SHP Forums

Interested in this Marauder by On-Line Systems? Don't be. The floppy appears to be a fake. On-Line Systems used plain gold labels without manufacturer name on it. Besides why would Online Systems, small as it was in those days, use floppies from overseas? Also, the label is too wide. On-Line Systems labels only cover about 3/4 of the floppy width.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0543283079

Nice eye. A shame there's no way to comment on a seller's thing to warn others, who may not visit the forum....

I did notice (from the price) GBP 40.00 - that the seller is over seas (from the US, that is) - could that be why they used over seas stuff?

I informed the seller and she changed the description a bit. Still not entirely correct though. On-Line Systems only sold in the United States to my knowledge. The BASF floppy really is not an original. As confirmed by Warren Schwader, Sierra never put the brand name of the media manufacturer on the label of their floppies.

Tawmis wrote:I did notice (from the price) GBP 40.00 - that the seller is over seas (from the US, that is) - could that be why they used over seas stuff?

Did you mean the UK?

DeadPoolX wrote:

Tawmis wrote:I did notice (from the price) GBP 40.00 - that the seller is over seas (from the US, that is) - could that be why they used over seas stuff?

Did you mean the UK?

The seller may be in the UK (I didn't look, I only looked at the price and the image itself), but what I was referring to was when Rudy said: "Besides why would Online Systems, small as it was in those days, use floppies from overseas?"

I was thinking if the seller is in the UK, perhaps over there (whether the UK, Europe, whatever) it may have been packaged differently.

Ah. Okay.

Question: how would Sierra's games have gotten to other countries? Online Systems are incredibly small at that time, so shipping games outside of the US probably would've been cost prohibitive.

I don't know for sure, however. Maybe Online Systems did get to foreign markets. It just seems unlikely given the size of the company and the overall state of the video game industry at that time.

DeadPoolX wrote:Ah. Okay.

Question: how would Sierra's games have gotten to other countries? Online Systems are incredibly small at that time, so shipping games outside of the US probably would've been cost prohibitive.

I don't know for sure, however. Maybe Online Systems did get to foreign markets. It just seems unlikely given the size of the company and the overall state of the video game industry at that time.

I imagine that they may have found some companies outside of the US to distribute for them. I mean, other than packaging - the process to make one disk (most games were back then) is probably MINIMAL at best. So the only cost would have been in the box/packaging, which they may have footed to expand their market?

Someone up for asking Ken on SierraGamers or Facebook?

I was thinking more along the line of shipping to other countries. The cost to transport goods, in addition to paying customs duties and taxes, can add up to a lot.

DeadPoolX wrote:I was thinking more along the line of shipping to other countries. The cost to transport goods, in addition to paying customs duties and taxes, can add up to a lot.

Couldn't they hire some third party to distribute for them over seas? For example, get someone in Japan to make and distribute in Japan? And thus avoid customs and taxes, etc? Granted, I get they were small back then - but they could have found some very small companies who might have done something like this? I'm just - as they say - spitballin' here (I never really got that term).

Tawmis wrote:

DeadPoolX wrote:I was thinking more along the line of shipping to other countries. The cost to transport goods, in addition to paying customs duties and taxes, can add up to a lot.

Couldn't they hire some third party to distribute for them over seas? For example, get someone in Japan to make and distribute in Japan? And thus avoid customs and taxes, etc? Granted, I get they were small back then - but they could have found some very small companies who might have done something like this? I'm just - as they say - spitballin' here (I never really got that term).

It's certainly possible. I just don't think they would've spent the money -- no matter how they went about getting it distributed -- to go into foreign markets when they were just starting to get recognized in the US.

DeadPoolX wrote: It's certainly possible. I just don't think they would've spent the money -- no matter how they went about getting it distributed -- to go into foreign markets when they were just starting to get recognized in the US.

Yeah but wasn't Ken a businessman of some sort (before launching Sierra?)... He may have had those instincts to do it? Or had connections? Who knows. lol

I can't even believe this convo has gone on this long. I just need to shut up.

Tawmis wrote:Yeah but wasn't Ken a businessman of some sort (before launching Sierra?)... He may have had those instincts to do it? Or had connections? Who knows. lol

He was a programmer.