Centurion Hobby Distributors, Inc.

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Minimum Order Amount • Shipping Policy • Discount Structure • Payment Forms
Availability, Special & Back Orders • Past Due Accounts • Bounced Checks • Pre-Orders
Inventory Swaps • Selling Us New Product

Minimum Order Amount

There is no minimum order unless you are a first time customer with no other trade references. In that case the minimum first order is $500 wholesale, to be shipped COD Certified Check or Money Order. After the first successful order, and until terms are granted, subsequent orders will be shipped COD Business check. Bear in mind that shipping expenses are added to any order under $250 ($400 if ship time is four or more days) wholesale, and this may mean it is not cost effective to get a number of really small orders. Centurion will attempt to inform you when your order is less than the $250 ($400 if ship time is four or more days) Free Freight minimum, in order that you may choose to add an item or two to take advantage of the Free Freight.

Shipping Policy

Centurion Hobby Distribution Inc. will pay UPS ground shipping fees on all continental US orders with a wholesale cost of at least $250 ($400 if ship time is four or more days). Foreign orders will have to pay full shipping costs. COD tag costs are added to the cost of all orders whenever that method is used.

Most orders are shipped within the same day of being placed and are shipped UPS Ground by default. Any rush service needs to be communicated at time of order placement. Any additional charges for Next Day Air, 2nd Day, 3rd Day or similar rush services will be added to the cost of the order. Saturday delivery is available, but is prohibitively expensive in most cases.

For more information, see Shipping Information.

Discount Structure

Net items are invoiced at net cost. This is mostly for items that have odd discount structures (items from the Mass Market for instance) or special sale items.

Standard discount — All non Net Priced items receive a flat 40% discount. If an invoice is paid (postmarked) within 30 days of invoice date, the discount level is 46.5% (Wizards of the Coast products are set at a 45% discount level). On invoices paid within 15 days there are many companies that will qualify for a 47.5% discount. Both discount columns are clearly broken down on our invoices. Pre-orders made prior to the order cut off deadline qualify for a 50% discount level in most cases (Wizards of the Coast products are 48% off) and these items will be listed separately on the invoice. See the section on the Aegis pre-order system for more information about this program. COD Orders will always qualify for the maximum discount structure. Payments made after the 30 day limit will only receive the 40% discount. All invoices are double checked against the postmark on the envelope payment was mailed in, and if it is after the 30 day limit, yet the discount was taken, then the outstanding amount will be billed, NO EXCEPTIONS.

Allocation Policy on Pre-Orders — The whole point of pre-ordering is to insure that you get the product that you need for your store. It helps us accurately place our initial orders with manufacturers, and gives us an idea what the overall demand will be for a new product. We have made significant investments into our online pre-ordering system (Aegis) that will allow you to place pre-orders via the web in your spare time. It is very important that our customers use this method of ordering new product whenever possible, and that your pre-orders are received by us before the pre-order deadline. However, there may be times when due to increased demand of product or short shipments from a manufacturer that it is not possible to fill all pre-orders fully. We will make every effort to prevent this from happening, but in case it does, the following will occur.

When a Pre-Order can not be filled, we will ship everyone a percentage of their pre-order based on the percentage of our order that was received. So, if we only receive an amount equal to 90% of our order, we will ship each account 90% of their Pre-Order. No post-deadline pre-orders, or re-orders will be filled prior to all us filling all pre-orders that did meet the deadline. We want to insure that all stores who made proper use of our pre-order system are taken care of first and foremost. Once all pre-order's are filled, the orders that came in after the deadline (post-orders) will be filled and finally after those are filled, restock requests. Accounts with past-due balances may be passed over for allocated product in some cases. Keeping your account current and placing orders prior to deadline will get you preferential treatment in filling a hot item, in addition to the better discount.

Payment Forms

*Payments can be made by Check, Money Order, COD, Visa, Mastercard and Paypal.

