I think GW is actually trying to drive other retailers out of business. GW's succession of policies over the last few years regarding other retailers look to me to be a sort of Death by a Thousand Cuts.

GW's games and miniatures have become or were so popular, and consitute such a huge market share, that many retailers (particularly online) are so completely reliant on GW (no doubt contributed to by the fact that GW demands retailers give priority shelf space etc to its products if they wish to sell them) that they would very quickly go out of business if they were no longer allowed to sell GW products (because the vast majority of their customers wanted 40K, or Warhammer Fantasy miniatures and games).

With fewer/NO Online retailers around, there are fewer business offering GW discounted GW products. Players (provided they havn't quit altogether) would then be forced to go direct to GW, or purchase from non-GW brick&mortar stores which can't offer as good discounts as online retailers, and prices would be closer to GW's "RRP".

There would also be fewer retailers advertising other games and other products from GW's competitors, because the ones which didn't enough non-GW stuff to stay in business, relying on GW products would no longer have that lifeline.

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My (more regularly updated) painting blog:
https://www.facebook.com/Pindergorn/

Indeed.
It's just killing off businesses... I don't know how they're allowed to do it

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'Though my memory's fading, I remember two things very clearly: I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior'
-John Newton

Ye me too

EDIT: Excessive quoting cut - no need to quote the entire conversation it makes the thread difficut to follow and wastes space.

Cheers
DMS

P.s This answer is extremely close to a "+1" lol - gentle reminder see viewtopic.php?f=8&t=23626

I particulary want Gripping Beasts SAGA Rulebooks and Dice sets. They're actually rather expensive for what you get. A couple pounds discount would be nice - I've held off buying them because they're expensive and I'm not currently playing any wargames anyway, just painting.

main rulebook...£25, 74 pages, paper back.
Supplements... £12 / 22 or 28 pages, paper back.
Dice...£12 for 8 specialised Dice (use symbols instead of numbers); and you need a different set for most factions (although some factions do share the same Dice).

That said, the rulebooks are pretty much the only truly expensive things they sell. I got my Kind Alfred the Great, in metal, for £3.50!

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My (more regularly updated) painting blog:
https://www.facebook.com/Pindergorn/

Mind if I jump on this band wagon and leave this lit TNT here?

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12th GBHL 2013.
13th GBHL 2014
9th GBHL 2015


Mid Sussex Wargamers

Just don't get me started....

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Leonardis
Army blog:Http://www.thewarofthering.blogspot.co.uk/

www.mithril.ie

Just sayin'

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Dreaming of getting back to painting...any month now.

This news is still sinking in. Have UK stores been sent the sam letter? I just can't fathom GW logic on this one.

I guess we either fall in line with GW's plan for world domination or vote with our feet (even though this will only hasten the demise of the game).

This could be th last throw of the dice to see where sbg is heading. Very sad.

Just want to point out that this policy of no online orders was put in place in USA almost 10 years ago- this is only new for Canada.
There was a big uproar at the time and people saying it was the final nail in GW's coffin etc...
Apparently it wasn't.

While this is true there is, as Dorthonion stated a tipping point and one day they will reach it. I don't know when exactly that is but given the way they have been running the company its going to happen.

The thing is, if the LGS stops being able to stock GW products I'll just completely stop purchasing them (I've already cut back drastically). After a recent experience I've had in my local Games Workshop store I refuse to set foot in another one. About a month ago I actively starting hunting around ebay and found some pretty good deals on some LOTR miniatures and I think I'll just keep buying them second hand.

What irks me is the side effects, it's totalitarian of them to force you, and by you I mean Canadians and Australians to have to pay the inflated prices of your native country. They're ignoring at its core values how a healthy free market place can work in their favor. The more people that have access through a variety of means the wider their sales. Forcing people to go direct to the manufacturer is crazy.

I had no idea that people in Australia had to pay almost double for the same stuff we get here, that's terrible. It's bad enough at the prices we have now but for that much they can suck my brussel sprouts.

The problem is i don't want to play any other games, it's the lord of the rings universe that got me into this and if GW want to run themselves into the ground then my participation in the SBG is pretty much over.

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"They're taking the Hobbits to Isengard-gard-gard-g-gard"

I think (and of course this is only my opinion) that GW wants to "kill" all online retailers so that they will get the monopoly over the internet but this will bring a short term profit and then this marketing strategy will crush.

I will refer to a trading card game and I hope someone from GW will read this.
Magic the Gathering is the king of trading card games around the world.
Their site has no online shop but instead there are people writing articles every day about the game and there is also videos, event coverage and tons of stuff thus promoting this game.
They do their business through small shops which buy their stuff and hosting events so these shops promote that game even further.

On the other hand visiting GW's site all you see is an online shop and nothing more at least the old site had some articles for terrain building, painting, gaming and some stuff about the game.
Nowadays if I want to read anything about the LOTR I will either visit sites like One Ring, Last Alliance or sites like miniwargaming which they promote the game FAAAR better than GW.
GW for good or for bad you sell a physical product so you have to promote it in the physical world mainly and then on the net and you can do that by helping small businesses which sell your products to grow.
Because it's ok to see a helps deep siege in a picture and it's entirely different to see the actual siege in a shop(you will be awestruct).

