Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Hi, I just went looking around just about every hobby store in town, and they all seem to be lacking supply on GW stuff. Is there a website that I can buy them from? I know I can grab them from the official site, but I think I remember reading that they might potentially be less expensive by other means.

Frontline gameing is where i get mine, They have a site,
Check it out.
I live near them so i can just go there and get them as a please.

Try asking your FLGS first. Not every hobby store carries gaming stuff. Reserve online stores as a last option. They don't contribute to your community nor do they give you a deal because they like you.

*Everywhere*.

Since I don't have a store near me that sells GW products, I order a lot of stuff from Neil at the War Store. You get a little bit of a discount and most of the stuff is in stock. I don't think they sell finecast or metal, though. Also, the swap shop here on the forums is really good for piecing together what you need (as well as entire armies sometimes). Just be sure to check the reputable trader thread and try to get a confirmation number.

 SoloFalcon1138 wrote:
Try asking your FLGS first. Not every hobby store carries gaming stuff. Reserve online stores as a last option. They don't contribute to your community nor do they give you a deal because they like you.

I might end up asking them if they can order stuff in for me. They did have a pretty generous 40k section, but with the shear amount of models available it's not surprising they didn't have my riptide.

Otherwise it's the War Store for me. They seem like a fine group of people from what they wrote on their website anyway, and I love the fact they get around the GW order policy by just having you call in.

 SoloFalcon1138 wrote:
Try asking your FLGS first. Not every hobby store carries gaming stuff. Reserve online stores as a last option. They don't contribute to your community nor do they give you a deal because they like you.

I always find that statement hilarious. No store owner is going to give you a discount because he likes you.

I used to buy them from a local gaming/comic/anime store that was in walking distance when I was in better shape. Sometimes I still go there to see if they have any gems in their blister pack selection. But usually I go to the GW that's about a 20-minute drive across the river. Better selection (It's a GW, and the FLGS' Warhammer Fantasy and 40k and scenery area is a wall section about as wide as the 3-seat couch I'm sitting on), plus I can order things more easily and pay for stuff I order with my debit card in-store instead of relying on my parents' credit cards to order online (I don't have my own credit card). I can get the stuff I order shipped to the house if I like - though I'm thinking in the future I'll have it shipped to the store, because of GW's increased minimums for free shipping and the fact that I don't like answering the door. Never had a problem with customer service there either. And at my FLGS, they have a sign at the cash which says, "No refunds or exchanges" which leads me to believe that if there's a problem with missing or broken parts, it'll be a fight to get them to replace it. Also, they used to offer a nice discount on WH40k stuff, but not anymore, so it's not any cheaper to buy stuff there, even if I can find what I'm looking for.

 hotsauceman1 wrote:

 SoloFalcon1138 wrote:
Try asking your FLGS first. Not every hobby store carries gaming stuff. Reserve online stores as a last option. They don't contribute to your community nor do they give you a deal because they like you.

I always find that statement hilarious. No store owner is going to give you a discount because he likes you.

False. I have been supporting my FLGS everywhere I've lived for as long as I've been in the hobby. I've only purchased a hand full of stuff from an actual GW store, usually things I needed for an upcoming game/event/tourney and didn't have time to wait for the order to come in and the GW had it in stock.

In two separate stores, in two separate cities, after having made several orders and being friendly with the owners, I have had them sell me things at a discount, or even let me have parts of my order at cost, since they make their money off me anyways.

My current FLGS is just getting there. He charges GW prices on stuff he stocks. If I order things from him, or buy multiple kits at once, he will volunteer to giving me some kind of discount. I bought 3 DV kits from him. Bought the first at full price, got the second at a discount, and he gave me the third at cost (as I was buying paints for him to paint it all anyway). It also tends to help if you are buying other non GW things they sell as well, such as MTG, comics, board games, ect.

Back to OP. I always try to support my FLGS first. Then I check ebay, then other things such as Discount games and such. Then if I'm desperate, GW. I don't necessarily dislike buying from GW. I just like to support local first, which indirectly supports GW anyway.

I buy everything I can at my FLGS, but GW distribution is pretty terrible at providing them the stock they order. They get one order in a month, and is often just the new stuff. Getting re-stocked is apparently quite the hassle, and they often only get the minimums of things; one squad of x, one tank, etc.

Support the place you play at, and if you play at home, buy from someone in your community if you can. I would advise against buying from GW direct; their shipping minimums are rather ridiculous, UPS will charge you out the nose for anything unusual which might occur along the way to delivering to you, and frankly, screw GW. They've got ridiculous prices and horrible business practices; they'll still exist getting their cut from the FLGSs, and you'll, in theory, support someone more deserving of your money, who's actually supporting what you want to do.

 MajorStoffer wrote:
I buy everything I can at my FLGS, but GW distribution is pretty terrible at providing them the stock they order. They get one order in a month, and is often just the new stuff. Getting re-stocked is apparently quite the hassle, and they often only get the minimums of things; one squad of x, one tank, etc.

