FLGS Confusion Over Pewter

[Ratmaster2000]

1 hour ago, Jordan Peacock said:

Following up, sort of, I talked with someone I know who works at Peachstate Hobby Distribution, and we got into something of an argument about whether or not Reaper pewter minis are "discontinued," but I think it was mostly my fault for not having all my terms straight.  It might have been a matter of terminology, as he at last said something to the effect of, "I know they'll cast them if you order from them directly, but it's not part of their regular distribution*."  

 

(* Not an exact quote, and I'm not sure if I remember "distribution" as the exact term being used.  He might have said "not part of their regular production."  I probably should write these things down, as when I don't fully understand the terms being discussed, I have more trouble remembering the particulars.  My usage of quotation marks here shouldn't be taken as denoting "newspaper quotes.")

 

In any case, he told me that it's a moot point, because (paraphrasing from memory) "they're phasing out pewter for the Bones plastic.  Nobody is really buying the pewter anymore, because it costs so much.  The Bones are what's selling."  (I didn't get a clear sense as to whether he meant pewter in general, just Reaper pewter, or more specifically just the older pewter minis I was specifically making reference to.)  

 

He then advised that I should get in on the Bones Kickstarter before it wraps up.  (This was before the Kickstarter, in fact, had wrapped up.  ;)  Never fear, I got in on that, but mostly for big terrain items, not yet more goblins and kobolds and dragons and adventurers and stuff.)

 

The Bones HAVE in fact comprised most of my Reaper purchases of late, and at Sci-Fi City, I notice that many of the Reaper pewter packs are so old that the plastic is brittle and the glue sometimes comes loose.  The Bones are of course newer, but I also see a lot more turnover when I stop by.  (I'll see a Bones mini, think of getting it, go by and it's gone, but then the next visit it's back in stock again.  There's no such diligence when it comes to the older pewter minis, that I can tell.  Once they're gone, they seem to just STAY gone.)

 

 

REALLY????? Pewter is being phased out??? Yah I guess that's why, as recently as August 28th Reaper introduced NEW figures in Pewter/metal (same thing, just semantics). BONES are an alternative to pewter when people are on a budget or want bigger pieces that will not kill you because of the weight:) Geez, I hate distributor types who think they know what they are talking about and really just talking out their arse:( I have worked with and have been a distributor for one company or another practically my whole life, and I know if you just had a little bit of dedication to your stores (your customer), you got what they wanted and they'd be a customer forever. I mean geez, only 2 sales reps (me and my partner) pulled in 100K a MONTH, so yah I guess we don't know what we are talking about:) Sorry all, this crap just gets me going, apologies.

[strawhat]

I had a similar situation with the FLGS.  When I started rebuilding my paint supply, I made the choice to go Reaper.  Nothing against Vallejo (which is carried at the shop), but I hang out here and like to support the people who do cool things for me.

 

So I gave a list of the triads I wanted to the shop.  A week later, and I still haven't heard anything.  I go into the shop and am told that the numbers and products I want don't exist.  Huh?  Well, they found a couple, but nothing else.  I explain that I was going after the triads, not the individual paints, but I can re-write the request for the individual paints.  So I do.  Several days later, most of the order comes in.  No further explanation was offered.  I buy the paints, come home, and order the rest off Reaper's site.

 

Two days later, for game night, I'm back at the shop and guess what.  The rest of the paint showed up from another warehouse.  So, I pick up the rest/duplicates--I mean, I asked them to get a non-standard product, and they got it.  I should follow through on my end.  Maybe I jumped the gun with ordering direct; maybe they should have said that it could have been coming in a different order.  But, either way, it felt like the right (if a little inconvenient) thing to do.

 

But now I figure I've got the system down: order the individual bottles, give it a week plus a couple days, etc.  No worries, right?  Wrong.

 

I bring the next order into the shop all written out with my contact info on it, and am told that it would really be better if I did it all through FB, so that there was a "record" of what I ordered.  Huh?  I've already ordered the biggest single order that I'm going to do (about $120), and most of the rest would have been $40-$50.  You've got my contact info, written in my hand, in YOUR hands!  The FLGS has just made it more trouble than it's worth.  So I now order paints directly from Reaper.

 

Bottom line is this: For some folks, basic customer service isn't a thing.  They don't ("can't," to be truthful) know everything about a product and can't admit that someone else knows a little different than they do.  Ultimately, you can lead the proverbial horse to water, but you can't make it drink.

[Chaoswolf]

@Reaperbryan,

 

Sorry to call you guys out, but I'm not certain of the proper person to address this to.

 

I was just at my FLGS this afternoon, and the owner told me the same thing that the OP mentioned 4 pages ago (Bones is replacing metal, metal is being discontinued). I tried to explain that this wasn't the case, but he wasn't hearing it (his distributor was  more likely to know about this stuff than a mere customer...)

 

Anyway, I figured you may want to know this and try to fire up the PR machine to stop this rumor from spreading.

[Bruunwald]

I guess I'm just lucky. My FLGS not only still happily stocks pewter from the available catalog through their distributor, they also have an account with Reaper and will happily order any pewter I ask for directly, and give me a 10% convenience discount.

 

Not only do they know nothing about this supposed phasing out of pewter, but I also happen to know some people at their main distributor, and those guys think this is all hogwash.

 

I suppose we could cross reference and try to put together a list of the offending distributors... But I would be hesitant lest they feel like the mob is chasing after them. Not very professional, that. And I try to keep these things on a professional level.

[Dr.Bedlam]

This is disturbing. Most of the local shops in the Denver area seem to carry mostly Bones, but the metals are still available, even the new stuff. Maybe the distributors are getting sticky?

