So, I’m going to be writing this, not at all to complain about them leaving board games behind but to talk about the hobby as a whole. There was an article about them leaving and board games actually took a dip in sales last year. But more so, to talk about it to understand why one of the bigger online retailers is bowing out and why it’s important to shop at places like CoolStuffInc and your LGS (Local Game Stores).

Magic The Gathering vs Board Games

Let’s start out with the biggest factor and thing to know about your LGS and CoolStuffInc, but it’s pretty simple. Magic the Gathering, Pokemon to a lesser extent, they make more money for a store than a game does. Being able to buy and sell trading cards is generally how that works.

They buy for less, giving them a profit margin on something that is in demand because of tournaments and sell it for more. And then the people who sold their cards are buying the cards they need for their decks generally at that time, with store credit or money and possibly buying more. So cards more fairly fluidly.

But also cards take up less space. Frosthaven takes up a whole else, it blocks out the sun, it’s a massive box. Magic cards and packs can take up room. But generally packs are behind the deck. And look cards, there are binders or boxes that hold them. So while it takes up room, it is a smaller area. And LGS’s are good at not having too much bulk on hand. Enough that people can find what they want most of the time, but not so much that it’s a chore to keep and maintain.

Storage

This one I touched on a on a bit as I talked about how large Frosthaven is. But for CoolStuffInc, an online and LGS, you need to be able to store a largest backstock of games. That means that you need a lot of room. And space can be expensive.

And some of this might be that CoolStuffInc also runs QML (Quarter Master Logistics). QML is a fulfillment company for crowdfunding games. I believe that has been quite busy right now, and if that is a shared warehouse space, a fulfillment company is going to be more consistent at moving product into and out of the warehouse.

Final Thoughts on CoolStuffInc and the Change

As some people have talked about in the discussions I’ve been a party of, CoolStuffinc has not had a great selection of board games for a while. I suspect some of this is board games have been harder to keep a consistent stock of games. Also that as QML grew, that ate up space as well.

But mainly, it sucks to lose an online retailer. It is a lot of work, and an extra cost for keeping up a backlog. So I wish them best with the TCG (trading card game) market and hope that they stick around for a long while.

Where Else To Buy Now After CoolStuffInc?

So, where in the end will you want to buy board games from. I know I have a few that I use as online stores. As always, there is a plug to shop local as well, if you can. I know that won’t be the case for everyone. So let’s talk about them. And that is for the US, just be aware that they might not ship internationally.

Miniature Market

Probably my most used. It generally has the best available stock, or the largest stock. And they do a number of sales. Is it always the best price when it comes board games, not always, but generally very solid pricing and consistent pricing. Plus there is a $0.01 matching reward system, which is not that great, but something. And free shipping at $100.

GameNerdz

GameNerdz, and the rest below that I use, generally have solid deals, deals of days, and sometimes sales. But generally, because they can sell a bit more in volume that their prices are good. They do have a reward system, and it’s not always just a few cents off, but it is better as you hit levels. And then $75 for free shipping so a better price.

Boardlandia

Honestly, not one that I’ve used a ton. And I’m still waiting on my Heat: Pedal to the Metal to ship. But my experience has generally been good with them. They do some fun sales with it being live for ding and dent games which you can sometimes get a solid deal on, but it’s just a fun experience. Shipping is solid, I believe they have free shipping around $100. And they have solid prices.

Noble Knight

Finally is Noble Knight. I don’t use them too often, either, but when I do it’s because I want to get a used game. Noble Knight buys and sells used games. So it’s a spot to find harder to find games or out of print games. However, they do sell, as they should, used games at used game prices. And they do have free shipping, but I believe it’s at $200, so that means, if you want to hit that, you need a big order. I’ve done that once.

What’s your favorite online board game shop?

Send an Email
Message me on Twitter at @TheScando
Visit us on Facebook here
Support us on Patreon here