Is running a card shop really so easy? people just show up everyday to buy dice and cards?
12 card/game stores have opened up near me in the last decade. Not a single one of them has lasted long enough to renew their lease.
>>93906040I want a simulator of someone using Tabletop simulator. Something that captures the ennui of playing 1776 in this way
>>93906040From what I've seen it's mainly sitting behind a counter for most of the day, maybe talking to one customer, and then going back to sitting behind the counter
>>93906179Why would they open a shop with no plan and no way to make money?
>>93906040Events this game needs to feature to be authentic:Assholes that come in and lowball you with prices sourced from the lowest possible online price found (and don't take shipping into account)Idiots who want to build a S-Tier competitive deck for their GFs who have never played before and wouldn't understand the intricacies, AND only have a $25 budget. Crackheads who come in to sell the crap they stole from Walmart, then when you tell them they don't have anything of value, they lurk around until close and you need to keep watch on them so they don't steal everything.
>>93906444Any hot swingers with cute wives that want to DnD and sexo
>>93906485Actually yeah why are these types of "couples" so common in these shops
>>93906419If they were dumb enough to open such a business, they were incapable of making an appropriate plan in the first place. All those places were undoubtedly foreclosed on with merch gathering dust in the store while the manchild proprietorcried over his tending in his mother basement.
>>93906419People who think they can make a living just hanging out playing their preferred game all day and occasionally ringing somebody up when they dump a a ludicrous sum of money on an entire 40k army or MtG deck.
No mini games, rpgs, comics and board games? only TCG in this game?
>>93906040No, which is why the median length of an LGS's existence is the duration of their small business loan.
>>93906040>Is running a card shop really so easy?Yes, it's dirt simple.>people just show up everyday to buy dice and cards?Yes, it's basically free money, people just show up and give it to you. You should absolutely open one yourself.
Rolled 9 - 3 (1d20 - 3)>>93907274I roll to detect traps.
This problem would be solved if everyone was allowed to operate stores out of their homes.
>>93907607The stranger's advice is sound, and you notice no obscene odor
>>93906040Might depent on the area but in my neck of the woods, the only stores that survive are the one that do cards, GW stuff plus some of the big enough alt-wargames, boardgames, comic books and figurines/goodies. The only stores that can get by selling only one type of products are comic book stores and that's because I'm in France and the comic and manga markets are traditionally very good here.Even with that, it's not a very high margin business and your customer pool is pretty limited.
>>93907620But you are, that's called running an Etsy page or an Ebay store.
A successful card shop within the first six months should be able to:•Sell multiple games, offering sealed product and singles.•Establish a repeat customer base.•Establish and maintain both a competitive and casual scene.•Become certified to be able to host tournaments and distribute promos.If you can't commit to at least a year of zero income working 12-14 hour days, don't bother, unironically.
>>93907621Nice! I love advice from friends on the internet. I'll start a TCG and TCG accessories shop soon, then.Do you think I should go for a serious name, a boring name, or a wacky name?
>>93907672>commit to a year of zero incomethat's not how you run a business
>>93907776Tell that to everyone that opens a restaurant. The first 1-2 years you make zero money. ZERO dollars.
>>93907776It is exactly how you run a business. The average small business does not turn a profit for the first 1-2 years, and sometimes not for up to 3. This is essentially part of the buy-in to become established. Any full-time business that turns a profit within the first year is considered a meteoric success>>93907755Wacky name, of course. It worked in the 80's, so why not today? It helps if the name says absolutely nothing about the business. I'm thinking "Bazinga!"
>>93906040It's easy! Just have a large play space with free entry tournaments that pay winnings in store credit! Also you need to be able to price match the lowest historical amazon dump sale price on all sealed product otherwise I'm not buying any.I play lots of games so I know what good business sense is.
>>93907776You better not look at distilleries lmao. Most businesses are on the good side if they start making money after 3 years, and then you have to remember you're probably not going to get that great of a pay out of the work hours you put in. That's usually the price to pay to be your own boss.
>>93907776Considering the upfront costs and the time it takes to build a customer base, it should be common sense that a small business wouldn't turn a profit for the first couple years.
>>93906040If Trump can sell collectible cards, so can you!
>>93906491Fringe attracts fringe. Weird swingers and polyamory types look to the other fringe groups for new prospects, and greasy card -flicking gamers are one such group that qualifies.
>>93906040I tried the demo for this game and named my store THE NIGGER FAGGOT thinking it would say "You can't use that name" but it let me name it that. 10/10 game.
>>93906040Running a card shop is really easyFirst you open a shop and sell cardsThen you notice cards won't give you any profit so you add Funko popsThen you also add video gamesThen some comic booksFinally you close because people just buy online
>>93906485> wife cries while shop owner and swinger discuss 40K for three hours
>>93910170Comic books has closed more LGSs in recent years than anything else.
>>93906444>and don't take shipping into accountWhy should they? Paying for shipping just covers an operational cost that is purely the function of an online business. The storefront does not have this cost. They have a convenience factor by being a physical establishment you can walk to, but that's also balanced out by having to make a trip to the store and dealing with physical stock. Shipping cost existing or not does not have any bearing on the price of the good. It's a break-even point.
>>93910942>Why should they?Because when you compare the "lowest price online", shipping absolutely comes into play for the seller.You can list your items at very low prices because you'll actually have a profit margin on shipping in many cases. Especially if you're dealing with private sellers on resale platforms, it's a very well known trick :>list your item below market price>charge a bunch for shipping but the total is still an appealing offer>ebay, etsy, discogs, whatever platform you use calculates its cut on every sale from the listed price, shipping not included
>>93906040Yes, but the real money maker for most in my are has been the non-card/game stuff. Selling snacks and drinks (especially beer) while advertising as a hangout spot has been making more money than selling MtG.
