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How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/23 23:46:07


Post by: toymaker


I saw some of the price increases from an email by the warstore. Things like greater daemons are jumping to almost 60. Yikes. How are you preparing to handle this. Switch to online shopping? more conversions? In my case it's doing the whole squirrel and winter thing. I bought and packed away 2 full armies to paint down the line. So I now have 4 full armies. My problem is wanting to make a 2k Space Marine army now (Iron Lords colorscheme).


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/23 23:47:02


Post by: JD21290


Erm, my discount from project hydra is just getting better, so what price increace?


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/23 23:54:38


Post by: ph34r


Not buy any more stuff. I have basically everything I need now, I will stop buying.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/23 23:56:36


Post by: legoburner


Just bought a whole load of Flames of War bits so no painting GW stuff for quite some time. I still have about a year and a half worth of unpainted GW stuff in my queue on top of that anyway!


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/23 23:57:53


Post by: George Spiggott


I put my planned Cadian purchaces on hold, perhaps permanently.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/24 00:09:56


Post by: Trench-Raider


Considering that I NEVER pay full price for GW product aside from things like rules and army lists and usually buy second hand, the price increase has not effected me at all....aside from just help validate my extremely poor opinion of GW as a company.

TR


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/24 00:11:04


Post by: MeanGreenStompa


I will continue to build my Ork army, online at the cheapest shop I can find, it will not be the size I had planned, I am using the models from AT43 for the dreds n kans and will be considering other options for trucks and battlewagons.

When that army is finished somewhen in 2010 I will be building a fantasy army, my intention is to construct it without a single gw miniature.

I will then not purchase a GW mini again unless for a greatly reduced price on ebay or something. GW has proved it's self completely removed from it's hobby roots and demonstrated time and again that it is unconcerned with reputation or an kind of loyalty to it's playerbase. I posted on this site because last year I decided to return to the hobby due to improved minis and what I thought was an improved attitude from GW, it has been a reawakening of the hatred that drove me from the game so I want to investigate other options. As an adult with no kids and a reasonable wage, I am staggered by what is being charged for the figures and the idea that a new IG army won't be far short of a DKoK army from forgeworld.

I am hopeful now that GW falls. In the rush over copyright there would be a slew of GW style imitation armies released and the good times would roll, another company would take ownership of the games and identity and hopefully show a more ethical and less 'wring all the nerds and kids for cash' attitude. GW is out of touch and been living in a monopoly based ivory tower for too long, it needs decapitation.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/24 00:14:58


Post by: Tacobake


since I am in the mood to continue complaining, I will be buying much less stuff but still, like, buying stuff.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/24 00:20:21


Post by: Mattlov


I have mostly trade for what I need anyway, and buying online what I can't find. If someone doesn't already have it for cheaper, I'll still buy to support the FLGS.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/24 00:23:10


Post by: Wolf


I will be buying items but not as many as I used, too as soon as my IG/Dkok army is done purcahses will hault.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/24 00:57:21


Post by: akira5665


I have an addiction...

What price increase?


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/24 01:02:12


Post by: Crazy_Carnifex


I will grab a couple sets, then start working off my backlogue.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/24 02:31:27


Post by: MrGiggles


I'm pretty much working through my 'To Paint' box before any more large purchases. Aside from that, I'll stick with my current practice. I'm looking for old stuff and my Witch Hunters online since they're basically side projects.

For my Orks, it's mostly dribs and drabs. A couple of Trukks, a couple of Battlewagons and a couple of boxes here and there. Those, I'm still getting at the FLGS' since I do play there and all that.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/24 02:33:54


Post by: Cheese Elemental


My FLGS isn't having a price increase. I laugh at those of you who actually buy from real GW stores.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/24 02:35:23


Post by: solkan


It's really odd for me because out of the entire list that I've seen, only two of the models which I was thinking about picking up are on the list, and I just don't care about a $2 increase on a $22 boxed set. Oh my god, one less cheeseburger this week.

I imagine that it's a bit worse for the UK people who have to weather through GW's foolish attempt at curbing exports, but that's a whole other discussion.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/24 02:45:46


Post by: Sidstyler


I haven't really been buying anything, so I doubt that'll change much. The last models I ever bought were two cheap devilfish tanks on eBay and an Asurmen model from the FLGS for $3, and I'm actually thinking of trading or selling off the Orks I had.

It's also interesting to note that because of this price increase, Kroot hounds are probably one of the only models in the game that cost more than a $1 per point.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/24 03:09:10


Post by: malfred


The budget stays the same. If I buy fewer models, oh well.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/24 03:48:58


Post by: Ghost in the Darkness


I buy less stuff, and spend more time on it painting it to a high standard. So I get more bang for my buck.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/24 03:49:55


Post by: Trench-Raider


Meangreenstompa:
Well said sir, and I agree 100%.

I have hated GW for a long time (at least since some of the very questionable stuff they pulled around the time of the change over to 2nd edition 40k and the baseless lead scare) but GW really jumped the shark for me around 2002 or so. Right after the divorce from my first wife, I had loads of disposable income. I was living alone, had very few bills, and was past the weekly dating with me paying for everything stage with my new girl friend. Up until that point I generally made it a practice were I could of buying a new army in one large purchase. I hate "collecting an army" and had gotten into the habit of of buying an army all at once from real wargaming. But around this time I found that I could no longer afford to buy a full army for WFB or 40k with one paycheck's hobby allowance. That's when I realised that GW's prices had gotten totally excessive. Don't get me wrong, they have always been high compared to other compaines in the wargaming genre, and I had not bought much wargaming stuff for a few years due to the control by my ex of the purse strings, but that is when I fully realised how stupid GW's pricing model had become.

TR



How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/24 04:00:55


Post by: MarvinGayeIsMyDaddy


I'm done. I never thought I'd say it, but I'm pretty much done buying new product. I'm sticking with ebay exclusively from now on.

Sorry, but I can't do $30 bloodcrushers. Raising prices during a recession of this magnitude is borderline insane.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/24 04:44:35


Post by: garret


dont really care
there mostly increasing by the 2 or 4 dollers so whats the big deal?
it may go down later any way when the recessions over


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/24 05:10:58


Post by: H.B.M.C.


For those of us who never buy GW at retail, and always buy from discounters? Who cares... I'll still be getting 30% off.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/24 05:28:47


Post by: djones520


It's not gonna affect me to much. I'm just about done buying GW products for the forseeable future. I've got enough models for the three armies I play for 40k and Fantasy to never have to play the same list twice again. There really isn't any army I see myself wanting to play anytime soon, so I just don't see the need to spend any money on new models.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/24 05:31:46


Post by: garret


im wondering? how many of you said your done buying gw stuff from the last price increase


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/24 05:38:03


Post by: Bat Manuel


I'm just sticking with the armies I have so the price increase doesn't really affect me.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/24 05:49:36


Post by: malfred


garret wrote:im wondering? how many of you said your done buying gw stuff from the last price increase


I never said I was done. But I'm not spending more.

Probably some of the stuff I'm buying next month is stuff I would have bought
earlier.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/24 05:55:15


Post by: skkipper


Cost isn't an issue for me, only time to paint play and assemble. so I will continue to build armies at my snail pace


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/24 07:19:05


Post by: Sidstyler


it may go down later any way when the recessions over


There aren't enough smilies in the world...

GW has never lowered prices, and never will. You're a fool if you honestly believe they will go down at any point, especially when (if) the recession ends.

im wondering? how many of you said your done buying gw stuff from the last price increase


LEAVE GW ALONE!

