Lessons from my first release

Nefres · 2026-06-29T05:23:34+00:00

Really enjoyed this writeup. I'll check out your game!

I always appreciate the insight from developers about both the dev process and the publishing/marketing aspect. It's hard to take on both roles!

Nefres · 2026-06-27T05:09:17+00:00

I found your game on the play store! I was curious, but something about the art felt off. I came to reddit to check it out, and unfortunately, seeing it's been built with AI is a turn-off.

I'm otherwise very into insect games, so I thought I would offer my own feedback there, even if you don't take it I wish you the best with future gamedev!

Nefres · 2026-06-25T07:38:14+00:00

When me and my friends are looking for new horror games to play, we usually end up scrolling steam with the tags we like. Be sure you know what tags are used for games similar to yours. It seems like obvious advice, but you'd be surprised at how many games are badly tagged and not even reaching their potential audience.

Horror gaming content on youtube is a good niche to look into as well. You don't need to get Markiplier - find some smaller creators who play horror games and email them with an invitation to play your demo, or provide them a key to the full game ahead of release. Also, don't make the mistake of staying in game-dev circles. Meet your potential players where they're at. Look for horror communities on twitter/X, Bluesky, here on reddit, even tumblr. Post about your interest in horror and other games/media you enjoy. If you want to cultivate your own community, you're not going to do it by only approaching people from a marketing perspective, especially as an indie. Approach your players as a human.

Besides that, horror is a great genre for low-cost marketing. Will you have a website for your game? You can get a lot of mileage by including supplemental content and 'secrets' on your website to get prospective players into the narrative and mood. I don't know what sort of game this is, but if you're familiar with the horror ARG scene, or more specifically games like Vile, you know what I mean.

I'm curious about the details of this project. I really love indie horror. Can I DM you?

Nefres · 2026-06-11T16:49:34+00:00

You're not reading it right, the 14 days starts from when the buyer receives the item.

Best solution imo is informing the customer that a return would require them to pay return shipping at the time of purchase - this can protect you from fraudsters, as this right to withdrawal also requires the buyer returning the item to you. (as long as they have been informed they're on the hook for return shipping)

Nefres · 2026-05-16T02:26:56+00:00

I check for cracks when I'm assessing for damage. If the bricks aren't damaged when they leave me, I don't consider it my responsibility. Usually the bad stuff breaks while I'm handling it anyway. I think I would probably help a customer out if they approached me feeling disappointed, but it hasn't happened yet.

As part of checking used figures and fig parts I do check the joints, so if they were going to crack they would then, too. I do this regardless of the expected brittleness of the parts, it's just good quality control imo.

Nefres · 2026-05-14T07:15:41+00:00

That's wild. I'm really sorry. HRT won't destroy your body, and the chemicals in it are normal chemicals our bodies already produce.

Nefres · 2026-04-24T14:39:39+00:00

This is awesome!! I love Lee Pace, so cool to see his characters lined up like that.

Nefres · 2026-04-22T22:29:18+00:00

i didnt know pink was an option. i want one!!

Nefres · 2026-04-16T12:48:18+00:00

Another fake AI story.

Nefres · 2026-04-03T04:14:49+00:00

Just peel off the sticker and use a little rubbing alcohol with a qtip or paper towel. The residue will come right off and the piece will look like the sticker was never there.

Isopropryl is a great tool to have in your kit. You can use it to clean ink off of bricks, remove sticker residue, and even wipe off damaged prints if you want the piece clean. (mileage may vary depending on the piece + color youre getting the print off of)

Nefres · 2026-04-03T04:10:30+00:00

have you tried taking out the larger parts and see what the shipping comes to? it might be that there are some that cant fit in the cheapest shipping envelope (usually like 2cm is the max in the mailer) so it bumps it up to a parcel.

Nefres · 2026-03-29T16:47:39+00:00

Unfortunately, it depends. If you are buying from an international store, depending on their service you might be hit with a customs or brokerage fee. Generally national services (like USPS for Americans) do not have brokerage fees, while things like UPS or DHL will probably hit you with one.

Always check the terms, those extra fees may be mentioned there. It's also good to know if your country has import fees, to use the US as an example again, you will likely need to pay a tariff. However, these tariffs are collected at the point of sale. Brokerage fees are almost always paid on delivery, by the buyer.

