Well I know it's been since November 2025 that I've mentioned Dual Dice (DD) and what has been going with that product.
After much debate and discussions, we are interested in re-shaping the experience due to our limited MOQ of product. Specifically we are talking again about the packaging (or lack there of...) and what it would be as cost to do so.
We are also discussing the amount of product too. In that vein, we feel that the early bird pricing attracted enough people to fund the product but not enough to make a larger order (in the future).
Which leads me to think that although the product was good for the reasons of getting the dice FIRST there was a cost involved in SHIPPING which dramatically increased the cost to buy. Furthermore with 30% tariffs for this product made in China ... Led to even tighter margins and we are lucky that we managed to make a few bucks all the while propagating the product globally.
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So what are we talking about now? And what is the situation today??
With much discussion, the perceived VALUE of the product was low due to its lack luster presentation (no box) and the quantity of product for the price. And so we did an exercise to see what would work going forwards IF we planned to demonstrate the product. And we've come to some conclusions and they go a bit like this:
So the price product goes up by $5 CAD but you get double the dice. Furthermore we are examining packaging and we would be selling to a distributor via a custom box that just spells FANCY and PREMIUM...
Plus in-store there is a 15% consumer tax which means these dice would cost $28.75 CAD (or under $30 dollars). That $30 buck marker is important and we feel more would dissuade consumers from buying the product.
Why four (4) dice??? That's a good question, for one, more dice increases the perceived value (ROI) that the consumer gets more bang for his buck. And the two (2) Black and two (2) White complement each other well and allow for the extended dice rolls of 1 Black & 1 White dice possible for 2-Players.
We are TRYING to give the best possible deal while NOT pricing ourselves outside the market. Yes two (2) Dual Dice for $40 CAD ($20 product and $20 shipping) was pricey. And since we will save on shipping, it's a more reasonable ask ($25 CAD) for retail.
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Feel free to comment and ask questions if you have any. We are still in the process of evaluating this direction. I've prepared the Illustrator file for the cuts and packaging size and TBH I am very satisfied with adding more value to local consumers who visit and buy at local game stores (FLGSs).
The Kickstarter demonstrated that people are interested... But the ASK was too high for larger volume of orders. And currently since we want to entice people to have a look at the contents of those small boxes, well it's apparent that we need to move forwards with this and see how it goes.
Cheers all!
Comments
External input...
I had a colleague of mine take a look at the "Box Samples" (JPEGs) which show a bunch of different sizes and colors. And surprising enough, he chose something that wasn't even on my radar TBH! *LOL*
His thinking was that he pictured something thin and sleek rather than a boring square box. I'll have to admit he did get me thinking and I did a couple sample boxes in different sizes and finally decided on ONE particular design.
Now comes my dilemma:
Not sure which to buy. I will continue to ponder this DIFFICULT choice.
Cheers!
More thoughts to ponder about...
Well I had an issue with the Color and I've made a decision:
I also realize that 500 boxes is a LOT for one order. We'll have to wait and see what they quote me for this Custom Box & Insert and the Glossy Logo too... I still will think about the QUANTITY. Like I said 500 boxes is a LOT! It's not a question of MONEY, it's more a question of NO WASTE. So we'll have to wait and see. I don't want to be left with TOO MANY boxes and nobody to sell them to.
I will follow-up with more information and details as the come available.
Cheers.
Looks like...
I will need to WAIT until the end of February before being able to move forwards. As it stands most businesses are on holidays for Chinese New Year. And that means some of the sourcing businesses are already closed. For example the box manufacturer said her "Foam Insert Company" that they deal with are already closed for the holidays. So she cannot get me a completed quote.
The good thing is that it's only 9 days... And they should be back to work from the 23 February and probably somewhere in that week I will get my quote.
I've also looked at Canadian companies that do boxes ... We'll see how much they quote TBH. I asked for 3 quotes: 100, 200 and 300 units.
We'll see what the pricing looks like and the overall quality of the product...
Keep you all in the loop as things move forwards.
Best!
Been shopping around and...
It's amazing that a couple companies produce the EXACT SAME boxes and the ones that I am interested from China. They are significantly more expensive (obviously) but offer the SAME "stock" boxes that the Chinese Manufacturer sells for 100 units. The Manufacturer says that a custom LOGO for 100 units is possible but customization such as size and insert means bumping up the production of 500 as the MOQ.
So at this point, I'm taking a break from "Dual Dice" and will finish up my "Quest AC" rulesheet in French and then prepare the bilingual instructions with the larger box (90 Cards) for each rulesheet (English & French).
We'll see how that goes and I should have the price of the NEWER prototype with the extra size for the 2 rulesheets.
Cheers all.
China is our "friend"...
I know I may get some SLACK for saying that... But I was encouraged to "explore" local companies that make packaging here in Canada. The argument being that I could support LOCAL businesses in the "manufacturing" section... Specifically the ones who make local packaging.
So after a quick review and check on prices... The Canadian Manufactures, SOME of them deal with the Chinese Manufacturer that I have been in contact. What does that mean??? It means that some Canadian Packaging Businesses profit from what the Chinese are making.
Then comes the argument saying that the Chinese are taking control of the market when in reality the Chinese businesses (or manufacturers) only get about 20% of the market share meaning that 80% of the MSRP goes to LOCAL businesses like the FLGSs and the LOCAL distributors.
So yes the Chinese make some money on the transactions. But this does NOT prevent the Canadian businesses importing from them and therefore the division of the pie is respectful to LOCAL and import businesses too.
It does NOT seem like local Canadian businesses can COMPETE when it comes to the "manufacturing" aspect of the product. Where we see a big difference is in terms of shipping costs: shipping from China could be DOUBLE the cost of the product so 100% markup just on shipping ALONE.
Again we'll have to wait until the end of the month to see and determine how much the custom product packaging costs from China. Again we shall see...
Keep you all informed as I get information and piece together a plan...
Sincerely.
Hoping to get news this WEEK!
I'm still waiting for news concerning the PRICING of the "Packaging". I was told to expect news by Friday (27 February 2026) and am therefore patient knowing that in time the answers to my questions will be revealed.
The contact has already given me positive on the Spot Gloss Logo on the packaging and therefore that's one big concern out of the way. The second the Foam Insert has also been confirmed that this is do-able ... But we'll see what the price looks like for both and the custom sized box.
We shall see. I'm excited but being patient since the quote was asked for on the 10 February 2026 right at the same time as Chinese New Year. So I was warned that it could take a couple of weeks before getting a quote.
So soon... Keep you all informed! Cheers.
The manufacturer has confirmed that the Packaging is DO-ABLE!
But I still don't have a quote based on COST and Quantity. I have also determined that IF I WANT to sell ONLINE, I CAN. There is a 17.5% Tariff for the dice... But that's okay because the consumer is paying the FULL Price to me. Meaning I am the store and take 100% of the profit.
Obviously this means 10% fees and the 17.5% tariffs, but at $20 USD , I lose like $3.50 USD and make $17.50 USD. Which again is GOOD. Selling DIRECT is NOT a problem. Where it becomes a problem is selling to STORES in the USA and/or a Distributor in the states... The percentage is already like 60% off the MSRP.
That leaves me very little room and the tariffs are choking the profits. So the USA Stores are NOT at all attractive to sell to. Direct to USA consumers is GOOD but not to USA Stores or Distributors.
Selling to Canadian Distributors is OKAY. But I'm not there quite yet. I am waiting to know the price of the Packaging and how much that is going to cost. From there I'll know if this next phase is FEASIBLE or not.
Sincerely.