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I noticed, after clicking on america in the country select box, that GW america prices are much lower than GW Australia prices.
What the hell? I bet you could save money by getting a friend to order from the USA and then shipping to AUS.

Cause we have nice beaches?

Also no you save more money shipping from the UK due to shipping costs.
*cough*Maelstrom*cough*

At one point I'm sure it was due to exchange rates. Unfortunately the Australian dollar has been close to the USD for a while now and GW never changed pricing to reflect the market.

From what I understand most Aussie players buy online from US or UK stores as the exchange, discount, and international shipping end up costing alot less than buying direct from GW.

n0t_u wrote:C
Also no you save more money shipping from the UK due to shipping costs.
*cough*Maelstrom*cough*

I know about maelstrom but just saying you would save money if you did buy from an american GW.

Who buys from GW? there are TONS of online independent retailers who constantly offer 20% off, sometimes more.

I haven't bought a single thing directly from GW in over 5 years and I don't intend to any time in the future. I'm a fan of their products, but I have no interest in supporting their weak one minded stores.

Exchange rates (or at least exchange rates as they stood up until a year or two ago) play a large part, as does the cost of shipping.

This isn't exactly exclusive to GW, though. There are an awful lof of things that can be bought cheaper from overseas.

aerethan wrote:Who buys from GW? there are TONS of online independent retailers who constantly offer 20% off, sometimes more.

I haven't bought a single thing directly from GW in over 5 years and I don't intend to any time in the future. I'm a fan of their products, but I have no interest in supporting their weak one minded stores.

I know that, I don't buy from GW either but you wonder where that spare money is going...

I found Dark Sphere to be the cheapest for a battle force, prove me wrong. If you find a cheaper store post so everyone can get the most out of their moneez

I buy directly from them sometimes.

But that is because that seems to be pretty much the only way to build my SoB army without ebay.

That being said the most recent price ranges have made me decide to wait until they're updated now. Malifaux time.

There are some sources best left private lest GW notice online stores running as they used to before GW got greedy with website sales.

TheWarStore.com has a constant 20% off, not sure what their international shipping is though. So a $90USD battalion box runs $72USD.

I use my private sources for OOP stuff and 30% off retail with $6 flat rate shipping.

But again, I have no clue if overseas shipping from the smaller guys makes it worth doing.

Most Aussies use malestrom from what I understand.

aerethan wrote:There are some sources best left private lest GW notice online stores running as they used to before GW got greedy with website sales.

TheWarStore.com has a constant 20% off, not sure what their international shipping is though. So a $90USD battalion box runs $72USD.

I use my private sources for OOP stuff and 30% off retail with $6 flat rate shipping.

But again, I have no clue if overseas shipping from the smaller guys makes it worth doing.

Most Aussies use malestrom from what I understand.

They don't ship overseas, because you need to ring them up to place your order. They won't allow you to order through email, either...

Australians have always paid more, even when the dollar was paying 60 something cents to the USD, the prices weren't really comparable. It might be the cost of retail space in Australia, or just that's the price GW found they could get away with in Australia. I'm not sure.

But yeah, in the last couple of years the AUD has gotten really strong and GW has not bothered to change Australian pricing to keep up. The result has been a ridiculous price difference that you'd have to be mad to ignore. I don't know anyone still buying in Australia, excepting one fella who never buys on-line.

But think about it this way - the strong AUD has meant you can now buy loads more GW stuff for the same amount, just as long as you don't buy it from Australian GW stores.

At this point if you are buying it from their hobby centers your being price gouged.

Though i'm not sure where most aussie folk order from overseas in the US. Warstore?

I've heard (someone correct me please) that ordering from the UK is cheaper because of lower UK prices, free shipping (from certain online stores), and no import/export tariffs on small orders.

It all adds up, and means a 50% saving over Aussie hobby stores in the majority of orders. I sometimes get the urge to buy from a GW because they're guaranteed to have every model and it's an immediate purchase. But then I think "If I wait three weeks, I could have TWO of this model." and I go online to order.

When the prices were set, the AUD was in the crapper.
This was back in the days when their alphabetical price scheme was set up. This was when the prices were pegged to the specific rates.

Of course, the dollar has improved since then, but rather than recalculate the prices, they just add on more increases.

They've started turning stores into one man operations now as well. GW Miranda is the first Sydney one to go.

Stores are always going to be more expensive due to all the extra costs the consumer has to pay to get those goods on the shelves.

The day Maelstrom shuts down is the day I stop buying. They're the only reason I started up again.

Foxtale wrote:I've heard (someone correct me please) that ordering from the UK is cheaper because of lower UK prices, free shipping (from certain online stores), and no import/export tariffs on small orders.

Be careful with the 'no import/export tariffs'. You will pay Import Duty on imports above AUD$1000 in value. Found that out the hard way... extra $350 on a FW order... ouch!