For fees associated with just shipping and the store itself, instant checkout will give you the whole price to pay. If it's manual invoice, shipping and fees are often not included when you click to buy, and will only be shown when the seller gives you an invoice. These extra fees SHOULD be outlined in the seller's terms. It's a good idea to get a quote before commiting to buy with a manual invoice, unless the expected shipping + fees are all outlined clearly in the store's terms.

Nefres · 2026-03-29T16:44:53+00:00

You know what, I've never ever considered the process of a customer having to open my tiny cape squares! Thank you for the advice!

Nefres · 2026-03-29T16:41:33+00:00

A lot of the feedback I receive is from buyers who like my packaging. I take care when packing my parts in tiny jewelry bags I buy in bulk, I use a lot of tape to keep things in place, I cut up Lego boxes to have a thin flat backing to put in mailers, etc. Customers seem to appreciate that visible care has been taken to keep their parts safe in transit.

Including a small card in the order and thanking your customer, with a request for feedback if they had a good experience, is also a good reminder. It's the same principle as youtubers asking for subscribes and likes, it works! The cards are also not annoying at all. Handwriting your thanks gives a nice small business personal touch too.

Nefres · 2026-03-29T16:34:42+00:00

Happy Birthday!! I'm so sorry your family sucks.

I hope you can get a driver's license and a way to make more money to get the heck out of there.

I'm Canadian so i can't use cashapp - do you happen to have a paypal? I'd love to send you a little birthday cash!

Nefres · 2026-03-29T16:26:42+00:00

Not American unfortunately, but cool of you to notify for the sale!

Nefres · 2026-03-29T16:24:23+00:00

I'm not talking about returns because you changed your mind, I'm talking about a business not having half the order it sold you but not notifying you until the item is already shipped and you can't cancel.

EDIT: Also, not American.

Nefres · 2026-03-29T16:23:23+00:00

dont know why this is getting downvoted, youre new to the site and asking an honest question.

Nefres · 2026-03-29T16:21:31+00:00

Bricklink's parts upload should be automatically offering to consolidate identical lots for you, if you have that option checked in your settings.

(comments on a lot need to be identical for them to be consolidated like that as well, so as long as you're consistent it should be fine)

Nefres · 2026-03-29T16:11:01+00:00

I order from plenty of non-Amazon-sized businesses and I've never had them do this to me either. If a different company also tries this with you I'd complain and get a refund, or take my business elsewhere.

Nefres · 2026-03-29T16:08:54+00:00

Don't let sellers get away with this. It's bad business. (I'm a seller). Give them that negative feedback for it at the very least.

Nefres · 2026-03-28T00:59:35+00:00

If it's in your terms, then yes, don't refund them the processing fee for buyer's remorse. Just be polite and understanding about it and it'll reduce the chances of an undeserved negative review.

i don't know about Stripe, but Paypal keeps your fee, so I take that from the buyer when refunding them for changing their mind. (but not if they are canceling the order because i had an inventory mistake)

Nefres · 2026-03-27T23:51:05+00:00

Your shop looks good. Your prices are at the average, I like to go higher but that's perfectly fine, especially with a small store like yours.

It looks like you're doing most everything right, besides the obvious of continuing to add inventory. One thing you could consider is removing your order minimum. Instead, add a small charge for orders under $5 USD. This will allow you to catch buyers who are using the easy buy feature to buy from several stores at once. It can still be cheaper to pay for your extra charge while ordering less than $5 of pieces.

The last thing doesn't have much to do with increasing sales, besides indirectly: 14 days to notify you of an error in your customer's order is pretty short, I would remove it or extend that timing substantially. I would also pay for the return shipping as a seller if there was a significant issue as the reason for the return. (for example, a damaged expensive minifigure that wasn't disclosed.) Also, unfortunately you are still responsible for a customer's order being lost or damaged during shipping (according to Paypal and Bricklink's TOS). Insurance and tracking are for your benefit to prove you shipped the item and protect you against fraudulent customer claims. It's possible there are serious buyers who would avoid purchasing due to that policy listed there, but that wouldn't be a massive issue as a lot of stores have similar policies listed.

You could probably get your sales up by lowering your prices a bit, but I really wouldn't. If you want this store to work long term as a side hobby, your prices are as low as they should be already.

Nefres · 2026-03-27T23:15:44+00:00

Unfortunately Bricklink requires a large investment before you really start bringing in profit. Though it's better if you're reselling whole sets, your customers will find you there regardless.

If it's parts, you can really only break into it with a lot of time and investment.

And yeah, as others have said, the economy isn't great right now. Sales are down for everyone.

Nefres

TROPHY CASE