GW to order retailers to stop shipping to southern hemisphere...

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**kanelom**

This goes out to all those who don't understand how STUPIDLY overpriced Oz GW is, our dollar is higher than the USD now.

10man SM Tac Squad AUD $62 USD $37.25
5 Man Termi Squad AUD $74 USD $50

1.00 AUD = 1.05624 USD

As someone originally from Oz, its gut wrenching trying to draw up a playable list and then actually buy it locally to support your LGS or resident GW. Especially when you know Maelstrom prices. There's no way anyone who has lurked the interwebs even a little would pay Oz prices. Whether on Maelstrom, Ebay or otherwise, the prices that others pay are just ridiculously lower.
Now as someone living in China, and not in one of the major coastal cities, buying from online independent retailers here is a nightmare. Language isn't an issue, terrible customer service is.
Our local gaming group just recently turned to Maelstrom, and what a breath of fresh air that was. Now though...

Now as a young father looking to head back this hobby, all joking aside, I may have to drop the hobby in order to support my family because i'm getting the feeling there won't be room for both in the budget.

**ArbeitsSchu**

Probably bears repeating: No need to quit "the hobby", just change games. Or even pay more for the rules and change figures.

**H.B.M.C.**

Actually what saddens me the most right now is that there are people here (and elsewhere) who will both defend and celebrate this action of GW's; people who will attempt to rationalise, explain a way and - dare I say it - apologise for GW.

**SilverMK2**

Frazzled wrote:So they don't have online retailers in Australia, just GW?

I believe they have to buy at GW Oz prices, rather than GW UK prices (with the appropriate % retailer discount).

**Halderan**

A few pages back, someone mentioned the online retail issue had 'gone quiet' in Australia. Well, that's because the government threw the issue to a Productivity Commission inquiry:

http://www.pc.gov.au/projects/inquiry/retail-industry

I encourage everyone to make a submission, they don't have to be long, just 1 page (try not to swear!) and just show the price difference we (used to) be able to get and point out the prices we have to face now that this choice is gone.

They might not be able to do anything for us (given it's EU/UK jurisdiction, not Australia) but at least they can use the example to stop the Aust government do anything else silly re online retail and actually letting the consumer benefit. That, and it'd be bad press for GW.

oh and if you want to check the Commission's past view on this sort of thing, look for 'parallel imports of books'

**Kanluwen**

ArbeitsSchu wrote:Probably bears repeating: No need to quit "the hobby", just change games. Or even pay more for the rules and change figures.

There's an important distinction. GW considers themselves the "Games Workshop Hobby". Nothing says arrogance like having your own name in the hobby you claim for yourself, right?

But the hobby of wargaming? No need to quit it just because GW's trying to make Australians and New Zealanders feel bad. There's plenty of games like West Wind's "Secrets of the Third Reich/Incursion", Corvus Belli's "Infinity", FFG's "Dust Tactics"(which is supposed to be getting a 'freestyle tabletop' game setup soon), or the everpopular Warmachine/Hordes from Privateer Press and Battlefront's "Flames of War"(although BF as a company is ehhhhh).

**zombie**

derek wrote:I'm guessing that the US online retailers didn't get hit because GW thinks they killed them in July, 2003?

they will get hit when it is time for the contract to be renewed i'd expect.

Damn I did not expect GW contempt for their customers to be that great

I was considering returning since I did love the new dark eldar designs but I refuse to pay GWOZ extortion prices instead I will spend more on Firestorm Armada, Dystopian Wars, and their upcoming Firestorm Invasion and restrict any GW products to second hand on ebay

Until GW equalizes the GWOZ prices to the rest of the world and at this point I dont care if they rise the rest of the world to match or drop OZ (& NZ, canada, and others) to either GW US or UK then GW management can go sit on my paintbrush and swivel.

Automatically Appended Next Post:

derek wrote:
Orock wrote:The only thing im looking forward to anymore from GW is warhamemr 40k online. Although my expectations are no longer what they were. I guess thats good, its harder to be disapointed that way.

Is it because the entire MMO industry charges roughly $15 US a month for subscription fees, but you know that since it's GW it'll be $30-$45?

and in OZ it will be $60 because it has to be a similar price to a tac squad because they can

**BrassScorpion**

There's no surprise here, GW likes best whatever is closest to their HQ in Nottingham. It's always been that way. They treat the UK better than their other markets and they treat the northern hemisphere better than their other hemispheres. It's rampant geographic favoritism of the worst kind. It's just what you'd expect from "vacuous, toffee-nosed, malodorous, perverts!"

"And when we say there's not much cannibalism in the Royal Navy, we mean we have the problem relatively under control."

**carmachu**

H.B.M.C. wrote:Actually what saddens me the most right now is that there are people here (and elsewhere) who will both defend and celebrate this action of GW's; people who will attempt to rationalise, explain a way and - dare I say it - apologise for GW.

Thats usually because they either own stock in GW or have their lips firmly planted on Kirby'S butt. Or both.

**ArbeitsSchu**

Kanluwen wrote:
ArbeitsSchu wrote:Probably bears repeating: No need to quit "the hobby", just change games. Or even pay more for the rules and change figures.

There's an important distinction. GW considers themselves the "Games Workshop Hobby". Nothing says arrogance like having your own name in the hobby you claim for yourself, right?

But the hobby of wargaming? No need to quit it just because GW's trying to make Australians and New Zealanders feel bad. There's plenty of games like West Wind's "Secrets of the Third Reich/Incursion", Corvus Belli's "Infinity", FFG's "Dust Tactics"(which is supposed to be getting a 'freestyle tabletop' game setup soon), or the everpopular Warmachine/Hordes from Privateer Press and Battlefront's "Flames of War"(although BF as a company is ehhhhh).

Ebay the rulebooks and shop with Mantic (or whoever.)? Bf has its own "issues" about trying to be the Historical GW, but likewise 15mm WW2 is well-covered. Worrying though that because of their branding, GW try to stifle the whole hobby by claiming to BE the hobby. Wonder how many people actually believe that these days? T'internet is mighty.

On a related note..how much is that new GW Historical Kampfgruppe rulebook going to cost in Aus? £48 in the UK...

Automatically Appended Next Post:

carmachu wrote:
H.B.M.C. wrote:Actually what saddens me the most right now is that there are people here (and elsewhere) who will both defend and celebrate this action of GW's; people who will attempt to rationalise, explain a way and - dare I say it - apologise for GW.

Thats usually because they either own stock in GW or have their lips firmly planted on Kirby'S butt. Or both.

I'd be pissed if I were a shareholder and I got told they'd just massacred their international sales.

**Kanluwen**

ArbeitsSchu wrote:
Kanluwen wrote:
ArbeitsSchu wrote:Probably bears repeating: No need to quit "the hobby", just change games. Or even pay more for the rules and change figures.

There's an important distinction. GW considers themselves the "Games Workshop Hobby". Nothing says arrogance like having your own name in the hobby you claim for yourself, right?

But the hobby of wargaming? No need to quit it just because GW's trying to make Australians and New Zealanders feel bad. There's plenty of games like West Wind's "Secrets of the Third Reich/Incursion", Corvus Belli's "Infinity", FFG's "Dust Tactics"(which is supposed to be getting a 'freestyle tabletop' game setup soon), or the everpopular Warmachine/Hordes from Privateer Press and Battlefront's "Flames of War"(although BF as a company is ehhhhh).

Ebay the rulebooks and shop with Mantic (or whoever.)?

Could work.

Bf has its own "issues" about trying to be the Historical GW, but likewise 15mm WW2 is well-covered.

Interestingly, BF was established by former GW execs. Same with Mantic.

Worrying though that because of their branding, GW try to stifle the whole hobby by claiming to BE the hobby. Wonder how many people actually believe that these days? T'internet is mighty.

I don't think many people seriously believe it. I know plenty of people have their issues with me, but I can say that I don't see Games Workshop or their games as the wargaming hobby.
The most visible aspect or popularized form of wargaming?
I don't know, but I think it's kind of up there. Like Dungeons and Dragons as the kind of 'most visible RPG' settings.

On a related note..how much is that new GW Historical Kampfgruppe rulebook going to cost in Aus? £48 in the UK...

Ouch. I dunno, I'd guess like 98 AUD?

**Orlanth**

H.B.M.C. wrote:Actually what saddens me the most right now is that there are people here (and elsewhere) who will both defend and celebrate this action of GW's; people who will attempt to rationalise, explain a way and - dare I say it - apologise for GW.

Hey H' sorry GW feth you over.

Come to think of it, I do understand the ploy and its probably not targeted at you and other Oz customers, you are merely the stick with which to beat the real target, cheap online sellers based in the UK. They can afford worldwide free shipping only because they get large orders from people like you. Postage in the Uk is expensive, and it took me a while to work out why companies like Maelstrom offer it when Uk postage let alone foreign will cut into the profit margins. The answer was simple, the cost of free shipping to me was a loss leader to buy GW stock at local trade prices and ship it in vast numbers to places like South Africa (which is having an even worse time of it than you are by all accounts) and Australia.
Do I agree with the policy, no, but I can see logic in the bean countery. It doesn't piss on UK sales, it doesnt piss on US sales, so the core market is preserved. It pisses on Maelstrom, and other free shippers who consequently will have to abandon free shipping and thus will lose the market share they are taking away from GW retail in Europe.

