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I just saw this on their site and ran a search here, which didn't show this up.

They say they'll announce properly soon but anyone have any idea why they're stopping? They were my go-to guys for all my new Warhammer needs. I'm so gutted!

The message has been up for a day or so, I've been waiting for a reason why but that isn't gonna change the fact that I have sadly lost one of my best net suppliers of cheap(er) GW stuff. They were pretty much my go to on large orders that weren't direct only products.

Apparently you can still order to pickup from store but it just isnt the same.

This is terrible, DS are great for cheap GW.

Yeah, I'm either going to have to start saving up for one-off trips to London for my gear or break my Wayland Games embargo, which I don't want to do.

Also, I don't drive and am loathe to bring a tonne of GW product home with me on the train!

Damn. Was getting a big order together.

Maybe GWs shipping restrictions have stopped the postal side of things being worthwhile.

Replacement for you:

http://www.totalwargamer.co.uk/

That store still does 25% off GW whenever they have a sale on, just sign up to their newsletter and they'll let you know when it's happening.

I've personally made several orders from them and received excellent service.

What is up with Dark Sphere, they going under, going FLGS only?

Maybe they were getting too many orders to deal with. I've never been to their shop but space has got to be at a massive premium in Central London and with GW's slowed order restrictions they can only get so much stuff a week.

They will announce properly soon - but basically only 20% of finecast was useable, with 80% fail rate the amount of returns were difficult and legally they have to pay postage both ways.

They want to focus on other games (warmahordes, FoW, etc) and GW are basically being douches with supply from what I gather.

Has to be more to it than Finecast, or they would simply start only shipping plastic kits.

Wonder if GW have backed them into some sort of corner.

Gutted as they were also my first choice online retailer and they shipped product soo much quicker than Maelstrom or Wayland. At least I've finished buying my current force and will be moving on to other systems they do supply once it's built and painted.

Try 4TK gaming, they offer 20% off, have occasional promotions and fairly decent postage prices. Plus a great service.

But I used to use Dark Sphere, so pretty disappointed to hear this.

Sad tidings, they were both cheap and reliable. I hope Warmachine, Flames of War and my occasional Malifaux purchase will keep them afloat. Indeed, if Dark Sphere's management believe they can survive without Citadel, it says only positive things for the state of wargaming here in the UK.

I use Maelstrom, they only offer about 10-15% discount but they have free shipping.

For me it would cost £24 to buy a Canoptek Spyder from 4TK
Canoptek Spyder RRP £20
4TK £24.20 (20% off £16 + £8.20PP)
Total Wargamer £19,99 (25% off £15 + £4.99PP)
Maelstrom £18 (10% off £18 + Free PP)

Then again I live in Finland so postage will of course be higher. Either way maelstrom has always been the cheapest option for me when I buy complete sets, then again I prefer ebay as I usually get GW products at 50% off RRP from auctions.

You guys might complain about GW prices but everyone in the rest of Europe has to pay 25% more than you guys do. It's not that bad in the US with 5% more but Oz is pretty boned at 75% more. Buying from the local store isn't really an option for me as my plastic crack habit is a bit too high, then again we dont have a FLGS, just a toy store that sells a small selection of GW stuff. This might be the last year we even have a club unless we can find a new place to play at since now they want €5000 a year in rent for the place we used to pay €600 a year for.

I noticed this just a couple of days ago, was a little dissapointed too. But found a replacement with better shiping rates too.

http://www.rockethobbies.co.uk/

I've not ordered from there yet, so can't comment about how good they are. Stock list is comprehensive, they do gw cheaper paints and tools,aswell as figures and lots of other stuff that I havent got around to browsing just yet.

Anyone used rocket hobbies that can rate them?

Davylove21 wrote:Maybe they were getting too many orders to deal with. I've never been to their shop but space has got to be at a massive premium in Central London and with GW's slowed order restrictions they can only get so much stuff a week.

"We're selling too much stuff. Let's stop the range altogether!" Please think that through for a moment

I guess there will be some kind of announcement regarding it, GW are still the biggest wargaming company so I'm sure they wouldn't have stopped web sales without a very good reason.

[/wild speculation]Perhaps they got caught selling to the darstardly Aussies or something! [/wild speculation]

Seriously though thay had a huge stock of new GW stuff when I last went there a few months ago, it definitely seems odd that they would suddenly stop without notice.

