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I assume you have an inventory (probably 1,000 games) in your spare room ready to distribute.
Now that you have a product to sell you will most likely ask some questions.
Should we approach an existing game company and sell our game to them?
Should we use a distributor or reseller?
Can we market our games ourselves directly to retailers?
What is eCommerce and Drop Shipping?
Let's study these and other options in more detail.
Ascension 2012 The Shift
Disclaimer:
This tutorial contains opinions and ideas of the author.
This tutorial is published with the understanding that the author is not engaged in rendering professional services. The author is not a qualified Lawyer, Patent Attorney or Advisor and therefore disclaims any responsibility for any liability, loss or risk, personal or otherwise, that may arise as a consequence, directly or indirectly of the use and application of any of the contents of this tutorial.
In this tutorial the author explains the process used to write his own patent and is not intended to be legal advice.
Links to relevent websites are provided to help Board Game Designers and Inventors locate information and the author does not guarantee the validity of this information and recommends professional advice should be sought where appropriate.

We're Go An Ah expose your games to the world!

Congratulations!

You have invented an exciting playable and fun product.
The next stage in this tutorial is to explore the many options available to market your games.

Marketing Defined.
Marketing is more than just selling a product.
Marketing involves all the decisions and actions required to make sales for a business.
This will include identifying the target market, establishing what their needs are, providing them with those products or services, setting a profitable price, informing those people about the products or services as well as selling and delivering the products to them.

Imagine a shop located in a remote location and nobody knows it exists.
It does not matter how good the products are or the variety and quality of the products on sale.
"Without Customers, There is No Business"

Now imagine a busy highway built in front of that store.


The owners also decide to start an aggressive TV and media advertising campaign.
Do you think they have now increased their chances of making a sale?

Using eCommere (selling online) as your marketing method is no different.

Without web traffic and links bringing traffic to your website, the target market does not know you exist.

Here at Go Ah Ah Play Games we are committed to increasing traffic to this website.
(Traffic are visitors to the site)

When I produced my first game to sell, I considered many marketing options.
Let's take a closer look.

Find a Distributor

A distributor will place your game in all the popular game stores and busy supermarkets.
It could cost 15 - 35% of the wholesale price for this service.

If you can afford this option, it is an excellent way to get it out there.
You may have to try a few distributors to locate one that is willing to give you a try.
However if you are successful, you will have your games displayed in stores previously unavailable to you. This is because the retail stores have an existing relationship with the distributor.

Consignment

If you decide to approach a store personally or offer to send a few copies of your product to a store for them to display, and you do not charge the retailer to purchase them, this would be consignment.
Under consignment, the store does not purchase or pay for shipping and postage costs, so consignment costs the retailer nothing.
If they get a sale, they would pay you wholesale and keep a commission.
The product remains your property and so you are responsible for insurance.
Most retailers see your product as a risk because they do not know how well it will sell. This is why they prefer consignment. To them it's "Give it a try and see how it goes".

Sell Products at Wholesale

The toy store in my town offered to buy 2 copies of Toxin Drop before it had been made.
I simply told him about the game and that it was currently being manufactured.
We worked out a wholesale price he was willing to pay in order to sell at a reasonable price.

I also have a friend that works for a roadhouse in another town. I showed her the prototype.
She told her manager who also agreed to purchase a few copies without seeing it.

So don't underestimate the value of word of mouth.

You may quote me.

"Believe In Your Game-Talk About Your Game-And You Will Be Advertising Your Game."
Ascension 2012 The Shift
We have just discussed these great options of Conventional Retail Marketing

So what are the limitations of the marketing methods just covered.
Petrol (Gas) - Time - Rejection.

With the exception of using a Distributor, you will find yourself spending a lot of time in a vehicle, visiting retail outlets, promoting your games.
I have placed my games on consignment in retail stores within a 300 kilometre radius of my town. As each retail store includes my games, I add their details to this webpage: http://www.goanahplaygames.com/toxindrop_stores.html

I have noticed most retailers prefer consignment as all businesses are struggling to survive in this current economic climate.
I have also found many stores prefer exclusive rights to the town they service.
Naturally I am willing to oblige these requests to give my game exposure and minimise the risk for these soldiers of retail.
Ascension 2012 The Shift
But are retail stores the only option when marketing your games?

An example of a Drop Ship Directory Below...

Visit Australian Wholesalers Directory

The Retail Revolution!
Another option to market your games is Drop Shipping.

What is Drop Shipping?

 First you need to understand the conventional supply chain.

  Manufacturer to Wholesaler to Distributor to Retailer to Customer.

