para Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 Same question. Will we get stung for every module? If so, that is likely to be a hefty chunk of change. I really want the steelbox but i don't want to be paying double for every module. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Battlefront.com Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 Some things have improved over time though. During the eighties, when I didn't have a credit card, I had to buy an international money order to pay for US books or games. The bank charged 20 Good Old Dutch Guilders for such a money order. And we had to manually process those orders... yup, we don't miss them either Steve 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisND Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 Edited (deleted) 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Battlefront.com Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 Same question. Will we get stung for every module? If so, that is likely to be a hefty chunk of change. I really want the steelbox but i don't want to be paying double for everything module. For predordered Modules, yes they will be shipped out of the US. For physical goods Module orders placed after release, they will be shipped out of Germany. Steve 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elmar Bijlsma Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 As I understand it manuals are limited in number with the larger chunk going to pre-order customers. Actually, today is the first time I've read that there was a number of big manuals for regular orders at all. But it is not clear to me at all that I'd be guaranteed a big fat manual if I forgo pre-orders in future. btw Thanks for the offers Steve, much appreciated. But at this point cancelling would be a bigger hassle/downer then any potential charge. The risk of which is pretty low as, as has been confirmed by my compatriots, Dutch customs seems to go easy on small consumer goods. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SneakyPete Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 My first post so hi to all on the Battlefront forum. I'm one of the old boys returning after playing CMBO many years ago. I'm very much looking forward to CMBN but this 'extra charge' news has taken the shine off to a certain extent. I already had a fairly sharp intake of breath at the $60 purchase price...and then another at the $20 for shipping such a small packet (I recently had a computer monitor delivered here in the UK for £10!). I am guilty of thinking that that the Steelbook would be coming from somewhere in the EU. I found nothing to make me think otherwise. Admittedly I didn't look that hard during the ordering process, but it looks like the extra charges are news (all bad) for many on here, especially in the UK. I won't be cancelling my pre-order but am very disappointed to have only found out this information when the release is almost imminent. The final cost here could be up around the £70 mark :eek: and in hindsight I wouldn't have pre-ordered having had that knowledge earlier. Still, I do feel that I'll get my monies worth out of CMBN. As for future purchases...come on Battlefront! There has to be a better (and cheaper) way! Cheers, SP PS Apologies for my first post being a 'whinge', hopefully I can contribute more positively in the future. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
para Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 For predordered Modules, yes they will be shipped out of the US. For physical goods Module orders placed after release, they will be shipped out of Germany. Steve Cheers, I will keep this steelbox pre-order but for obvious reasons it will be my last. Might this be a problem for BF in the future?If all non US customers decided not to pre-order. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreatRadish Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 Huh??? If you pre-ordered already (or if you do it right now), you are still getting the Steelbook. Sorry, I must be wrong. I was told this today by a friend of mine who also preordered. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Crowley Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 I've had software from NWS (mainly HPS games) and not had any customs problems. I did hit a big customs problem with a boxed game from GMT games. Customs kept the game and it was weeks before I was informed that I had a bill to pay, to release it. I had contacted GMT to see what the delay was and when I found out it was UK customs, I contacted them again to let them know that it wasn't their fault. Believe it or not but GMT were so upset by the long delay I had suffrered that they refunded me the cost that I had to pay for customs! I'm sure that was a one-off but, hey, what a magnificent gesture. And I am in no way suggesting that BFC would be in a position to do that, obviously. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krilly Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 My first post so hi to all on the Battlefront forum. I'm one of the old boys returning after playing CMBO many years ago. I'm very much looking forward to CMBN but this 'extra charge' news has taken the shine off to a certain extent. re. cheers. And hopefully without 'using' your post. It says a lot about bfc with thrm getting the sticky out. Think about the extra charge as supporting BFC and sustaining extra modules. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackcat Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 Dutch customs seems to go easy on small consumer goods. Another reason for me to move to the Netherlands. If only I could find a way of convincing herself that the Oisterwijk area would be a fine place to spend our declining years. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Springelkamp Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 Another reason for me to move to the Netherlands. If only I could find a way of convincing herself that the Oisterwijk area would be a fine place to spend our declining years. But that is almost Belgium! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackcat Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 But that is almost Belgium! The key word there being almost. I like Oisterwijk. It has the most wonderful tobacconist, some nice countryside and it is well-off the tourist trail. If not there where else in the Netherlands do you suggest? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pvt. Ryan Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 Cheers, I will keep this steelbox pre-order but for obvious reasons it will be my last. Might this be a problem for BF in the future?If all non US customers decided not to pre-order. I don't think BFC makes much extra profit, or any at all, on the hard goods. I think they would prefer that we all buy digital downloads only. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisND Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 I don't think BFC makes much extra profit, or any at all, on the hard goods. I think they would prefer that we all buy digital downloads only. Personally I think it's only a matter of time before they do away with it altogether. It seems like a huge headache and anything that goes wrong is automatically their fault. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Battlefront.com Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 Cheers, I will keep this steelbox pre-order but for obvious reasons it will be my last. Might this be a problem for BF in the future?If all non US customers decided not to pre-order. Not really. The "threat" to physical goods comes from US customers not wanting physical goods since they are the majority of our customers. But it is not clear to me at all that I'd be guaranteed a big fat manual if I forgo pre-orders in future. If you place an order right after we ship then I am sure you will get a manual. We printed many more manuals than SteelBoxes. But it is true that when we run out of manuals we are not going to reprint. See next point... Personally I think it's only a matter of time before they do away with it altogether. It seems like a huge headache and anything that goes wrong is automatically their fault. We are already seeing this trend. A long time ago we used to employ a "fulfillment house" to ship out our physical products. Ever since offering download services the demand for physical goods has steadily declined. Many years ago the volume was low enough that it made sense to take shipping in house as it wasn't economical to use a fulfillment house any more. We also have to be concerned about manual sizes because big manuals, like Combat Mission, require substantial order sizes. For CM this isn't a problem, but for other games it might be. Our policy is to keep offering physical goods until the price and demand cancel each other out. For CDs this will likely never happen, but for printed manuals it has already happened for smaller priced games. Steve 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barkhorn1x Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 For CDs this will likely never happen, but for printed manuals it has already happened for smaller priced games. Steve Tis a pity - snif. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Battlefront.com Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 My first post so hi to all on the Battlefront forum. Welcome! I'm one of the old boys returning after playing CMBO many years ago. I'm very much looking forward to CMBN but this 'extra charge' news has taken the shine off to a certain extent. I already had a fairly sharp intake of breath at the $60 purchase price...and then another at the $20 for shipping such a small packet (I recently had a computer monitor delivered here in the UK for £10!). Obviously it cost them a lot more than £10 to ship the monitor, correct? Since businesses are not charities this means they recovered the cost of the shipping somewhere else. You might not be able to find out where it is, but for sure they didn't lose money on the shipping costs. For us, we're honest. We just charge what it costs us. Postage costs have gone up roughly 60% in the 12 years we've been selling games. Someone has to pay for that, and the odd tradition is that it's the customer I am guilty of thinking that that the Steelbook would be coming from somewhere in the EU. I found nothing to make me think otherwise. Admittedly I didn't look that hard during the ordering process, but it looks like the extra charges are news (all bad) for many on here, especially in the UK. Yeah, we definitely could have done a better job making people aware of this. It's the typical problem of not wanting to overwhelm customers with too much text since the more we write the less you guys read. Still, I do feel that I'll get my monies worth out of CMBN. As for future purchases...come on Battlefront! There has to be a better (and cheaper) way! There is... download only. It's not a coincidence that we started offering this service to people. Even domestic US postage costs have gone up dramatically in the past years. Not only that but the costs of producing physical goods has increased PLUS we have to pay higher freight charges on that then we once did. Anybody that thinks this petroleum fueled world of ours as going to stop getting more expensive year