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 hotsauceman1 wrote:
I think people are a bit malicious, My bet is that they thought tau just wouldnt sell.

Or their rapid fire release schedule they've been going for is taxing their production capacity.

Either way their stores getting the product first, and the independents not getting anything is very not cool.

It could be as simple as they are having production issues.

It could be less simple and directly related to recent months were stores have been having difficulty stocking the most popular plastic kits (fliers, Aegis Defense Lines, etc) but GW stores apparently haven't been, according to a number of anecdotes.

I'm not sure what I believe at this point, so I'll watch. However, Tin Foil is only good for keeping a casserole hot. If you want to protect yourselves from Government Brain Waves, shower often. Also, beer.

I understand demand exceeding initial production. It happens... a lot! In fact I think it's quite cool that GW sold out of their initial production. It makes me feel as though the state of the hobby and GW isn't as bleak and desolate as everyone (Dakka) makes it out to be.

 mikhaila wrote:

When they ship orders to FLGS, they start with the furthest away, who need 3-4 days. And they ran out.

But this ^

This is the most poorly conceived 'method' of distribution I've ever heard of.

 juraigamer wrote:
Getting the codex alone will make the happy, as for the models I can wait just fine.

Course GW dicking over everyone either on purpose or not isn't helping.

Did they really think few would buy tau? Have they been online at all?

They're not space marines, so some GW bigwig probably had a conversation that went something like this:


"So, these new tau models.. how big do we want the production run.. 100k units or 50k?"

"Are those the new space marines?"

"Er, no.. they're the anime fish aliens"

"Wha.. oh yeah, those guys. Well, they're not space marines are they?"

"No...."

"10k units, if its not space marines its gonna be a slow month, don't want that unsellable crap stuck in the warehouse for months like dreadfleet"

"But sir, the internet..."

"The internet can stfu, I've had it with the idiots on there. 10k units, and less backchatting in future please".

 Soo'Vah'Cha wrote:
I think this is a result of GW's isolation from the gamer base..the vet gamers that is, and this is a example of a large number of established gamers leaping at a new and long awaited update..and shock its not the poster boy army of 40k the SM, so sure it caught GW with its pants down.

Will they learn from this...nah, but I chalk it up to accidental, incompetent, malicious, unintentional goof up.

no tinfoil hats required.

I agree. They think xenos don't sell. They put off tau for years thinking it wouldn't sell. This response is bigger than they expected.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 oni wrote:

 mikhaila wrote:

When they ship orders to FLGS, they start with the furthest away, who need 3-4 days. And they ran out.

But this ^

This is the most poorly conceived 'method' of distribution I've ever heard of.

This is normal for a strict release date. You want everything to arrive at roughly the same time, so you stagger your shipments from the longest to the shortest. Pre-ordered videogames and books are often shipped this way.

Well, I just visited my flgs to ask about the tau.

The manager was aware of the shortage but showed me where it says orders placed before Tuesday 4pm were not affected.

Just to make sure he called his supplier but got the voicemail.

I'll be getting a call later today if my order isnt coming... Right now just crossing my fingers lol

If only one could figure out a way to estimate customer demand ahead of time. Perhaps announce future releases with, say, a month of lead time. Maybe even allow people to order things a month early, giving you cash in hand and three extra weeks to resolve any production issues.

But of course, that would be un-possible.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCrDeMLgVZQ

So, Games workshop has sent out stock to some stores, ran out, and now everyone's saying Games Workshop should magically call it all back and ensure none of it is sold (Making this muck up cost even more than it already will) so its a fair release? Some Indie stores got stock. Thats been said. Stop deliberately trying to find a way to make GW look even more like the corporate evil you already try so hard to do (Not saying they aren't shoddy sometimes, but this is just ridiculous)

 mikhaila wrote:


3) If you really can't wait, then please don't be an utter fool and show up with the models to play with at your FLGS, and throw salt in the wound.

I agree with everything about your post except this. If some stores are running tournaments within the next few weeks, and die-hard Tau players really want to use their new toys in said tournaments, they shouldn't be considered 'utter fools'. You'd still be getting business from the entry fees, and perhaps the store owner could be smart enough to provide an 'extra' discount to anyone who sees that new Riptide during the tournament and really wants one if they just wait until that store gets it in stock.

 Oaka wrote:

 mikhaila wrote:


3) If you really can't wait, then please don't be an utter fool and show up with the models to play with at your FLGS, and throw salt in the wound.

I agree with everything about your post except this. If some stores are running tournaments within the next few weeks, and die-hard Tau players really want to use their new toys in said tournaments, they shouldn't be considered 'utter fools'. You'd still be getting business from the entry fees, and perhaps the store owner could be smart enough to provide an 'extra' discount to anyone who sees that new Riptide during the tournament and really wants one if they just wait until that store gets it in stock.