But beyond that, yes, what you said is accurate. By ordering from a few players in the UK, like Wayland, you can get some good discounts. You take shipping costs out of the equation - thanks to Maelstrom - and the you can save even more. Over 50%, and better than GW staff discount.

OoieGoie wrote:Stores are always going to be more expensive due to all the extra costs the consumer has to pay to get those goods on the shelves.

Stores in the Westfield malls are ALWAYS going to be more expensive.
That one was costing them $100k AUD per year in rent.

Bankstown is down, too.
Chatswood - if not going the 1 man route is also not far from the chop.

chromedog wrote:Chatswood - if not going the 1 man route is also not far from the chop.

Chatswood ain't in Westfield any more. They've moved to the other side of Chatswood, where all the store signs are written in Korean (or Mandarin... one of the two). It's next to the Video Ezy that no one goes to any more yet somehow remains in business.

Real prime location!

There is also the point that Australian households have higher average incomes than in the UK and US... so never mind that we pay more for everything over here. Our taxes are fairly high in general too. Schoolkids and the unemployed probably do find Warhammer pretty expensive... or they at least complain the most.

They've been heading towards a one-man centre paradigm for some time - it makes perfect financial sense too. It is already established in the UK and US. As chrome' mentioned, Miranda is going 1-man in early March... the first "downsize" in Australia, and it's a successful store. I assume it's a rent thing as chrome' just said, and according to staff the rental lease is up. The recently opened North Sydney, Bondi Junction and Cairns stores were one-man-ers from opening day (not sure about Cairns actually, but I assume).

The Bankstown store was always doomed. I mean, come on... Bankstown.

Oh yeah, and Chatswood has had a new store for a while, though I haven't seen it yet.

How is it exchange rates cause prices to rise, but when they become favourable again, prices stay put?

Because lowering prices on luxury goods makes little economic sense when people have more money?

Chibi Bodge-Battle wrote:How is it exchange rates cause prices to rise, but when they become favourable again, prices stay put?

Profit.

People get used to paying a certain amount for items, and then when the exchange rate goes up, they don't think about how that should mean they start paying less. Thus, GW and other places (The Video Game market is a killer, quite a few games are twice the price here that they are in the US...Retribution will set you back $60.69 US compared to the $30 US you'll pay there....and that's a digital download, so there is no import fees that they're trying to make up for) leave the prices up, and make more money on the Australian market.

Really, we should be paying the same or less for GW products as the US, as we're trading higher than them currently, or at least far closer. Instead, it's $60+ US for a simple box of tactical marines, and 18+ for a Black Library novel that you can buy brand new off Amazon for 9.

----

For Australian model purchase, buy from the UK. The models are generally cheaper than the US discount stores, and the postage also seems to work out less, at least from what I've found.

I order from Wayland because they've been good to me, and gotten all my orders to me in under 2 weeks, and I'd heard bad things about Maelstrom...but they should all end up around the same give or take a few dollars (The 'free postage' actually amounts to a slightly more expensive purchase on the items themselves, and thus, if you have the right size order, it ends up cheaper from Wayland anyway. Think a 2kg box cost me 5 quid in postage). The only one I'd recommend avoiding at this current point is Miniwargaming UK, as I'm still waiting on a purchase I made mid-December, but it could have simply gotten caught in customs, and the 20% off sale on top of the already discounted products was quite hefty.

Cadichan Support wrote:

aerethan wrote:Who buys from GW? there are TONS of online independent retailers who constantly offer 20% off, sometimes more.

I haven't bought a single thing directly from GW in over 5 years and I don't intend to any time in the future. I'm a fan of their products, but I have no interest in supporting their weak one minded stores.

I know that, I don't buy from GW either but you wonder where that spare money is going...

I found Dark Sphere to be the cheapest for a battle force, prove me wrong. If you find a cheaper store post so everyone can get the most out of their moneez

Malestrom price promise!!!

It's not greed. It's sensible. GW stores are there to get people into the hobby, not to turn over massive profits. That's just not even a practical hope given the nature of the business. They make a huge proportion of their profits from trade sales anyway.

I personally find people who don't support their local gaming stores pretty distasteful - I've seen good independent stores go out of business due to plagues of Maelstrom-fever. I hate to see the destruction of local gaming communities but I am aware that some people prefer to just collect and paint models and are not involved with the gaming community. I presume that most GW customers don't play the games so often, but I find it really quite idiotic that it's often the real gamer types who advocate ordering from overseas and thereby affecting the local businesses that would otherwise support it. So who is it that was greedy again?

I don't mean to offend anyone here, I'm just an overinformed, dedicated hobbyist and determined gaming community member. Excuse me if I rant a little.

Edit: Person who used the term 'greed' changed their post before I posted this. I shan't point them out.

Was a rhetorical question.

It happens across the board, but it is annoying that the excuse is always made with the wringing of hands, the exchange rate is to blame.

