2 simple tips for saving money
I have recently been going through the quoting process for a new game and a couple of things came up that have the potential to save me a lot of money.
Combining components
Throughout the games design and playtesting period there have been 2 sets of cards:
- 125 large cards
- 24 small cards
The larger cards are a specific size due to their function in the game, but the small cards were made smaller because they didn’t have too much content.
After getting my initial quote, I asked for a second quote to see what the price difference would be if I increased the size of the smaller cards.
Making all the cards the same size ended up being $0.41 cheaper.
We could avoid an entire extra sorting and packing step, we needed one less machine, and removed the need for ordering an extra set of materials. For 10,000 games this would be a saving of over $4,000.
From a gameplay perspective enlarging those cards means we can increase the text size and make them friendlier for players, which is a bonus.
If you have similar components at a different size, it’s worth checking the price difference for making them the same.
Reducing the number of boxes
When it comes to crowdfunding, it isn’t unusual to have multiple boxes on offer. For myself, this typically takes the form of the game and a Kickstarter pack.
With my latest campaigns I have started shipping the contents of the Kickstarter Pack inside the base game box, as it offers a considerable saving.
- There is one less packing step.
- There is one less box to manufacture.
- There is considerably less volume to ship from the factory to fulfilment centres.
- There are less boxes for the fulfilment centre to pack.
My approach is to place a small sticker with a unique barcode on the shrink-wrap of the game box, identifying it as a combined version. The sticker itself has a small extra cost but is far less than the cost of everything else.
Shipping 10,000 copies of game with the Kickstarter Pack packed inside the box (rather than having 2 boxes), would save approximately $26,000 with all factors considered.
It is also much better from an environmental perspective due to the savings in both waste and shipping.
If you are running a crowdfunding campaign, I recommend combining as many boxes of stuff into the game box as possible. The individual boxes are only needed for additional stock that you plan to sell later on.
Frank West
Frank West is a gamer and designer based in Bristol, UK. He published his first board game, The City of Kings, in 2018 and now works on other games and organising events in the local area. His goal? To design and publish games focusing on immersive themes, fun mechanics and beautiful components. If you have any questions or would just like a chat, feel free to get in touch at any time!
5 comments
Bret Bernhoft
19th August 2022 at 11:04 pm
It is amazing to me how expensive shipping has become on on Kickstarter related projects. I was just having a conversation with an individual who is working releasing a Kickstarter campaign soon, and the largest cost they have is shipping the media to supporters.
Frank West
20th August 2022 at 1:39 pm
It has certainly jumped up considerably in recent years and I highly recommend people looking to use smaller boxes, and consolidating as many things into one box as possible. Without doing so, you can simply be throwing away a small fortune with current costs.
Nino
3rd December 2024 at 1:31 pm
Hello Frank,
thanks for this insight.
I am just wondering.
If you pack the contents of the Kickstarter-Pack in the regular game box, doesnt that mean you have a lot of unnecessary space in the regular box?
The first thing that comes to mind is reducing the size of the regular game box but needing special size boxes might increase the price per game again.
Whats your take on this?
Also thank you for putting so much time and energy into this blog and your articles.
I am no game designer but are very interested in the business side of the industry.
Your blog together with the one from Jamey Stegmaier are great resources for someone looking beyond game designe advice.
Thanks,
Nino
Frank West
3rd December 2024 at 6:27 pm
Hi Nino,
Great question, and thank you for the kind words—they’re much appreciated!
“Doesn’t that mean you have a lot of unnecessary space in the regular box?”
With many games, depending on the component types, the contents in their original unopened form tend to take up less space than they do once opened. For example, cardboard components are usually flat-packed in sheets, and when players punch the tokens from those sheets, they take up much more room. This in itself can allow for an expansion to fit for transport purposes.
Additionally, if an expansion fully integrates with the base game and its components are hard to separate once mixed, it can be beneficial to design the original game box to accommodate both. Otherwise, people purchasing expansions may struggle to store everything in one place once combined.
Nino
3rd December 2024 at 6:51 pm
Hi Frank,
Thank you for this fast reply.
You are totally right. I forgot about the punch boards. As most of my games are bought 2nd hand or if new I like card games, there is not much to punch out so this slipped my mind 😅
Thanks
Nino