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Made in au
Dakka Veteran





 insaniak wrote:
bodazoka wrote:
I am unsure if people are happy to pay a "support Australian GW stores" tax? It seems from the responses here that they are not? I don't know if I am ok with a $5 increase for all my models/books to support more stores in Australia as I am sure I will never see a store in my location ever.

The thing is, it's nonsense logic.

Yes, it might (depending on location and store size) cost more to run a store here in Oz than in the UK or US (although apparently that divide isn't actually quite as wide as GW would have us believe). But so what? It also costs more to run a store in Sydney than in Brisbane. Or in the Brisbane CBD compared to the suburbs further out... But if you start setting your prices in individual regions based on the cost of running in that region, all you do is encourage your customers to shop in the cheaper region instead. That's why the big chain stores gave up on regional pricing here in Oz back in the late '90s - it just doesn't work.

The internet hasn't changed this equation. It just gave people a wider range of regions to choose from. It's time businesses that operated international woke up and found ways to work with that, rather than trying to restrict their customers to only buying from where they want us to buy.


In Australia we are talking about a very small number of stores and I believe (don't quote me) that these stores would have parity to each other currently. Pricing parity across states within a country exists, but parity across different countries hardly does. There are many examples of this from a vast range of products. If you are asking for our prices to be at parity with the us it would mean every other country would need parity also, and there is allot of different reasons why this would be impossible to do, number one being raising prices in countries where the product is even cheaper than the US.
   
Made in au
Missionary On A Mission





Australia

 n0t_u wrote:
 captain bloody fists wrote:
I got that same email this morning. who reckons that they had it standing by for the new rulebook?


They probably have it ready to go every Monday morning.
I'm just surprised it isn't longer and about the hobby and fans and quality as well.


I was more thinking along the lines of the Monday after the pre-orders.

: 4500pts

Lothlorien: 3500pts
Rohan: 1500pts
Serpent: 2000pts
Modor: 1500pts 
   
Made in au
Tea-Kettle of Blood




Adelaide, South Australia

Maybe some time in the future they will realise that the reason they need high prices to sustain their stores in Australia is because they keep chasing customers away with their high prices.

 Ailaros wrote:
You know what really bugs me? When my opponent, before they show up at the FLGS smears themselves in peanut butter and then makes blood sacrifices to Ashterai by slitting the throat of three male chickens and then smears the spatter pattern into the peanut butter to engrave sacred symbols into their chest and upper arms.
I have a peanut allergy. It's really inconsiderate.

"Long ago in a distant land, I, M'kar, the shape-shifting Master of Chaos, unleashed an unspeakable evil! But a foolish Grey Knight warrior wielding a magic sword stepped forth to oppose me. Before the final blow was struck, I tore open a portal in space and flung him into the Warp, where my evil is law! Now the fool seeks to return to real-space, and undo the evil that is Chaos!" 
   
Made in us
Hacking Proxy Mk.1





Australia

bodazoka wrote:
 insaniak wrote:
bodazoka wrote:
I am unsure if people are happy to pay a "support Australian GW stores" tax? It seems from the responses here that they are not? I don't know if I am ok with a $5 increase for all my models/books to support more stores in Australia as I am sure I will never see a store in my location ever.

The thing is, it's nonsense logic.

Yes, it might (depending on location and store size) cost more to run a store here in Oz than in the UK or US (although apparently that divide isn't actually quite as wide as GW would have us believe). But so what? It also costs more to run a store in Sydney than in Brisbane. Or in the Brisbane CBD compared to the suburbs further out... But if you start setting your prices in individual regions based on the cost of running in that region, all you do is encourage your customers to shop in the cheaper region instead. That's why the big chain stores gave up on regional pricing here in Oz back in the late '90s - it just doesn't work.

The internet hasn't changed this equation. It just gave people a wider range of regions to choose from. It's time businesses that operated international woke up and found ways to work with that, rather than trying to restrict their customers to only buying from where they want us to buy.


In Australia we are talking about a very small number of stores and I believe (don't quote me) that these stores would have parity to each other currently. Pricing parity across states within a country exists, but parity across different countries hardly does. There are many examples of this from a vast range of products. If you are asking for our prices to be at parity with the us it would mean every other country would need parity also, and there is allot of different reasons why this would be impossible to do, number one being raising prices in countries where the product is even cheaper than the US.

