November sales results.

This was unexpected.

When I actually did the numbers, we were up in every category; comics, cards, games, toys, books.

Except one. Magic cards.

We were down 75% from last year and from last month. -75%. That is a terrible number, and puts me in a quandary as to what to do with the next wave. Which is coming in the first of February, 2010, but for which orders are due now.

Are the sales to Magic just down overall?

Or is it just a statistical variation fluke?

Or has my competition so thoroughly trounced me?

Thing is, I'm not going to change things. I'm not going to start hosting tournaments, or providing playspace. I made one concession to the new circumstances; I opened many more packs this last time around to sell singles.

But if this is the result, I think I'll go back to the old way of doing things.

It isn't so much that I resent the lower sales, it's that I resent having diverted too much of my budget into a product line that isn't producing.

Since boardgames and books and comics continue to increase, I'd be better off putting my money into them.

The answer will be: I'll go back to the quantity of Magic cards I've been pre-ordering for the last 5 years or so, and let the so called "shortages" happen if they happen. I'm not going to respond the threat of shortages by over-ordering. My gamble didn't pay off.

I'll have boxes and packs for sale as always. But I'm going to stick to retail price which will save me from having to order too much, and sell at too low of margins. Sales may drop even further, but so be it....