For Treasure or Treachery, we've made dozens of prototypes and have quotes from several manufacturers to produce the final game. There are several companies that will produce the whole boxed game for you. This can be a good path, especially for new designers, as the manufacturer will handle things like assembly and shrink wrapping you may otherwise need to arrange yourself. You can also get parts made individually and this may save you a little money but may cause you much more aggravation in the process. Its good to get perspective from both sides in estimating your costs.
During this process I've learned a few things about estimating costs that I'd like to share. I keep a couple of spreadsheets to compare costs and track checklists and options. There are sometimes dramatic differences in the costs of a part from source to source. Of course, the closer you get to the actual manufacturer of a part the less expensive it will be, but there are other costs to consider as well, such as tooling costs, assembly, quality assurance, and dealing with losses or delays.
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| Pirate Figures From Treasure or Treachery |
- Make sure you know what you need exactly and be clear about your targets and goals.
- Get at least 3 quotes. Getting 5 quotes is better.
- Get samples if possible, even if you must purchase example product either from the manufacturer or at retail.
- Create a spec and be very specific. Panda games has a good online submission process and you can learn a lot from their forms.
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| Color Coded Dice from Treasure or Treachery |
- Try to quote out parts on your own, don’t forget to factor in final assembly costs. This can be an informative exercise even if you plan to use a single manufacturer for the game and it can really help when it comes to negotiating with manufacturers through comparison shopping. Alibaba is a great resource for this.
- Be patient with the sales staff and answer any questions they have thoroughly. The more detail you provide, the more accurate the quote will be.
- Get quotes early, and give yourself at 60-90 days just to gather quotes.
- Don’t neglect storage, fulfillment, and shipping costs in your final estimates.
- Do plan to have a place to store your games that is climate controlled and secure. Make sure you account for this cost in your final estimates.
Some Pirate Swag - Don’t neglect marketing costs, those should be factored into your per unit cost too.
- Take a look at other crowdfunding campaigns and other games of similar complexity and quality to determine your final reward tier and retail costs. A rule of thumb is that your retail price should be 3-5 times your actual cost.
- If you have extras or different tiers for a crowdfunding campaign, don't forget to project your costs for these as well. You may need to use different sources for some rewards. This also adds complexity to your risk and cost structures. Take some extra time to consider if this is really boosting your campaign or just diluting it.
- Have a plan ready for your goals, moderate success, and run-away success and understand how this impacts your costs and timelines.
- Give yourself time to complete fulfillment and make sure you leave extra lead time for manufacturing. A good rule of thumb is to add 30% to your estimate to account for delays and unknowns.
Do you have any tips to share? Did I get anything wrong? Let me know in the comments!
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