We are not talking about making both prices the same, we are talking about making it a FAIR difference.

 Fafnir wrote:
Oh, I certainly vote with my dollar, but the problem is that that is not enough. The problem with the 'vote with your dollar' response is that it doesn't take into account why we're not buying the product. I want to enjoy 40k enough to buy back in. It was my introduction to traditional games, and there was a time when I enjoyed it very much. I want to buy 40k, but Gamesworkshop is doing their very best to push me away, and simply not buying their product won't tell them that.
 
   
Made in au
Oberstleutnant






Perth, West Australia

 PrinceRaven wrote:
Maybe some time in the future they will realise that the reason they need high prices to sustain their stores in Australia is because they keep chasing customers away with their high prices.

They had the web fronts for a couple recasters in china closed recently but they're still doing thriving trade via email though by all accounts so it seems hard to stop them. GW needs to realize they don't have the power to force us to play by their rules, and the sales are only going to continue to shrink as word of mouth spreads about where to safely get quality recasts from at 10-50% of the price.
   
Made in au
Regular Dakkanaut






The response to my email is below, it is the same as everyone else.

Spoiler:
Good Morning

Many thanks for your email regarding to Australian prices.

Our prices are set for Australia at the level that ensures we can support our Australian business, including all our Hobby Centres and their staff which recruit and support many happy Hobbyists across the country. If we sold our products at UK prices to Australian customers, we would unfortunately be unable to sustain our operation there. We work hard to protect our employees jobs, the success of our business, and ultimately the health of the Hobby in every country in which we operate.

While I understand that you may be unhappy with our decision, I hope the explanation above is helpful regarding our prices


I especially like how they leave out any name or department from the reply email, like they fear communication. Ugh... I reckon I'm bailing out this edition.
   
Made in au
Dakka Veteran





 jonolikespie wrote:
bodazoka wrote:
 insaniak wrote:
bodazoka wrote:
I am unsure if people are happy to pay a "support Australian GW stores" tax? It seems from the responses here that they are not? I don't know if I am ok with a $5 increase for all my models/books to support more stores in Australia as I am sure I will never see a store in my location ever.

The thing is, it's nonsense logic.

Yes, it might (depending on location and store size) cost more to run a store here in Oz than in the UK or US (although apparently that divide isn't actually quite as wide as GW would have us believe). But so what? It also costs more to run a store in Sydney than in Brisbane. Or in the Brisbane CBD compared to the suburbs further out... But if you start setting your prices in individual regions based on the cost of running in that region, all you do is encourage your customers to shop in the cheaper region instead. That's why the big chain stores gave up on regional pricing here in Oz back in the late '90s - it just doesn't work.

The internet hasn't changed this equation. It just gave people a wider range of regions to choose from. It's time businesses that operated international woke up and found ways to work with that, rather than trying to restrict their customers to only buying from where they want us to buy.


In Australia we are talking about a very small number of stores and I believe (don't quote me) that these stores would have parity to each other currently. Pricing parity across states within a country exists, but parity across different countries hardly does. There are many examples of this from a vast range of products. If you are asking for our prices to be at parity with the us it would mean every other country would need parity also, and there is allot of different reasons why this would be impossible to do, number one being raising prices in countries where the product is even cheaper than the US.

We are not talking about making both prices the same, we are talking about making it a FAIR difference.


Well no insaniak was mentioning pricing parity I responded to his post.

   
Made in au
Hacking Proxy Mk.1





Australia

In relation to Brisbane and Sydney pricing as far as I can tell, but the point remains that if it's cheaper to pay the shipping to get something sent over from the US than it is to buy it locally something is very, very wrong.

 Fafnir wrote:
Oh, I certainly vote with my dollar, but the problem is that that is not enough. The problem with the 'vote with your dollar' response is that it doesn't take into account why we're not buying the product. I want to enjoy 40k enough to buy back in. It was my introduction to traditional games, and there was a time when I enjoyed it very much. I want to buy 40k, but Gamesworkshop is doing their very best to push me away, and simply not buying their product won't tell them that.
 
