Buying Online - Yes or No?

Hmm tricky one this. I would say yes and no.

Buying online has the advantage of less travel and more competitive prices plus promotional offers etc for the consumer, however as you've mentioned it does take away sales from your local gaming store. So in my eyes it's only ever about price more than anything else as most gaming stores cannot offer such prices which online stores have. But online stores more usually have shipping costs etc, which can be limited during offer periods. However, people without credit cards have more difficulty purchasing online.

In many respects if  you look at the whole world and the retail market, a huge majority of people do buy more online than actual shops as it is cheaper and more convenient. So the actual shops need to have some sort of catch or something special to attract the people, such as stocking things which aren't easily available or cheaper overall than some of the huge shipping costs, or promotional offers etc. We have the advantage of gaming tables to meet up with friends etc to have a game.

I used to go into my local gaming store back in the UK for things other than models actually as i used to buy more online than at their shop. Most of the stuff i bought were high quality brushes and scenery materials as they stocked all that stuff for model trains. I would order roleplay books from them too as they could offer me a good discounted price compared with online stockists.

I think online stores are useful but i personally prefer going to a single store (whether it's online or not) and getting all my stuff from one source. For me since ordering stuff from the UK here is a pain in the backside, i get it mostly from the PnS here as you guys tend to stock or can order in most of the things i'd like to use and get. (which reminds me to send you a message about a few things ^^)

Another thing online stores don't and do suffer from is a good location of the store and enough room to play games, one reason my lgs never did well and actually closed a few months ago was that it had no room for gaming tables, it was completely a retail outlet as such. They had a second store in a different town where they have gaming tables and surprise surprise they kept that one going as people were still going. So as a hermit it takes some effort for me to actually get off my chair and go somewhere outdoors (the people in suits are watching me....) so if you had the store somewhere in Old Dubai or Sharjah for example i would be even more reluctant to go in fact i probably only go once a year, it's partly the reason why i never went to the gaming store in Abu Dhabi when i was there for a whole year. The traffic was horrible and it was far away for me.

Another factor to consider is people will buy online if the local store they're visiting doesn't have it, or can't provide the specific product they're looking for. Some stores can't order (example) Forge world models because either due to shipping problems or some other things. I also have to agree with what Arctica said with regards to offers when you buy online, there are some online stores that provide free shippings or even discounts because of overstocked products.

other then buying somthing that your local store wont get, id hate online. so many hidden cost . S & H, price form dollar to drh , get faked out ( from e bay ) models damage / or empost just cant find u in shj XD , besides hurting the store which you play in. for MOST people who still need advice or tips and hints from painting or playing the game from  the Pros ( remmbber Trevor ? ) his price were high but hits tips where priceless

A consumer has the right to do what he feels comfortable to do with his money.... If there is a store close to his house, he would pass by and buy what he needs.... and if he doesnt find what he needs or caught his attention.... he would go home. take a look at what he didnt see and buy it... if done correctly, its delievered to his p.o.box or even straight to his home for the same price or less than whats in his local.... as local has to pay rent, where some guy whose got the stuff in his house is selling it online for cheaper! Also online special offers..... currently gamesworkshop is providing a crazy full army offer! If the consumers local cant provide that deal, than the consumer will buy that offer from online....
 

Will take myself as an example:
I just bought some paints from PNS... I finished work 8:30... went to PNS for some errands and bought paints I needed.... on any other night, I would not go to PNS as its out of my way from home which is merdif.... While inside buying paint I didnt see any everblight.... I just got home and recieved an email from ebay saying that the following everblight items are on sale on ebay for cheap, and the items were selected from items I searched a few days ago... Also Malestorm games sent me a 17% discouint off coupon for my next purchase.... I didnt buy anything from ebay or maelstorm games  this time, cause I am looking forward to dealing with the upcoming online store battlezone.... and i am a patriot, I want the money in dubai, spend in dubai... but if I cant find anything to spend it on.... its not my fault for shopping online.....

so... as an online shopper my attention and curostity is caught.... now battlezone needs to follow up... and if done correctly, i see a potential future where no player in teh UAE, inluding myself, maybe even the middle east, will ever have to order from the west ever again.... as Shazam said... mistakes do happen when you order online....

One thing I think people will still order online is the following: special items, like forgeworld, unless provided by battlezone... and custome stuff... like battle foam and such..... Now I am more curouis on those 2 topics....

Shopping online also is exciting, it is addictive by the way..... and shopping by itself is a form of psycological relief.... so the local cant control that.... Also a player shows up at his local with an item that makes other players run to the local and are excited in getting it!

Conclusion and apologies if at any point I went out of topic
In a perfect world every1 would walk down the street to his local and find all he needs..... but as we are in the UAE and the only official store is far from us and is in jumera, Dubai, and we dont always find what we want.... so we resort to online shopping.... The good news, the upcoming online shopping battlezone will help us shop online from our local..... *claps*... i salute, respect and look forward to it...