**carmachu**

ArbeitsSchu wrote:

I'd be pissed if I were a shareholder and I got told they'd just massacred their international sales.

You would think so, but given some of the other GW decisions business wise, not sure they are. I dont think they'll recover nearly as well as when they removed all US internet carts. That had sales damages that lasted years.

**ArbeitsSchu**

Orlanth wrote:
H.B.M.C. wrote:Actually what saddens me the most right now is that there are people here (and elsewhere) who will both defend and celebrate this action of GW's; people who will attempt to rationalise, explain a way and - dare I say it - apologise for GW.

Hey H' sorry GW feth you over.

Come to think of it, I do understand the ploy and its probably not targeted at you and other Oz customers, you are merely the stick with which to beat the real target, cheap online sellers based in the UK. They can afford worldwide free shipping only because they get large orders from people like you. Postage in the Uk is expensive, and it took me a while to work out why companies like Maelstrom offer it when Uk postage let alone foreign will cut into the profit margins. The answer was simple, the cost of free shipping to me was a loss leader to buy GW stock at local trade prices and ship it in vast numbers to places like South Africa (which is having an even worse time of it than you are by all accounts) and Australia.
Do I agree with the policy, no, but I can see logic in the bean countery. It doesn't piss on UK sales, it doesnt piss on US sales, so the core market is preserved. It pisses on Maelstrom, and other free shippers who consequently will have to abandon free shipping and thus will lose the market share they are taking away from GW retail in Europe.

UK sales includes indy retailers in the UK who obviously won't need the stock to sell overseas, and unless they address local prices there won't be a corresponding uptake in foreign sales. Reminds me of the mice with the chocolate biscuit factory in Bagpuss, pushing a biscuit in, to make a biscuit come out of the "factory". Only GW keep nibbling the biscuit.

**Bullockist**

I have to say this move doesn't really surprise me. Gw Aus has insane prices and always has. After getting back into the hobby after a 15 year break i now have about 1000 points of orks, none of which i bought from GW. I also don't buy off Maelstrom because even with the discount the prices are still insane.

VIVA LE EBAY!

**Waaagh_Gonads**

All this makes the Krieg army I have planned even better value than Cadians.... which is sad.

**Kanluwen**

Krieg have always been better value than Cadians.

**CT GAMER**

Kroothawk wrote:Here the official statement by Maelstrom:

Hi there,

It's a sad day for us here at Maelstrom Games (www.maelstromgames.co.uk) for we have the unpleasant task of informing all of our Rest of the World customers that Games Workshop will no longer allow us to sell their products to you - but here's an 18% off UK RRP voucher to soften the blow!

GW NO LONGER ALLOWING US TO SELL TO ROW CUSTOMERS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Games Workshop's new Terms and Conditions, which come into force on the 31st of May 2011 restrict the sale - among other things - of all of their products to the European Union, although there are a couple of countries (such as Norway and Switzerland) that are geographically within Europe but not in the EU that we can still sell to.

The full list of countries that we can sell GW products to is as follows:

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom

Obviously this means that all of our faithful Games Workshop customers from the Anglosphere - Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States - as well as those from Brazil, Chile, Peru, Russia, Japan and South Korea (apologies for those countries I have missed out) will now miss out on our superb service and cheap prices, but I'm afraid the terms and conditions of our contract with Games Workshop mean that we have to say goodbye.

Goodbye 18% UK RRP Voucher

But it's a cracking goodbye! From today until midnight (GMT) on the 30th of May all our customers will be able to use a 18% off UK RRP discount voucher code on Games Workshop products only, so you stock up on all of those items you'll need for your Warhammer, Warhammer 40,000 or Lord of the Rings armies - and of course all your paints and brushes!
(...)
Finecast

Onto other Games Workshop news. We'll shortly be stocking their superb Finecast range, which - if you didn't know already - is most of their deleted metal models, re-released in resin but somewhat more expensive than the original. Those will be on general sale on the 28th of May, for Games Workshop do not wish us to put them up for sale until then so they can keep up with demand.

Was I the only one that thought this sounded like someone suffering from "battered wife syndrome"?

Here is my translation:

Games Workshop just bent us over and shoved something large and painful into a place we can't mention, but hey we can't wait to stock and sell their smashing new line...

**Waaagh_Gonads**

Will GWUK and GWUS websites still mail out to 'Rest of the world'?

I cannot find anything in their mailing FAQs on the websites.

WOuld still be about 40% cheaper direct from them compared to retail GWOZ, even after shipping... which is still a bearable price to pay.

**xxvaderxx**

Well to no ones suprice it happened. Its hard to consider that the only way GW is going to learn from this situation is by eroding their sales and player base, i dont give a crap about the company but they finally manage to put the last nail on the hobbys coffin down here. So its a loose loose situation for them and us.