*We accept Visa and Mastercard for payments on orders. There is NO fee for this method of payment, however such orders will not qualify for free shipping regardless of order size. Shipping charges will be added to the costs of all such orders. These orders get the highest discount level.

*We accept Paypal for payments on orders. There is NO fee for this method of payment, however such orders will not qualify for free shipping regardless of order size. Shipping charges will be added to the costs of all such orders. In addition, the order will ship when the Paypal confirm goes through. If you wish to use this method, we will run the invoice, send you a payment request, and when it is paid, the order will ship. These orders get the highest discount level.

Availability, Special Orders & Back Orders

It is our promise to attempt to keep a well stocked warehouse so that you can always get the items you need to make your store be successful. As long as a supply is available from manufacturers, it should be available from Centurion. Our Aegis online system allows you to place items that are out of stock, but not out of print, on back order. When a back-ordered item arrives, it will be added to your next order automatically. We do not back order items for you that may be out of stock when you place your order. You will have to do this via the Aegis online system. Special orders of items we may not regularly stock are always welcome and we are happy to do so for all our accounts. If enough special orders from our customers come in for a product line, then we will try to start stocking that line as soon as possible. Do bear in mind that due to manufacturer order minimums, we may not always be able to fill special orders.

Past Due Accounts

Invoices past the 30-day deadline will no longer be eligible for the additional 10% discount. Invoices older than 60 days will begin accruing 1.5% interest on the balance each month until payment is made. If no payment arrangements are made, your account will be forwarded to our Collections Agent.

Bounced Checks

All bounced checks will incur a $25.00 charge. Those invoices covered by the check will also no longer be eligible for the additional discount structure and be due at the post 30 day level, (i.e. the flat 40% discount). An account who bounces a check will be placed on COD Money Order until the check is resolved. At the discretion of the credit department, an account can be placed back on terms when all fees are resolved.

Pre-Orders with the Aegis Online System

Centurion has the industry's most advanced web-based pre-ordering system. Our system allows you to place your pre-orders online whenever is the best time for you. Each time you enter the site (your account is password protected), you will see all the pre-orders that you have made. You can add to or delete orders at any time up until the pre-order deadline. At that point, the number locks down, and the post order field will open up, allowing you to add to the order as the release date nears. For more information on how this works, click here. This system will also notify you whenever there is a change to the critical information of the item you have pre-ordered (release date, price, etc). You then have seven days to adjust your order (even if the pre-order deadline has passed). We have created a system that puts you, the retailer, in control of your orders as much as possible.

Upon arrival, these items are placed on hold for your account. Due to space limitations, upon reaching a $250 wholesale level they will be auto-shipped. We will make every effort to notify you that this is the case to see if you want to have any other items included before it ships.

Inventory Swaps

Over-ordering... No matter how hard you try, everyone does it and usually more than once. You over-ordered a particular item, and it did not sell that well in your store. Clearance discounting can set a dangerous precedent where your customers may start waiting for you to put items on clearance rather than buying it at normal prices. Throwing it on E-Bay, while effective, just does the same thing for another local store, and cheapens the perception of the product further. In addition, that product is tying up shelf space that can be used for something that will move for you. As a distributor, we see items selling in one area, and not as well in others. Just because it is a cold seller in one part of the country, does not mean we don't have a store placing constant reorders for that same product.

In order to help you with this situation, we have created an industry first. An online retailer to retailer swap system (it is important to note that only fellow retailers have access to the system). You are able to list any item you have in your store, and you name the price. The system handles everything from there. Centurion will take a 10% fee from the credit that is issued when a sale occurs, but there is no listing fee. You should absolutely continue to try and sell the product in the store. When another retailer requests to purchase your item, an e-mail is sent by the server to you asking you to confirm or deny the sale. If the item is available, and you wish to sell the item, confirm the sale and instructions for shipping it back to Centurion will be e-mailed to you. If the item has sold in the time since you listed it, just deny the sale, and it will be completely removed from the system. The potential buyer will be informed that the item is no longer available. This system allows you to browse all our customers product listings that they have put into the system. If you see something you want, you just click on the "Buy It" button. Centurion handles all the invoicing for the item, as well as collecting payment. We ship it with the buyer's next order. The seller gets a credit (after the 10% fee is deducted) that can be used on any product in our warehouse with their next order. In the past, stores have steadily sold items in the system over course of a few months, and then used the proceeds to pay for their entire Magic or Wizkids order. Some buyers have used this as a great way to get cheap store filler for a new store. It really works. Simple and a win, win all around!

