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Last week I placed an order for the three Edge Paints I didn't already own. Today I got an email from GW US Customer Service telling me one or more items I ordered are out of stock even though they just announced these paints are back in stock. Supposedly, it won't be in till about September 27 according to the email. It appears that most of the Edge Paints are on the list. Why is GW misleading us with a banner on their website and emails saying these paints are back in stock if they are not?

Today GW US Customer Service sent me an extensive list of items that are out of stock at the moment showing much more than just the paint I ordered. Here it is if you're interested. the dates are when items are expected to come back in stock.

There are all kinds of items out of stock at the moment ranging from Tau to new Lizardmen, Dwarves, Eldar, etc. and even the Realm Of Battle game board. Some items won't be in till late September. Dates range from August 19 to October 7.

PRODUCTS OUT OF STOCK PRODUCT DESCRIPTION Expected Due Date
99060101382 Ravenwing Shoulder Pads 8/19/2013
99060104120 Eldar Farseer with Staff 8/19/2013
99060105211 Imperial Guard Catachan Officer with Pow 8/19/2013
99060113030 Tau Empire Ethereal with Staff 8/19/2013
99060206074 Skaven Clan Plague Priest 8/19/2013
99060208074 Lizardmen Skink Chief with Sword and Shi 8/19/2013
99060208075 Lizardmen Skink Chief with Blowpipe 8/19/2013
99060301023 Epic: Space Marine Razorbacks 8/19/2013
99060303030 Epic: Ork Deth Koptas 8/19/2013
99060305023 Epic: Imperial Guard Fire Support Platoo 8/19/2013
99060305024 Epic: Imperial Guard Storm Troopers 8/19/2013
99061102054 Mordheim: Kislev Ranger 8/19/2013
99061210008 Warmaster: High Elf Hero on Dragon 8/19/2013
99800107002 Lord Kaldor Draigo 8/19/2013
99060208063 Lizardmen Jungle Swarms 8/21/2013
99120204003 Wood Elf Dryads 8/21/2013
99800104014 Eldar Harlequin Death Jester 8/21/2013
99800104015 Eldar Harlequin Shadowseer 8/21/2013
99810208015 Lizardmen Scar Veteran with Battle Stand 8/21/2013
99060101333 Space Marine Chaplain with Crozius and B 8/23/2013
99060102111 Chaos Space Marine Sorcerer with Force A 8/23/2013
99060208064 Lizardmen Saurus Oldblood on Cold One 8/23/2013
99110105004 Mordian Iron Guard Squad 8/23/2013
99110204099 Wood Elf Wardancer Troupe Command 8/23/2013
99120202027 Empire Steam Tank 8/23/2013
99229999098 40mm Round Bases 8/23/2013
99810212011 Dark Elf Executioners 8/23/2013
99060205078 Dwarf Lord 8/30/2013
99080210003 High Elf Lothern Sea Guard 8/30/2013
99810102004 Nurgle Daemon Prince 8/30/2013
99810209012 Orcs & Goblins Skarsnik, Warlord of the 8/30/2013
99189957003 Citadel Edge: Dorn Yellow 9/6/2013
99189957004 Citadel Edge: Fulgrim Pink 9/6/2013
99189957009 Citadel Edge: Lugganath Orange 9/6/2013
99120202026 Empire Archers / Huntsmen 9/13/2013
99189957005 Citadel Edge: Flayed One Flesh 9/13/2013
99189957001 Citadel Edge: Gauss Blaster Green 9/27/2013
99189957002 Citadel Edge: Baharroth Blue 9/27/2013
99189957008 Citadel Edge: Blue Horror 9/27/2013
99229999065 Citadel Realm of Battle Gameboard 10/7/2013

Perhaps they sold out? They should probably pull the banner until they get more though.

They are available in UK and "the continent". Guess GW doesn't care that much about "the colonies", even when it is their only growing market left.

 Kroothawk wrote:
They are available in UK and "the continent". Guess GW doesn't care that much about "the colonies", even when it is their only growing market left.

Or the demand outstripped supply in 'the colonies' and they will have more at the dates listed?

The banner advertising the Edge Paints are back in stock first appeared last Monday and it does show on the US website. I ordered the three paints I wanted just two days later on Wednesday and got the email about them being out of stock today, five days later. I suspect that they have somehow been held up being shipped to the US from the UK. Perhaps there's an issue holding them up at US Customs, it wouldn't be the first time nor the last.

I found the rest of the list interesting as well, especially since GW seems to have been having stock issues this year with various items starting with the Tau release.

The website and banner are done in UK, same banners for all English speaking countries.
Last time, the North America contingent for Edge paints was used up first as well.

BrassScorpion wrote:
99229999065 Citadel Realm of Battle Gameboard 10/7/2013

This one is a little surprising to me for some reason.

Why would GW CS send you a list of all of the out of stock items, including items you were not trying to order? Didn't they know that it would, undoubtedly, get posted on the internet?

weeble1000 wrote:
Why would GW CS send you a list of all of the out of stock items, including items you were not trying to order? Didn't they know that it would, undoubtedly, get posted on the internet?

Because they wanted to assist him with his inquiry?

Why would GW CS send you a list of all of the out of stock items, including items you were not trying to order? Didn't they know that it would, undoubtedly, get posted on the internet?

They actually explained that in the email. Here's the quote:

Hello,

We are currently packing the order you placed with Games Workshop. However; one or more of the item(s) you ordered are currently out of stock and will be on the list that follows. This is a list of all items that are on back order and when they are due to arrive into our warehouse.

