[UA] Exchange rates and jails

[Patrick O'Duffy]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Bailey Watts" <didi_mau at hotmail.com>
To: <ua at lists.uchicago.edu>

> As a person who tinkers around with indie game design from time to time
I've
> often wondered if it would be even remotely worth it to get the damn thing
> printing in Australia or just to stick to the US.

US all the way. If nothing else, 80% of game sales come from the US, and the
cost of shipping from here to America will _cripple_ you.

Now something that _could_ be a viable business model is using an Aussie
printer for the Aussie sales. My experience is at odds with Liam's - I find
that many smaller Aussie printers keep up with technology and competitive
pricing. You could (conceivably) do a US print run for US sales, a smaller
print run in Australia for local sales, and a UK run for
English/European/rest of the world sales. You'd save on shipping costs, but
lose the bulk discounts from the various printers - whether you save money
or not would strongly depend on the size of the various print runs.

It is safe to say, though, that you can't base a large print run in
Australia while keeping things economically viable. The big printers don't
have competitive pricing, and the shipping costs will eat you alive. When
Eddie Campbell (who lives in the next suburb to me) did the recent printing
of FROM HELL, he had to use an overseas printer (in India, I think) rather
than an Australian business - simply because the local prices were high and
the shipping costs _out_ of Oz were exhorbitant.

--
Patrick O'Duffy, Brisbane, Australia

Hate. Bullets. Bombs. Blood. Spies.
Am I getting the fuck THROUGH to you people?

- Spider Jerusalem, TRANSMETROPOLITAN #55


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