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Amazon is seen by many people as a great thing–they make so many things easily accessible to so many people at great prices. But they’re also seen as a villain. This probably has something to do with the fact that they’re one of the biggest companies in the world, as well as the many reports of Amazon employee mistreatment–the warehouse workers. Amazon, like any organization that is so ingrained in people’s lives, is going to have some skeletons in its closet.

I personally dislike a lot of the things that Amazon does. I think they’re bad for small mom-and-pop businesses, I think they’re bad for small manufacturers and authors, and I think they ought to pay more taxes. But I also buy SO MUCH stuff from Amazon. Some people shop at CostCo or Sam’s Club when they need pretty much anything. I buy from Amazon. From clothes to home goods to even foods, I buy from Amazon.

But thinking about this in relation to wargaming, I wonder: Is Amazon killing game stores?

Is Amazon Killing Game Stores: The Argument for Yes

Amazon Is Beating them on Price

Amazon sells so many things, and they sell them for cheap. If you are going to buy wargame materials from Amazon, you’re going to get them at a discount that is generally 15-25% lower than retail. This certainly holds true with Warhammer. Buying Warhammer on Amazon you will always get the same discount that most friendly local game stores will give, which is in the 20-25% range. (And, some friendly local game stores don’t give the same store offers on price. I have two FLGSs near me and one of them does and one charges MSRP. In that case, they’re more expensive than Amazon.)

So if you’re in the market for buying something for a wargame, especially something from Games Workshop, Warlord Games, Wargames Atlantic, Mantic, or Malifaux, then going to Amazon is a great way to get a great selection really fast. In my case, I just ordered my second set of the Horus Heresy Age of Darkness box, and it was available overnight to be delivered between 4-8 am. Pretty good service. (If I want other Horus Heresy stuff, the wait is between one to three days.)

This cannot be good for game stores, small companies Amazon is pushing to the limit. Referring again to the two FLGSs in my area, I’m sure the one knows that they are being out-priced by Amazon on their Warhammer. (They’re also being out-priced by the other FLGS on Warhammer.) But that discount is potential profit for the game stores. When the one store decides to pass along the discount on Warhammer, they’re doing so knowing that they’re leaving 20% profit on the table. Are they feeling squeezed into this? It seems like they may be.

Amazon is Beating Game Stores on Selection

Game stores can only carry a limited amount of stock. Of the two FLGSs in my area, one of them makes most of their money in video games and collectible card games, and the other makes most of its money in board games and collectible card games. (Collectible card games are a thriving business here, as everywhere.)

The number of games that any game store can stock is limited by the space available in their store, as well as only being willing to buy what they can reasonably expect to sell. Frankly, there just is zero market in my area for Malifaux, so there would be no reason for either store to stock it. My favorite game is Bolt Action, and neither store stocks Bolt Action–I have to drive about 45 minutes to get to a historical wargame store, and sometimes it’s just easier to click the “arrive in two days” button on Amazon and not make the trip. After all, I have Amazon Prime, so there’s no delivery fee.

The truth is that when it comes to tabletop gaming, neither store is really doing gangbusters in sales. They both stock a lot of Warhammer, they both stock a lot of Star Wars Legion, and one of them has a decent Marvel Crisis Protocol line, but that’s about it. If you want any other game, then you need to turn to the internet.

(There ought to be a caveat here that there is a lot of selection that Amazon DOESN’T have. There is a wealth of wargames that are unavailable without going directly to the manufacturer, and this is especially true of buying anything from Europe. Knight Models drives me bananas because I really want to get into the Batman Miniatures Game, but there’s a $20-30 delivery charge to get anything from Spain.)

Amazon’s Practices for Cancellation and Returns

Amazon’s practices make things very easy for customers to make returns and cancel orders. Because it’s all in the big, never-forgetting long-term database, Amazon is aware of what you bought, when you bought it, and how much you paid. With a friendly local game store, you’re at the whims of store policies and whether you remembered to keep the receipt.

Is Amazon Killing Game Stores: The Argument for No

Game Stores are Customer Obsessed

Here’s the deal with game stores–or, at least, the good ones. Game stores are customer centric. I know the names of the employees at my FLGS and they know me. I can call the stores and say “Hi, this is Robison, can you reserve me a pre-order of the Leagues of Votann?” and they’ll do it easy-peasy. No need for leaving a credit card or paying in advance because, in my case, the FLGS employees (who are generally owners or part-owners) know me and trust me.

One of the biggest benefits of going to a game store is that you’re going to be talking to people you know and, hopefully, like. You have a relationship with these people. At one of my FLGSs, they stock a particular faction simply because I, a frequent customer, like it. (I’m sure other people do too, but I asked for it and they started stocking it.)

Game Stores Are Where You Play the Games

Another benefit of going to a game store is that games are played in the store. I have a few friends outside of the store who I play games with, but most pick-up games are played in the store. And most of these in-store games are with people who I have also come to know and come to like. Of course there will always be THAT GUY, as there always seems to be, but most people are cool and down-to-earth.

And on this topic, this is where game evangelism comes in. Like I said, no one in either of my FLGSs plays Bolt Action, but I’m currently working on prepping two small forces (I have endless Bolt Action forces, but I’m trying to cull down some lists) so that I can bring them to the store and introduce other people to the game. Game evangelism is definitely a thing, and something that you’ll never get from Amazon. There’s no one at Amazon introducing you to new games.

Generally, Amazon expects you to come to websites like The Wargame Explorer, and read my review of Marvel Crisis Protocol or Konflict 47 and then click on the links and go to Amazon to buy it. (And yes, to be clear, I use Amazon affiliate links.) But if there’s a game that is NOT sold on Amazon, like just about every historical game that isn’t sold by Warlord Games, then you’ll never know about it on Amazon. Game stores introduce you to new games, big and small.

Game Stores Are Where You Can Get Stuff Now

I talked about how Amazon can get you things quickly, but if you want something now, today, then the game store is where you need to go. One of the biggest places where this is true is in paint. Buying paint on Amazon is a miserable chore. Yes, they can get you (some) colors from some of the big companies, but it’s often sold in sets–like Vallejo’s many paint sets. Buying a single color of Vallejo paint will cost you much more than it costs in the store and will take five or six days to get it. And Citadel paints? They’re like twice the price.

If you want a product now, then you go to the game store. When I am working on my Word Bearers, as I am right now, and when I run out of grass tufts, as I did two days ago, I didn’t go to Amazon. I drove down to the game store and bought them off the shelf and was back home basing my miniatures within twenty five minutes.

And, of course, the same thing goes for the games that the store sells, even if the selection is smaller than Amazon’s.

Game Stores Are Where You Can Get The New Releases

This is the one I’ve been saving for last because, in my opinion, it’s the biggest point in a games store’s favor. They can get you the new releases and Amazon simply can’t. I can pre-order stuff through my game store, as I have with several Leagues of Votann kits, and they’ll be there on opening day, if not a day or two early. But if I have to wait for those kits to appear on Amazon? There will be a lag time of at least a month, if not four or five. I’ve noticed that the bigger releases–like the starter boxes–will show up on Amazon quickly (a month late) and the lesser models (the follow-up releases) will take considerably longer.

So…

Is Amazon Killing Game Stores?

The answer is clearly no. Game stores can compete with Amazon on virtually everything, with the exception of the convenience of getting something delivered to your door. Game stores are where you play games, where you get new releases, and where you can buy stuff you need immediately.

Yes, Amazon will have a bigger selection because Amazon warehouses are huge. But if you’re willing to wait a couple extra days your friendly local game store can order those games in for you.

Amazon is NOT killing game stores.