Out of Print Merchandise

Centurion Hobby Distributors Inc. has access to one of the largest stockpiles of out of print gaming materials (currently it is mostly Role-Playing Games, but tough to find Boardgames will be added in as they become available) in the world. The inventory is constantly changing and growing, but until now, there has never been a way for a retailer to get items with any consistency. Due to our access to these products, a special NET terms catalog will be created to allow you to order items for your customers. An extremely strict grading system is used to note defects (highlighting or pen marks, missing items, cover wear, usage level, etc.) so you know what you are buying and the NET prices will allow you to set the profit margin you and your customer feel comfortable with.

This catalog will eventually be available on-line (but password protected to ensure your customers can not see it) so that you can check the inventory immediately, and have an idea what it is available and the cost. In addition, lists can be faxed upon request. Any item you reserve will be immediately set aside for you when confirmed, so you can get it with your next order.

Want to Sell us a New Product?

If you are an established company that has produced at least three products and have been in business for more than one year:

If we do not currently carry items by your company, then you will need to send us some promotional materials and all the data on setting up a new account with you. Generally, we will do a solicitation for your products with our accounts via our pre-order process. Any promotional items you send us will be passed on to our customers in their next order. Once we have an idea of how many of a particular line/item they want, we will add some extra copies to the order and place it with you. It will take a month or so to get you into the next monthly update (depending on when you contact us in the month) and we will place our order as soon as possible. If we have been getting inquiries from some of our stores about your products, we may place a small initial order to meet that demand while the pre-order process mentioned above is taking place.

If you are a new company (less than a year old) and have not produced three or more products (Note — When reading the following, please keep in mind that we are committed to making this industry grow, and that means helping the small press out. However, it is not possible to buy every item that is produced by the small press. The following guidelines will help you sell your product to us.):

We will need to see a finished copy of the items that you have produced to date to get an idea of the salability of your products . If nothing has been produced, we will need to see a finished copy of your first product prior to placing our first order.
When you have the finished product, we will need two complete playtest/demo kits (for trading card games, a kit will consist of one (1) starter deck and two (2) boosters for each player). One playtest/demo kit is given to a local store with a large in store game group, and they will give it an honest try. The other copy will be given to the member(s) of our staff who specializes in that area (board games, miniature games, trading card games, role playing games, accessories) for their evaluation. In both cases the store or individual will keep the item after they make their evaluation, and assuming we do order the product, these playtest copies will be used to demonstrate the product to potential new customers. Final-Version Playtest copies of a product are acceptable, as some of our staff playtest games for companies regularly, but these evaluations will greatly influence our likelihood of ordering your product, so having a finished product prior to our playtesting it will be to your advantage.
Send us some promotional materials that we can send to our customers (we will give you an exact count when you contact us). It can be anything from a demo kit, to a flyer, to a poster. Anything we can pass on, we will. The more interest we help you generate, the more likely we will place an order.
Sell us your product. What makes it different? Why is it the next greatest thing? What do you have planned to support it? What other materials for it are in the works? Give us a short summary of your plans. If you have a schedule of the cons you will appear at in the near future, let us know that as well. We have contacts with some long-standing conventions in the Northeast that could be an excellent place for you to show your wares.

If you make a good case, then it is highly likely we will pick it up and offer it to our customers, but if you have not laid out a framework to address any issues or concerns we may have, then odds are we will not. We think it is best to be honest in how we evaluate your products, so at least now you know what you are up against. Everyone here wishes you great success with your new product.