Hashut’s Blessing:
I get the feeling that I have seen this before, but decided to share it here and people can share it elsewehere too. Anyhow, here it is:
Lowering GW prices
Thommy H:
Vote with your wallet, not an online petition.
Zanko:
Vote with your wallet, not an online petition.I totally agree!
Thommy H
Buy minis of other companies and have great games/tourneys without the patronising of GW!
I'm afraid that such petitions are complete useless! :|
:hashut
Tarrakk Blackhand:
To be honest, as a hobby shop owner, I can’t see how GW gets away with their high prices.
An AMT model car, say a 1955 Chevy, has more parts in it than a single box of Dwarf Warriors.
AMT model car = $15-$17 CDN. Dwarf Warriors = $45.00 CDN.
GW #11 blade knife = $18.00
Excell #11 knife = $3.00
GW Side Cutters = $18.00
Excell Sidecutters = $6.00
Dollar Store Side Cutters = $2.00
Citadel Paint = $5.00 a bottle
Valero paint = $3.75 a bottle
Testor’s Enamel = $2.00 a bottle.
Citadel Spray Paint = $18 a spray can.
Tremclad rust paint = $5.00 for same size can - although it’s a slower drying enamel.
Ok, I can see charging an outrageous ammount on metal mini’s, but it doesn’t make sense on the plastic models or tools and paints.
And I’ve noticed that Lord of the Rings stuff is hugely expensive!
Thorne:
I must admit for over 5 years I havent directly purchased a games workshop model kit or ruleboook or game, Simply because of having children and having less funds, However since I joined this and other sites related to warhammer I have not still purchased games workshop products from them directly, They have ar less product choice as they did back in the day, Far less support for other games that went by the by like battlefleet gothic man o war gorka morka and necromunda have that require less for the gamer to buy to play how they would like less choices for the modeler to buy less support in the drive to sell the best models for wargaming and found alternatives,
Indeed it seams Mantic who are largely run by ex games workshop staff will be making there own white dwarf style magazine, Already boasting near 2 full forces and a soon to be magizine, Miniture producers like EM4 who sell old school orc’s and dwarves that still ot this day looks pretty current next to games workshop products and much more in proportion to realistic scale figures . Just this week I picked up 100 herocliks elves with bows for the small price of £15.00 they stand a little taller than games workshop wood elves but they are game and up for a little conversion to make myself a new army of wood elves with the addition of only 20 horses to use as cavalry mounts and some 3mm thick steel wire for spears and the likes,
The best way to play is one that suits not only your pocket and your requirements, I have found that in my humble opinion that if you do a little digging you will find some true gems out there that are not games workshop stamped sealed and delivererd, The thing that always sticks out in my mind from any member of games workshop staff when I was just starting out playing warhammer 40k, Sad true but sad was “We love you to play our games, Doesnt mean you have to use our models” Advice that always I can remember still to this day. Strange it was to hear it from a games workshop order troll (or what ever they are called now).
One thing that you can try to remember is one direct way to games workshops is via profit margins.
Grimstonefire:
Another classic one is their PVA glue. £5 for a tiny tube, where you can get 5 times as much for the same price if you go to the right places.
Off topic, but I also saw Woodland scenics (or a company like them) selling twigs for £3.50… Obviously they must have been special ‘terrain twigs’…
Thommy H:
They get away with it because people continue to pay it. The moment it stops being profitable to sell things at such high rates, they’ll stop. That’s why I said you should vote with your wallet - if you don’t like the prices, don’t pay them. If enough people do the same thing, GW will have no choice but to bring prices down: simple supply and demand. I’m not usually a great believer in pure economic theory as a way of righting wrongs, but when we’re just talking about business concerns, it makes sense.
All that said, I’ll play devil’s advocate for a second: GW charges an excessive mark up because their business model is built around providing a hobby, not just a product. When you buy a GW product, you’re not just getting some toys in a box, you’re getting something you’re guaranteed to be able to use to play games with because, in theory, everyone has access to a GW Hobby Centre. And if they don’t, GW has a system for sponsoring local gaming groups (or at least they used to - no idea if that’s still the case) meaning that you should be able to get a game no matter where you go. Obviously, they need to make a lot of money to pay for that.
So there’s some logic there.
Tarrakk Blackhand:
[quote = Thommy H]
if you don’t like the prices, don’t pay them. If enough people do the same thing, GW will have no choice but to bring prices down: [/quote]
All well and good, except for one thing :
The children! Yes…pity the children! 
The Red-shirts have the best sales training out there. All they need to do is say "Hey kids! How would you like to learn how to play
Swissdictator:
I use automobile primer… I swear that I seem to get AT LEAST three times as much use out of it, for a third of the cost. So, effectively, it lasts nine times as long for the same value.
