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Or am I the only one who doesn't go to local gaming shops? Whenever I do go to a local shop every time I look at something all I can think of is that I can order it less online. I don't really need any of this stuff "right now", and am perfectly content to wait a few days for it to arrive so the instant gratification is of no moment to me. Actually, I prefer getting a package in the mail, it's like getting a gift from Santa Claus or something.

Anyone else like this?

Well there are two trains of thought on this one.

1. Pay where you play. If you are playing regularly at a store, buy your stuff there. It's how they stay in buisness and give you a place to play.

2. Buy where you can at the cheapest price you can. Which if you never play at a store than by all means.

Personally I am of mixed emotion. I play WM/H and online retailers give 35% off, Its easy to buy something under $20 without batting an eye at a store, but its hard when the model you want is $135 at the store vs $95 with free shipping online. My FLGS is "hip to the time" and offers me a pretty good discount on large items so we both win.

See, thats the thing. I only play at my house. I have never, and likely will never play at a gaming shop for a variety of reasons.

I like to mix it up.

I like supporting my FLGS so I'll buy from them when I can... but there are some things I can't get form them so of course I'll look online.

Another time I'll go online is if a certain month looks kind of tight financial wise... otherwise I kind of like supporting brick and mortars like my FLGS.

The 'local' stores are all too far away to be easy at the moment, so yeah, I buy everything online.

And GW stuff I've pretty much been buying online exclusively for several years now, due to the price discrepancy. GW clamping down on international sales has just resulted in my hobby dollar going to other companies instead.

I mix it up, it depends on where I can find a deal and what I need. If I want a bunch of models that are around $10-20 a pop I'll hit my store. If it's a purchase every now and then that's large I'll usually use them as well, or have them order it for me which saves on the shipping fee. But when I go whole hog and just want massive amounts of stuff I can usually find a better deal online.

I wouldn't play as much as I do if I didn't go to shops, so I buy
at the shops.

I rarely play at the store, but I still like having a gaming store in the area, so I make some purchases there. Though I certainly buy most of my stuff online.

The only thing I buy at the FLGS is my citadel paints, because they're 4 bucks plus tax, and I can't find any ebay retailers who are cheaper.

I might buy more at the local stores, but man, they are laid out terribly. There's three in my area, but only one offers table space, which IMO is about the only reason to buy in a store that doesnt offer a discount (some do, mine dont). I went in there looking for some Army Painter washes. Sold out. Decided to look for a few bones minis. They had a few of the same guy in stock, so no selection there. So yeah, total waste of a trip. Though last year I did get some MIP Darksun supplements there from 1992, at cover price. Which was cool for me, but damn, that's a book you've been sitting on for 20 friggin years. Hold a sale once in a while and clean out some of that stock.

I have an excellent FLGS that is conveniently close and stocks a huge range of products, and I also game there because they also have a great set of tables. So I support them with purchases if they stock it or can order it in.

If it's something they don't stock and can't order in, or simply a bits order, I'll shop online simply because I can't support them with a purchase.

This leads me to buying the majority of my stuff there - even GW products at Australian RRP, and only going online occasionally.

After my FLGS stopped giving a 10% discount on large orders last year I shifted buying only online. Before that I made it a habit of buying in large batches from them. But now ... the odd Codex or paint pots are the only products I buy there anymore. Only 1 FLGS in about a 100-mile radius so my options are quite limited as well. I've never played at a store and probably never will so no moral dilemmas either.

I play at a very nice store with an accommodating proprietor, a large gaming area, and wonderful store terrain. Even though it is slightly more expensive, and at times less convenient, I try to make an effort to continue to support my local game shop. If it goes under, I'd have nowhere to play.

If they are unable/unwilling to get an item in, though, I got no problems buying online.

Don't have any FLGS, so only buy online.

My FLGS gives me 20% off, which is cheaper than any online discounter in the EU nowadays.

You missed one....

 darefsky wrote:
Well there are two trains of thought on this one.

1. Pay where you play. If you are playing regularly at a store, buy your stuff there. It's how they stay in buisness and give you a place to play.

2. Buy where you can at the cheapest price you can. Which if you never play at a store than by all means.

3. Buy online from a website with good online content (eg.miniwargaming) or affiliated with a store that holds the odd decent tournament.
(Not necessarily the cheapest but you appreciate what they are doing and want to support)

online, from states only.

if i were to pay GW canadian retail prices, i would be paying nearly double.

All online. I don't game at stores, so I don't feel I owe them anything. If I did play at a store, I'd send some purchases their way.

I avoid buying online where I can. Not just for gaming but for everything except computer games and music. I want to be able to inspect the product, get help and advice from the staff and have direct customer service support.

I have had a few instances recently where I could have got (non wargames) products on line but chose to go to a shop as I wanted advice. In almost every case they have shown me something better or why what I was buying was the wrong thing for the job. Buying on-line I would not have had that support.

On top of that the post is rubbish. Too many online retailers use the cheapest possible shipping method and want extortionate amounts to deliver at the weekend. I am not taking a day off to wait for a delivery and when I have paid the up to £10 for weekend delivery it often costs more.

Therefor I decided that I will use the high street shops and pay that little more for everything for the valuable service they provide to me when I need it.