And just to answer your question, I've been "done" for a while now. It's been a long, long time since GW got any of my money, I've been buying mostly used or eBay models for quite some time, and like I was saying I'm not even going to do that much now. This hobby was hard enough to afford in 2006, but if prices keep going up every fething year then I'm going to have to quit eventually, so better sooner than later.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 0006/02/24 08:24:42


Post by: FITZZ


Well,upon completing my Traitor guard (half of wich I hope to do via e-bay,discount online,warstore) my GW purcases will drasticly decrease.
I'll have 3 full armies,plus a ton of terrain/scenery projects to work on with nothing GW offers catching my eye save a select few items wich I'll buy over time,basicly making the price increase virtuly a non issue for me.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/24 08:50:01


Post by: Deff Dread red Edition


I will still buy GW mini's but in smaller amounts,but since I don't buy from a GW store I am not sure if the price will increase by much.Also I might try buying more second hand stuff off Ebay and such.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/24 08:54:44


Post by: LunaHound


garret wrote:dont really care
there mostly increasing by the 2 or 4 dollers so whats the big deal?
it may go down later any way when the recessions over


Funniest Dakka post ever read. and Im serious o_o

H.B.M.C. wrote:For those of us who never buy GW at retail, and always buy from discounters? Who cares... I'll still be getting 30% off.


But wouldnt that cancel out the discount price ( if you compare it via the price increase )


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/24 10:20:14


Post by: Sarigar


H.B.M.C. wrote:For those of us who never buy GW at retail, and always buy from discounters? Who cares... I'll still be getting 30% off.


It matters for those who have a great FLGS and support it. Without our support, they don't exist. Great place to get 20+ GW fans together on a Saturday afternoon. Heck, our last RTT alone had 32 players.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/24 11:41:09


Post by: MeanGreenStompa


I think there is a fundamental flaw in the GW sales model.

They believe someone who has built their army is done, they believe older gamers built a single army then stop buying.

I would strongly suggest if the price of minis was healthier, following discussion with several of my gaming group, we would all own several armies and continue to shell out cash for more as an ongoing budgeted amount of our wages. I would happily finish one army and move onto collecting another whilst tweaking the previous with various new purchases.

Spending several thousand pounds on little toy soldiers isn't the issue, it's spending £20 on ten plastic soldiers I can't stomach. I am a confirmed nerd, I love the minis and the fluff and painting and so on, I would continue to collect and play and paint till I'm old n grey but its the individual price of a miniature and the shouting voice in my head that says 'This.Isn't.Worth.The.Price.'



How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/07/10 03:28:05


Post by: artyboy


I'll keep buying 95% of my models used. I do buy stuff in my FLGS just to support it. It just sucks that I have to support GW and their exorbitant prices at the same time.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/24 13:44:53


Post by: Trench-Raider


It matters for those who have a great FLGS and support it. Without our support, they don't exist.


Well, both of my FLGSs carry products that I buy other than GW stuff. So I do not feel remotely guilty about not buying my GW models from them.

TR


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/24 14:35:05


Post by: KingCracker


The only thing so far that makes me go "Oh... my.... god....." is the Ork bikers box. $30 for 3 bikes is a bit on the are you frikking kidding me!?!? side. But like said previously, Ebay and mine are made from AOBR koptas so really ebay would be the smartest place to go for me


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/24 19:03:26


Post by: mikhaila


Dealing with the price increase, or dealing with the moaning and whining about the price increase?

There's more noise about paying an extra 50 bucks a year to GW, than there is about paying an extra 50 bucks a week at the gaspump.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/24 19:15:45


Post by: Orlanth


I am handling the hobby increase by not buyijng new armies, and cutting add ons to other armies to a bare minimum usually bought online.

This policy has served me well for many years, the last time I actually spent a sizable sum in a GW store was in the 90's.

The more prices squeeze, and the more even net traders have to go up the less I buy. I still have unpainted armies, as do many here so why buy more.

Apocalypse tempts me, but that is about it, and most of the super heavies I am collecting are scratchbuild projects or Armorcast or second hand purchases.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/24 22:33:46


Post by: Ratbarf


GW has never lowered prices,


They lowered them in 2007 in Canada because we could simply walk across the border to the states and buy them 30% off at retail. At discount it was more like 45% what we had to pay here. It was atrocious. Now we pay about 5-7% more I think when you take the exchange rate into play. Though thats the only time I have ever seen them lower prices, and that really ticked off my not so FLGS because he had to sell stuff at a lower price than when he bought it.

I only buy Flames of War from my FLGS cause hes a douche... I get all of my GW stuff from the GW store that is about an hour and a half from my house.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/24 22:40:02


Post by: Noisy_Marine


I'll still buy from my LGS just so I have a place to play. I'll be buying Warmachine though. I really don't need any more 40k stuff, except maybe some more foam trays to store all the models.

Fantasy is dead to me at this point. I picked up my 5 chaos knights for $20 so I'm happy.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/24 23:07:32


Post by: Ketara


They've actually just cut me off from buying new EVER.
I'm a student, and as things stood until now, I'd buy about 20% of my stuff from ebay, 60% at discount, and 20% in store. With the price increase, that will change to about 60% ebay, and 40% at discount.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/25 01:35:09


Post by: Railguns


The last actual GW purchases I made were a box of plastic Chaos Possessed and a Rhino from the now 1 and only flgs Mandeville has. Before that it was literally 4 years since the last purchase I had made. It is too much. I've bought models for Eldar, Tau, Tyranids, and now Chaos marines since 98 when I started playing. I'd have much, much more if the price barrier wasn't so prohibitive. As a student, I can barely afford the essentials. They have certainly priced me out of their market, beyond the rare occasion that I lose my mind and give in to my need to be creative.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/25 02:05:20


Post by: fellblade


mikhaila wrote:Dealing with the price increase, or dealing with the moaning and whining about the price increase?

There's more noise about paying an extra 50 bucks a year to GW, than there is about paying an extra 50 bucks a week at the gaspump.


One is a luxury, and one a necessity. And people will cut back on necessities to keep purchasing the little luxuries- unless those luxuries become more expensive.

I'm an adult with a steady job, and this hobby is how I spend the bulk of my discretionary income. The problem (for GW) is, in the next wave of releases, I am not seeing anything that I want to buy at any price, let alone GW's retail price. To paraphrase the inestimable Garret, yes, in general it is just "increasing by the two or four dollers," but spread across an army, that's enough to make me put my money back in my wallet. I bought an entire new VC army when they came out with the 7th ed. I cannot imagine buying an entire new army now. Even if it is brand new really kewl anime fishmen from Cathay.

I think, for a lot of people, this price increase is causing a moment of self-reflection. I discovered that I am the sort of person who will spend $22 for 10 plastic toy soldiers. But I am not the sort of person who will spend $25 for 10 plastic toy soldiers.



How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/25 08:44:31


Post by: Jon Garrett


The problem seems to me that the price increase is hitting Games Workshop with a double whammy...first of all, the kids they want to come in and blow there pocket money are less likely to do it, and less likely to convince mummy and daddy that it's a good idea to let them little plastic men they like as not will not be able to paint, and secondly it's driving away the older veterans who drop money every month. Sure, it might not be price of a new army...but £600 spread out over the year is still more than £150 that someone might drop to start a new army.

As for how I'm weathering it...I'm finishing up my current armies, getting them all painted, and trading in the Dakka Forums or buying off EBay and MegaMinis. I'm managing to keep to my slightly limited budget and get the stuff I want, for the most part.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/25 10:46:51


Post by: Waaagh_Gonads


I'll spend the same amount I do now, and have for the last 3 years.

I just buy less.

Except that since I started buying everything from an internet retailer I'm getting more minis than I was 5 years ago at my local GW store.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Also an IG force is no longer an option.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/25 11:05:00


Post by: H.B.M.C.


LunaHound wrote:But wouldnt that cancel out the discount price ( if you compare it via the price increase )


If I buy retail from a different country I save money. Buying from a discounter just saves me more money. Australian prices are compeltely fethed, so a price rise elsewhere would probably still be cheaper than here (and when Oz gets the price rise, it will again be even cheaper to order overseas).


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/25 11:05:22


Post by: Miguelsan


My next project will be probably an IG Army but unfortunately for GW I already have the substitutes and will be buying 1/35-1/48 Tanks for my armor.

M.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/25 11:56:06


Post by: slice of toast


Bottom line is that the more money you have to throw at the hobby, the more competitive you'll be once you learn to play your army well. Titans are a perfect example of this.

I for one, made one purchase from Forgeworld in the last year - right when the dollar had gained the most against the pound in April. I knew exactly what I wanted, and waited for the price to fall to where I was willing to pay. EVERYTHING else has been bought used or traded. The Swap Shop is the way of the future.

It's even more odd considering that their profits from merchandising and licensing have probably never been higher in the wake of DOW and DOW2. Raising prices just when there's an increased demand for your product... GW is banking that people will still enter into the market. Hopefully for them, they're right. I think they're wrong, because demand isn't exceeding supply, unless I am gravely mistaken. Maybe somebody who did more than pass college-level Microeconomics 102 can elaborate.

Thinking about price per fig is depressing. Especially those of us who like to play foot-slogging armies. There's a mental threshold to cross between $2.20/fig and $2.50 a fig.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/25 12:37:18


Post by: NAVARRO


I just save for what I really want... so I can spend years and years without buying anything... for example incoming Nids will have my support.
I dont remember what was my last shopping in GW... maybe some 40k chaos... but I do remember that I made considerable cash by selling my fantasy stuff even at 40% off... most of it reinvested on other companies miniatures.
But I spend more money on greenstuff these days than on actual miniatures.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/25 13:01:01


Post by: Lanrak


HI all.
slice of toast.
Just a correction, the more money you have to spend on the 'GW hobby' , the more likely you are to keep up with GW marketing driven rule sets and play into the hands of GW PLC C corperate managment!

If you are able to create YOUR OWN version of the wargaming hobby.
EG down load a FREE game rule set you can keep playing for years without HAVING to buy new minatures to be competative.(Stargrunt II, No Limits, Chain Reaction 3.etc.)
Then you could buy minatures from other suppliers that cost thier product competativley.

A game and minatures can be got for less than £5!(GZGs Full Thrust rules , EM4 minatures 12 space ships minatures .)

But IF you HAVE to play in a GW store and events ,because you dont have /friends dont have any room for a gaming space.(Garage, kitchen table etc.)
Remember the 'GW hobby' is usualy 2 to 18 times more expencive than the 'average wargaming hobby '.

Dont spend in ignorance,
Happy gameing ,
Lanrak.





How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/25 14:41:20


Post by: Casper


It's simple for me. I have a budget and I will be sticking to it.

However it has forced me to finally get the last few things for my tau army, my DA won't be switching to Deathraven, my orks are now going Mech...and that planned DKoK, Eldar, DE, or Chaos army will just become random models i wanted to paint until i get a better job.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/25 15:15:03


Post by: Llamahead


Wargames Factory got a hell of a lot more tempting I'm also seriously looking at getting into 28mm historicals now that heres a range of producers for them. I'malso stiopping spending with GW for a while.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/25 18:59:20


Post by: studderingdave


i split my spending between my LGS and online shopping. its pretty much hlaf and half for me. i enjoy discounts, im thrifty too. that being said, gaming is my only real hobby, so i can justify spending.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/25 19:12:02


Post by: garret


im going to buy anything thats over 40$ from maelstorm games
but other than that im going to support my store


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/25 19:19:45


Post by: Slipstream


To all those saying 'so what' about the
price increase, aren't you the least bit
concerned that your hobby has turned into
a luxury item insanity?
Remember,The price increases they are
doing are just the ones they think they'll
get away with for the moment.Just wait
for the next,and the next,and the next.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/25 19:23:03


Post by: LiterateWolf


I have my Space Marine army built the way I want for now. I just need to paint it. I support my FLGS so I have a place to play so I will buy non-GW paints, brushes, and IF I do get more models, I will buy the larger sets since I'd get more for my money. Sure, I'll get stuff I don't want but that is bits for conversions.

Someone mentions a wargame called EG. What is the link for that?


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/25 19:25:28


Post by: LunaHound



So my understanding from reading is... people dont care about the price increase due to their monthly budget staying the same.

So if im not mistaken , it doesnt matter since you are spending the same amount. And its all the same to you whether you buy 5 or you buy 20 with that same amount of money?

Oh wow. GW sure is blessed to have such customers



How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/25 19:29:06


Post by: malfred


LunaHound wrote:
So my understanding from reading is... people dont care about the price increase due to their monthly budget staying the same.

So if im not mistaken , it doesnt matter since you are spending the same amount. And its all the same to you whether you buy 5 or you buy 20 with that same amount of money?

Oh wow. GW sure is blessed to have such customers



They'd be better off if I increased my budget to include their stuff. I will start fewer
of their armies. I will make fewer impulse decisions.

It's not like I can paint any faster than I already do or paint more often than I
already do.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/26 04:46:00


Post by: Ratbarf


Thinking about price per fig is depressing. Especially those of us who like to play foot-slogging armies. There's a mental threshold to cross between $2.20/fig and $2.50 a fig.


Try 4.75 for one space marine. Thats what we were paying in Canada in 2007. That was in American dollars too. It was nuts. I could literally drive for an hour to sarnia, corss the border, and buy the same model for 3.50 american at their own stores! The owner of my not so FLGS absolutely hated it. Whenever someone complained about the prices he would tear your head off, because the Americans were selling at retail what he paid for at wholsale.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/26 05:22:37


Post by: Gitkikka


I'll continue using miniatures from other manufacturers when I can, and e-bay/Warstore when I have to get GW products. I'm most likely going to dump all Warhammer Fantasy projects too.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/26 06:01:16


Post by: artyboy


Ratbarf wrote:
GW has never lowered prices,


They lowered them in 2007 in Canada because we could simply walk across the border to the states and buy them 30% off at retail. At discount it was more like 45% what we had to pay here. It was atrocious. Now we pay about 5-7% more I think when you take the exchange rate into play. Though thats the only time I have ever seen them lower prices, and that really ticked off my not so FLGS because he had to sell stuff at a lower price than when he bought it.

I only buy Flames of War from my FLGS cause hes a douche... I get all of my GW stuff from the GW store that is about an hour and a half from my house.


Sounds like a moron and a crappy businessman. If a price goes down then it doesn't matter because it will cost you less to replace the item. You'll also, most likely, experience increased sales due to the price decrease.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/26 15:36:11


Post by: Frazzled


Extravagantly easily. GW has effectively priced me out of the market for new purchases. Despite loving the models, I have no desire to spend unconscionable amounts on valkyries/Vendettas.

On the positive this may help me to get off my butt this summer and start ebaying some of this stuff, now that I have a half decent camera.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 0001/05/02 15:03:30


Post by: Redbeard


Everything costs more. This is part of life. I remember, back in the day, buying two gnome minis in a blister for $.75.

I also remember when you could buy a decent car for $5k. The cost of a Chevy Cavalier doubled between my first and second of them.

My gas costs more. My electrical bill is higher. My wife's college tuition is up. I got a new shirt the other day and it cost $50. The price of concert tickets is at least 150% over where it was in 1990.

At the end of the day, prices go up. It's how it works. Either you still want to do something, or you don't. I still enjoy modeling. I still enjoy getting together with my friends and having a few beers while shooting each other's men off the table. So for me, the price change is an inconvenience, but no more so than all of the other price increases that the world is throwing out.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/26 16:00:03


Post by: MeanGreenStompa


I hear the 'time goes by so prices must increase' and simply don't get it, the profit margin on tin (and plastic) soldiers is already massive, the price increase is large and at a time when many companies are freezing or reducing price.

I would have been very happy to build several armies and spend a considerable amount, over time, but the amount being asked for individual minis and boxes is too high and demonstrates a brazen greed and indifference bordering on hostility towards the customer base by this company.

They do not deserve your custom.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/26 16:16:28


Post by: two_heads_talking


H.B.M.C. wrote:For those of us who never buy GW at retail, and always buy from discounters? Who cares... I'll still be getting 30% off.



I'll play devils advocate. 30% off 100 dollars is certainly better than 30% off 120 dollars.. but otherwise, I agree with your point..


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/26 16:21:26


Post by: Osbad


two_heads_talking wrote:I'll play devils advocate. 30% off 100 dollars is certainly better than 30% off 120 dollars.. but otherwise, I agree with your point..


I don't know who's advocate I am, but I'm just going to point out that 30% off $120 *is* better than 30% off $100.... its a $36 discount, rather than a $30 one....

Of course its the 70% that's left that's worse...


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/26 16:29:49


Post by: Danny Internets


Redbeard wrote:Everything costs more. This is part of life. I remember, back in the day, buying two gnome minis in a blister for $.75.

I also remember when you could buy a decent car for $5k. The cost of a Chevy Cavalier doubled between my first and second of them.

My gas costs more. My electrical bill is higher. My wife's college tuition is up. I got a new shirt the other day and it cost $50. The price of concert tickets is at least 150% over where it was in 1990.

At the end of the day, prices go up. It's how it works. Either you still want to do something, or you don't. I still enjoy modeling. I still enjoy getting together with my friends and having a few beers while shooting each other's men off the table. So for me, the price change is an inconvenience, but no more so than all of the other price increases that the world is throwing out.


If you compare the rate of inflation versus the rate of price increases over the past 20 years from GW you'll be less inclined to defend their ludicrous business strategy (gas, especially in the US, and college tuition are the most notable exceptions).


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/26 16:53:04


Post by: aka_mythos


Lets take a Greater Demon as an example. When you look at the inflation between 2000 or so when it came out now, your looking at inflation (roughly 4%) compounded over 8-9 years. That ends up being about a 40% price growth from when it came out. The price of tin is up by 20%, from where it was relative to now. That said a model that debuted in the $30-$35 range now being $60 isn't far fetched. Annoying but not far fetched.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/26 17:03:31


Post by: Redbeard


Danny Internets wrote:
If you compare the rate of inflation versus the rate of price increases over the past 20 years from GW you'll be less inclined to defend their ludicrous business strategy.


I do not have sufficient data to declare their business strategy ludicrous. I'm not defending it. I'm not supporting it. I don't have the appropriate information to make that decision.

Consider this. They raise prices, they still sell things. I don't know the volume of their sales, do you? There are three possible things that happen though.

1) They raised prices, and people bought less. Well, if the data supports this, then they probably did make a mistake.

2) They raised prices, and their claim that their market was inelastic is true, and they sold the same amount. In this case, was it ludicrous to raise prices? Perhaps they under-priced their products initially.

3) They raised prices, and due to popular, yet costly, expansions such as Apocalypse and War of the Ring (which are all designed to get people to buy more models than they need to play the base games), they actually saw increased sales... Which would obviously mean that the market is inelastic, that they had under-priced things before, and that really, all that is needed to drive their games is removing the artificial limits on how many a person "needs"...

My guess is that case three is what actually happened. That is entirely a guess, mind you, like I said, I don't have the data. But, reading about the success of the Apocalypse expansion, and the fact that they then replicated the concept for Lord of the Rings, I'd say that any damage done to sales volume due to price increases was undone by the Apocalypse expansion.

The people running GW aren't idiots. They might not behave in a manner best suited to your interests, but this is a publicly traded company run by suits, not a fly-by-night shop run by college dropouts. They have the data, and they can see the trends. They gain nothing by driving people away from their company. That doesn't mean they cannot make mistakes, but I think that the only ludicrous thing here is that bystanders without data are criticizing their business plan.

By way of reference (and, it might be a chicken/egg problem), I buy miniatures from other companies. The companies out there that make minis of similar quality to GW charge roughly the same. Freebooter miniatures sell their character figs for about the same price as GW (and have a similar quality level). I have looked for model tanks from plastic-kit companies, and they're not significantly cheaper than GW's tanks. It could be that these companies follow GW's lead in setting prices... or it could be that it's a price that the market, as a whole, is willing to pay.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/26 17:16:25


Post by: LunaHound


Osbad wrote:
two_heads_talking wrote:I'll play devils advocate. 30% off 100 dollars is certainly better than 30% off 120 dollars.. but otherwise, I agree with your point..


I don't know who's advocate I am, but I'm just going to point out that 30% off $120 *is* better than 30% off $100.... its a $36 discount, rather than a $30 one....

Of course its the 70% that's left that's worse...


I disagree , even though we all know 30% is 30% hence it should be the same , its still not.

Higher amounts should be benefiting from bulk type of sales , so if anything higher price should be offering more discounts.

Im with Osbad for this one :3


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/26 17:34:41


Post by: RogueMarket


How am I coping?

I'm playing Warmachine/Hordes and at-43 now.

simple - they are also better games than 40k anywho


What sucks about GW's business plan is this.

Lets keep releasing a better codex that will smash! To increase sales!
Its a never ending cycle that repeats.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/26 17:40:33


Post by: Boss Salvage


I'm using it as an excuse to buy minis now that I won't be getting around to doing anything with for months

- Salvage


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/26 17:45:40


Post by: pombe


Sadly, I'm a tool, and I will continue to spend money on GW products. In fact, in reaction to this price increase, I just purchased the Assault on Black Reach box set that I have postponed in buying for a while. And it is likely that I will continue to pick up bits and pieces here and there for my existing armies, even though I paint them as a snail's pace. Part of the collector's syndrome, I guess.

And will I continue to pick up Rules and Codeces and Black Library Novels, because I have the compulsive need to "keep up" and I generally like the fluff, especially stuff written by Dan Abnett. And I sure as hell will be picking up a Space Hulk box set when it comes out...or two...or three.

But on average, I don't spend more than $30 a month on GW (Space Hulk will be an obvious exception to this).

It has been like this for me since around 2004 when GW made me reconsider my buying habits. You see, during this period, 3rd Edition was in full swing, and I was regularly purchasing whole armies at a time, a lot of times on impulse. So it was during this particular price increase (2004) that I did what many people are doing now...I made a conscious decision to limit my spending on GW. I knew I couldn't quit...I had invested over a decade of my life into the universe, the miniatures, and the great times I've had playing GW games. And I still wanted to be able to be a part of the hobby and play the games. But instead of spending thousands a year on GW, I slowly cut back, first by increasing my secondary market acquisitions, such as through eBay and Bartertown, and then ultimately by simply buying less.

So this particular price increase (2009) won't affect me much. But that's because GW already broke the back of this camel in 2004. As for when GW will reach the next threshold and force me to consider quitting their products entirely, I'm not sure. I'm sincerely hoping that this trend does not continue, however, because it is getting to the point where I can, in all seriousness, ask myself if their products are, indeed, truly worth it. I have always acknowledged that GW's products are "expensive", but there was always an inherent "value" to their products. Now...it's getting to the point where I am not sure anymore.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/26 18:12:24


Post by: karnaeya


Im not buying anything.. cause its expensive. But honestly the Valk would have to be $50 Australian for me to even consider it. Rather then the laugable $96.

EDIT: I will still buy rule books and as much as it pains me codexes that take my fancy. but $42 for a codex is alot. So it would really have to take my fancy.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/26 18:33:01


Post by: two_heads_talking


Osbad wrote:
two_heads_talking wrote:I'll play devils advocate. 30% off 100 dollars is certainly better than 30% off 120 dollars.. but otherwise, I agree with your point..


I don't know who's advocate I am, but I'm just going to point out that 30% off $120 *is* better than 30% off $100.... its a $36 discount, rather than a $30 one....

Of course its the 70% that's left that's worse...


70 dollars is definately better than 84 dollars which is what I'm referring to.. it all depends on how you decided to skew the numbers..


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/26 19:23:23


Post by: malfred


Osbad wrote:
two_heads_talking wrote:I'll play devils advocate. 30% off 100 dollars is certainly better than 30% off 120 dollars.. but otherwise, I agree with your point..


I don't know who's advocate I am, but I'm just going to point out that 30% off $120 *is* better than 30% off $100.... its a $36 discount, rather than a $30 one....

Of course its the 70% that's left that's worse...


You're still spending more money.



How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/26 21:03:21


Post by: mortal888


I'll be buying plasticard and will be making my first tanks this summer. I'll look to other companies for demons.

I'll buy some molding and resin.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/26 21:14:54


Post by: aka_mythos


mortal888 wrote:I'll buy some molding and resin.
Me too. I have enough GW stuff as it is to use it as reference material to sculpting my own guardsmen. I should have some of my rapid prototyped parts soon.

For tanks I've started kit bashing... 1 GW tank + 1 ($10 Tank) = 2 GW-esque Tanks for $30/ea. Better than $50 or $60 (sooner than later) for each tank.

For the same price GW is charging, I can make something more unique and more immediately to my desire. I'll by the occaisional thing from them, but not as much.





How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/26 09:12:14


Post by: H.B.M.C.


karnaeya wrote:Im not buying anything.. cause its expensive. But honestly the Valk would have to be $50 Australian for me to even consider it. Rather then the laugable $96.


Would AUS$63.80 be a good compromise? That's a 33% discount.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/26 22:57:03


Post by: barlio


I'm coping by trading older models and armies that I don't use anymore. I'm also doing some commission painting for a guy owns a store. I've managed to get enough from that to start two armies.

If I really want something (like the new IG codex) I just look for something that I won't be using for years out and just get rid of it. This has also helped me to focus on the stuff that I already have. I can probably speak for a lot of us in saying that we have too much "stuff" and we need to cut back a bit. I don't see any price cuts so I just need to be smarter when I do buy stuff.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/27 00:09:36


Post by: Gavin Thorne


I'm painting what I already have and purchasing used/previously owned models to supplement what I'm missing. Fortunately, I've got most of what I need, but I still make bits purchases from online retailers.

Also, I make do using GW's models.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/27 00:16:23


Post by: Waaagh_Gonads


Was on the forgeworld site last night and the sad fact is that in Australia to buy cadians retail and buy the most excellent kolony heads from pig iron metal is almost on a par with buying Death korps of Kreig models....


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/27 02:42:57


Post by: the_Armyman


Redbeard wrote:
Consider this. They raise prices, they still sell things. I don't know the volume of their sales, do you? There are three possible things that happen though.

1) They raised prices, and people bought less. Well, if the data supports this, then they probably did make a mistake.

2) They raised prices, and their claim that their market was inelastic is true, and they sold the same amount. In this case, was it ludicrous to raise prices? Perhaps they under-priced their products initially.

3) They raised prices, and due to popular, yet costly, expansions such as Apocalypse and War of the Ring (which are all designed to get people to buy more models than they need to play the base games), they actually saw increased sales... Which would obviously mean that the market is inelastic, that they had under-priced things before, and that really, all that is needed to drive their games is removing the artificial limits on how many a person "needs"...


I think you missed a fourth possibility:

4) They raised prices, slashed every last bit of their hobby support in the form of bitz ordering, Games Days, GTs, Independent retailer support, and White Dwarf, and (naturally) saw an increased profit, not necessarily an increase in sales.

That's neither original nor brilliant, IMO. This is a hobby, it's not just a retail product that someone picks up in Walmart or some other big box store. I think hobbyists have longer memories than your average consumer, and GW will have problems winning back their customer base the longer this level of neglect continues.

I love the game, I hate the way I'm treated for my loyalty and passion for the hobby.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/27 04:50:14


Post by: mikhaila


the_Armyman wrote:
4) They raised prices, slashed every last bit of their hobby support in the form of bitz ordering, Games Days, GTs, Independent retailer support


Well, considering the fact that I'm getting 3x the support for my stores and events than I ever have before, I'd argue against the idea that GW cut any support for Independent Retailers.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/27 05:17:52


Post by: garret


when i was on 40k forums thay said occasionally theres a decrease too.
so is there hope?


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/27 11:42:13


Post by: Sidstyler


garret wrote:when i was on 40k forums thay said occasionally theres a decrease too.
so is there hope?


I still say not a chance in hell, but if you want to hold your breath and wait for it be my guest.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/27 12:10:46


Post by: Redbeard


the_Armyman wrote:
I think you missed a fourth possibility:

4) They raised prices, slashed every last bit of their hobby support in the form of bitz ordering, Games Days, GTs, Independent retailer support, and White Dwarf, and (naturally) saw an increased profit, not necessarily an increase in sales.


I didn't miss anything. I didn't talk about profits at all, just sales. Sales can only have done one of three things: gone up, stayed even, or gone down.


This is a hobby, it's not just a retail product that someone picks up in Walmart or some other big box store. I think hobbyists have longer memories than your average consumer, and GW will have problems winning back their customer base the longer this level of neglect continues.

I love the game, I hate the way I'm treated for my loyalty and passion for the hobby.


Well, again, do you have any data? What if these price increases are legitimately the only way the company is staying solvent? What if the options are pay more, or lose GW forever? Unless you have insider information on their finances, you don't know that this isn't the case. I'm not defending them, because I too do not know. I am, however, giving them the benefit of the doubt. These are tough economic times for many companies. And, like I said before, this isn't some fly-by-night operation run by college dropouts. I'm willing to make the assumption that whatever they're doing, it is based on what is best for the company, the shareholders, and the employees. We're customers, and they're a business. And, while they may not be a faceless company like walmart, at the end of the day, their main duty is to stay in business. If they fail in that, then there is no more GW hobby, at all.

Given the increases in prices everywhere else, I don't think they're being unreasonable.




How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/27 12:36:57


Post by: Elnicko5


I am always slightly puzzled when people start complaining about the price of the hobby. It isn't that I think the hobby is inexpensive, because its not, nor do I think that we get a product that has a monetary value similar to what we pay, because we don't. We buy little men, paint them, and play a game with them. If anything this entire endeavor consumes time and money, and leaves us with something worth little of either.

Nothing about the figures, unless you are a superb painter or find the right buyer, will make you back the money you spent, so what do people mean "worth it" when they start talking about a box of figures being worth $22 but not $25? Is fun a measurable commodity, and is that the basis they are basing their worth on? Is there some other intangible at work that I haven't considered? How is this concept worth constructed? It seems like people are playing a semantical game with a word everyone likes to say they know the meaning of, but in this context it seems a bit unclear.