While I sympathize with your position, you gotta look at it from mikhaila's perspective. If his store doesn't have a product and people are using it, those are potential sales that he's missing out on. Imagine that someone with a Riptide (or some other new kit) plays someone who doesn't have it. After the game, the second player asks the first where he got the cool new model, and the first player points the second towards a GW store or some other retailer that was luckier in terms of being able to get stock. This might actively drive business away from mikhaila!

Similarly, I've seen a lot of stores disallow FW models in local events-- not because FW is unbalanced (though that's a different issue), but because they don't like promoting things that they can't sell themselves. If you're running a tournament, why use it as advertising for things that you can't provide?

I'm sorry, this is my fault, guys; every time I'm tempted to break my self-imposed GW ban, something like this happens to remind me why I shouldn't. It's like they know some how. And while I'd like to think that GW didn't do this in a deliberate attempt to screw over indies (though my inner cynic is screaming this very thing, especially because GW Stores certainly haven't had this problem), I do have to shake my head that they can't keep up with demand when they control pretty much every step of the process.

So I guess this is the proof that a one week pre-order period is insufficient to gauge levels of demand and set manufacture quantites accordingly. It was always going to bite then in the ass at some point. This is of course assuming incompetence, if this is intentional I don't see GWs relationship with FLGS's improving any.

 oni wrote:
I understand demand exceeding initial production. It happens... a lot! In fact I think it's quite cool that GW sold out of their initial production. It makes me feel as though the state of the hobby and GW isn't as bleak and desolate as everyone (Dakka) makes it out to be.

 mikhaila wrote:

When they ship orders to FLGS, they start with the furthest away, who need 3-4 days. And they ran out.

But this ^

This is the most poorly conceived 'method' of distribution I've ever heard of.

Not really, it seems to be intended to get the stuff to everyone at the same time. Start with the furthest away, then ship the closer places and everyone gets the product at roughly he sme ime. I do a lot of shipping in the wine industry and we do it the same way. On Monday's the east coast orders go out, Tuesday is the Midwest, then the west and southwest on Wednesday.

I wonder if stock levels will return to normal once the new "don't sell to Australia or Canada" rules kick in...

 H.B.M.C. wrote:
I wonder if stock levels will return to normal once the new "don't sell to Australia or Canada" rules kick in...

That's actually a really good point. I wonder if the surge in demand had anything to do with people trying to get their models before the June changes took hold.

 Kingsley wrote:

 Oaka wrote:

 mikhaila wrote:


3) If you really can't wait, then please don't be an utter fool and show up with the models to play with at your FLGS, and throw salt in the wound.

I agree with everything about your post except this. If some stores are running tournaments within the next few weeks, and die-hard Tau players really want to use their new toys in said tournaments, they shouldn't be considered 'utter fools'. You'd still be getting business from the entry fees, and perhaps the store owner could be smart enough to provide an 'extra' discount to anyone who sees that new Riptide during the tournament and really wants one if they just wait until that store gets it in stock.

While I sympathize with your position, you gotta look at it from mikhaila's perspective. If his store doesn't have a product and people are using it, those are potential sales that he's missing out on. Imagine that someone with a Riptide (or some other new kit) plays someone who doesn't have it. After the game, the second player asks the first where he got the cool new model, and the first player points the second towards a GW store or some other retailer that was luckier in terms of being able to get stock. This might actively drive business away from mikhaila!

Similarly, I've seen a lot of stores disallow FW models in local events-- not because FW is unbalanced (though that's a different issue), but because they don't like promoting things that they can't sell themselves. If you're running a tournament, why use it as advertising for things that you can't provide?

Sorry, seemed like common sense not to rub salt in a wound. This move by GW, intentional or not, is going to cause a lot of strain on your local store.

If I ran a tournament, people could use the new codex and run whatever models they got from wherever.

But if you don't need to use the model, remember that GW just reamed your local store. Do you really want to walk in this weekend and rub their noses in it? If you want to run a riptide just proxy a dreadnaught or something.

 Ozymandias wrote:

 oni wrote:
I understand demand exceeding initial production. It happens... a lot! In fact I think it's quite cool that GW sold out of their initial production. It makes me feel as though the state of the hobby and GW isn't as bleak and desolate as everyone (Dakka) makes it out to be.

 mikhaila wrote:

When they ship orders to FLGS, they start with the furthest away, who need 3-4 days. And they ran out.

But this ^

This is the most poorly conceived 'method' of distribution I've ever heard of.

Not really, it seems to be intended to get the stuff to everyone at the same time. Start with the furthest away, then ship the closer places and everyone gets the product at roughly he sme ime. I do a lot of shipping in the wine industry and we do it the same way. On Monday's the east coast orders go out, Tuesday is the Midwest, then the west and southwest on Wednesday.

I agree, it sounds like a method of shipping so that everyone can release at the same time.

