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 creeping-deth87 wrote:
So... I just wanna make sure I have this straight. Retailers with trade accounts can no longer sell stuff out of its original packaging (so no more bits), and have to card anyone who looks younger than 14? The second part sounds especially weird to me since kids seem to be GW's bread and butter nowadays.

14 is a common age forna few different regulations regarding things like chemicals in products and a need to have certain warning labels. Most likely, their newvpaint line (or something like that) doesnt meet a safety standard for children 13 and younger...so to avoid a big warning label or an expensive reformulation less that a year later...simply tell retailers that they cant sell to people under 14. It is a CYA by GW and removes liability from them to the retailer.

Since many under the age of 16 in the US have no ID card that they carry...it will be nearly impossible to enforce.

Also, keep in mind that manufacturers can and do place restrictions on who distributors can sell to as well. I know for years PP and Flames of War could only be sold to companies who had a physical store even if you went through a third party distributor (harder to enforce...but I would expect some version of this to trickle out through distributors as well).

Wait, They cant sell their product to someone younger then 14? Why?
I hope this doesnt affect my local LGS, they sell bits i need.

Don't worry, there is no way they can enforce it.

I should think that GW has profited from the Bits industry, as those Bits all come from kits that were purchased from GW. If they really think that they're going to sell someone that only wants a couple of Space Marine arms an entire kit...well, that's an adorable little fantasy that they've cooked up.

I wish that 40k was produced by a more likable company, because as much as I enjoy the game and the hobby, I'm really disenchanted by the Montgomery Burns style business practices that they insist on following.

Meh, maybe they wil go under and have the 40k and Fantasy IP bought by someone else that does a better job.

Although I don't like the thought, its more likely that the whole thing would get ripped apart and distributed by several companies.

GW;s war against its veteran consumers continues. Bafflingly stupid policy.

What I've gathered from this thread is that Games Workshop has gone from being a spud to full potato and honestly wants everyone to hate them. I must say, they are launching a convincing campaign.

Will people please just stop supporting and/or buying GW stuff, please? I would like to have a larger other game pool to play games with.

 SkaerKrow wrote:
I should think that GW has profited from the Bits industry, as those Bits all come from kits that were purchased from GW. If they really think that they're going to sell someone that only wants a couple of Space Marine arms an entire kit...well, that's an adorable little fantasy that they've cooked up.

I wish that 40k was produced by a more likable company, because as much as I enjoy the game and the hobby, I'm really disenchanted by the Montgomery Burns style business practices that they insist on following.

Sadly that is exactly what they think, upper management seems to be convinced the smelly nerds will buy anything they put there name on. And, more importantly, they see FLGS, bitz sellers and companies like chapterhouse as taking their business away because if we couldn't by shoulders elsewhere we'd pay the extra $40 to buy them from GW.

 insaniak wrote:

 MrMoustaffa wrote:
I think this is aimed at retail outlets. for example, I went to one store that will remain unnamed that was selling the Dark Vengeance box broken up into its individual parts (hellbrute, cultists, etc.) He was buying the boxes straight from GW than selling the models off piecemeal.

I bet without a doubt thats what Gw is trying to clamp down on.

Sure... which is ridiculous, since it doesn't affect anyone without a trade account.

So it actually does the exact opposite of protecting B&M stores, since all it actually does is remove their ability to compete with the bits sellers who don't have a trade account. It won't stop the bits trade... it will just remove those sales from B&M stores.

One more example of GW's complete inability to understand the internet.

This was the question I had and you answered it. Trade account holders. Bits sales will go on. Thanks for the input.

Im quite sure you cant do such stuff in germany. Retailers will laugh at them.

 Harriticus wrote:
GW;s war against its veteran consumers continues. Bafflingly stupid policy.

GW's war on conversions will only lead to pushing companies like Chapterhouse, Puppet's War, Kromlech, Maxmini, Secret Weapons etc. Good job, GW

Le Grognard wrote:"Their move today makes it 'against the rules' to sell their product to anyone under 14, sell bits or prepainted product and even advertise a particular product is in our stores online, and quite possibly made it against the rules to post pictures of people playing with their products in our stores."

So selling toy soldiers to children is illegal now? Also hinting at the fact that you sell GW products? All this in addition to GW's hunting down veteran gamers by every means possible?

redcapscorner wrote:I'm a retailer with a trade account, but all I can say is that I've known all week that tonight is the night we're supposed to find about the "new changes to GW's trade account policies" which will be "aimed at supporting brick & mortar stores at the expense of online vendors."

So GW will stop selling official rulebooks like "Death from the Skies" as mail order only, in addition to all other mail order only things like Basilisk tanks and character models?

This is a big C&D to everyone trying to sell GW products. Why, just why does GW hate customers so much?

Mywik wrote:
Im quite sure you cant do such stuff in germany. Retailers will laugh at them.

Its been in GW's European trade terms for years already.

rich1231 wrote:

Mywik wrote:
Im quite sure you cant do such stuff in germany. Retailers will laugh at them.