At the end of the day, I dont think it could ever be "worth it" in a strictly monetary sense, which leaves me to consider how I deem it worth it. I do it because I enjoy it, which is also why I think everyone else in the hobby does it. How do I put a price tag on enjoyment? I don't, and I don't think I could. I've seen others compare the hobby to other things they enjoy, and though they often find it less expensive, I am apprehensive of such comparisons, because this is one of the few things I enjoy doing that costs money, aside from eating, so a personal comparison of this sort seems pointless. As long as I can afford the enjoyment, as those with a hobby budget clearly can, I will do what I enjoy, even if the prices mean I get fewer toys to play with. So, I guess I am part of the inelastic spending trend. So long as I can afford it, Ill be buying warhammer.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/27 15:14:36


Post by: asmith


Redbeard wrote:
Well, again, do you have any data? What if these price increases are legitimately the only way the company is staying solvent? What if the options are pay more, or lose GW forever? Unless you have insider information on their finances, you don't know that this isn't the case. I'm not defending them, because I too do not know. I am, however, giving them the benefit of the doubt. These are tough economic times for many companies. And, like I said before, this isn't some fly-by-night operation run by college dropouts. I'm willing to make the assumption that whatever they're doing, it is based on what is best for the company, the shareholders, and the employees. We're customers, and they're a business. And, while they may not be a faceless company like walmart, at the end of the day, their main duty is to stay in business. If they fail in that, then there is no more GW hobby, at all.

Given the increases in prices everywhere else, I don't think they're being unreasonable.




GW is a public company and posts their sales figures you guys know right? Going by memory their sales have been dropping year over year for at least several years now. I could be wrong, look it up.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/27 15:24:04


Post by: JohnHwangDD


Meh.

I run a fixed budget.

If GW charges more, but I still get a fair value, I buy less.

If GW charges too much, and I don't get a fair value, I don't buy.

I have stopped buying GW before, and I can do it again.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/27 16:11:11


Post by: Redbeard


asmith wrote:
GW is a public company and posts their sales figures you guys know right? Going by memory their sales have been dropping year over year for at least several years now. I could be wrong, look it up.


Well, they don't list sales, they list revenue. You can make $100 by selling 5 items at $20 or 20 items at $5, and knowing their revenue doesn't really explain what margins they sell at.

Their five year summary shows a significant drop in revenue from 2004 to 2007, and then increased revenue in 2008, and the first half of 2009. If you pay attention to what they say, their claim is that the decreases from 2004-2006 were due to the Lord of the Rings bubble bursting as the interest spawned by those movies fell away.

During the LotR years, they invested heavily in new equipment and technology, and they also used some of the LotR proceeds to fund unprofitable lines. When the LotR money dried up, they found that they were losing money (they posted low gains in 2006, losses in 2007 and minor losses in 2008 due to the cost reduction programme), and the steps taken to cut the unprofitable lines are apparently paying off this year.

It appears to me that whatever choices they have made over the last two years seem to be working, from a corporate balance sheet point-of-view. I'm not a trained financial analyst though. All I see is that they've made more so far this year than they had in the similar period last year, and they made more last year than they did in 2007, when they started implementing their changes. I don't know if this is the result of fewer sales at higher margins, or, as I suspect (and has been claimed by several GW managers, as well as by high-ups), increased sales due to extremely popular expansions like Apocalypse.

It's clear, though, that they could not keep doing business the way they did when they had the LotR money. I'm sad that the old bitz service was closed, I used it a lot. But, it was obviously losing them money. And, most of the stuff I want is actually available via the new bitz sale mechanism. I can get my wings, my shoulder-pads, and my weapons when I want them. It's a shame that they're reducing store hours and number of employees, but it's hard to keep a store open at times when few customers come in. And it's annoying that they're raising prices. But it is understandable. They're not rolling in money - they're on the borderline between making a small profit and posting a small loss.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/27 17:59:57


Post by: asmith


To only address your first point and ignore everything else you are comparing to past years revenue numbers. simplistically if prices are up and revenue is down sales are down.

Also they should have their margins and cost of sales listed, last I remember their margin was something like 70%.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/27 20:09:31


Post by: Redbeard


Right, and it's acknowledged that revenue went down from 2004-2007, they claim, due to the LotR interest waning. That is definitely due to fewer sales, no argument.

But, from mid 2007-2009, revenue has gone up. And, we have no way of knowing if that's because sales went up, or because sales stayed constant and prices went up...


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/27 20:18:34


Post by: WarlordGaz


I'll buy less. Unfortunatly, there are no independent stockists near me that I'm aware of (however, I'm going to flex my google muscle and prove myself an idiot in a moment). I've made a couple of purchases from ebay in the past, but nothing more.

I'm also now in the process of stripping, remodelling and repainting some of the stuff that I've bought over the years, though a lot of it got traded for beer money xD


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/27 21:07:57


Post by: asmith


@ redbeard: I looked up financials since 2002.

2002 revenue was basically equal to last years results.

Last years results were flat compared to 2007.

Surely you must see how this means sales were going down during this period. (if we are to believe that LOTR is still 1/3 of sales that means the other two are off 33%!)

I agree the interim 2009 results are up sharply, and I'm no accountant either, but I'm guessing this is because they are reporting in GBP and not a different currency.

In summary I think you are being an optimist for optimisms sake, not that there is anything wrong with that


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/04 17:52:19


Post by: Wolfstan


It's odd that Warlord Games & Victrix models can produce hard plastic box sets, with more figures & options and be cheaper. You would of thought that GW's buying power would of given them an advantage on basic cost price... unless they do get a better rate and don't bother to pass it on


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/27 21:27:34


Post by: the_Armyman


Redbeard wrote:

Well, again, do you have any data? What if these price increases are legitimately the only way the company is staying solvent? What if the options are pay more, or lose GW forever? Unless you have insider information on their finances, you don't know that this isn't the case. I'm not defending them, because I too do not know. I am, however, giving them the benefit of the doubt. These are tough economic times for many companies. And, like I said before, this isn't some fly-by-night operation run by college dropouts. I'm willing to make the assumption that whatever they're doing, it is based on what is best for the company, the shareholders, and the employees. We're customers, and they're a business. And, while they may not be a faceless company like walmart, at the end of the day, their main duty is to stay in business. If they fail in that, then there is no more GW hobby, at all.


At the risk of sounding like a nutjob, I'll just say it: GW won't survive this financial climate as an independent company. I don't think they or their IP will disappear, but they will go the way of TSR/WotC/Hasbro. Contrary to what we're being spoonfed, the world economy is going to get much worse before it gets better, and that's if nothing catastrophic occurs before the start of the slow recovery. I just don't see how a toy soldier manufacturer's products finds a space on the budget of the average American or European when we're all looking for fat to trim, even those of us still fortunate to have a job.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/27 22:55:23


Post by: Wolfstan


the_Armyman wrote:
At the risk of sounding like a nutjob, I'll just say it: GW won't survive this financial climate as an independent company. I don't think they or their IP will disappear, but they will go the way of TSR/WotC/Hasbro. Contrary to what we're being spoonfed, the world economy is going to get much worse before it gets better, and that's if nothing catastrophic occurs before the start of the slow recovery. I just don't see how a toy soldier manufacturer's products finds a space on the budget of the average American or European when we're all looking for fat to trim, even those of us still fortunate to have a job.


There are a number of things that would indicate that this won't happen. Firstly, gaming is to men as going to the hairdressers is for women. There is strong evidence to show that in times of recession, this is an area that gets hit only a bit. It's a "cheap" luxury that women can indulge and makes then feel happier and better about themselves. This goes for gamers, buying models makes us happy and isn't as expensive as larger price tag stuff. Secondly, if you are in a job you are likely to have way more money than you did before. Interest rates are down, VAT in the UK has been dropped, fuel and heating prices are dropping (and it's summer) and food costs are down. Even if you are concerned about losing your job, you still have more money to spend and I'm sure even if you are cutting back, as a gamer you will still set aside money for your hobby. The industry will get hit, but not as bad as other sectors.

GW people are saying that they aren't feeling the pince at the moment, but this could change with the price increases, not the recession.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 0046/05/27 23:16:06


Post by: Malika2


I haven't bought any GW products for...damn...many years now, and I would like to keep it that way!


