How to plan the festive season if you sell board games

Board games are bought in two moods. Some people are buying a gift for a child, a cousin or a colleague. Others are preparing for time at home with relatives, when the family wants something to play together. Both moods peak around holidays and gifting occasions, so your busiest weeks follow the family calendar.

Start with the calendar

Festival and holiday dates change each year, so look up this year's dates. Mark each occasion you want to sell for, and write the last day a parcel should reach the buyer. Then subtract delivery time, your packing time and listing time. The date you get is your stock-ready deadline. The general approach is in festive season selling for small brands.

Pick your range

Think about who is buying and what they need.

• Easy family games for mixed ages
• Quick party games for groups
• Strategy games for older kids and adults
• A few budget gift options

You do not have to stock everything. A tight range that you can photograph and describe well will sell better than a pile of unknown titles. If your supplier has long lead times, order the most likely bestsellers first.

Eight to six weeks before

• Confirm stock with your suppliers and ask about delivery timing
• Check sealed boxes for damage when they arrive, and set aside anything crushed
• Order cartons, corner protectors, wrap and tape

Six to four weeks before

• Photograph every game with a box front, back, flat lay and a mid-play scene, as in photographing board games
• Write descriptions with player count, age range, play time, language and the contents list
• Upload products and set stock. Create a gifting collection so buyers can browse in one place, using how to organise products into collections

Four to two weeks before

• Do a trial packing run and a shake test, following packing board games safely
• Prepare gift options, such as a plain wrap and a message card, and decide on any fee
• Plan an offer, such as a bundle of two games, and check your margin before you announce it

The last two weeks

Publish your last order dates and keep them in view. Keep stock numbers correct. Answer questions on age suitability and contents fast, and share tracking details when parcels ship. Gift buyers worry about arrival time, so a short note with each shipment helps. Be ready for questions about missing pieces and condition, and keep the points from board games return risks in mind when writing your listings.

Watch your cash and stock

Board games are bulky and often bought upfront, so avoid overbuying titles you are not sure about. Start with a modest quantity, and reorder only where sales and lead times support it. A game that does not sell in the gifting weeks may sit for months.

After the season

Note which titles sold quickly, which questions came up and where parcels were damaged or late. Keep a list of customers who bought as gifts, and message them later to suggest more games, with their permission. Families that enjoy one game often come back for another, and that quiet repeat business is what builds a small shop.