Its been in GW's European trade terms for years already.

All shops here sell bits. They will continue to do so.

You want to be a bit careful, the Chapterhouse case showed that GW has many little servants and sycophants hiding in forums - little grovelling helpers who are all too eager to please their masters by submitting information about people who are breaking GW's rules

I'm sure this happened years ago, in the UK at least.

 Kroothawk wrote:
So selling toy soldiers to children is illegal now?

I find this the most hilarious of the new changes. Most of the business decisions they've been making here lately have been for the purpose of trying to fleece as much money from gullible children as possible, who they think will be impressed enough by their staff members making pew pew noises during demo games that they'll make mommy and daddy buy them $1000 armies that they will then discard a few short months later when they realize painting and modeling is hard and they go back to their Xbox, and they've been deliberately trying to chase vets off in an attempt to accomplish that goal.

Now the company that's in the business of "selling toy soldiers to children", apparently can't sell toy soldiers to children. lol

Although I wonder, does this only apply to paints, glue, tools etc., or all GW products? Granted it's silly to try so hard to sell the hobby to children when they can't legally buy the necessary tools to partake in it anyway, but still.

 Pacific wrote:
You want to be a bit careful, the Chapterhouse case showed that GW has many little servants and sycophants hiding in forums - little grovelling helpers who are all too eager to please their masters by submitting information about people who are breaking GW's rules

What the hell do people get out of this, anyway? I know GW used to offer free models to people who would tip them off to recasters, do they do anything similar for these rats or are they just that brainwashed that they do it for free?

 Sidstyler wrote:

 Pacific wrote:
You want to be a bit careful, the Chapterhouse case showed that GW has many little servants and sycophants hiding in forums - little grovelling helpers who are all too eager to please their masters by submitting information about people who are breaking GW's rules

What the hell do people get out of this, anyway?

Stockhom syndrome

Soon we will be forbidden to play GW games anywhere without our GW Empty Skull Card (TM) a must for the serious HHHHobist for only 100$ a month*

M.

*Basic fee for 100pts games extra charges will apply for additional pts**
**Japan and Oceania must add a 500% extra fee because you are so far away.

 Pacific wrote:
You want to be a bit careful, the Chapterhouse case showed that GW has many little servants and sycophants hiding in forums - little grovelling helpers who are all too eager to please their masters by submitting information about people who are breaking GW's rules

Despite GW ordering them not to come onto forums, many will be store employees, fully topped up with righteous zeal, programming from the little red book and love for the company, well, until they get fired in the next wave of 'commissar summary executions' or 'exterminatus' or whatever creepy fictional crossover term they are applying to their repulsive corporate practices this week...

 SkaerKrow wrote:

I wish that 40k was produced by a more likable company, because as much as I enjoy the game and the hobby, I'm really disenchanted by the Montgomery Burns style business practices that they insist on following.

FFG is pretty friendly. ALthough I've not played any of their 40k RPGs I buy them all the time just to read, the book are well written, creative and fun.

AND FFG tells you months in advance what's coming down the pike.

They're getting a lot more of my hobby dollar than GW.

 MeanGreenStompa wrote:

Despite GW ordering them not to come onto forums, many will be store employees, fully topped up with righteous zeal, programming from the little red book and love for the company, well, until they get fired in the next wave of 'commissar summary executions' or 'exterminatus' or whatever creepy fictional crossover term they are applying to their repulsive corporate practices this week...

I like to think former GW employess become honorary squats...

It's worth stepping back and taking a look at this and all the other business practices, the overseas sales, the C&Ds, all of it over the past few years.

It's all about GW trying to force the market or the fanbase or the independent stores or the 3rd party manufacturers to something they're comfortable with instead of adapting and shaping up to take on the new challenges and profit from them. Any company worth it's salt would be looking to step up to accommodate it's customers (ok, we know bits sell, we no longer want to split our own boxes, which bits are selling and lets make some sprues for them, see if they shift' or 'let's sell individual sprues before boxing, give the customer the option to just direct order a specific sprue of plastics instead of the whole kit'. 3rd party manufacturers you say? Sculpting well are they? Here's our licensing agreement, as long as you just make optional parts and not whole models, you may use our IP at 'this rate', or, you know, ignore them and actually make the best toy soldiers in the world and make the bits we ask you for.

GW, instead of trying to adapt to the realities, seeks to force reality to conform to it's wishes, to what is most convenient to it. It has become the corporate equivalent of King Canute, sitting on the beach and ordering the tide not to rise... or taking the ocean to court for it's audacity...

 MeanGreenStompa wrote:


GW, instead of trying to adapt to the realities, seeks to force reality to conform to it's wishes, to what is most convenient to it. It has become the corporate equivalent of King Canute, sitting on the beach and ordering the tide not to rise... or taking the ocean to court for it's audacity...

Or having a splinter of a Tyranid fleet devour all the squat homeworlds....