Support the place you play at, and if you play at home, buy from someone in your community if you can. I would advise against buying from GW direct; their shipping minimums are rather ridiculous, UPS will charge you out the nose for anything unusual which might occur along the way to delivering to you, and frankly, screw GW. They've got ridiculous prices and horrible business practices; they'll still exist getting their cut from the FLGSs, and you'll, in theory, support someone more deserving of your money, who's actually supporting what you want to do.

Support someone... like the nice people who staff my local GW?

Place called J&J's in Waterloo Ontario.
Has a good online store but the physical place is hugely diversified. They can buy in HUGE bulk because they are within walking distance of 2 universities and a college is in town. Best bonus ALWAYS a little cheaper than anyone else and more stock than a GW store AND huge variety of competitor products.

**edit**

Did I say HUGE??

 Pouncey wrote:

 MajorStoffer wrote:
I buy everything I can at my FLGS, but GW distribution is pretty terrible at providing them the stock they order. They get one order in a month, and is often just the new stuff. Getting re-stocked is apparently quite the hassle, and they often only get the minimums of things; one squad of x, one tank, etc.

Support the place you play at, and if you play at home, buy from someone in your community if you can. I would advise against buying from GW direct; their shipping minimums are rather ridiculous, UPS will charge you out the nose for anything unusual which might occur along the way to delivering to you, and frankly, screw GW. They've got ridiculous prices and horrible business practices; they'll still exist getting their cut from the FLGSs, and you'll, in theory, support someone more deserving of your money, who's actually supporting what you want to do.

Support someone... like the nice people who staff my local GW?

If that's the case, but the experience one gets in GW varies greatly.

I have no interest in paying a flat 20% more than anywhere else for a small store in a not-great neighbourhood with no chairs, no washrooms, limited hours, and a constant push every moment I'm there to drop hundreds of dollars.

If your local GW staffers are decent, and you're not getting screwed by regional pricing, then all the power to you, I can't fault supporting a place you like going to. But if I lived next door the GW, I still wouldn't go there, just like how I wouldn't go to some LGSs.

There's two places within an easy drive of my house (yep, 2. The state of Idaho is not known for its wargamer population). The first one is basically a model train/plane store that has a tiny game section just in case. It still has 5th edition 40k rulebooks on display and charges GW price for everything...

The second I just went to today. Staff seems really nice (although me commenting "I'd spend a couple hundred here today if you had the models in stock" might have had something to do with it...) and from what I could tell they do give some kind of a discount off GW price.

Can a LGS actually order in from GW if you have specific stuff you want? I'd assume it's possible, but I have no idea if it's something that ever happens, since you might as well buy it online yourself.

 dementedwombat wrote:
There's two places within an easy drive of my house (yep, 2. The state of Idaho is not known for its wargamer population). The first one is basically a model train/plane store that has a tiny game section just in case. It still has 5th edition 40k rulebooks on display and charges GW price for everything...

The second I just went to today. Staff seems really nice (although me commenting "I'd spend a couple hundred here today if you had the models in stock" might have had something to do with it...) and from what I could tell they do give some kind of a discount off GW price.

Can a LGS actually order in from GW if you have specific stuff you want? I'd assume it's possible, but I have no idea if it's something that ever happens, since you might as well buy it online yourself.

Yes they can, including stuff not on the main range, the "bits," like conversion pieces, collectors range and specialist games.

At least they could before most of that stuff was taken to the chemical shed and shot.

 MajorStoffer wrote:

 Pouncey wrote:

 MajorStoffer wrote:
I buy everything I can at my FLGS, but GW distribution is pretty terrible at providing them the stock they order. They get one order in a month, and is often just the new stuff. Getting re-stocked is apparently quite the hassle, and they often only get the minimums of things; one squad of x, one tank, etc.

Support the place you play at, and if you play at home, buy from someone in your community if you can. I would advise against buying from GW direct; their shipping minimums are rather ridiculous, UPS will charge you out the nose for anything unusual which might occur along the way to delivering to you, and frankly, screw GW. They've got ridiculous prices and horrible business practices; they'll still exist getting their cut from the FLGSs, and you'll, in theory, support someone more deserving of your money, who's actually supporting what you want to do.

Support someone... like the nice people who staff my local GW?

If that's the case, but the experience one gets in GW varies greatly.

I have no interest in paying a flat 20% more than anywhere else for a small store in a not-great neighbourhood with no chairs, no washrooms, limited hours, and a constant push every moment I'm there to drop hundreds of dollars.

If your local GW staffers are decent, and you're not getting screwed by regional pricing, then all the power to you, I can't fault supporting a place you like going to. But if I lived next door the GW, I still wouldn't go there, just like how I wouldn't go to some LGSs.

:: nods :: My FLGS has no chairs (except maybe a stool for the cashier), no bathrooms (but it's in a mall which has them), I'm never sure when it's open or closed, but I'm pretty much left alone even if I'm the only one in there and the mall is right on main street in a fine neighbourhood. Also, though it's not a factor for me since I only play at home, gaming space is very limited - there's a couple of cafeteria bench tables for card games which occasionally have gaming tables on them.