Except that they follow it up with "oh well, not everyone can get it at the same time. Might as well sell what we have in our shops and then, if the FLGS still wants its order, we can get it to them in 3 weeks or when we get around to it."

Rented Tritium wrote:

 oni wrote:

 mikhaila wrote:

When they ship orders to FLGS, they start with the furthest away, who need 3-4 days. And they ran out.

But this ^

This is the most poorly conceived 'method' of distribution I've ever heard of.

This is normal for a strict release date. You want everything to arrive at roughly the same time, so you stagger your shipments from the longest to the shortest. Pre-ordered videogames and books are often shipped this way.

This may be the case, but I fully expect they have their order allotments tallied and rationed before shipping. GW just started grabbing from the pile and suddenly... The pile is gone.

Shotgun wrote:
This certainly blows. And on the heels of recent GW news doesn't do anything to improve GW's image.

Personally, I can't help but think that GW couldn't have seen this coming and couldn't have done something to head this off. At the -very- least GW could hold off on thier own sales until thier FLGS folks have stock to support the kickout.

As far as I can tell, GW isn't doing this and doesn't seem overly concerned about lost sales to an FLGS when the local GW store front will stand to gain the sale.

I'm tempted to see this as a combination of incompetence and malice - though who knows in what proportions...

I have zero interest in Tau, so it doesn't affect me, but it is one more brick in the wall of GW's awful business practices. I'm glad I already have most of what I need/want from GW's range for my two main armies (Necrons - nearly every unit great, and CSM - most new stuff is awful) but this kind of nonsense only makes me want to avoid dealing with them in the future.

Good thing there's Dream Forge!

-C6

I'd bet real good money that GW store will have a nice shiney shelf of tau...

Wow.... This just continues to play into my theory that GW is F'ed and desperate. Deliberately under produce and route stock to your own stores to maximize short term profit.

GW is the last company I would expect to have production issues.

Will have to see how my local FLGS makes out this Friday.

Look at this ethereal, take a deep breath.
Can you feel, how the calm spreads and you have the patience to wait for the new tau products to arrive?

I think this is more a side effect of GW trying to squeeze a LOT of updates out in one year than anything of malice. Their own draconian ways of operating are hurting them bad. But really, think about all the releases in the last 6 months. They're not really as big a company as they act like they are, and I believe they spread themselves too thin, then tried to give what they actually did get made to their own stores first to make as much profit as possible. GW really needs to get rid of their weird "Let's have our own shops" idea, and just give the local shops more help to push their product. There's not even a GW store within a hundred miles from where I live. It's nothing but locals. And every single one of them is worthy of my cash in some way, even if they don't have GW products. Modeling supplies are always nice.

 Hulksmash wrote:
You guys act like GW is the only company to not have enough of a product at launch. This happens. And it's the first time I can remember it happening with a launch product since I've been collecting for the last 15+ years (granted only been paying attention for the last 10 or so)

You obviously weren't paying attention when Death from the Skies was released earlier this year...

I think they just weren't prepared for Tau to actually be as popular as they are given how little it's been selling in the past year or so. I mean I'm genuinely surprised at it.

 MeanGreenStompa wrote:
Support your local store.

Do not buy from a GW store.

Wait a little while, make the purchase, help the guy to stay open and provide you with a place to play...

GW is doing away with gaming instore, support your local friendly games store, it's enlightened self interest, to keep other ranges easily accessible and maintain somewhere to play.

This, in a nutshell.

 insaniak wrote:

 Hulksmash wrote:
You guys act like GW is the only company to not have enough of a product at launch. This happens. And it's the first time I can remember it happening with a launch product since I've been collecting for the last 15+ years (granted only been paying attention for the last 10 or so)

You obviously weren't paying attention when Death from the Skies was released earlier this year...

"Launch Product". Maybe I wasn't clear with that. Meaning new codexes with their associated launch. Death from the Skies wasn't a general release item from the start. Unlike their new products that go with codexes. But yeah, be snarky when the intent of the comment was pretty obvious.

As for purchasing I'm still going to be purchasing my Codex and some standard stuff from my local stores and I'll wait for my pre-order from Frontline whenever they can get it to me

There is one way to know if this was intentional or not: review the next report to the investors and see if it proudly proclaims how the Tau release was such a massive success that they sold out before it even launched. Then you'll know they planned an intentional shortage of the product.

 Tannhauser42 wrote:
There is one way to know if this was intentional or not: review the next report to the investors and see if it proudly proclaims how the Tau release was such a massive success that they sold out before it even launched. Then you'll know they planned an intentional shortage of the product.

Because it could not be accidental and touted the same way?

Hopefully you'll be able to look over the Codex and advise your customers what units you actually think will be good. I know it's a bit of a crap silver lining for such a dark cloud, but hopefully it's something.

I take it you didn't even get replenishment of existing Tau product? Fire Warriors, Stealth Suits etc etc