   
Made in ru
!!Goffik Rocker!!






 -Loki- wrote:

2. Trawl ebay for bargains, though this makes getting what you want pretty hit and miss.


Spoiler:
Or you could get stuff from china online stores more than 2 times cheaper. Though, it's somewhat like pirating. However, ebay may be cheaper sometimes if you put more effort in it.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/05/19 07:44:05


 
   
Made in au
Fresh-Faced New User



Oz

Meh.. BF just joined GW, though not as badly... $15.50 per blister locally $13.50 is you buy from the UK RRP with free post, more if you buy it at a discount.
   
Made in au
Dakka Veteran





 jonolikespie wrote:
In relation to Brisbane and Sydney pricing as far as I can tell, but the point remains that if it's cheaper to pay the shipping to get something sent over from the US than it is to buy it locally something is very, very wrong.


I live in a remote town in WA...

Almost everything I buy is cheaper to buy in the city and transport it here. Scale that problem up 10 fold and you get the predicament GW is in.
   
Made in au
Oberstleutnant






Perth, West Australia

bodazoka wrote:
Almost everything I buy is cheaper to buy in the city and transport it here. Scale that problem up 10 fold and you get the predicament GW is in.

We can courier things individually from overseas for cheaper than GW wholesales them for here. Scale up the cost savings from doing it in bulk and you have the situation GW is in.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/05/21 09:29:22


 
   
Made in au
Grizzled Space Wolves Great Wolf





The "it costs more to run shops in Australia" thing is BS. If that were the case, the wholesale price would be closer to parity and the RRP would be higher so that FLGS's can afford to sell GW product to pay their overheads. We know that's not the case, the wholesale price in Australia is much higher than other countries and FLGS's still manage to discount it somewhat.
   
Made in gb
Auspicious Skink Shaman




Louth, Ireland

How much is a BigMac in Oz vs US vs UK. Use that instead

 
   
Made in au
Oberstleutnant






Perth, West Australia

 Soteks Prophet wrote:
How much is a BigMac in Oz vs US vs UK. Use that instead

How about we use other rminiatures, from another UK company such as Mantic? Added one for X-Wing too.

Dreadball team - £14.99 ($AU27) from Mantic. $AU25 RRP from an Australian shop. Not only is it basically identical - we even gain $2 from the conversion rate.
Starwars Miniatures Game - £30 ($AU55) RRP on Wayland. $AU40 RRP in Australia. This one is *substantially* cheaper in Australia. (edit: this is listed as $60 RRP with $40 discounted price on another large aussie site)

Contrasted to MAC and Honour guard - £37.50 ($AU67) in the UK and $AU105 in Aus. Something seems amiss, does it not?

This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at 2014/05/21 12:16:11


 
   
Made in au
Fresh-Faced New User




Yeah while the NEW model prices are coming closer to parity, he books are still insane.
If you are in sydney i can highly recommend Games Empire. They are based in Castle hill and do 20% off all GW products. i ordered my 7th ed book from them for $115. Still more than i would like but meh
   
Made in au
Oberstleutnant






Perth, West Australia

You could have imported it from the US for $66 from Discount Games. That's what I'd recommend, if you were set on buying it - or any other GW product.
   
Made in gb
Incorporating Wet-Blending





Wales: Where the Men are Men and the sheep are Scared.

bodazoka wrote:
Davor wrote:
Isn't this the case for anything Australians buy though? It's not just GW doing this but ALL business. Are they not following Australian government law?


Yes.

The vast majority of products from TV's to Fuel (Gas) to Iphones, Cars, Electricity, household appliances etc.. are more expensive here.

I also believe there is some sort of competitive tax on digital books so that the price of a digital copy of a production is closer to the book version (I think its to help book stores?)


In the UK at least books have historically never been taxed with VAT, digital books however have to have VAT paid on top of them. Maybe its the same in AUS?



 
   
Made in us
Hacking Proxy Mk.1





Australia

No... There's no justification for it costing 75% more here.

 Fafnir wrote:
Oh, I certainly vote with my dollar, but the problem is that that is not enough. The problem with the 'vote with your dollar' response is that it doesn't take into account why we're not buying the product. I want to enjoy 40k enough to buy back in. It was my introduction to traditional games, and there was a time when I enjoyed it very much. I want to buy 40k, but Gamesworkshop is doing their very best to push me away, and simply not buying their product won't tell them that.
 