Knowing how much money some historical players drop, GW doesn’t seem that bad. Especially if you’re not constantly adding armies. If you focus on a few armies, the cost isn’t all that bad. Despite the high prices, buying two armies (say for Father/Son gaming) and the rules is initially expensive perhaps. However, once you translate how often you play over time, it gets to be pretty reasonable. Every 6-8 years you have to buy a new rule book/army book and maybe a pack if they add a new unit. Seeing what I’ve seen people spend on sports, electronic gaming, etc, etc, etc the cost it takes you to have years of gaming isn’t that bad.
What irks me more is the lower number of bits, and less customization. The current Dwarf warriors, in my opinion, are some of the worst sculpts out there. Not that they look horrid, though I do think they’re too big for Dwarfs, but that diagonal divide makes it very hard to do any custom work, and let’s not even talk about the molded arms and such.
Tarrakk Blackhand:
@ swiss - I find that diagonal divide doesn’t always line up. IT’s a great area for large gaps if you’re not carefull.
Thommy H:
Tarrakk, even if it’s the parents buying it, supply and demand comes into play - it’s just that they’ll be the ones deciding what’s reasonable instead. You know, bottom line: people will pay the prices if they think it’s worth it. And that applies even if “it” is “shutting the damn kids up for five minutes”. I think the prices are a bit unreasonable, but given that I work for a living and have no major drains on my finances, I can afford them - I don’t buy a huge amount, but the cost of a unit every month or two is not excessive, especially compared to what I spend on “real” things (rent, furniture, electronics, etc.) so I refuse to get angry about it. If they were that bad, I wouldn’t be willing to pay it, would I?
So, really, online petitions are less than useless. Don’t buy it if you don’t like the price, and maybe if they keep hiking it up everyone else will follow suit and they’ll change. But that’s unlikely, because there’s only so much you can charge for something.
Willmark:
Online petitions not so much voting with the wallets.
cornixt:
GW won’t do anything about prices from a petition. Prices are purely a business decision - if they work out they’ll make more profit by changing them then they will, otherwise they won’t.
Servius:
Petitions amount to about the same as a bag of sheit this day in age when it comes to business. It all comes down to the all mighty dollar in the end… also a basis for their new pricing scheme is partly based on the online retailers like warstore, maelstrom and other ebay sellers offering a 20% off MSRP to customers. so as more people abandon their local stores to buy online at cheaper prices expect the prices to go up… GW looks less at percentages of profit based off of retail and more on the end of the day profit numbers in cash basically. So while their percentages are about the same over all its more money in the end. Basically raising the MSRP raises the wholesale making it more expensive to all aftermarket sellers including indy shops. so when the sellers sell at 20% they still get about the same amount of profit but gw is simply raking in money. as they are charging double what they should be wholesale. this model makes the company able to makeup or cover costs based on the loss of retail sales at their corporate stores. basically Letting GW cut costs in their company by closing stores and bunkers and giving “incentives” to indy sellers.
Joshmohr:
I’m number 2935, lets hope that they at least review the petition…
BLOOD AXE:
Whats with the Minotaurs? 3 for $42+ ??!! Ogre Bulls are same size & alot less. Rip off.
Hashut’s Blessing:
Thommy H, I completely agree with the notion of “voting with my wallet”, but I see no harm in signing a petition requesting them to rethink how high the prices are. Yes, it may not get ANYthing done, but would it do the opposite? I doubt it would (without some hideously serious other contributing factors), so I see no problem.
Yes, the products get their value through time, but the fact remains that even those sticking up for GW’s prices (whether as Devil’s advocate or not) are still admitting that the prices are high, rather than about right or slightly above what is right, but acceptable. It has reduced spending from people to “a box every month or two”, instead of “a box or two every month or less”.
Ultimately, I posted this up not to debate their prices, nor to discuss the best way of getting them to lower prices because GW won’t listen regardless of method, but I posted it to give people the chance to allow people to voice their opinion on the high prices (if they agree that they are high) in a united format, even if we don;t think it’ll do anything.
Thommy H:
Well I’d be embarrassed to put my name to something inherently pointless, personally. If the prices bother you that much though, don’t let me stop you.
clam:
If this works I’ll start a petetion for Farrari to lower their price one the new Ferrari California as well
I agree 100% with Thommy H on this. If you don’t like the way they do business, don’t buy their products.
Grimstonefire:
I’m not wishing to start a massive debate here, but I never see that as a valid defence of GW pricing.
I don’t like the way GW do business at all, but I do want to buy their products. So I do have a valid reason to complain.