Computer software and music however I have never needed that support, I can't inspect the product and I don't need to have them posted.

You get an option to have it delivered on the weekend?

If I buy online, it normally means a trip to post office on a Saturday morning to collect it, which means I can't do something else (like going to a convention).

So I tend to buy most stuff in person unless I either can't get it in store or the price difference is huge.

But I've always preferred buying stuff from real in-person traders, because even if I don't make use of them all the time it's nice that they exist. It'd really suck if I had to buy everything online.

There's a new place opening up a 15 min drive from me this week, with gaming space, so I'm aiming to be giving them the bulk of my trade now, even if there's no discount (I'm only spending about £50/month anyway, so the saving wouldn't be huge anyway).

Paint and similar I'll almost always get in store just because I tend to need it now

my LGS is not stunningly F (too many cliquey hangers around) but if they've got stuff at roughly similar prices to online I'll buy there if I'm passing

If it's significantly cheaper (or as often the case not available at the LGS) I'll go online

 malfred wrote:
You get an option to have it delivered on the weekend?

Yep. Most on-line retailers in the UK will do Saturday delivery... for a cost. But then I am also not going to hang around the house all day on a Saturday to get what I want.

I buy online all the time nowadays as my GW never has what I want in anyway.

 Eggs wrote:
All online. I don't game at stores, so I don't feel I owe them anything. If I did play at a store, I'd send some purchases their way.

This is also my response.

I probably should, would have saved my self a couple hundred pounds easily this year if I did. Sadly I tend to be a bit of a spontaneous purchaser, so often I get stuff from local stores, even the local GW. If I want it, I don't want to wait for it.

Although I think the GW manager nearby is a okay chap, so happy to buy in there anyway.

 Steve steveson wrote:
I avoid buying online where I can. Not just for gaming but for everything except computer games and music. I want to be able to inspect the product, get help and advice from the staff and have direct customer service support.

I have had a few instances recently where I could have got (non wargames) products on line but chose to go to a shop as I wanted advice. In almost every case they have shown me something better or why what I was buying was the wrong thing for the job. Buying on-line I would not have had that support.

On top of that the post is rubbish. Too many online retailers use the cheapest possible shipping method and want extortionate amounts to deliver at the weekend. I am not taking a day off to wait for a delivery and when I have paid the up to £10 for weekend delivery it often costs more.

Therefor I decided that I will use the high street shops and pay that little more for everything for the valuable service they provide to me when I need it.

Computer software and music however I have never needed that support, I can't inspect the product and I don't need to have them posted.

I don't even know where to begin with this.

You are buying little plastic or metal dudes in a box... You either want them or you don't. I fail to see the need to have someone holding your hand for that type of purchase.

And with respect to shipping I guess I simply don't understand what kind of problem you're having or why you think having saturday delivery is so vital. I have packages delivered to my house all the time on all days of the week and it's never an issue. If nobody is home they simply leave the package on the porch and its there when I get back.

And the fact that the stores use the cheapest shipping method? Who cares, its still going to get there. I buy from miniature market all the time and their free shipping is via UPS, which seems to do a great job overall.

No FLGS other than a GW, so with my own purchasing habits moving away from them, I almost always have to buy entirely online.

The most recent manager is fairly decent though, so if I do need something direct only, I make the effort to pop in and order it in store rather than just order it online, as if I pay him for the order it counts towards his performance.

If it is widely available discounted though, I buy from wherever is cheapest, as I play at a local club and pay my membership to keep that running.

I am unfortunate enough to require regular visits to a hospital a small distance away (not the local one) and do make the effort to visit the FLGS in that town when I can. That works to both our benefits though, as I'm friends with some customers well known to the owner, so I get better than online prices, and he receives my money!

Chances are if you ever ask "anybody else" about anything, the answer is yes. I try to support my FLGS when I can, but I buy a lot of secondhand stuff through eBay, and the Warstore carries stuff my FLGS just doesn't always have or carry at all, like Army Painter sprays. Not everybody has a game store near them, so online is the only option also.

 Phobos wrote:

You are buying little plastic or metal dudes in a box... You either want them or you don't. I fail to see the need to have someone holding your hand for that type of purchase.

Yet you might want to see what they actually look like first (if in a blister), or have a decent read of the box, or whatever. Browsing physical goods is just nicer than browsing catalogs.

And with respect to shipping I guess I simply don't understand what kind of problem you're having or why you think having saturday delivery is so vital. I have packages delivered to my house all the time on all days of the week and it's never an issue. If nobody is home they simply leave the package on the porch and its there when I get back.

They might do that for you, and they used to do it for me too (about 10 years ago), but UK couriers usually leave a missed delivery letter and require you to arrange a re-delivery or visit the depot. Very occasionally will they leave a small box at the back door or whatever, but in my experience that happens less than 5% of the time.

And the fact that the stores use the cheapest shipping method? Who cares, its still going to get there. I buy from miniature market all the time and their free shipping is via UPS, which seems to do a great job overall.

In the UK, at least, cheapest shipping tends to mean an unreliable courier company with a depot in the middle of nowhere. I've had days wasted waiting on them hour long round trips to get to obscure depots to pick stuff up on more than one ocasion, and the novelty wears off pretty quickly.