   
Made in au
Fresh-Faced New User




 Yonan wrote:
You could have imported it from the US for $66 from Discount Games. That's what I'd recommend, if you were set on buying it - or any other GW product.

That is true, only bought from them as i'm impatient and they are good guys i want to support.
   
Made in nz
Alessio Cavatore




 Yonan wrote:
You could have imported it from the US for $66 from Discount Games. That's what I'd recommend, if you were set on buying it - or any other GW product.


Keep in mind that their shipping for the 7th Edition Rulebook is $44US Priority. And that is the only way they will ship it due to the weight. Better off buying locally at that stage unfortunately unless you can find a cheaper third party shipping option.
   
Made in au
Oberstleutnant






Perth, West Australia

Vrashnar wrote:
 Yonan wrote:
You could have imported it from the US for $66 from Discount Games. That's what I'd recommend, if you were set on buying it - or any other GW product.


Keep in mind that their shipping for the 7th Edition Rulebook is $44US Priority. And that is the only way they will ship it due to the weight. Better off buying locally at that stage unfortunately unless you can find a cheaper third party shipping option.

That's still cheaper than discounted Australian price amusingly.

I always combine purchases so the shipping ends up being minimal per item. $90 shipping for $900 of space marine goodness that retails for over $2K here for example. When I bought the 6th ed book, it was with a large chaos/DV order with similar savings. Half of which I sold locally at a substantial profit to cover my costs and basically resulted in getting free stuff. I shouldn't argue with regional pricing since I'm unaffected by it and actually profit from it, but... guess I just hate it when my fellow gamers get shafted.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/05/22 02:46:22


 
   
Made in us
[ARTICLE MOD]
Huge Hierodule






North Bay, CA

Do you pay the same mark up for digital products?

   
Made in au
Oberstleutnant






Perth, West Australia

 Ifurita wrote:
Do you pay the same mark up for digital products?

Steam is a great example.
- If the publisher does not enable regional pricing, we pay the exact same price people in the US pay, in $US.
- If the publisher *does* enable regional pricing, we pay ~30%+ more, still in $US. No currency conversion. No local tax. No extra distribution costs - the data is even hosted free on my ISP.

This site breaks down regional prices on steam.
example:
- US - Sims 3 + Showtime = $US30
- AU - Sims 3 + Showtime = $US80

Many publishers, generally the smaller ones and virtually no indie ones regionally price. We'll pay exactly the same as people in the US. Larger ones such as Origin, Ubi$hit etc will frequently regionally price their games. Which results in 0 sales for me at least. Plenty of fish in the sea now. Indies especially are churning out gems one after another such as the new Transistor ($US20 / $US20 in AU) which is awesome.

This message was edited 5 times. Last update was at 2014/05/22 03:00:56


 
   
Made in us
Long-Range Land Speeder Pilot





Unfortunately, all the individuals with the power to change this policy regarding higher Australian prices have incentives and motives to NOT change it.

I looked up both average and median income for Australia and it is higher than the typical US income. Ignoring the 200% higher minimum wage, Australians still earn a bit more than the average American. But not nearly enough to warrant the amount they're being gouged by on pretty much every product.

Hail the Emperor. 
   
Made in au
Oberstleutnant






Perth, West Australia

 Tyberos the Red Wake wrote:
Unfortunately, all the individuals with the power to change this policy regarding higher Australian prices have incentives and motives to NOT change it.

The people with the power to change this - consumers - lack the motivation to change it because they can't do without the latest CoD, no matter how overpriced and bad it is. If we don't buy it when it's overpriced, they won't overprice it. Many of us do though sadly. Which is why I speak out so adamantly against it where possible to hopefully educate people and convince them it's int heir own longterm best interests to do without now, to make the situation better in the future. A futile cause I imagine.
   
Made in au
Dakka Veteran





 Yonan wrote:
bodazoka wrote:
Almost everything I buy is cheaper to buy in the city and transport it here. Scale that problem up 10 fold and you get the predicament GW is in.