This is a shame.

Went to the store last time I was down in London and I have to say it's a great store.

I had been looking into making an order or two in the near future. Suppose I will still use them for my PP requirements.

HairySticks wrote:I noticed this just a couple of days ago, was a little dissapointed too. But found a replacement with better shiping rates too.

http://www.rockethobbies.co.uk/

I've not ordered from there yet, so can't comment about how good they are. Stock list is comprehensive, they do gw cheaper paints and tools,aswell as figures and lots of other stuff that I havent got around to browsing just yet.

Anyone used rocket hobbies that can rate them?

Yes.

Top marks from me, no hassles whatsoever. Nice people too.

reds8n wrote:

Yes.

Top marks from me, no hassles whatsoever. Nice people too.

Great news! I think I shall be placing an order with them real soon!

HairySticks wrote:

reds8n wrote:

Yes.

Top marks from me, no hassles whatsoever. Nice people too.

Great news! I think I shall be placing an order with them real soon!

+1 From me too.

Not quite as quick as Dark Sphere but seem to be quicker than the 'big 2'

Efficiently dealt with a last minute change of shipping address and had no issues when the delivery was an item short.

Will admit I haven't received the missing item yet but I have seen nothing to make me think I won't.

Pacific wrote:

Davylove21 wrote:Maybe they were getting too many orders to deal with. I've never been to their shop but space has got to be at a massive premium in Central London and with GW's slowed order restrictions they can only get so much stuff a week.

"We're selling too much stuff. Let's stop the range altogether!" Please think that through for a moment

I guess there will be some kind of announcement regarding it, GW are still the biggest wargaming company so I'm sure they wouldn't have stopped web sales without a very good reason.

I meant more along the lines of "GW is causing too much hassle, let's stop shipping it"

notprop wrote:[/wild speculation]Perhaps they got caught selling to the darstardly Aussies or something! [/wild speculation]

Nope, but they took a huge blow to their mail order custom when that market was shut down which hasn't helped towards this decision. I spoke to people in the shop and the reasons are several. Mainly they are losing too much time and money by having to deal with more returns of GW things than ever before. Simply the Finecast is bad and plastic kits have a surprising number of miss-packs with incorrect sprues, and having to constantly deal with the return postage and sending of replacements costs money. There's other stuff which we've heard before from other retailers, but I imagine all retailers are facing the similar problems.

Davylove21 wrote:I meant more along the lines of "GW is causing too much hassle, let's stop shipping it"

Well regarding Howard A Treesong's comment it looks like you might be right! Either the sales of GW stuff online aren't as high as I thought they might be, or else the problems are still so bad, and in enough quantity, that they would stop that revenue stream. Obviously it must come down to the financial bottom line for the shop, and if they are ultimately making money from it or not.

The text on the webpage:

+++ Please note that we have made the decision to no longer ship GW products. They will continue to be available in store and to be ordered through this webste for shop pick up +++

+++ A formal anouncement will be made shortly with the launch of the new website. Existing orders will be unaffected and we apologise for any inconvenience this may cause +++

+++ We thank you for your understanding +++

The only problem I have with Dark Sphere is there lack of stock levels, although I'm guessing this might be something that the new website will rectify. For stuff like Infinity it is a problem as a lot of places are sold out at the moment, and aren't always quick to get new stock in.

I really HOPE not.

That store was the reason for me to get back into Games Workshop's Warhammer 40'000. And I was just adjusting to 6th

Blackgaze wrote:I really HOPE not.

That store was the reason for me to get back into Games Workshop's Warhammer 40'000. And I was just adjusting to 6th

Tell me about it buddy! They were amazing for me but it looks like a good thing to come out of this thread is a couple of good recommendations for other stores.

I can understand GW wanting to drive people to their own stores but I hope they figure out a way to do it without killing everyone bar Wayland Games off

WWW.rockethobbies.co.uk
is my local gaming store
Great customer service and cheapest i have found couldnt ask for more.
i would definatly recommend it

I placed an order with them just before the announcement, and got this today:

Due to damage/item was in a box lost by GW's couriers so we are waiting for more stock that should arrive in just a couple of days.

I might still get it by the end of the week, which is still faster than Wayland