GW is entrenching their trademarks and copyrights, making sure that their IPs are protected and hedging out I guess what they consider competition.

That is what makes me laugh; they see the second hand market and third parties as competition- people who would not survive without GW products (in a vacuum mind you ignoring other game systems) and thus people they should see as PARTNERS rather than enemies.

 MeanGreenStompa wrote:
GW, instead of trying to adapt to the realities, seeks to force reality to conform to it's wishes, to what is most convenient to it. It has become the corporate equivalent of King Canute, sitting on the beach and ordering the tide not to rise... or taking the ocean to court for it's audacity...

All the while claiming they have a copyright on waves.

 Kroothawk wrote:

 Sidstyler wrote:

 Pacific wrote:
You want to be a bit careful, the Chapterhouse case showed that GW has many little servants and sycophants hiding in forums - little grovelling helpers who are all too eager to please their masters by submitting information about people who are breaking GW's rules

What the hell do people get out of this, anyway?

Stockhom syndrome

Nice



I'd wager that USPS tripling international shipping costs will have much more of an impact on the bitz market than this new GW policy, though.

I'm assuming they are doing this to try and stop the eBay retailers that sell product as *new without box* to get around GW's cross border trade regulations.

I would definitly like to see the source for these changes as well.

I want to start a 'GW prohibits Heroin Use in store employees' thread to see what happens.

This has been a non issue since page one. Lol

1. order under current name
2. sell bitz under different name/website/address

problem solved

Here is a link to the PDF on Google Docs:

https://doc-14-cc-docs.googleusercontent.com/docs/securesc/f2u2j42j0ioq2j9uqecikflho41lbo7a/u777h85jbii7h41q7h5p3stigjue225k/1363442400000/04079268591086403494/09650871989658418762/0B2zne5ewd4fBemhzRE5KM3BlUGs?e=download&nonce=qgcm8g4v98mfe&user=09650871989658418762&hash=85kurtcv2g1d904ep0gkaeqb9dlv5uoj

Here's the section, some mod may want to put this on the first page.

For the reasons set forth below, Retailers are not permitted to remove GAMES WORKSHOP
product from its original packaging or otherwise break such products into components prior to
resale. In recent years, GAMES W ORKSHOP has observed a practice among some Retailers in
which GAMES W ORKSHOP products are removed from their original packaging for the purpose of
reselling separately individual, unmarked components. This practice is now prohibited for the
following business reasons:

Protection of Brand Image: GAMES W ORKSHOP’s original packaging, which
bears GAMES W ORKSHOP’S trademarks and copyrighted imagery, is specifically
designed to be consistent with GAMES W ORKSHOP’s established brand image.
The resale of GAMES W ORKSHOP products (or components thereof) in unmarked
or generic packaging is inconsistent with that brand image and can serve to
devalue the product.

Protection of GAMES WORKSHOP’S Intellectual Property: Through its use of
GAMES W ORKSHOP’s trademarks and copyrighted imagery, the original packaging
provides clear and reliable identification of the product as a genuine GAMES
W ORKSHOP product. The sale of GAMES W ORKSHOP products (or components
thereof) in unmarked or generic packaging, if left unchecked, can be injurious to
GAMES W ORKSHOP’s intellectual property rights.

Avoidance of Confusion: The resale of GAMES W ORKSHOP products (or
components thereof) in unmarked or generic packaging also can lead to
confusion as to whether the product being sold is a genuine GAMES W ORKSHOP
product or a generic imitation. Such confusion is detrimental to the GAMES
W ORKSHOP brand and the intellectual property rights that protect it.

Ensuring Proper Labeling: GAMES W ORKSHOP’s packaging and labeling is
specifically designed to inform the Consumer as to the contents, quality and
safety of the product he or she is purchasing. When GAMES W ORKSHOP products
(or components thereof) are sold separately in unmarked or generic packaging,
the Consumer does not receive this valuable labeling information at the point of
sale. Preservation of the original packaging and labeling prior to resale,
therefore, ensures that the Consumer is receiving accurate and reliable product
information.

Uniformity in Product Configurations: GAMES W ORKSHOP products are
packaged and sold in certain configurations designed to appeal to the Consumer
and maximize the marketability of the products. Such configurations are an
integral part of GAMES WORKSHOP’S marketing strategies that drive consumer
expectations. The resale of components in unmarked or generic packaging
undermines those strategies and the ability of GAMES W ORKSHOP to offer a
uniform line of products to the marketplace.

FINAL 15 MARCH 2013

To the extent GAMES WORKSHOP, in its sole discretion, should manufacture, package and
label individual product components, GAMES W ORKSHOP may make available such individual
components for resale only as originally packaged and labeled by GAMES W ORKSHOP. For the
reasons explained above, Retailers are prohibited from removing any individually packaged and
labeled GAMES W ORKSHOP components from their original packaging for the purpose of reselling
such individual components to Consumers.