I thought I'd ask this question since there has been alot of discussion on various places to demo/sell your games.
A nearby game store is interested in selling some of my games in a new "Local Designer" section of their store. Is there anything I should know before jumping into this? Has anyone else gone this route and have any information to share? I will be posting back progress on this in the journal section as we move ahead.
Thanks!
XXOOCC makes good points. I used to manage a retail book & music store and these are all things we considered when we sold books from local authors and musicians. The only thing I'd add would be to try and negotiate days/times when you could be there to demonstrate the game. This should help boost your sales if people have a chance to play it. You may be able to negotiate a better profit for these days so you could take a higher percentage of the sales. The store may not go for this, but it can't hurt to ask.
Also, make sure you keep excellent records of everything. How many games do you deliver on the first day, how many new orders are requested? That way, if you come in and the count differs between what they've sold and what's 'in stock' you have proof of what was transacted at the beginning.
Just my two pence.
- Geoff
just send all the profits to the tax man, Im sure that will make him happy :wink:
Mmm sorry, did that come out a little bitter?
rog
Unfortunately i have no advice in this area. I would like to know what game or games you are selling in this fashion. Is Lockhaven for sale yet?
Please keep the rest of up up to date on your progress.
Thanks for the great info. Sounds like you two have excellent experience in this field. This really helps. How do taxes work as far as the profits I receive from the game? Anything to be careful about?
Well, with the caveat that I'm not a tax expert and you should definitely consult one, I would say it depends on your business structure. I'm guessing you're working as a sole proprietor - in which case you would add any income (not profits, income) to your personal income. However, you also can deduct business expenses so if you end up with more business expenses than business income you probably can deduct the extra expenses as a tax loss.
Again, get an expert opinion for your own situation! And keep excellent records.
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We started this way back in 1980... and although some things HAVE changed, some haven't.
Offer to give the store 35-40% of the MSRP, not more... or they'll never have a reason to ask their favorite distributor to carry you.
If giving them 35-40% leaves you losing money on the production cost, find a new way to produce it, or come to the conclusion that you can never sell this product commercially at that price. Distributors generally get 60% off retail (they'll pay you $4 for a $10 game).
Have a contract, simple and basic, which makes the store owner responsible for loss, shortage, or damage... so that if your stuff is ruined on accident, they own it. Check in with them every 30 days or so to see how things are going.
Make sure that your product has a copyright notice on the outer cover... its not great protection, but its some. It needs to be formatted with your name and the year "Copyright 2003 by Give-Me-Money Productions. All rights reserved."
Thats where I'd start :-).
XXOOCC