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/27 23:26:56


Post by: Ratbarf


Is fun a measurable commodity, and is that the basis they are basing their worth on?


Actually yes, people like rollercoasters. They are fun, and are generally willing to pay out about 5-15 dollars a ride. But if that ride went to $100? I think you would see a sharp decline in rollercoaster ride sales. Its also the reason why i don't buy many new video games. Yah, I can pay 60-70 dollars for it now or I can wait a year and pay 25 dollars. I can't exactly spend 70 dollars a month on video games so I wait for them to fall into the 20-30 dollar margin and purchase them then.

I do it because I enjoy it, which is also why I think everyone else in the hobby does it. How do I put a price tag on enjoyment?


Quite simply actually, if the guilt you feel from paying that much money for it is greater than the enjoyment you get from using it than it was overpriced for the amount of enjoyment given.

And I don't really get how people say that they give the shaft to GWs when they buy from a discounter. The discounter bought those sprues from GW, its not like they came from some other magical/black market place where GW products are miraculously lower priced.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/28 02:00:02


Post by: LordHypnogogue


I will simply buy what I can afford. I play Tyranids, hoped on starting Orks, but not likely now.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/29 15:33:33


Post by: Sirius42


Having finally seen an instore list of whats going up, I can say that the increase will not affect me in the slightest... a few things go up by £1-2 but nothing major and most of it is metal. I can live with starter sets going up as they have not changed price in at least 10 years. Incedentally, the list i've seen is very different (and shorter) than that posted in news and rumors. does this mean that America is getting hit much harder than uk?


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/29 15:58:24


Post by: Osbad


Elnicko5 wrote:At the end of the day, I dont think it could ever be "worth it" in a strictly monetary sense, which leaves me to consider how I deem it worth it. I do it because I enjoy it, which is also why I think everyone else in the hobby does it. How do I put a price tag on enjoyment? I don't, and I don't think I could. I've seen others compare the hobby to other things they enjoy, and though they often find it less expensive, I am apprehensive of such comparisons, because this is one of the few things I enjoy doing that costs money, aside from eating, so a personal comparison of this sort seems pointless. As long as I can afford the enjoyment, as those with a hobby budget clearly can, I will do what I enjoy, even if the prices mean I get fewer toys to play with. So, I guess I am part of the inelastic spending trend. So long as I can afford it, Ill be buying warhammer.


I get your point, so in an effort to add an insight, consider the following: At what price point would you not buy models? Clearly you are the kind of person that really gets a lot of enjoyment out of "the hobby", and more power to your elbow sir. So (provided the funds were available) would you pay £500 for a Forgeworld Titan? Would you pay £1,000? £5,000? Would you pay the same for 10 plastic Greatswords? At some point even the most avid hobbyists must decide their hobby isn't worth the asking price. Yours is higher than mine (and mine was pretty high - I did buy a Mumak for £50 back in the day... which my wife thought madness!), and that's OK. But I do believe everyone has their price!

I appreciate these prices in my illustration look a little absurd, but £5k isn't really a silly number to blow on a "hobby". I bought a car "for fun" that cost me over £10k, for instance. Some people race cars for a hobby and pay multiples of that amount every year. Some guy paid £squillions for a trip into space the other week... People do blow a lot on hobbies/fun if they have the readies. The relevant question though isn't "are there some people prepared to pay the asking price whatever it is?". Rather the question is "are there ENOUGH people prepared to pay the asking price, or at what point will above-inflation rises tip more customers beyond their trigger point than is justifiable". These are little plastic men. There is a limit for how much most "rational" people will pay for them. At least in enough numbers to keep GW afloat. I do truly believe that many people are pushed out of the hobby by these price rises and as a result the hobby shrinks and its future jeapardised for all, in the name of short term shareholder profits.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/29 16:10:56


Post by: Mad Doc Grotsnik


Osbad raises the main point of hobby expenditure.

It's all about just how into it you are that determines how much you will spend.

For example, I don't buy Forgeworld gubbinz right now, as I don't have a 40k army. Looking at doing Guard in the next couple of months, so depending on the item, I might do. I don't worry so much about the price, as the value. The more I use any given purchase, the better value I extract from my outlay.

So, although a Reaver Titan is an expensive piece of kit, were I in a position to use it say, once a week, I'd be more inclined toward the purchase than if I would use it once a year.

As long as I enjoy playing the games, and have worthwhile opponents to play them with, the prices don't especially bother me (though even I am perplexed about the Greatswords to the point of refusing to buy them!). It does of course help immensely that every time GW raise their prices, I seem to start earning more money....

Osbad also mentions the prices possibly shrinking the pool of active gamers. This would of course be a bad thing for me. The fewer opponents I have, the quicker I get bored of my army as it keeps coming up against the same old lists. This will lead to me wanting to change it more often, causing me to look at the prices. If it's been 6 months, I would begrudge paying out £300 more. However, if my current army has been in use for say, 18 months, then the £300 seems less severe, as I ought to get 18 months more gaming out a new army.

Hope that makes sense and is none too rambly for people.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/29 17:33:28


Post by: gorgon


Ratbarf wrote:
I do it because I enjoy it, which is also why I think everyone else in the hobby does it. How do I put a price tag on enjoyment?


Quite simply actually, if the guilt you feel from paying that much money for it is greater than the enjoyment you get from using it than it was overpriced for the amount of enjoyment given.


I think that's a missing part of the equation here. At some point, they're not willing to pay even $1 more, because they feel like an a$$hole for doing so. You can say "but it's only $1 more," and they might be able to afford that extra buck. But they won't pay it because it's a psychological barrier for them. I think it's reasonable to say that this latest round of increases may hit some customers' limits. *shrug*

Redbeard wrote:The people running GW aren't idiots. They might not behave in a manner best suited to your interests, but this is a publicly traded company run by suits, not a fly-by-night shop run by college dropouts. They have the data, and they can see the trends.


Lessee...Bloodcrushers up 19%...Flesh Hounds up 18%...yep, they do their research.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/29 19:11:05


Post by: JohnHwangDD


Elnicko5 wrote:How do I put a price tag on enjoyment? I don't, and I don't think I could.

Now, if you're independently wealthy, living a life of leisure, I suppose price doesn't matter.

But for the rest of us mortals, who have limited income and limited time, we budget our spending and our time, and it's easy to compare whether $10 is better on watching a Hollywood blockbuster in the theatre, buying the DVD a few years later, having a nice lunch, or getting a couple GW minis.
____

Osbad wrote: At what price point would you not buy models?

Barring a great sale price, I'm pretty darn close to that point right now. But then, I have plenty of models, so it's not a big deal.
____

Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote: Osbad also mentions the prices possibly shrinking the pool of active gamers.

I'm not so worried about this, either. It's not like the existing stock of stuff that is in circulation will disappear overnight. Stuff will go on eBay to new players, and the hobby will go on.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/29 19:43:51


Post by: pombe


Elnicko5 wrote:...so what do people mean "worth it" when they start talking about a box of figures being worth $22 but not $25? Is fun a measurable commodity, and is that the basis they are basing their worth on? Is there some other intangible at work that I haven't considered? How is this concept worth constructed? It seems like people are playing a semantical game with a word everyone likes to say they know the meaning of, but in this context it seems a bit unclear.