If you really want to make a long term profit you have to at least help the small businesses because they are your BEST advertisers.

I think it's ironic that GW think they offer such a great in-store "customer experience" anyway.

Even if all suppliers had exactly the same price I'd still rather buy independently as you get impartial advice, a wider choice (eg for paints scenery, etc) and salesman that don't insist on shaking your hand and learning your whole life history.

[Edit: Which I guess explains why, from GW's warped perspective, it makes perfect sense to kill off the independents]

GW can only do so much. By attempting to prevent online sales, they simply drove those sales to an offline format (phone, usually), but the sellers continue to offer the same discounts.

The more significant difference with this new trade agreement seems to be:


This is misleading, though. GW has placed a limit of $500 per month for some items, mostly character models, elite units only available in finecast, etc. For sets that probably sell in higher volume, like a space marine tactical squad, there is (to my knowledge) no such limit on how much an independent retailer can order.

The end-result, as I understand it, is that indies can't sell much of the former, but can still sell a lot of the latter. Since some new releases are sometimes put in the former category from the get-go, it also hurts an indy retailer's ability to serve their customers, artificially creating a sense of rarity and driving people to buy those models from GW directly. Expect to see this kind of thing for most Hobbit finecast minis, for example.

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Well, that's my 2 cents.

You mean just like the 10 finecast models per order limit for EU trade accounts? Lol.

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My Wargaming Store: http://www.greendragongames.co.uk
10-25% off LOTR.

- Model Painting Service also available.

Exactly! What's the deal, GW?!

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Well, that's my 2 cents.

I think GW cannot impose the same range of draconian conditions on EU traders as it would be illegal. They can make life awkward but seriously, what sort of a business model is it to limit their products to just their own stores/online site? Apple are sometimes quoted as example but that is rubbish - you can get a lot of Apple products on major websites, through non-Apple stores and through Apple-approved resellers who can also do Apple-approved hardware upgrades. Lets face it - we are talking about plastic and resin minis, paints, hobby products and books. That's all. Not nuclear reactor components. This is madness - I suspect someone somewhere thought that forcing everyone to buy directly from GW at full cost would be a great idea, probably not appreciating that someone with a budget looks at the potential GW gaming experience, and then looks at rival games companies offerings and are wondering why GW is charging such a ludicrous premium for the same sort of stuff? (28mm minis!)
I can see some parents and others whose gift money to youngsters is often the funding source for starting in the hobby being put off supporting this - seriously, how do you explain to your granny why a single mounted and single foot variant of one character mini costs £25? Anyone? I know we have had this discussion MANY times before but every time you think GW have finally achieved the summit of Mount LooneyTunes, they manage to find a higher state of insanity to aim for.
I have bought no GW products since the LEEFGT. I feel no craving or compulsion to do so, even though I have spare cash.
Again, I am sorry to see Mini-wargaming go and hope other retailers around the world can find other revenue streams to make up for the madness emanating from GW's boardroom or where-ever this 'cunning plan' was concocted.

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Published ebooks:
Instrument of the Empire
A Note of Defiance
Phantom Ships, Ghost Flotilla
More to come!

Well, for me, its harder and harder to get GW stuff.

- The online store used to do free shipping for orders over $20. Now its $80 or $100.
- Maelstorm Games used to do free shipping to Canada.
- There were a few more independant retailers.
- And the damn physical store is a bit scary. (they have this trick to slow you down when purchasing the product so that the other guy can attempt hard sell you things. Even after you tell them to, no, stop, go back to painting their Tau)
- And then there's the prices. No, really. GW makes a range of "ok, I guess" figures in dodgy resin and plastic. When you can get a highly detailed Dark Sword fantasy miniature for cheaper (a Grim Hammer captain from GW? $20 (plus taxes) A Dwarf hero from Dark Sword, in pewter? between 8-10).

Thing is, I want to buy some more stuff from them. I know, its the collector's curse. And now its going to be harder still to buy them and justify the expense? Well, woe unto me. Solved issue: don't buy GW stuff. Not a boycott, not a strop, just "to hell with it, I'll save my scarce disposable cash on other things"

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Dreaming of getting back to painting...any month now.

For me it is not a boycott. It is the perceived value for my investment. Am I buying green plastic army soldiers in bulk because they are cheap? No. I am buying miniatures that I see as a better value for my dollar. There is no GW store within 70 miles of me, I play at a flgs or at friends homes. As long as the models are a good match for theme of the army and are a good representation then I have no problem with other people using them in SBG. 3.50 for a single plastic miniature. No. 3.50 for a single metal miniature? Yes. I used to pay 4-5. Would I pay that for resin? Maybe. As consumers we are noticing that our perceived value for our money has gone bye bye. So our only option, since the rules are good and fun is to look for a better percieved value.

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richmondwarmancers we play Lord of The Rings, Battlefleet Gothic, Infinity, some board games, and really whatever tickles our fancy..