Guess we only have ourselves to blame if the reaction is to simply shrug shoulders and continue to stump up. Personally I wouldn't. Doesn't make economic sense.









Automatically Appended Next Post:
That is okay mate
Wasn't me but I'll say it anyway

It is just good old fashioned avarice.

Arctik_Firangi wrote:It's not greed. It's sensible. GW stores are there to get people into the hobby, not to turn over massive profits. That's just not even a practical hope given the nature of the business. They make a huge proportion of their profits from trade sales anyway.

I personally find people who don't support their local gaming stores pretty distasteful - I've seen good independent stores go out of business due to plagues of Maelstrom-fever. I hate to see the destruction of local gaming communities but I am aware that some people prefer to just collect and paint models and are not involved with the gaming community. I presume that most GW customers don't play the games so often, but I find it really quite idiotic that it's often the real gamer types who advocate ordering from overseas and thereby affecting the local businesses that would otherwise support it. So who is it that was greedy again?

I don't mean to offend anyone here, I'm just an overinformed, dedicated hobbyist and determined gaming community member. Excuse me if I rant a little.

Edit: Person who used the term 'greed' changed their post before I posted this. I shan't point them out.

/chuckle.

I posted it, I'll admit to it. Changed it after thinking about it a bit more.

I support my local gaming store as I can, making impulse purchases, paint purchases and my Black Library purchases there, but I simply can't find the justification in paying over double the price for the same thing. If you find that distasteful and greedy, well, I won't argue the point, but I simply see it as being practical. If it was a matter of a few dollars, I'd happily fork out the cash to my FLGS over an online store, but it's not. My latest big order, it was a matter of several hundred dollars difference, and as much as I'd like to give the money to the local store, it's hard to do so when it's that much of a difference.

Well exchange rates are certainly not the reason prices have gone up in Oz. They go up proportionally when they go up everywhere else. They go up on Maelstrom and they go up on the Warstore, but since they already sell at a discount the rise is less noticeable.

I've never actually heard 'exchange rates' given as any reason for anything to do with price increases, and if it was then it wouldn't make sense because the prices typically change everywhere at the same time.

Maybe the huge amount of trade sales profit that GW are generating would compel them to raise their base wholesale priceline. If that happens to be the case I am absolutely going to piss myself.

Don't get me wrong, I supported my local store when it was right next to Macquarie Uni and only a ten minute walk from my classes. So much impulse buying. But now that they've moved, it's more convenient (with a busy life) to have my models shipped to my house from overseas.

Also, because I don't play games at that FLGS, and only play against friends, I don't have quite the "support the hobby!" mentality of some people. I have the "I'm a poor student and want to save on moneys/get more models" mentality.

I haven't seen the shop in Chatswood yet. I used to frequent the Castle Hill store a bit, because I enjoyed the painting and modelling community there. It's been a bit taken over by kids lately though. Also, no time to drive down there on Thursday nights anymore.

What is the GW staff discount, btw? I've always wondered.

chromedog wrote:

OoieGoie wrote:Stores are always going to be more expensive due to all the extra costs the consumer has to pay to get those goods on the shelves.

Stores in the Westfield malls are ALWAYS going to be more expensive.
That one was costing them $100k AUD per year in rent.

Bankstown is down, too.
Chatswood - if not going the 1 man route is also not far from the chop.

May I ask what is your opinion on the one in Mcarthur, Campbelltown?
I frequent it often, but I don't visit others so I can't really compare

As for prices, while I try to support the local retailer, 100 dollars on a fricking Rhino is a bit much for me to handle
Especially when they are such a crucial unit for me
Plus 75 dollars on five terminators
Just can't justify buying that type of stuff from them I'm sorry to say

Thank god I found Maelstrom, I intially thought they didn't accept Paypal from what their FAQ was telling me but that was wrong on my part
May I ask the people who buy from them, how long does it take to deliver to NSW?

Arctik_Firangi wrote:I personally find people who don't support their local gaming stores pretty distasteful - I've seen good independent stores go out of business due to plagues of Maelstrom-fever.

My local game store is a GW. What do you suppose I should do? Pay 50% more than the rest of the world so that I can sit atop some imagined moral high ground?

I don't think so.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Asuron wrote:May I ask the people who buy from them, how long does it take to deliver to NSW?

It depends.

Could be 3 days. Could be 3 weeks.

If you're ordering GW stuff, closer to the 3 week mark. If you're ordering non-GW stuff, often a shorter time. They do around 5000 orders per week, more during sales, and GW - despite also being in Nottingham - only lets them restock once a week. So they run out quickly. I once had part of an order sit in processing for 3 months while GW figured out whether they were going to have the Honoured Imperium box go Direct Only or not. Once they decided not to Maelstrom had stock within a few days and I had the boxes a few days after that, so most of their shipping woes have little to do with them.

The wait is worth it though, especially for a discount of more than half-price and free shipping.