What you say might be true if GW games were my only hobby. But it's not. Like JohnHwangDD alluded to, for every dollar I spend on GW, that's one less dollar I spend on something else, whether it's videogames, another company's game, or going out with friends. And as GW's prices increased, I had to ask myself if I would rather spend the money somewhere else. That determines worth to me. And GW's products weren't enough of a value to me to sacrifice other things I enjoy to compensate for its increased prices.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/05/31 14:24:40


Post by: bobthebretonnian


Well I have been doing the hobby since 1992 and have enjoyed the game and been prepared to pay for it but now at £24.75 for 10 plastic greatswords I have to seriously think about whether I want to pay those prices. I recently went to Salute 09 (a major wargames show in London) and have started looking elsewhere. I bought 2 plastic box sets (No names mentioned historical) and got 30 figures and 60 figures for £19.99. I have and will always enjoy W40K 2nd edition as to me this was how the game should be played with hit areas on vehicles etc but have found that recent rule changes have considerably dumbed the game down.

I have to say that now is the time for me to give up buying figures at these sorts of prices. I know that if everyone thinks like I do then GW could go out of business but then I am not the one making these sorts of price rises when the basic materials have come down due to a major recession, one the GW will not have experienced in its business life (there was a small recession in 90's).

I will continue to play the game but not purchase anymore models and look at other systems where I can get armies at a cheaper price.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/06/01 03:05:01


Post by: artyboy


MeanGreenStompa wrote:I hear the 'time goes by so prices must increase' and simply don't get it, the profit margin on tin (and plastic) soldiers is already massive, the price increase is large and at a time when many companies are freezing or reducing price.

I would have been very happy to build several armies and spend a considerable amount, over time, but the amount being asked for individual minis and boxes is too high and demonstrates a brazen greed and indifference bordering on hostility towards the customer base by this company.

They do not deserve your custom.


It's not that. GW can't figure out how to make money. They have a lot of costs. They have to pay for their costs somehow. The only way that they can conceivably pay for these costs is by making models. No matter what you say they're still top dog as far as quality is concerned. Find me another company that produces such a varied line with such high quality. Find me another set of rules for a wargame that can compete with GW. Fantasy may be pretty broken but 40k has the most balanced rules out there for a tabletop wargame.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/06/01 03:13:46


Post by: Ratbarf


^ That post wins newcomer of the month award.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/06/01 04:39:15


Post by: artyboy


LordHypnogogue wrote:I will simply buy what I can afford. I play Tyranids, hoped on starting Orks, but not likely now.


With AoBR orks are probably one of the cheapest armies that you can buy for 40k. Just get on ebay, buy up some AoBR boys, convert them how you need them and you're G2G.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Ratbarf wrote:^ That post wins newcomer of the month award.


prove it. PM me if you don't want to make a post about it. I'd love to find a cheaper game with better rules.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/06/01 05:00:37


Post by: skkipper


i called my local game store to get 3 more bloodcrushers before the increase. they didn't have them and told me it was too late. and the next one were almost thirty. the three at the new price plus tax would have been almost 100 So I just hoped on line and picked up 7 for $131 from an online store that hadn't adjusted yet.



How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/06/01 05:07:46


Post by: H.B.M.C.


artyboy wrote:Find me another set of rules for a wargame that can compete with GW. Fantasy may be pretty broken but 40k has the most balanced rules out there for a tabletop wargame.


One of the major problems with the internet, be it live chat, IM'ing or even message boards such as this, is that the tone of a person's voice is extremely hard to gague. Sarcasm, anger, happiness, and so on cannot be gleaned from simple words alone (most of the time). For this reason, the 'Emoticon' was invented. When added to a sentence, paragraph, message or post it can help to frame the words being written.

Dakka has taken this concept one further with the EmORKticons, giving us a multitude of clever, funny and well-animated emoticons themed around Orks. It is through these EmORKticons that the denizens of Dakka can communicate with one another in an effective manner with no ambiguity.

The system falls apart however when one does not use the EmORKticons, and instead leaves a post such as yours, artyboy. See, we all know (hope) that you are being intentionally ironic, much as Cheese Elemental is whenever he tells people to buy direct from GW whilst simultaneously linking to Maelstrom Games UK, but without the presence of an EmORKticon at the end - preferably or better yet or - we can only assume that you are serious, and that you truly believe that:

1. 40K rules are balanced.
2. That they're the most balanced of all rulesets ever.
3. That no other company 'comes close'.

Now none of these three things are true - GW's rules are lazily written, aren't checked over, and in the world of gaming they might be a big fish from a miniature side of things, but their rules are looked down upon - so we can only assume that you were being intentionally ironic.

So artyboy, please, use those EmORKticons in the future and avoid any of these problems from ever cropping up again.




Automatically Appended Next Post:
artyboy wrote:prove it. PM me if you don't want to make a post about it. I'd love to find a cheaper game with better rules.


Hmm... still no EmORKticons there artyboy. Perhaps you were serious?

As to a cheaper game with better rules... umm... BattleTech is a good example. Not quite sure how much the intro box is, but in there you'll find a game more balanced, better written and cheaper than anythign 40K can produce. And I don't play many games outside of GW games, but I know a lot of people here do, so please, spare us the pathetic over-the-top sycophantism. It's not healthy.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/06/01 11:22:09


Post by: Osbad


artyboy wrote:prove it. PM me if you don't want to make a post about it. I'd love to find a cheaper game with better rules.


OK, fanboi, here we go:

http://www.groundzerogames.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=section&id=9&Itemid=50

Stargrunt. Rules are free. Infantry models cost £2.50 for 8 at 15mm, and £1 each for 25mm. (All metal of course.) There are a range of buildings and vehicles and such too.

15mm example:

http://www.gtns.co.uk/store1/commerce.cgi?page=sg15-fp.html&cart_id=7137063.21142

25mm example:

http://www.gtns.co.uk/store1/commerce.cgi?page=sg-fp.html&cart_id=6849536.18468

Although of course, no one is forcing you to use Ground Zero Games' models, any generic sci-fi models will do. So by definition that is always cheaper and/'or better than GW, as you can always use GW models as your minimum standard.

"Quality" is always subjective, but I know many who prefer these as more of a "grown-ups" game than "kiddie-kay" is. (added emorkicon for luck)

(P.s. I do play 40k, but enjoy it for what it is: a "beer and pretzels" game, not the be-all and end-all of life!)

That's just one example, there are many others. The only people who truly believe there is no real competition for GW are GW themselves, and the poor deluded fools they have gulled.

Now, to save yourself time and embarassment, you could have always vistited the "Other Sci-fi games" forum on dakka (http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/forums/show/30.page) but I do realise that this would have required the removal of fanboi blinkers...


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/06/01 11:50:01


Post by: Thachng


I also think GW make the best rules and range and thats why I keep coming back to it and not any other games that I have played. Furthermore prices aren't the only thing that goes up. My job pays gives me an auto pay rise every year according to the CPI which is 4% and also have purcahsed an investment house during the boom time and I also gain CPI increases every 6 months for the rent, so I have enough money to keep up with the price rises.

Final thing for me is that I have one army that I hardly need to update but that gives me the chance to buy models that I like to paint when they are released this is not very expensive at all.

In the end I see alot of quality in what GW releases so I will keep on buying them.


How are you handling/weathering the price increase? @ 2009/06/01 12:58:45


Post by: Sidstyler


Quality models maybe, but the rules are horse gak.

I don't want an overly complex game with a thick-ass rulebook that requires extensive study and several hours of test games to learn how to play or anything (I understand the hate for an abstract system because it isn't that "realistic" but I don't want to get so into it that we start including rules for wind and gak), so I don't hate 40k for simplicity. I'm pissed off more by the fact that they don't know how to balance anything or make every unit in an army fun or useful in some way, the game is too obviously an afterthought, designed just to sell models and invalidate your collection with every update forcing you to buy more models.

And despite GW's repeated claims that they're a miniatures manufacturer, there's very few people out there who would give GW the ridiculous amounts of money they demand for said models if all they were going to do is sit on a shelf and look pretty. People buy the models for the game and if the game isn't fun to play then they won't move nearly as many models.