>>93906040No, but about once per payday, a 2d3-2 manchildren will show up to leave behind said payday on Magic boosters.
>>93911964>I have no fucking clue how much money people are willing and able to throw on MtGAll the local stores tried the "hang out" approach. Net loss, some even bankrupt on them. You know which one is doing fine and didn't change shit? The one with five stands full of Magic and two stands of Yugioh. They have 6 people taking shifts selling those two products and are consistently in the business for past 27 years. Pre-internet, you could get some board games there, too, since they had easier time sourcing them, but now you just google it, so they dropped those from their sales. Still making more money than all the competition in the city
>>93912038That sounds like your local scene is high as fuck on MtG then. Almost everyone where I am buys their shit off the internet then goes to the shop to play. One of the larger ones makes bank off MtG releases, but it's dry between them and they rely on a lot of the other sales to get through.People hanging out and buying 20 cent water for $2 and $1 beers for $6 has crazy good overhead. Beer sales are a nice meal ticket for the owner, that's for sure.
>>93912065>That sounds like your local scene is high as fuck on MtG thenHardly.Especially since the store that tried to just sell Magic and in the same time being a play space for Magic lasted grand total of 8 months.>People hanging out and buying 20 cent water for $2 and $1 beers for $6 has crazy good overhead. Beer sales are a nice meal ticket for the owner, that's for sure.Run a gaming bar instead, you retard. You are going to make bank on actual merchandise a bar sells, PLUS attract people with board games. Trying to run a store that's also a convinience store AND a play area is easily the dumbest and least effective business models ever, since you need triple the space for not even 10% increase of profits.>b-but it works up hereThen you are living in some anomaly where people go to store to hang out. That's weird, mate
>>93912112>where people go to store to hang outDo people not do that in fag land? Weird af. Game stores are very common hang out spots in lots of places.
>>93906040>Simulator gamethese should be banned, many such games are factually incorrect making zoomers even more retarded; they may get hurt trying it in real life unironically
>>93911964Yeah, whenever I go to the stores I always buy a snack and a drink because I know that's where they get the most of each buck I spend.Margin on TCG products are absurdly small, meanwhile, any food you can easily sell for 2x~4x the cost.
>>93910942Except the shop owner also needs to have product shipped in order to sell it.
>>93911110ebay takes it's cut from the shipping now as well
>>93906040The most accurate thing about this game is that when you order stock they will just sit it out on the sidewalk in the middle of the day when you have the door wide open.
>>93912244don't go on roblox
>>93906040>game bases parody cards off Pokemon>not Duel MonstersNot even worth pirating and then beating up the creator's grandfather.
>>93906419anon, that's how you open a business. If you could double check and know for sure that your business plan works before testing it no one would close their shop.
>>93907644I recently found out that's illegal in some EU countries.>>93907776that is 100% how business operate.>>93907755why not all three?
>>93912921>any food you can easily sell for 2x~4x the cost.this is why I do not buy food there, they overcharge
>>93913705if your business doesn't make profit continually it will go under, sorry to break it to you guys.
>>93913784if you don't reinvest every cent you'll go under, that's how it works.
>>93913784>if your business doesn't make profit continuallyhow are you gonna recoup your initial investment in your first month?
>>93906040Gaming stores make no money. You are basically a glorified daycare for people who will gladly use your space for several hours and then leave without buying anything.I have a retarded friend who is currently in the process of opening a game shop in a terrible location and I keep telling him it's a bad idea but he won't listen to me. The ONLY successful game stores are run by people who have other sources of income and use it as a pet project because they enjoy traditional games.
>>93907776I lot of business's survive by the skin of their pants anon.
>>93907776It doesn't mean "You make $0 for the entire year"It means "The amount of income for the year is lower than the money you have invested into the business"As others have said, it's EXTREMELY odd for businesses to make a profit (Income>expenses) in the first few years of existing, since it's just so fucking costly to start one up.
>>93906419Overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer
>>93913814be sure to pay your bills on time, nig
>>93913770Anon, they getting cents on a gum, or like a dollar or two on a snack/drink.Since most LGS I go too doesn't require any payment to use their tables and space, I just buy things to make it worth it for both of us.
>>93913770>>93916491A lot of LGSs I've been to make their money by charging to use play spaces.
>>93906040You can't be just a card shop, you gotta be the>Card Shop>Comic Shop>P&P RPG Shop>Wargaming ShopWith the space to host events of all the various types + selling snacksAlso exist in either a high income area or get lucky with location to the point where low margins are livable. The board game and RPG shop a city over just opened a new location in my town and it will be interesting to it can last but I won't be surprised pic rel is a shitty mock up of my county's gaming scene that I only realize the amount of while making the pic.Also when i mean city I mean like low 6 digits for mine and him 5 digits for the other city.
>>93916746Slight correction I forgot another Comic Store.
>>93906179This is both because card shops need to be heavily invested and active in forming a community of about a dozen faggots who will blow all their income on boosters and draft nights, with a contingent of irregulars who will show up to buy singles and the occasional knick knack or collectible.The only places that do well enough to stay open usually go all in on Funko Pops or other speculative investment shit and even though it would be so sweet to see those faggots go bankrupt and have to sell all their vinyl garbage and "graded" pokemon cards at a loss, it is often the only kind of nerd-adjacent business model that can stay open. Mostly because America is so fucking financially hostile to small businesses, but that's a problem that exists outside of funko pops and price gouging slips of cardboard.
>>93906485>>93906491A decent amount of geek couples are mutually settling, where both thinks they can probably do better but also fears going at it alone. So they pretty consistently wind up in those kinds of pointless, loveless relationship structures.
>>93906040Why would people come to your store and not order online?
