Wholesale price of magazines to newsagents?

Gimpymoo

Gimpymoo

Gimpymoo

Soldato
Joined
31 May 2005
Posts
15,640
Location
Nottingham
I was looking for this months (November?) PC Gamer, Newsagents had sold their allocated issues, distributor had no more left to send them.

I look on ebay and notice someone selling a copy for £4.99, normal price is £5.99. I just thought seller had read it and was selling it on. No problems there.

I then notice he had 7 available. Maybe they have seven friends who read PC Gamer who have read them?

Seller paid £2.84 postage, leaving £2.15 for magazine cost and ebay fees.

Seller has a shed load of Magazines for sale (many are current issues too), all factory sealed where appropriate.

My thoughts are stolen unless anyone else can enlighten me?
 
probably nicked from the front or rear of a newsagents when they get their drops early AM
 
Last edited:
A lot of magazine are sold sale or return.

Returns are either kept by the disturbutor to sell on to other 3rd party sellers at a reduced rate or sent back to the publisher.

The 3rd party sellers are quite common at markets, so it's not surprising there are ebay sellers of these recent back issues.
 
EVH said:
The real question is, who reads magazines anymore? :p
Click to expand...

Have to agree. I use my mobile for magazine content, I honestly cannot remember the last time I purchased a magazine. I'm amazed WH Smiths still have any magazines left to sell, most of the gaming, hobby magazines are now defunct. Back in the early 90's gaming magazines were the thing to get your news. Now, the internet has all but destroyed that market I think. Future publishing have shut down lots of publications. They now sell their magazines on google play and the apple store.
 
EVH said:
Why? Half the pages are adverts and the news is so old by the time it comes to press that you'd have been able to read it online anyway.
Click to expand...

Reviews in the mag before they are published online. Lots of interesting articles that aren't published online etc.

Also fiscally supporting the magazine as I listen to the free podcast once a week and all their spoiler specials.
 
100% uptime, no subscriptions pay on demand, can be read in the bath (nothing like reading fine woodworking largely submerged in hot water with a beer at your elbow), handy for swatting flies or small children.
 
VincentHanna said:
Reviews in the mag before they are published online. Lots of interesting articles that aren't published online etc.

Also fiscally supporting the magazine as I listen to the free podcast once a week and all their spoiler specials.
Click to expand...
Have you tried the "Now Playing" movie podcast? They have very comprehensive movie reviews.

Most news makes it online, even if not on their website.. that said, I can definitely appreciate the odd magazine for holidays, flights etc.
 
Gimpymoo said:
I was looking for this months (November?) PC Gamer, Newsagents had sold their allocated issues, distributor had no more left to send them.

I look on ebay and notice someone selling a copy for £4.99, normal price is £5.99. I just thought seller had read it and was selling it on. No problems there.

I then notice he had 7 available. Maybe they have seven friends who read PC Gamer who have read them?

Seller paid £2.84 postage, leaving £2.15 for magazine cost and ebay fees.

Seller has a shed load of Magazines for sale (many are current issues too), all factory sealed where appropriate.

My thoughts are stolen unless anyone else can enlighten me?
Click to expand...

likely stolen by a printer or print finisher, or even a delivery driver or distributor.
 
mattyg said:
Not since jumping on a family members Readly sub
Click to expand...

I have been looking at this as it popped up as an advert in my FB feed, 3 months for 7.99. Looking at the sheer number of magazines this sounds to good to be true? I can share this with a friend with a generic email address and password and download thousands of magazines? What's the catch?
 
I used to work for a huge magazine distributor in London. At the end of the month newsagents, supermarkets etc just wrap up unsold magazines and send them back to get pulped. He could have had a deal in place with a distributor to get cheap old magazines off them in bulk rather than them being pulped. I thought of doing this while i was working there but never pulled my thumb out to sort it. Im sure there is a market there for old magazines for a quid or 2 each. I'd certainly buy them still.
 
My company is part of the connect group which owns smith news, all we heard last month at the sales meeting is the magazine and newspaper market is on life support

I can help you there, not charging £6 for a magazine is a sure way to increase sales.
 
dannyjo22 said:
I have been looking at this as it popped up as an advert in my FB feed, 3 months for 7.99. Looking at the sheer number of magazines this sounds to good to be true? I can share this with a friend with a generic email address and password and download thousands of magazines? What's the catch?
Click to expand...

Not found one yet.

It seems to have all the magazines I read on there. Think of it as spotify for Magazines.
 
Been tempted to buy a big tablet to read magazines as annoying to read on phone / laptop but even then it's nice to have something physical that can be read in sunshine or in the bath, plus it gets you away from a screen.

Just a shame they are so damn expensive.

Barbers told me they get a load of older magazines cheap from somewhere, imagine it's something similar.
 
Newspapers and magazines are mostly sale or return, only a new person starting out may have to actually pay them until they have built up trust with the distributer.

And like already said, eBay seller probably steals them from outside newsagents at either morning when they are delivered or the returns at night if they are selling last months on eBay.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom