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I was just browsing GW's site looking for Dark Eldar items. The prices have jumped up significantly on some items. $41 for Kabalite Warriors, $62 for a SM Tactical Squad.

WTF?

Yeah, its been slowly creeping up in price over the last year or so.

Bit of a pain, but where else can we go?

I would suggest that you check and make sure your actually logged into the GW USA site and didn't get thrown to a different countries GW site.

Yes, well, it says a tac squad is $37.25 USD for me. So you might want to check what Catyrpelius said.

Still, $37.25 USD for a few plastic soldiers, that's a bit exagerated. But GW knows we are all addicted to their plastic rubbish

Keep in mind, the prices will Always rise as to adjust for inflation. So even if in the next few years a Tac Squad rises to 45$, it'll have remained roughly the same price in modern day dollars as the future dollars simply aren't worth the same.

This is what happens when you set your location to Australia. Prices always rise with GW, but we aren't that bad yet.

I was logged in!
It must have been a different country. They are normal now.

Picture taken <5 mins ago of GW's site..


Glad this has been established

I get confused by this - log in fromwork see a price in dollars, forget I work for an US firm so it's autodetecting my country and see a nice low price. Head to the store and get boned for extra dollars. :(

(Yes I have to hand over the expensive dollars, not the cheapskate ones from south of the border! )

Azure wrote:Keep in mind, the prices will Always rise as to adjust for inflation. So even if in the next few years a Tac Squad rises to 45$, it'll have remained roughly the same price in modern day dollars as the future dollars simply aren't worth the same.

If inflation was more than 6%, then that's about right. The fact is, GW is raising prices strictly to make more money. As Stompydakka shows, ten Space Mariners are $37.25. However Imperial Guardbulletsponges are $24.75, with insignificantly (money wise) volume distance. Terminators are $50 for five models. I could go on.

GW is in the business of money, not hobbiests. While it was quite a while ago that the founders of GW gave up their souls to chase the monies, it was not until much more recently that they really started to put the screws to the prices.

In my opinion, the main problem is that GW is being employed by middle aged or older men and their customers are gullible children with parents who are willing to toss money at them, and probably just as much, middle aged adults with nothing better to spend their money on (I know of one guy who has tens of thousands of dollars of models from all sorts of lines just sitting around in their boxes collecting dust). So these older employees are demanding wages "deserving" of their age and to impress their peers. Considering that middle ages males in a good business keep company with other males in the same economic tier, and lets face it, making models for "nerds" is not the most prestigious occupation, they'll want to make even MORE money than their peers to show how "hot sauce" they are. So prices go up again.

But that's just my opinion and deduction. Nobody seems to actually know anything about the people at GW that manipulate the prices, so it may just be ten years of $35 tanks catching up to us.

Ugh GW's prices creep up every so often with their excuse " Our supplies are very high quallity" High quallity my ass I spent hour working on my metal models cuz the damn superglue won't stick

Azure wrote:Keep in mind, the prices will Always rise as to adjust for inflation. So even if in the next few years a Tac Squad rises to 45$, it'll have remained roughly the same price in modern day dollars as the future dollars simply aren't worth the same.

In the US inflation was 1.5% last year. It should take a few years to jump from $37.25 USD to $45.00 at that rate.

http://www.usinflationcalculator.com/inflation/current-inflation-rates/

GW has consistently increased prices past the rates of inflation.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Skinnattittar wrote:In my opinion, the main problem is that GW is being employed by middle aged or older men

I disagree. Their main problem is they are a publicly held company and must answer to the great stock value.

Its a minor miracle that they still make their stuff in Great Britain. I'm very surprised they have not started shipping their stuff to China for manufacture.

The answer is fairly simple: Don't buy direct from GW. There are plenty of online stores that offer 40k models at 10, 20 and even 30% of RRP.

The downside to this, of course, is that GW is fully aware other companies do this, and so raise the wholesale price of their products to compensate. Its a vicious circle and I can totally see GW pricing themselves out of the market if they're not careful. I mean, 50% of a $100 for 5 toy soldiers?! The prices are starting to border on the rediculous.

L. Wrex

I get a 10% discount from my local book and game store when I make advance orders. Which basically covers my tax, shipping cost, and a tiny bit of retail price. You just have to do a little shopping around, I found quiet a few items that are way cheaper at other stores.

Skinnattittar wrote:While it was quite a while ago that the founders of GW gave up their souls to chase the monies,

Yes, they did so before any of us every heard of them. Just like anyone else who commits to an endeavor for the purpose of making money.

They're a business. What else would you expect?

heh i remember when i could buy a lead termi blister for a mahoosive £2.50.
oh how i wish i'd spent more pocket money as a kid....

Darkness Eternal wrote:

Skinnattittar wrote:While it was quite a while ago that the founders of GW gave up their souls to chase the monies,

Yes, they did so before any of us every heard of them. Just like anyone else who commits to an endeavor for the purpose of making money.

They're a business. What else would you expect?

Nonsense,a great many business function just fine and turn a healthy profit without charging ridiculous prices for their merchandise.
Being competitive and making a profit doesn't mean you jack up prices simply because you can,that sort of business practice may turn an immediate profit,but in the long run it breeds contempt in your customer base...and without customers you have no business.

Nonsense,a great many business function just fine and turn a healthy profit without charging ridiculous prices for their merchandise.
Being competitive and making a profit doesn't mean you jack up prices simply because you can,that sort of business practice may turn an immediate profit,but in the long run it breeds contempt in your customer base...and without customers you have no business.

The problem is human nature. I take my pizza place I work at as a fine example. Prices of veggies go up, so are prices go up. Then those prices go down, ow look are prices don't go down. Basically even if GW found a way to make these things for dirt cheap, they won't pass the savings to the customer.

xlightscreen wrote:

Nonsense,a great many business function just fine and turn a healthy profit without charging ridiculous prices for their merchandise.
Being competitive and making a profit doesn't mean you jack up prices simply because you can,that sort of business practice may turn an immediate profit,but in the long run it breeds contempt in your customer base...and without customers you have no business.

The problem is human nature. I take my pizza place I work at as a fine example. Prices of veggies go up, so are prices go up. Then those prices go down, ow look are prices don't go down. Basically even if GW found a way to make these things for dirt cheap, they won't pass the savings to the customer.

Of course they wouldn't, obviously it cost GW a great deal less to produce a SM tactical squad than the price they charge for one,and that of course is business,and absolutely understandable,you create your product and sell it for a profit.
But...to raise prices to the extent GW has ... ...it honestly seems as though they are less a business and more a "drug dealer".
Conversely,I do my best to avoid buying directly from GW,using online stores as much as possible and swapping for things/second hand purchases whenever I can.

FITZZ wrote:

xlightscreen wrote:

Nonsense,a great many business function just fine and turn a healthy profit without charging ridiculous prices for their merchandise.
Being competitive and making a profit doesn't mean you jack up prices simply because you can,that sort of business practice may turn an immediate profit,but in the long run it breeds contempt in your customer base...and without customers you have no business.

The problem is human nature. I take my pizza place I work at as a fine example. Prices of veggies go up, so are prices go up. Then those prices go down, ow look are prices don't go down. Basically even if GW found a way to make these things for dirt cheap, they won't pass the savings to the customer.

Of course they wouldn't, obviously it cost GW a great deal less to produce a SM tactical squad than the price they charge for one,and that of course is business,and absolutely understandable,you create your product and sell it for a profit.
But...to raise prices to the extent GW has ... ...it honestly seems as though they are less a business and more a "drug dealer".
Conversely,I do my best to avoid buying directly from GW,using online stores as much as possible and swapping for things/second hand purchases whenever I can.

well actually that sprue of plastic space marines initially costs around 100k to make. no i'm really not kidding and i be nowdays its more then 100k. you have to factor in the sculptors time and wages, commision the overall design then the really costly bit, the moulds! the moulds cost a fortune.
head office reckon and this was back in about 2002 that they had to sell 10,000 boxes of a basic squad unit (all plastic) to break even with its start up costs.
as for them being a drug dealer, well yeah i'm totally with you on that front, once you crack open that box your hooked and you MUST have your shiney new fix...

also doing your best to avoid directly buying from gw, thats what ramps the prices also (falling sales)

I've pretty much stopped purchasing directly off of GW and order my models from a store in UK. Not only is this cheaper compared to UK GW, but it's significantly cheaper compared to SWE GW.

I'd rather pay £16.65 for a War Walker than 250kr (roughly £24)

When I played years ago, I got the set of polystyrene Seige walls for £20. Then, GW sold up, and they re-released them at £60-£80. They'd washed them a bit, as the originals came unpainted, but tripling the price in what was probably the same year . . .

Another comparison: 20 Tactical Marines was £9.99, I think. Now, it's 20 for 5? The new ones are a bit nicer though, so that's OK :(

I was just lucky that I kept a box of terminators, with a couple of GK in there. Would cost a shedload these days.

Now I wish Forgeworld would set up a shop in the U.S. I cringe every time I enjoy shopping there only to see that fatty shipping charge slapped on :(.

5 SM used to be a £5 now there £15.50 its insane how much there prices have jumpped up and some of the models specially metal ones are hardly the best quility ever, even some plastic ones are a pain in the arse youd think for the moey you pay they woul invest in decent molds that dont leave seems all round a model (ork boyz!!)

I know inflation and all the other jazz that causes a company to raise prices but really come on GW has taken the complete piss with it, Computer parts, games, consoles, cds, dvds even guitars have all had price increses but they are no were near as bad as what GW has done and im pretty sure, well 100% sure, that the cost to make a les paul is roughly the same price as it was 5 or 6 years ago, i know as i bought all the parts my self and built one and it was less only just a bit less than buying one new from a shop.

GW is a ripp off but sadly the game and story is really good, shame they cant realise they dont need to ripp folks off in order to make money, in all honesty if the prces were less we would spend roughly the same as now but get more.

Skinnereal wrote:When I played years ago, I got the set of polystyrene Seige walls for £20. Then, GW sold up, and they re-released them at £60-£80. They'd washed them a bit, as the originals came unpainted, but tripling the price in what was probably the same year . . .

Another comparison: 20 Tactical Marines was £9.99, I think. Now, it's 20 for 5? The new ones are a bit nicer though, so that's OK :(

I was just lucky that I kept a box of terminators, with a couple of GK in there. Would cost a shedload these days.

The RTB01 ones were 30 for 10 quid, a Rhino was 4/5 pounds and a Land Raider 7 IIRC oh the good old 90s!

When I started playing the cost of a squad was around $20 dollars,and with the exception of MEQ armies (IIRC) you got more minis in the kit ( 16 Ork boys/16 Dark Eldar/etc).
Now roughly 12 years later prices have gone up by almost 100% and in some cases your getting less minis.

FITZZ wrote:
Now roughly 12 years later prices have gone up by almost 100%

Amazing, just every other product* in the same time frame. How can that be?

*except electronics.

also excepting CDs, groceries and wages

LavuranGuard wrote:also excepting CDs, groceries and wages

Car parts, clothes, shoes, boots, autos (cars, trucks, motorcycles, etc...). What has gone up 100% in the past 12 years?