Newsagents in Tasmania yesterday received an email from Jonathan Mathys, the editor of Tasmanian Life, setting out the new trading terms relating to the title which used to be distributed by NDD. The email announces that the next issue of the magazine will be delivered, starting today, by a courier company. There is no invitation to open an account, just a decision by the publisher.
Judging by communication I have received, the email has not gone down well. The issues raised with me are:
- Lack of agreed terms. There is no contract, no request to accept supply. An assumption has been made that newsagents will take the stock.
- Supply volume. The last supplied NDD volume will be shipped. This will not reflect adjustments since made by newsagents. While there is a credit / returns process in place, it’s more work for those involved.
- Margin. 33% if you pay within 3 days if invoice. 25% if you pay within 14 days of invoice. Invoices are sent electronically within 24 hours of delivery. There is no comment about the margin if you do not pay on time.
- Returns. You hold the unsold stock until the next delivery, eight weeks later, when it is collected. You are given a credit against supply for the returns. No early return.
To their credit, the email outlined some good marketing initiatives. It also forecast a rewards program offering cases of beer and weekends away. I suspect that newsagents would prefer margin since you can’t bank beer or a weekend away.
I like Tasmanian Life. It’s a good publication for Tasmanian newsagents. I think that the transition from NDD to an in-house managed operation has not been handled as well as it might has been for newsagents.
I understand that the closure of NDD leaves magazine publishers to come up with distribution solutions which work for them. It is important that they consult widely with their newsagent customers otherwise they risk alienating their retail network and losing sales.
Hmmm He must be related to the mob who do the Suburban Trader/Vehicle Mania up here.
Very poor form indeed.
i said ‘GOTO HELL’
It appears that the publisher is not aquatinted with consumer law in relation to unsolicited goods. It is illegal to send someone goods that have not been solicited and then request payment.
good point jarryd, just dont pay for them. they must be a gift…. happy birthday
At least there was an email first.
The letter for the other aforementioned title came with the third delivery of the publication in question.
He doesn’t work for the company any more… newsagent distribution is under review and we will consult again before December issue
I really like the magazine, and wish it could be better managed. It comes out too late for the advertisements (very expensive I’d imagine), some of the articles are very hard to read because of the “busy’ backgrounds, they need a good proof reader, and now nobody is answering phones, and the web site is no longer available! Anyone know what’s going on? I’m a subscriber…..