The decision of how much inventory to list online versus in store is one of the most important decisions for game store owners and their success. The amount can vary between each store and what time of year it is, but there are a few factors that each store should look at to effectively determine how and where to list their inventory. 

First off, pay attention to your allocations. The industry looks completely different today than it has in the past when it comes to allocations. Many local game store owners face challenges trying to receive larger allocations as frequently as they have in the past. Although this has changed, store owners will still typically see a higher profit on product that they sell in store, rather than product that they list online. Making sure you always have enough product in your actual store is key, and you must always manage the amount of inventory you list online based on the size and frequency of your allocations.  

Besides allocations, what else plays a factor in the decision of where to list inventory? Another factor that plays a big role in where to list your inventory is stale and dead product. As new sets are released, it is only natural that certain products become staler than others.  When this happens, the audience willing to purchase that product will become much smaller, and store owners start to have a much harder time getting it off their shelves. When store owners face this problem, listing the product online is a great solution. This way, retailers will reach a much wider range of potential customers. 

Stale product is one thing, but when it comes to hot product, listing your inventory can be a bit of a challenge when trying to produce the best margins for your business. What is the smartest decision when it comes to inventory of hot products? With new or hot products, store owners will sometimes see that the price point that has been established in the online world is much higher than in your local area. When this is the case, store owners should list more of the product online than in store so they can make a high profit on as much inventory as possible. But pay close attention! When the price point and demand has caught up or is higher than it is in the online world, store owners should be listing more in store than online to maximize profit.