Over the past few years, more and more publishers have begun selling directly to retailers, allowing sales out of the publishers’ inventory, instead of relying on incomplete stock at secondary wholesale sellers. This has been especially important on backlist and lesser-known titles that may not be profitable to stock at distributors.  But this creates a problem for retailers, who must open an account with a new supplier for every publisher, often for just a handful of products. Now there’s a solution to that problem: ICv2 Direct is a platform where game (and later, comic) publishers can sell direct to the thousands of stores that visit ICv2.  

ICv2 Direct reduces friction for retailers interested in ordering direct, and the retailer traffic to ICv2.com provides a steady audience of potential customers.

ICv2 will advertise ICv2 Direct and the publishers selling on it to retailers using its site: a direct fit for wholesale sales to retailers.

Here are some frequently asked questions about ICv2 Direct:

What is ICv2 Direct?
ICv2 Direct is a platform where publishers can sell directly to retailers When a retailer places an order on ICv2 Direct, it’s shipped directly from the publisher to the store.

How long has the company been in business? 
ICv2 Direct is a new service of ICv2, which has been publishing news, sales reports, and opinion for retailers in the hobby games and comics, graphic novels, and manga businesses since 2001.

Why should I sell to retailers through ICv2 Direct?
ICv2 Direct is a unique wholesale platform operated by the #1 site for hobby game and comic retailers.  We will market ICv2 Direct and the products offered on it to the thousands of retailers that visit our site, subscribe to our emails, and trust ICv2 as their regular trade news source. Selling through ICv2 Direct allows you to reach more stores, consolidated through a single source for order flow and payment.

How does ICv2 Direct make money?
We take a commission on each sale, from which we pay credit card fees necessary to receive payment from the retailer, customer service, and other costs. 

Are there any requirements to be an ICv2 Direct vendor?
In order to be an ICv2 Direct vendor, publishers must be a publisher or other primary source business able to ship wholesale to retailers in the United States within one business day of receiving the order. We reserve the right to choose which publishers can sell on the ICv2 Direct platform, in our sole discretion.

What products can ICv2 Direct vendors sell?
In this phase of the ICv2 Direct roll-out, we’re accepting vendors that sell products that will be sold to and by hobby game stores. 

We are not accepting explicit sexual material of a nature that would be rated NC-17 if it were a movie for sale on the platform.

We reserve the right to reject any product that we feel does not reflect well on the ICv2 brand in our sole discretion.  

How should I set wholesale prices for ICv2 Direct?
You can set your own wholesale prices.  We encourage you to price products sold through ICv2 Direct at a price that makes your product as profitable for retailers as other options. 

When and how do I get paid for my sales?
We will send payments by ACH.  We will transmit payment (only to U.S. banks) within fourteen days of the end of the week in which the order was placed.

I meet the requirements. How do I sign up to sell my products to retailers on the ICv2 Direct platform?
Click here to register to sell on the ICv2 Direct platform.

How do I get more information about selling to retailers via ICv2 Direct?
Sign up below for the ICv2 Direct Publisher newsletter.