Please note that not all of these items are on your order. This list is provided to you, for your convenience, in case you wanted to place an order for other items that may be out of stock.

weeble1000 wrote:
Why would GW CS send you a list of all of the out of stock items, including items you were not trying to order?

They usually do, probably to save time.

They usually do, probably to save time.

Please see my near simultaneous post which appears above yours. GW sent me an explanation in the email.

I would imagine they just copy pasted the list, so that in case he was wanting other items, he would see that they are out of stock as well.

It would also be faster than having a sales rep have to scroll through the list and manually pull up just the items that specific customer ordered. It may even be an automated response designed to be sent any time one of those items is ordered.

I don't think GW customer service is at any real fault here guys

On a semi-related note, I just noticed that many of the metal IG squads are now listed under the troops section of the website instead of the collectors section. Maybe after all the panic buying that folks were doing, GW finally realized there's still a demand for those.

I get it, you know. I get why whoever sent that did it.

Even so, I think it is a little odd to just copy/paste your whole list of out of stock SKUs. I presume that it is an internal list so that CS reps know what products are out of stock and when the company expects restock.

I do not imagine that it was developed in order to send it to anyone who has had a problem ordering an item that is out of stock. I'm not trying to demonize GW or anything. I'm just saying that it is odd, because it could potentially make the company look bad.

It is one thing to tell someone that an item is out of stock and when to expect restock. It is another to give a written list of all out of stock SKUs. It allows someone to do exactly what the OP did: post it online.

For a company that is tight-lipped about the mysteries of its supply chain, it is also pretty odd.

weeble1000 wrote:
I get it, you know. I get why whoever sent that did it.

Even so, I think it is a little odd to just copy/paste your whole list of out of stock SKUs. I presume that it is an internal list so that CS reps know what products are out of stock and when the company expects restock.

I do not imagine that it was developed in order to send it to anyone who has had a problem ordering an item that is out of stock. I'm not trying to demonize GW or anything. I'm just saying that it is odd, because it could potentially make the company look bad.

It is one thing to tell someone that an item is out of stock and when to expect restock. It is another to give a written list of all out of stock SKUs. It allows someone to do exactly what the OP did: post it online.

For a company that is tight-lipped about the mysteries of its supply chain, it is also pretty odd.

Dear god put your tinfoil hat away.

GW US Customer Service has responded to my response to their email by saying that they did have the paint, but that several of the colors did indeed already sell out here in the US again. Since I placed my order just two days after they went back up for sale and that was five days ago I can't help but wonder if some orders placed after mine were filled first, now causing me to have to wait a month to get my order filled.

They could have had a bunch of pending unfulfilled orders from the previous time they were on sale ?

So once the new stock came in most of it was already allocated to existing orders

(doesn't explain why so few were brought in, but similar happened with other stuff like Death from the Skies)

Ouch! I ordered them last week and my FLGS got them in and I picked them up on Sunday. I guess they are gone then?

weeble1000 wrote:
I get it, you know. I get why whoever sent that did it.

Even so, I think it is a little odd to just copy/paste your whole list of out of stock SKUs. I presume that it is an internal list so that CS reps know what products are out of stock and when the company expects restock.

I do not imagine that it was developed in order to send it to anyone who has had a problem ordering an item that is out of stock. I'm not trying to demonize GW or anything. I'm just saying that it is odd, because it could potentially make the company look bad.

It is one thing to tell someone that an item is out of stock and when to expect restock. It is another to give a written list of all out of stock SKUs. It allows someone to do exactly what the OP did: post it online.

For a company that is tight-lipped about the mysteries of its supply chain, it is also pretty odd.

Wouldn't it make more sense that a human was never involved in the message, and its an auto response designed to populate the email with the current range of OOS SKUs?

did anyone notice the Epic stuff being restocked?

 warhamster77 wrote:
did anyone notice the Epic stuff being restocked?

Yup there is another thread where the list is posted. Its also got Warmaster on there too. Looks like specialist games aren't as dead as the Internet said they were?

weeble1000 wrote:
I get it, you know. I get why whoever sent that did it.

Even so, I think it is a little odd to just copy/paste your whole list of out of stock SKUs. I presume that it is an internal list so that CS reps know what products are out of stock and when the company expects restock.

I do not imagine that it was developed in order to send it to anyone who has had a problem ordering an item that is out of stock. I'm not trying to demonize GW or anything. I'm just saying that it is odd, because it could potentially make the company look bad.

It is one thing to tell someone that an item is out of stock and when to expect restock. It is another to give a written list of all out of stock SKUs. It allows someone to do exactly what the OP did: post it online.

For a company that is tight-lipped about the mysteries of its supply chain, it is also pretty odd.

1. It's likely automated.
2. It's less effort to simply post the whole list than pick and choose.
3. Isn't it better for a company to give out this information, even if it is going to go public, than keep it internal and potentially have people trying multiple times to order stuff that is out of stock? It's far less frustrating to get a full list and see that GW is working to return stuff to stock than to potentially learn what is missing piecemeal by trial and error.
4. I don't see how giving out clear information about what is out of stock and when it will return is gong to make a company look bad. Oh Noes, transparency! maybe?

Me thinks GW does this bs intentionally.

 Harriticus wrote:
Me thinks GW does this bs intentionally.

It's their best guess at how to advertise.
They know people will see this, and think Epic is coming back
And, when it's all gone, for good, they can time how long it took to sell, and use that as market research.
Cunning, eh?