**Bakerofish**

CT GAMER wrote:Games Workshop just bent us over and shoved something large and painful into a place we can't mention, but hey we can't wait to stock and sell their smashing new line...

yep thats pretty much how I see it too. Thats the reason GW has the gall to pull something like this.

People will buy GW...no matter what

**Padre**

As a longtime (18 years) Aussie hobbyist, I can only say...

FETH YOU, GAMES WORKSHOP.

Thank god for eBay, and paint stripper.

To Rob @ Maelstrom...you guys have been great to me over the years, and you will still get my business for all my non-GW hobby needs, like Vallejo products etc. I wish you all the best for the future.

Padre^.

**penek**

Waaagh_Gonads wrote:Will GWUK and GWUS websites still mail out to 'Rest of the world'?

I cannot find anything in their mailing FAQs on the websites.

WOuld still be about 40% cheaper direct from them compared to retail GWOZ, even after shipping... which is still a bearable price to pay.

i tried make order to Russia from GWUK, its work till billing (i not finished order because i do not want order from GW) - shipping was 10GBP for 3 Venoms)

**insaniak**

Frazzled wrote:So they don't have online retailers in Australia, just GW?

Some of the games stores also run webstores. There are no online-only webstores (that I'm aware of) selling full GW product, as you have to have a B&M storefront before GW will give you a trade account. So the online stores are out thee, but they're either selling at full retail, or at best at the 10-20% discount that some of the B&M stores manage to sustain... which still leaves it considerably more expensive than buying from the UK.

**Cyporiean**

Kanluwen wrote:
ArbeitsSchu wrote:Probably bears repeating: No need to quit "the hobby", just change games. Or even pay more for the rules and change figures.

There's an important distinction. GW considers themselves the "Games Workshop Hobby". Nothing says arrogance like having your own name in the hobby you claim for yourself, right?

But the hobby of wargaming? No need to quit it just because GW's trying to make Australians and New Zealanders feel bad. There's plenty of games like West Wind's "Secrets of the Third Reich/Incursion", Corvus Belli's "Infinity", FFG's "Dust Tactics"(which is supposed to be getting a 'freestyle tabletop' game setup soon), or the everpopular Warmachine/Hordes from Privateer Press and Battlefront's "Flames of War"(although BF as a company is ehhhhh).

Just adding that we ship to a few Oz/NZ customers rather frequently, and are always happy to ship internationally. Kiwis will be out soonish...

**H.B.M.C.**

Hmm...

I’ve been thinking about this since I saw the news this morning and I think I have my final response.

For the longest time I’ve railed against GW’s ham-fisted fumbling, their insane business policies, their inability to make use of any sort of (effective) marketing strategy, their completely unnecessary insular behaviour and inane unwillingness to acknowledge that they are part of a larger hobby (rather than ‘the’ hobby), their puerile and nonsensical rules, the degradation and distillation of the fluff, and all the other blatantly stupid things they’ve done (like hiring Matt Ward). However, despite all this I have maintained that I still want GW to succeed. I mean, without them, the universe wouldn’t exist (buyouts from other companies notwithstanding), and it’s a universe I really enjoy. So even with the ‘blind leading the stupid’ methodology GW seems to take to running their business (into the ground...), I continued to state that despite what I said, I still want them to be a successful company.

No more.

I want them to FAIL!
I want them to CRASH AND BURN!
I want to see every new idea, every single idiotic new Codex, every Ward-esque fluff raping, every single bonkers business decision drive them closer and closer to COMPLETE AND UTTER RUIN!
I want them to cease operating in a commercial capacity due to complete and utter BANKRUPTCY (they’ve got moral bankruptcy, so commercial bankruptcy seems to be next, right?)!

I want to see them driven before me, and hear the lamentations of their apologists!!!

BYE

Waaagh_Gonads wrote:Will GWUK and GWUS websites still mail out to 'Rest of the world'?

If they do it'll show just how much of a farce this all is.

**Just Dave**

Matt Ward is spelt 'Mat' btw...

**loki old fart**

I hope chapterhouse wins its law suit. And proves GW doesn’t own the IP it thinks it does.
It would be nice for companies to spring up all over the world, producing space marines etc.

**insaniak**

penek wrote:i tried make order to Russia from GWUK, its work till billing (i not finished order because i do not want order from GW) - shipping was 10GBP for 3 Venoms)

It wasn't effective immediately. You can still order from Maelstrom or Wayland right now as well.

**penek**

insaniak wrote:
penek wrote:i tried make order to Russia from GWUK, its work till billing (i not finished order because i do not want order from GW) - shipping was 10GBP for 3 Venoms)

It wasn't effective immediately. You can still order from Maelstrom or Wayland right now as well.

then this question is meaningless until end of the month)