Leighton

As a very good friend once said: "Wargamers are tight wads!"

Go to a model railway show, no one EVER haggles, it's considered an insult. People arrive with a budget, and spend it.

In my own opinion, and I'm usually wrong, but Most wargames firms are small or single person or family ventures, if they are offering any reduction it's because they already have it built in to their profit margin. 'Mate's rates' are great, but I feel guilty when they happen. I don't ask and don't expect to receive a discount, if one is offered, wonderful, and I will probably be back, but since my spends rarely exceed £50 a go, I feel it's rude to ask.
A lot of companies run at 10% under rrp, I do wonder what the mark-up is, and how much they are losing.
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Steve J

In the prototyping business, the larger the order, the more discount a customer might get. For example running the same silicone tool many times is cheaper than lots of tools just once. If I place a large order with a wargames company, it is often the norm that over a certain value you get free P&P and/or a discount.

I remember at Colours 5 or more years ago it used to be the norm to see show discounts offered by many of the traders. It's something that I've noticed less of these days. Possibly with most companies having an online presence has removed the need for these or the cost of stands has meant that they can no longer affored to offer them.

Having worked in Nigeria where haggling is the norm, we would just price our goods higher than we expected to sell them, so when haggled down we would still get the price we wanted. I've done this at Bring'n'Buys before. However nowadays at such events, everyone seems to check Amazon and Ebay prices so you can only seem to sell at the cheapest price on the internet.

Fenton

The only thing I look for occasionally is free P&P over a certain amount of goods purchased. That's about it think
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fsn

For Pendraken I'm agin' 'em.

My logic is that if you discount 10% on an order of £100 then either a) the company takes a hit of £10 or b) the cost of everything has to go up a little bit to cover the loss of the £10 discount.

The other thing that would lead to, I would humbly suggest, is that customers would just submit fewer, larger orders. Instead of ordering £50 per month, one would order £100 every 2 months. There may be benefits to the Dark Lord in doing this, for his ways are mysterious and many, (but possibly in postage and packing), but it does seem to be an over-complication.

Do you ever ask for discount on your gaming goodies?
Not for new stuff. I would barter at a bring and buy.

Is there a certain value of order that you expect a discount on?  (Over £50, over £100, etc)
Depends on what you're buying doesn't it? If you're spending £50 on figures, that's 300+ figures. It's 17 or so tanks. It's less than the cost of some of the terrain items you have on offer. I wouldn't expect a discount on orders over £50 if I'm buying a £65 village. 

Should a discount be expected on larger orders?
If you're Pendraken, no. I would be ashamed to take a discount. Pendraken products are not expensive. You'd have to convince me that you offering to give me money back on stuff I was going to buy anyway would benefit Pendraken. If you're GW then yes. Anything over one Space marine should be discounted.

How much discount makes it worthwhile?
10%.

DISCLAIMER:  This isn't a 'Oooh, Pendraken are going to start doing discounts' thread, it's just an interesting discussion!
So when are we looking to have it introduced? Is it worth delaying my February order?  :P

Seriously, I think that "once you go Pendraken, there ain't no road back." You bend over backwards, most of the time. (I'm not blaming Leon for the WWII Polish infantry being in all the poses I dislike and them being introduced shortly after I had made my feeling on kneeling, prone and shooting figures quite clear on this forum is, I'm sure, coincidence) There's always the "could you just swap ..", service levels are fantastic and the range is not only mouth wateringly huge (Byzantines, chariots, modern infantry and heroes excepted) but constantly growing and improving.

Which is a long way round of saying that if Pendraken were to offer discounts, I would suggest that it be something for first time buyers, just to get 'em started.  The rest of us are already addicts. (Visions of Dave hanging around schools saying "hey kid, you want some League of Ausberg Gunners inspecting horses' feet?")

We, the unidentifiable bits in the Pendraken Tutti Frutti (gosh, haven't done one of those for ages) don't appear to be clamouring for a discount. Nor indeed is there much groaning about the upcoming price rises. If you are thinking about a discount scheme, make sure it benefits Pendraken. I'm sure we (the blind kittens hanging off the Pendraken teat) want Pendraken to prosper more than we want discounts.     
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Leman

As a member of The Lance and Longbow Society I get discounts from certain manufacturers. Other than that I don't seek discounts as I had it firmly embedded as a child that greed is something you just don't do. One of the reasons I've found a lot of attitudes in this country since the 80s to be so vile.
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Roy

I get discount from one company - so I tailor my hobby to include as much as I can from that one seller to help us both out.

I recently bought something from a seller that did a 20% discount sale. Didn't spend much, but it worked out to the value saved would have been the cost of the postage. If they hadn't offered the discount I wouldn't have bought from them, except, possibly, at a show if I had some spare money at the end of the day.

Peter Pig gives free postage after £80 spent - so last things I bought I got in bulk to make use of this. Though I would normally just buy small, as £3 or so postage isn't an issue.

Some companies I only ever purchase from if they've got an online discount offer on. Warlord and North Star being such companies - They don't sell hardly anything I collect, that being the reason.

I do think Wargames Club discounts, or Society discounts are a good thing. But only if such organisations combined spending justifies the discount. Also, helping out clubs to have a 'club army', where its available for members to use and encourage to try a new scale or period isn't such a bad thing. Richmond Fantasy Club had such a 'club army' (Imperial Guard for GW 40K) to help younger players, or Fantasy players who were stuck for a game but there was a Sci-Fi player available. The local gaming store and GW helped out massively to make this 'club army' be financially do-able (the money used to buy it coming from the club coffers - after other expenses were met).
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Subedai

As others have said, it depends where you are. In countries where haggling is the norm then yes; at B&B's then also yes if I think the item is overpriced to start with and I want it badly otherwise if I think it's a good deal then fair enough. As to asking retailers no, I wouldn't ask them because like Leman, I was brought up the same way. Also, being slightly old school, I will always return to a company that offers friendly and efficient service and I have found that regular orders tend to generate their own discount because I have been told on a number of occasions 'Okay, call it £20 or £30 etc for cash', knowing full well that the order exceeds the amount requested. However, I am not averse to taking advantage of discounts if it's on an item that I particularly want.
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Bodvoc

From a wargamers point of view, I am happy to take advantage of offers and discounts put forward by companies but I cannot recall ever having asked for a discount, to me that is just rude. If you want something, then pay the asking price. However, you should see me haggle over the price of a car, particularly what a dealer offers me in 'exchange' as I always do my homework first.
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