My local GW feels more open (in terms of space), has small chairs at the painting stations, no bathrooms (but again, in a mall which has them), follows regular mall hours, and though a staff member will always come up to me and ask if I need help finding anything when I enter the store, if I say, "No, I'm just gonna order some stuff," or, "No, I'm good, thanks," they leave me alone and go back to what they're doing (except in the former, at which point they come with me to the computer but just kinda stand there while I order stuff, and respond with answers when I ask about the next step in the ordering process (like when to print up the order). Only once have they really pushed a sale, and even then, I was looking at buying the AoBR set for the Orks, mentioned as such, and he mentioned the Ork Battleforce if all I wanted was Orks. That was it, one sentence. Not really sure it counts as pushing, since it was really just a helpful suggestion.

My local GW staffers are very decent. ^^ And I could save money by buying from an Internet retailer, or looking around for a gaming store with a good selectio- Actually, I found one of those once while looking for a place I could order dice from. Not sure if they had a discount or not, but the guy talked me out of buying large quantities of board game dice for playing 40k. I later found out that my dad was in the strategy club at college with the owner, but apparently they weren't the best of friends. They had a nice 40k selection (not as big as the local GW's, but nice enough), and other stuff too.

Still, it was located in downtown Ottawa (It was called Fandom II by the way). Not a place I like going if I can help it, due to how crowded it is. The GW is located in a place I'm much more comfortable going.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 MajorStoffer wrote:

 dementedwombat wrote:
There's two places within an easy drive of my house (yep, 2. The state of Idaho is not known for its wargamer population). The first one is basically a model train/plane store that has a tiny game section just in case. It still has 5th edition 40k rulebooks on display and charges GW price for everything...

The second I just went to today. Staff seems really nice (although me commenting "I'd spend a couple hundred here today if you had the models in stock" might have had something to do with it...) and from what I could tell they do give some kind of a discount off GW price.

Can a LGS actually order in from GW if you have specific stuff you want? I'd assume it's possible, but I have no idea if it's something that ever happens, since you might as well buy it online yourself.

Yes they can, including stuff not on the main range, the "bits," like conversion pieces, collectors range and specialist games.

At least they could before most of that stuff was taken to the chemical shed and shot.

Yupyup. I used to order WH40k stuff through my FLGS that they didn't have in stock. Got most of my Meganobz that way.

Course, it usually took a few weeks for the order to come in.

 Pouncey wrote:
massive quote snip

Nice. I'll just wander back over there next week (Memorial Day in the US this Monday, everything's closed) and order in some things. I figure I might as well order through my local store, I get $5 back for every $100 I spend (I can totally see that ending badly )

Thank you all for not making fun of me for not knowing this stuff. I've been in the hobby for a very long time, but never in all that deep. Mostly just play with a couple friends whenever we're all in town, so I go most of a year without ever thinking 40k.

So, with the war store, can i buy a crisis box? or am i forced to only buy bits? All i can find on the site are bits.......


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Nevermind, I found my answer! That is freakin hilarious though way to stick it to em war store! wish i had known about em during preorder season, as i had my tax refund burning a hole in my pocket.

Wolfnid420 wrote:
So, with the war store, can i buy a crisis box? or am i forced to only buy bits? All i can find on the site are bits.......


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Nevermind, I found my answer! That is freakin hilarious though way to stick it to em war store! wish i had known about em during preorder season, as i had my tax refund burning a hole in my pocket.

GW's policies forbid retailers from placing their products in an online shopping cart or something. So each order has to be individually placed by e-mail or something.

Over the phone lol its awesome

Ebay has several vendors that give you deals on sprues. Discount games something something ususally has deals where the more you buy the bigger the saves. They are package deals too where you get 5 of X big model or 7 of Y smaller models.

SOMEWHERE ELSE

And without breaking any rules of dakkadakka, that's all I can say.

My FLGS.

Most of my buys are tournament entries.

I always go with my local first. If that falls through, I usually go to eBay.

 hotsauceman1 wrote:

 SoloFalcon1138 wrote:
Try asking your FLGS first. Not every hobby store carries gaming stuff. Reserve online stores as a last option. They don't contribute to your community nor do they give you a deal because they like you.

I always find that statement hilarious. No store owner is going to give you a discount because he likes you.

Really? I have scored deals and discounts at a couple of local businesses I frequent because I have done a lot of business with them and they like me coming to spend money. Website owners don't care who spends money with them.

misread thread

Ebay and Discount Games primarily. Can't recommend DGS enough. Incredible service, and shipping, and cheaper prices than anywhere that I have yet been able to find. I used to use Bitz Barn for bitz, but the last few times I've gone to look, they didn't have anything I needed so I usually end up going to a few different bitz sellers on Ebay.

Ebay and my local GW.

GW for Characters... EBay for everything else (cheaper buying characters here than on EBay (+ shipping))

So far I've only found one character I'd like to put in my army, and I've not had luck finding him on eBay unpainted. So I'll definitely go GW for that.

My local GW. Looked around, but no third party sites or FLGSs stock the Gun Nuns.

But you can source most everything you'd need off eBay, and for a decent price too.