Where do game stores get their supply?

[seththefallen]

Where do game stores like Gamestop get their supply? If you were interested in getting inventory for a video game store (as I am) where do you go to find it? I've found someone websites that are like "videogamewholesalers" and things like that but its not exactly the most reliable and I doubt you'll get all the stock of brand new games right on release.

Essentially trying to find a supplier.

[Dr Mario Kart]

They have contacts with the publisher. I know one of the main guys who does sales for Konami, but generally in terms of big numbers going to Walmart and the like.

[epobirs]

A chain like GameStop deals directly with the publishers. Independent game stores deal with distributors like Ingram. A few publishers might deal direct with individual stores but not most. One of the numerous reason it can suck to be a small business in a product category geared to major chains.

http://www.ingramentertainment.com/aboutiei.html

[fatbeer]

Large chains like toyrus,bestbuy,circuitcity,gamestop purchase their items from manufactures.

small mom or pop stores buy their games from a wholesellers.wholeseller buy large qualities from the manufactures then resell them to small retailers for a small or large mark-up

[seththefallen]

Perfect. I appreciate the info.

[Rictor]

There's no profit in selling new games or movies as a small retailer. In fact, you can usually buy games and movies cheaper on sale from Best Buy than you can from a distributor. Used games and movies are really the only area a small business can turn a profit in, and for that you need an active trade base and you need to find a balance between giving fair trade-in prices and making a large enough profit to stay in business. Believe it or not, there's a good reason chains like Game Crazy give 25 cents for an N64 game and charge $20 for it. Older games tend to collect dust on the shelves, and even though you may eventually sell the game at $20, having it on display in your store for 2 years puts the actual cost of the game to you at around $19.90 when you add in 2 years of overhead and shelf space.

I've been in the comic book retail business for over a decade now, which is very similar to the used video game market as we buy, sell, and trade an item that is both collectible and has a practical entertainment value for non-collectors.

[Tsiawd]

I am also interested in the Marketing Displays that a lot of the retailers get. Would those come from the same people? Also, Anyone in the Used/retail game store reccomend a program to track inventory or use for POS? Any help in general would rock!

[macdude22]

If you are a smaller setup, a "mom n pop" if you will, I suggest going with D&H (http://dandh.com) they are a lot better to deal with when you arn't moving a lot of volume rather than Ingram. Ingram is top dog if you move a lot of stuff, but D&H (http://dandh.com) I've found to be much better for your smaller type of setup. Even then you have slim slim margins on new Games and Movies, if you want to make any thing on that type of endeavor you need a secondary source of income. The can also help you with marketing materials, typically you have to move a certain volume of product to get freeish type stuff though.

[Scavenger4]

If you are a smaller setup, a "mom n pop" if you will, I suggest going with D&H (http://dandh.com) they are a lot better to deal with when you arn't moving a lot of volume rather than Ingram. Ingram is top dog if you move a lot of stuff, but D&H (http://dandh.com) I've found to be much better for your smaller type of setup. Even then you have slim slim margins on new Games and Movies, if you want to make any thing on that type of endeavor you need a secondary source of income. The can also help you with marketing materials, typically you have to move a certain volume of product to get freeish type stuff though.


Sorry to hijack the thread for a questions, but whats the usual price per DVD (new release) for D&H? I'm with waxworks right now and they are absolutely insane / unwilling to work on reasonable margins (the local walmart beats their DVD prices by almost $5 a disc) and they still give me crap about not ordering through them.

I don't mind paying a little more than walmart as long as I can get guarenteed advertising items (posters mainly).