[Last Knight]

1 hour ago, Dr.Bedlam said:

This is disturbing. Most of the local shops in the Denver area seem to carry mostly Bones, but the metals are still available, even the new stuff. Maybe the distributors are getting sticky?

I was just in my FLGS the other day; mostly Bones, but pewter DHL and Chronoscope available (including a 2015 Reapercon Sophie). Quite nice selection, really.

[Doug Sundseth]

1 hour ago, Dr.Bedlam said:

This is disturbing. Most of the local shops in the Denver area seem to carry mostly Bones, but the metals are still available, even the new stuff. Maybe the distributors are getting sticky?

 

I suspect that Bones (and the Wizkids lines) are turning enough faster that most retail stores will want to carry those products rather than metal. In retail, it's all about how many times you can sell your inventory (value) in a year.

 

Historically, 4 turns per year was considered healthy. In a typical small game store with $20K worth of stock at wholesale, that would mean $80K in gross profit per year. Subtract rent, utilities, taxes, maintenance, salary for one other employee, that would give you plenty for a 1 bedroom apartment, ramen, and a 15 y.o. used car -- as long as it doesn't break down. (Retail is hard.)

 

 

[Cyradis]

It rather sounds like some of these are just "LGS" rather than "FLGS". If they are being annoying or a hassle, they aren't "friendly" or "favorite" worthy.

 

And yes, retail is hard. I did some basic estimates for the hat shop, and I came to the conclusion that it is kinda amazing that it has been consistently stable for three years, especially in such a prime location. 

 

Still, it would seem reasonable for a retailer to just say "the plastic sells better, so that's what we mostly carry" and if they can work it with a distributor or directly, order whatever is needed. If distributors are being jerks, that seriously blows for the customer (and potentially for the store too).  

[Reaperbryan]

15 hours ago, Chaoswolf said:

@Reaperbryan,

 

Sorry to call you guys out, but I'm not certain of the proper person to address this to.

 

I was just at my FLGS this afternoon, and the owner told me the same thing that the OP mentioned 4 pages ago (Bones is replacing metal, metal is being discontinued). I tried to explain that this wasn't the case, but he wasn't hearing it (his distributor was  more likely to know about this stuff than a mere customer...)

 

Anyway, I figured you may want to know this and try to fire up the PR machine to stop this rumor from spreading.

 

We've been dealing with these rumors for 5 years, since Bones debuted. We will be dealing with them forever. 

 

Our best source of giving you the ability to counter it is Our Website, where we announce our new releases, which, as can be seen, Metal figures AND Bones figures are releasing monthly.  www.reapermini.com

 

I mean, if you want to give me your store's number, I'll be happy to call him and correct him, but he won't like it. Nobody likes a phone call expressly for the purpose of me saying "One of your customers told me you're telling lies about me and if you don't stop I will send buglips to live in the boot of your car until the smell never comes out"

[strawhat]

23 hours ago, Cyradis said:

It rather sounds like some of these are just "LGS" rather than "FLGS". If they are being annoying or a hassle, they aren't "friendly" or "favorite" worthy.

It depends on the number and severity of any other accompanying hiccups.

 

In my case, they still provide me with a place to game and even hooked me up with other players.  They also stock most of what I'm buying right now, at a better than MSR price.  The paint is, for me, a minor issue.  

[Gadgetman!]

On 19.9.2017 at 5:07 PM, Reaperbryan said:

 

I mean, if you want to give me your store's number, I'll be happy to call him and correct him, but he won't like it. Nobody likes a phone call expressly for the purpose of me saying "One of your customers told me you're telling lies about me and if you don't stop I will send buglips to live in the boot of your car until the smell never comes out"

 

Or you could send them a care package, with a note 'Here are some of our recent NEW metal releases. And there are more where those came from...' 

And add a few of the recent minis, with a sticker 'released on xxxxx' on them. 

[Maredudd]

My FLGS doesn't say the metal has been discontinued, but he does say he can't get them from his distributor. But then I tried to get him to order a few Bones figures and after three weeks of reminding him that I was waiting he finally ordered them. I'll be honest, it's easier to come directly to Reaper. Where I live there really isn't a lot of traffic for RPG minis, and the local FLGS is really a Comic Book/MTG store.

[LittleBluberry]

28 minutes ago, Maredudd said:

My FLGS doesn't say the metal has been discontinued, but he does say he can't get them from his distributor. But then I tried to get him to order a few Bones figures and after three weeks of reminding him that I was waiting he finally ordered them. I'll be honest, it's easier to come directly to Reaper. Where I live there really isn't a lot of traffic for RPG minis, and the local FLGS is really a Comic Book/MTG store.

 

Pretty much the same here.  Bones usually have a small section beside WizKids, hardly anyone sells a paint besides P3 and Vallejo.  Normally the best place to buy minis is at a local con.  Factor in that I'm a 20 minute drive from the closest gaming shop and it's easy to see why I normally just buy online.  

[Ratmaster2000]

On 10/1/2017 at 9:45 AM, LittleBluberry said:

 

Pretty much the same here.  Bones usually have a small section beside WizKids, hardly anyone sells a paint besides P3 and Vallejo.  Normally the best place to buy minis is at a local con.  Factor in that I'm a 20 minute drive from the closest gaming shop and it's easy to see why I normally just buy online.  

Man I wish I was 20 minutes from my FLGS, its 45 minutes to an hour for me:( 

[Club]

It's worse in Canada. After the second (maybe even first) kickstarter, the distributors, in typical Canadian distributor fashion, threw a collective hissy-fit and stopped carrying reaper. As near as I can tell, the only people the stores here can get reaper stuff from is RAFM Canada, and at least one local store has had issues dealing with them. I've had a couple special orders fail, which is not usual for the store.