We can courier things individually from overseas for cheaper than GW wholesales them for here. Scale up the cost savings from doing it in bulk and you have the situation GW is in.


You completely missed my point. We are comparing America to Australia are we not?

America has a much higher population density, more competition, lower wages, a lower price from related goods, a depressed economy etc... most of those same factors are why I can buy things in the city for cheaper than where I live. Transport costs alone are so negligible it is almost free to transport goods these days. This is why I can buy product from China in whatever quantity I want significantly cheaper than getting the guy who produces the same thing a stones throw away.

Your example is also a little strange.. GW has always transported in bulk, they have not suddenly received any cost savings they can pass onto customers from switching to something they have always been doing?
   
Made in au
Oberstleutnant






Perth, West Australia

bodazoka wrote:
 Yonan wrote:
bodazoka wrote:
Almost everything I buy is cheaper to buy in the city and transport it here. Scale that problem up 10 fold and you get the predicament GW is in.

We can courier things individually from overseas for cheaper than GW wholesales them for here. Scale up the cost savings from doing it in bulk and you have the situation GW is in.


You completely missed my point. We are comparing America to Australia are we not?

No, I fully understood your point, you did not understand mine. You suggested that the transport cost to get an item to you in the country justified the increased price over getting it in the city. I showed to you how we could transport items individually from overseas, a far more expensive option than the bulk option available to GW, and do so at a cheaper price than GW wholesales the products for here, let alone retails. The transportation argument to justify the increased costs - to the extent that they are - is completely invalid because of this.
   
Made in au
Dakka Veteran





 Yonan wrote:
 Tyberos the Red Wake wrote:
Unfortunately, all the individuals with the power to change this policy regarding higher Australian prices have incentives and motives to NOT change it.

The people with the power to change this - consumers - lack the motivation to change it because they can't do without the latest CoD, no matter how overpriced and bad it is. If we don't buy it when it's overpriced, they won't overprice it. Many of us do though sadly. Which is why I speak out so adamantly against it where possible to hopefully educate people and convince them it's int heir own longterm best interests to do without now, to make the situation better in the future. A futile cause I imagine.


I understand where you are coming from but I think the powers at play understand the whole country are not going to suddenly stop buying things until we get political change.

Also the power these multinationals have over our purchase price extends far beyond the people we elect in some cases.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
 Yonan wrote:
bodazoka wrote:
 Yonan wrote:
bodazoka wrote:
Almost everything I buy is cheaper to buy in the city and transport it here. Scale that problem up 10 fold and you get the predicament GW is in.

We can courier things individually from overseas for cheaper than GW wholesales them for here. Scale up the cost savings from doing it in bulk and you have the situation GW is in.


You completely missed my point. We are comparing America to Australia are we not?

No, I fully understood your point, you did not understand mine. You suggested that the transport cost to get an item to you in the country justified the increased price over getting it in the city. I showed to you how we could transport items individually from overseas, a far more expensive option than the bulk option available to GW, and do so at a cheaper price than GW wholesales the products for here, let alone retails. The transportation argument to justify the increased costs - to the extent that they are - is completely invalid because of this.


I am sorry if I was not clear on my meaning.

The reason things are cheaper in the city I outlined in the previous post, the costs for transport are so small that it means it is cheaper for me to purchase in the city and transport here. I do not believe the transport costs justify the increase in the price compared to the city, I barely think they are a factor at all. I would hesitate to even say that there are increased costs to buy a product here, but there are factors that lower the price in the city that are not present here hence the price differences.

If you substitute City for America and here for Australia the points are somewhat valid still.

However.. it does not mean there are no factors that increase the price of buying goods here.


This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/05/22 03:47:38


 
   
Made in au
War Walker Pilot with Withering Fire




I think the term 'Australia Tax' says it all to me, and most of my opinion on this;

Yes, I will pay a lil bit more to live in Australia.


That said, there are 'alternatives' to paying full retail. The internet provides fantastic solutions to documents and miniatures, that can't be discussed here. GW is jacking their prices to compensate for people taking advantage of this. People are taking advantage of this because GW is jacking up their prices. It's a vicious circle that hurts the hobby.

8,000 pts and counting
1,000 points, now painting. 
   
 
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