If I were to distribute your game using the conventional retail method.
It would require a shipment of a quantity of your games to Western Australia.
I would then keep these games as inventory in my warehouse.
I would then advertise your game on my site.
After each sale I would send a game to each customer.

That is Double Handling. Why did the game even need to be sent to me anyway?
Imagine if you, the wholesaler, could send it directly to the customer after the sale has been made.
This is dropshipping.

Compared to Drop Shipping conventional retail is.....
An Old Fashioned, Expensive and an Inefficient Marketing Method.

I would like to offer you a partnership as an eCommerce Drop Shipper.
I will explain how this works. Don't panic, it's simple.
The prices are for example only.

Drop Shipping Explained

Step 1. You send me Photos, Game Descriptions, Shipping Weight
and tell me the Wholesale Price of your game (eg. $20).

Step 2. I add your game to Go An Ah Play Games^® website.
I would love to make a Featured Game Web Page just for your game.

Step 3. A Customer Purchases the Game from Go An Ah Play Games^® website At Retail (eg. $29.99)
 Pays the Shipping Costs (eg. $9) and  gives me their Shipping Address.

Step 4. I send the Wholesale Amount $20,
the Shipping Amount $9 and their Shipping Address to you.

Step 5. You Send the Game to the Customer.

The customer knows beforehand that you will send a replacement game if unsatisfied.
They also know they will be required to pay for the postage to return the game to you.
They know if they want a full refund that I will gladly pay them after you have confirmed with me that the goods have been returned.

So YOU as the wholesaler and I as the retailer, form a partnership.
We eliminate the middle man, (Distributor and Retail Store)
We reduce costs and Unnecessary Transportation.

With Drop Shipping, if you live in the US and I live in Australia for example, and I sold a game to a customer in the US, the shipping would only from your address to the customer.
With conventional marketing it would have been shipped from the US to Australia.
 Then from Australia to the customer in the US.
You see, the advantage with Drop Shipping is that the games are only shipped AFTER THEY ARE SOLD.

Go An Ah Play Games website has been designed to specialise in advertising unique and educational games like yours.

By Drop Shipping, it is no longer necessary for the retailer (dropship reseller) to keep large amounts of inventory (stock) waiting to be sold.

I, the Dropship Reseller (online retailer) will advertise your games on goanahplaygames.com and you, the dropship seller (wholesaler/supplier) will ship directly to the customer after the game has been sold.

If you are interested in forming an eCommerce Drop Ship Partnership, you may visit the Go An Ah Play Games Dropshipper's Network - Click Here

I'm sure your game is fun and I can't wait to play it, so don't be shy - Let's get going.

I hope we can become fellow dropshippers.

Go An Ah Play Games is an Approachable Website.
Designed to provide a place online to Sell Your Unique and Interesting Games.

The focus is Niche Markets and Targeted Industries.

At Go An Ah Play Games we are seeking Game Inventors and Wholesalers willing to include their games (inappropriate material excluded) on this website.

Go Ah Ah Play Games® provides Education and Assistance in the Development of Games.

Please feel free to visit the Go An Ah Play Game Blog - here you can give feedback on this tutorial and add any comments you feel will help other board game inventors.

Go An Ah Play Games Blog - Click Here

Go An Ah Play Games Dropshipper's Network is the perfect location to market your Board or Card Games. Click Here 

All game designers are encouraged to have their games included on this site.

If you are reading this and you have a website selling games and would like to earn some extra cash, you may like to become my Drop Ship Reseller.
You would include our games on your site to market at retail.
After a sale, you would send me the wholesale amount, the shipping amount and the customers address.
I would then ship the games directly to your customer.
If this is you, please send an email to: David Barker contact@goanahplaygames.com

Now you can see how it is possible to be a Drop Ship Seller (wholesaler) and a Drop Ship Reseller (retailer) at the same time.

If you own a retail store and would like to stock our games, we welcome your enquiry.

This completes the tutorial.
I hope I have inspired you enough to get started, or for those that had already begun, to have given helpful tips and direction to assist you on your exciting journey...
Making Your Very Own Board or Card Game.

This tutorial is not stagnant and will be updated, improved and edited continually as the industry changes and as I receive feedback from you the readers.

Feel free to visit the Go An Ah Play Games Blog for more ideas, information and to give some valuable feedback http://goanah.com/blog/
or click the Continue arrow below to visit Go An Ah Play Games Dropshipper's Network.

Go An Ah Play Games markets and sells products, including children's products, for purchase by adults 18 years and over. If any product you are ordering is intended for a child please assume the following warning may apply to that product:    WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD-Small parts. Not suitable for children under 3 years.

Web site contents Go An Ah Play Games^® ABN: 23 254 839 455