Hey there strangers, I am getting ready to self-publish my first non-book game. It's a box set format and includes a custom back poker deck, 20 custom label poker chips (willing to use blank chips if severely cheaper), and a 5 1/4'' x 3 3/4'' rulebook with a max of 40 pages (formatting isn't done with the book, but should be done soon). I want to get this product down to at least $3-$4 per unit and sell for about $12 retail. Optional items: 5 1/2'' x 4'' Plastic tray to hold deck plus tokens.
It's a very basic print run and I would like some guesstimates to have a clue on what is too much/too cheap for materials and labor when I ask for quotes. Based on the simplicity, I think I can get away with printing in the U.S., but that is only due to my book publishing experience and ignorance of game publishing.
Just from seeing some already produced products, I see $1.80 for a Bicycle standard playing deck (wholesale), Less than 13 cents for 1 13g poker chip and around $1 -2 for the book (4 color back+front, B&W interior). Weight per box weight will be close to 8 ounces and the box itself should be 5 1/2''x 4''x 1 1/4''. Now since these are wholesale prices, I expect to have these costs be lower and I'm expecting to print around 1,000 at least. I can go higher if needed. At what number will I get the best price per unit and what should I expect to pay per unit? I want the cost to be low enough to attract the widest audience possible while displaying quality.
That was one heck of a high end. I typed in the numbers and they spilled out $16.37 (-$2.40 due to that 15% discount). Humorous for sure. They should really fix their approximate rates because it would be cheaper if I bought all the components separately and paid for shipping. Thanks for the advice though.