Battlezone or other name.... but right now I am really confused as I am getting comments on facebook from battlezone... and other stating differently.... That will be a different discussion for later.

If my local online store is not costing me more from online... than yes.... I would buy from my local with no argument.... cause if my local takes too long or loses track of my order, it would be easier for me to deal with them here... than calling god knowse what arm pit of a guy in a foreign country..... Iwould rather buy and deal with my local.... IF my local provids a good customer service, than I'll stick around .... Remember, customer care is essential, if a cusomer is not happy with one shops staff, he'll go else where to shop, if there is no shop, than he will buy online.

Supporting community of players, it doesnt... only thing it provides is providing something new as players can adventure.... i.e. harison and I didnt buy our warmachine/hordes stuff from pns, we bought it abroad or online even.... and yet when we showed up at pns ppl saw us play and asked, and made players interested and looking forward to buyin it from pns..... thats the only benefit I see from online... it randomly gives the chance a player will inteoduce something new....

other than that... zilch - no support to community.... actually can damage community, and even country as the money is going abroad and not staying in.

I have kept intentionally quiet on this subject. If you look through forums you can see well enough what my response is to this issue....but...I will give you a different point of view before I comment on topic, and I will close my diatribe with my current situation.

Obviously when I was in Dubai I had a financial interest in growing the gaming community. At heart i am a business man and have a family to support. I have owned an operated games store multiple times over the last 10 years so i think i can speak from a educated point of view. But I think what is even more important was I always felt I had an obligation to my local community and it was my role to try an prove to my customers that what I was offering they could never receive at some online discount mill. I wanted my local community to actually think about it if they bought onlin an hit that commit order button. I wanted my community to say "dam if pns is gone then what am i going to do for gaming!" by keeping this in mind i was able to grow the community though weekly events and larger events (friday Fights, DRRT, Model flea markets, etc) and keep the players intrested enough to bring other new players in. By doing this you reach that sweet spot where a brick an mortar has the customer based to offset any online only players. Initialy prices were high when i was there and had 9 customers, but as the community grew prices dropped ( plus had a great new distributor) immediately.

This is where the original posters comments on yes and no makes perfect sense. It is obviouse he/they are educated consumers and is looking for what is the better choice, not just the better discount. He is willing to purchase locally when product is there, but if not he looks elsewhere but never forgetting or challenging his local game store to keep current. As a retailer I love teaching new players games. I love helping others learn new tricks and giving advice. As a retailer this is my responsibility to my community and my players base. Its like a partnership between retailer and customer. I promise that if you give me your business I will keep the community active and growing and keep my prices as competitive as possible to ensure good selection and great playing environment. And in return I ask you give me the chance to provide you with all your gaming needs first and foremost. When this partnership works it can be a beautiful thing, but when one side fails to keep him part the machine quickly breaks down.

I have not been in Dubai now for 10 months, and I have not been involved in the retail for about a year but I keep a close eye on the community and the retail side just the same. It seems to me your local retailer, Battlezone, has continued to evolve the community an provide all the things, selection, events, customer service, and communication, that is required for him to uphold his side of the partnership. And it looks like the community is running with it and trying to keep up there side of the partnership by, participating, purchasing, and communicating about the community. It looks like that sweet spot is nearly achieved and quite frankly it makes me proud to have been a part of this, and I am excited for the future of Dubai gaming!

Now to the point of topic....I think Yes it will work because it will give the player in Al Ain, or Kuwait a reputable source to buy locally at fair MSRP (manufacture suggested retail price). I think Battlezone isn't looking to be the next Online Discount Mill, but expand local retail to other areas of the Emirates, and Middle East. I think this will give the community a stronger market presence and ultimately that WILL lead to possible future bundle discounts and preorder deals becoming available (remember bigger community=better prices) down the road. But remember it takes 2, customer and retailer, to make this type of thing a success.

In closing I am now back in US. I can go to GW stores or any other 20 LGS or I can go online and buy and huge discounts for virtually no added expense....BUT I chose to buy whenever I drop my dice. If my local store has something I need I get it, or if I travel and play in some random FLGS I always make a purchase, even if it's $5-10 dollars. You all know me well enough to know that I love armies (I have all but Nids and some I have done 2-3 times) but I have never once bought online. Even the last 2 armies GK and Necrons. Yes I try and reuse or rehab old armies into new ones but I still buy alot! To this date I have never felt regret not buying online because...I still have a place to play!

Sorry for the long winded statement but this topic deserved more that a yes or a no!

Personally I always prefer local stores. It was true back home. It is true when i'm here in Dubai. The main reason is - I hate waiting. If I need anything - I'd rather jump into the cat and go get it than waiting from several days to several weeks. Price is always a second thought. 

I'd go online if there is no other option. 

Zhval wrote:

... I'd rather jump into the cat and go get it ...

Is it more Eco friendly that using a car ?

Hope it doesn't hurt that cat much , it probably dreads the day you run out of Badab black ...