after year needs to open their eyes. Steve 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Springelkamp Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 The key word there being almost. I like Oisterwijk. It has the most wonderful tobacconist, some nice countryside and it is well-off the tourist trail. If not there where else in the Netherlands do you suggest? Well, coming from the other side of the country, I can't say much about the area. But if one believes in a cultural North South divide through Europe, there are arguments that it runs right above Oisterwijk, along the Meuse and Rhine. - It was the Roman Limes for a few centuries, with the South being an integral part of the Roman Empire and the North a collection of small local tribal societies. - Christianity arrived in the South centuries earlier than in the North. First wave directly with the Romans, second wave under the Frankish Kings from 500 BC, while here in the North Christianity was only brought in 800 AD after a devastating holy war by Charlemagne who massacred the majority of the local nobles. - The Northern provinces became relatively late part of a centralist state, while the Southern Provinces including Belgium became the centre of the powerful Burgundy State - that would end up as the Hapsburg Empire. - Today the North is predominantly Protestant, the South Roman Catholic. In short, the North has a typical Barbarian background, while the South knows the sweet taste of Empire. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
para Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 I don't think BFC makes much extra profit, or any at all, on the hard goods. I think they would prefer that we all buy digital downloads only. I meant in the way that by us pre-ordering all our money is in the bank and sales guaranteed. If a large proportion of non US customers do not pre-order, no money in the bank before release for BFC and only guesses to how many will actually order the game after release. If you see what i mean? ps this is now immaterial because some of these points have just been covered 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Battlefront.com Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 Tis a pity - snif. Our customer base is growing modestly year over year, but the new customers coming along don't seem to be as likely to purchase physical copies. So overall the interest in physical goods continues to decline. It seems to be a steady decline compared to the massive declines in the first couple of years we offered downloads. The primary reason for this, we feel, is the ever increasing shipping costs. The problem with printing big manuals is printers require fairly substantial runs of manuals to get a decent price break. And their prices, plus freight to us, are going up each year. We're now paying for the best volume discounted product probably what we once paid for a medium volume discount 10 years ago. Back before downloads EVERYBODY had to order a physical copy, so we had the volume necessary to get good discounts. But now? The number of people still interested in physical copies has dropped off so much that we really can only afford to do one run at the beginning and when we run out we run out. Steve 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackcat Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 "In short, the North has a typical Barbarian background, while the South knows the sweet taste of Empire." Erik, Perhaps that is the block. Maybe herself wants somewhere more barbarian, she was born in Dorset after all. Next time we come over I think I'll have to get a car and go North. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sburke Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 Yeah, we definitely could have done a better job making people aware of this. It's the typical problem of not wanting to overwhelm customers with too much text since the more we write the less you guys read. Steve What??!!!! Are you suggesting we don't read your stuff and instead just jump to our own conclusions or worse just figure "why read, I can just ask what it is I want to know"??!! by the way when is the game coming out. :-P 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Battlefront.com Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 I meant in the way that by us pre-ordering all our money is in the bank and sales guaranteed. If a large proportion of non US customers do not pre-order, no money in the bank before release for BFC and only guesses to how many will actually order the game after release. If you see what i mean? ps this is now immaterial because some of these points have just been covered Ah! Well, that's a slightly different point than I thought you were making. To answer this... for us preorders are not critically important for us. It helps mostly to pay for the costs of the physical goods prior to launching the game (the timing is we usually have to pay the bills before we ship). But if we don't have physical goods for peroders then we also don't have the expenses of those preorders, which means weans we don't suffer any. Steve 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Battlefront.com Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 Perhaps that is the block. Maybe herself wants somewhere more barbarian, she was born in Dorset after all. Next time we come over I think I'll have to get a car and go North. Everybody should embrace their inner barbarian, storm a castle or coastal village, then settle down to the mundane life of modern society. Don't quote me on that Steve 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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