This list is regularly updated.

My post about Manufacturers was very well received and I got a request to do one about distributors. I do get asked from time to time to provide this info anyway, so I might as well make a page about it, right?

There are a couple types of distributors and just a few large ones that dominate the US market. There are also fulfillment/consolidation services that help you get easy access to all these distributors and a warehouse to store your products. So it’s important to note the differences.

At the same time, many of them have alternate forms of doing business with you (a publisher). Some will allow you to do what’s known as “Flooring” – which means they will charge you a fee for space in their warehouse and will buy from you on consignment (thus only paying you if / when your product sells). The advantage of Flooring is that the distributor doesn’t run out of inventory – which is a major problem in this short-order front-line driven marketplace we live in today.

I do not recommend working directly with the distributors unless you’re a larger publisher. If you use a consolidator they will more then pay for their services by getting your game sold more often and to more companies than you could ever do on your own.

Also, see my post on how to get into distribution as a new publisher:

http://www.jamesmathe.com/how-to-get-into-distribution/

Consolidators

COMPANY SERVICES PROS CONS Impressions

Aldo Ghiozzi

website

Warehousing and direct to distributor sales. Access to most distributors world wide. Storage fees. Publisher Services, Inc

website Warehousing and direct to distributor sales. Access to most distributors world wide. Access to Target and Barnes & Noble and other mainstream outlets. Isn't taking on new clients Indie Press Revolution

website Retail and wholesale. Indie RPGs No board games Game Salute

Dan Yarrington

website Full service: Kickstarter, Layout, Printing, Warehousing, Convention support. One stop shop. Limited market penatration Hit Point Sales

website Warehousing, sales, and wholesale. Gain access to some distribution. Pretty much the same company as Game Salute Amazon FBA

website Warehousing and direct sales Fast delivery Complicated and people can mess with your listing.

US Distributors

COMPANY SERVICES PROS CONS ACD Distribution

website

Midwest, East & West coast locations. Aladdin Distributors

website Regional Alliance Game Distribution

website Flooring. Fulfillment. Midwest, Eastern, Southern, and West coast locations. Plus one in London, ON CANADA Diamond Comic Distributors

website Mostly just comics Flat River Group

website Golden Distribution

website Heavy on the miniatures Regional GTS Distribution

website 9 locations. Heavy on CCG. Light on RPG Mad Al Distributors

website Regional Premier Hobby Distributors

website Light on RPG R&M Distributors

website Southern Hobby

website Mostly MTG and supplies. Light on RPG WorldWise Imports

website

Worldwide Distributors

COMPANY REGION SERVICES PROS CONS Arcane Tinmen very small Arcanus Distribution

website Mexico Avalon Trondheim very small Bergsala Enigma

website Denmark Boardgamecafe

website Malaysia Boosterbox very small Brain Games SIA

website Latvia Brave New World

website Germany Small Coiledspring Games

website UK Targets younger market Distrimagen very small El Duende very small El Viejo Tercio very small Esdevium Games

website Europe Large Everest Wholesale very small Fantaspielpelit very small Freak very small GROSNOR Distribution

website Canada Grosnor Sports Cards very small Jolly Thinkers Centre

website China Kaissa very small Kanga very small Let's Play Games

website Australia Lion Rampant

website Canada Large Millenium Paradigm Infinitum very small Pegasus Spiele

website Europe & Germany Pixel Park

website New Zealand PixelPark very small Raven Distribution very small Spiral Galaxy Games

website UK Fulfillment & Distribution STGS Edwin Games very small Swan Panasia very small Ulisses Spiele

website

Germany Universal Distribution

website Canada Ventura Int'l very small Vincit very small Wargames Club very small

I also found this great list of non-USA distributors and partners on Gigamic’s website:

More Non-USA distributors

Fulfillment Centers

These services will help you ship your game around the world to your end customers (like Kickstarter backers). They are good to use to help avoid your customers paying import/VAT taxes on the goods as you can ship within the EU. This is usually called being “EU Friendly”. Also, since shipping out of the USA is so damn expensive, your costs in the end (even though you pay the VAT on the wholesale price of your goods) ends up being less in the end. But it is more work / logistics. My company, Minion Games, ships to only USA backers and has one of these services send to all the non-USA backers (even Canada).

COMPANY CONTACT SHIPS FROM NOTES Aether Tower Inc. aether.tower@gmail.com Mexico Mail to Texas Aetherworks

website kickstarter@aetherworks.com.au Australia Agility

website CAChen@agility.com China Amazon FBA

website Multiple Countries Issues with product listings changing. Requires barcode on everything. Attacke

website andreas.miksch@attacke-agentur.de Germany Reliable but expensive China Division

website michael@chinadivision.com China Collext

website hello@collext.com UK Flat River Group

website kkrieger@flatrivergroup.com USA $2/shipment Fedex Floship

website steve.suh@floship.com China Fulfillrite

website info@fulfillrite.com USA Funagain Games

website fulfillment@funagain.com USA Game Surplus

website games@gamesurplus.com USA Games Quest

website fulfilment@gamesquest.co.uk UK Cheap service. Slow to process. Tracking only in UK Happyshops

website projekt@happyshops.com Germany IdeasPatcher / Nift

website vcullot@morningplayers.com France Several bad reports Kixto

website mark@kixto.eu UK Lets Play Games

website nick@letsplaygames.com.au Australia Logistico

website rz@logistico.de Germany EU 2.50/shipment DHL Mail Boxes, Etc info@mbe108.es Spain Quartermaster Logistics

info@qmlogistics.com USA Great feedback Rocks Games missiloon@rocksgames.nl Netherlands Send From China

website fulfillment_sales@sfcservice.com China Only good for small packages. Damage on larger packages. Sendwich Logistics

website maxi.ebert@sendwich-logistics.com Germany Ship Naked

website USA Sometimes poor communication and delays Shiphopper

website info@shiphopper.com Europe Simple Global

website sales@simpleglobal.com South Korea Snakes & Lattes

website games@snakesandlattes.com Canada SpainBox

website manuel@spainbox.com Spain Spiral Galaxy Games

website sales@spiralgalaxygames.co.uk UK Great Feedback Starlit Citadel

website trwong@starlitcitadel.com Canada / USA Sure-Pak Greg@picksp.com USA Unicorn Games

website info@unicorngames.com.au Australia VFI

website coyotegames@live.com China Wayland

website chris@minervagames.co.uk UK YesFulfillment

website hello@yesfulfilment.com UK ZhenHub

website vincent@zhenhub.com USA

Also, see Jamey Stegmaier’s detailed blogs about fulfillment and his experiences:

https://stonemaiergames.com/kickstarter/lessons/shipping-and-fulfillment/

https://stonemaiergames.com/fulfilling-your-dreams-via-a-fulfillment-service/

Check out this very detailed Google worksheet that has a bunch of shippers listed on it (not it has several tabs at the bottom):

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1bx2h-oZ-ZcNdKw-yyAUfl-BbWOjmqP6tYu9jTKPxfnI/edit#gid=1844848505