Why I don't mind the price.

[Mr Mystery]

On the gender divide, in the wider scheme of things model company wise, GW actually comes out fairly well. Granted that's not saying very much!

None of their female models are especially sexualised. Witch Elves and DE Wyches? Yeah bit of flesh on show, but no dodgy 'WTF is wrong with her hips' type poses.

Still a lot of work to be done in that area, but a bit of diversity is better than no diversity.

As for racial representation - I guess it can be quite hard to sculpt anything other than a fairly generic face without it becoming a caricature. Cadians and Catachans for instance? Can be painted a range of skin colours, as the faces are pretty neutral. When you start to think about how features need to be exaggerated at such a small scale, you can see how a sculpt can go from racial to racist representation all too easily.

[BeardMonk]

Some good points made here. I'm a WM/H player and WH fantasy player.

For me it all about “investment v outcomes over the time that investment is made”.

Im also a climber and mountaineer. I drop £300 on a new set of mountaineering boots. That’s a stack of cash as an initial investment. But balance that £300 against the 2 years life i’ll get out the boot, the routes it will help me climb, the support it will give me in a certain type of environment. Its a sound investment over time.

I also play in a band. I drop £200 on a new amp for my guitar. That’s a stack of cash as an initial investment. But that £200 is balanced against the bigger gigs we can then play over a number of years. Its a sound investment over time.

I drop £16-20 on some Tomb King Skeletons (or other regiment/unit kit). It is a stack of cash for what are essentially plastic toy soldiers. However I balance that against the fun I will have assembling and painting them. And then the enjoyment I will get out of playing the game with friends in a relaxed environment or down the club in a slightly more competitive sense. Its a good investment over time.

That said, I do wish and believe that GW and PP’s process could be lower. How is it that many on-line retailers are able to sell all their stuff at a 20% reduction? Price is the biggest obstacle to new players. Even with the various Fantasy and 40K starter sets, very few people would be willing to drop £55 on a geeky hobby that they are not sure if they want to be fully involved with. I get all my stuff via on-line independent retailers and ebay

So I agree with the OP and other here. The price is the price. You make a judgement call based on that and do your hobby your way based on that.

Most peoples objections really come to the fore when you combine price with the philosophy of the various companies.......... And that’s a different question/conversation entirely...

[Mr Mystery]

Bricks and Mortar matey.

Online retailers have lower overheads compared to a Bricks and Mortar store.

Bricks and Mortar stores with a decent website (like Thewarstore?) - best of both worlds. Regular gaming nights to keep the locals coming in, and generate new gamers, website to embiggen their potential customer base to essentially, the entire world!

Though very oddly, I do wonder if Unbound is the best thing to have happened to entry level 40k ever? Doesn't matter what you've got. You don't need a great deal of buying discipline with a view to a cohesive army. Just bung it on the board, and have a laugh.

[CoffeeGrunt]

How is it that many on-line retailers are able to sell all their stuff at a 20% reduction? Price is the biggest obstacle to new players.

We got asked this a lot when I worked in retail, and as Mr Mystery said, it's pretty much all down to the cost of having a physical store. You have to pay front-of-house salespeople, you have rent, power, heating bills, delivery infrastructure to restock shelves as well as the warehouse to store it all in.

Internet sellers only have the warehouse.

Though very oddly, I do wonder if Unbound is the best thing to have happened to entry level 40k ever? Doesn't matter what you've got. You don't need a great deal of buying discipline with a view to a cohesive army. Just bung it on the board, and have a laugh.

We've been finding Unbound very good for startup armies and themed lists so far.

[BeardMonk]

We got asked this a lot when I worked in retail, and as Mr Mystery said, it's pretty much all down to the cost of having a physical store. You have to pay front-of-house salespeople, you have rent, power, heating bills, delivery infrastructure to restock shelves as well as the warehouse to store it all in.

Internet sellers only have the warehouse.

That is true in some instances. However places like DarkSphere in London and Element Games in Manchester have big physical stores and in DarkSphere's case, 4-5 staff working at any one time, events, etc etc. Yet still sell pretty much every major games system and model range for about 20% off. maybe all the other systems make up the shortfall?

I just wonder if GW sold their models for that price, they would actually increase turnover.

[daboarder]

We got asked this a lot when I worked in retail, and as Mr Mystery said, it's pretty much all down to the cost of having a physical store. You have to pay front-of-house salespeople, you have rent, power, heating bills, delivery infrastructure to restock shelves as well as the warehouse to store it all in.

Internet sellers only have the warehouse.

No, Not if they are selling GW product. GW specifies that you MUST have a store. Its actually in their T&Cs

[Mr Mystery]

That is true in some instances. However places like DarkSphere in London and Element Games in Manchester have big physical stores and in DarkSphere's case, 4-5 staff working at any one time, events, etc etc. Yet still sell pretty much every major games system and model range for about 20% off. maybe all the other systems make up the shortfall?

I just wonder if GW sold their models for that price, they would actually increase turnover.

Any cut in price, is usually a cut in profit margin. Let's assume that out of a £100 price tag, £40 of that is the shop's profit margin (using nice round numbers because they're easier to work with. These are not intended as realistic in any way!)

Now, for reasons, this is now sold at a 20% discount on the price tag. So the price tag drops to £80. Except....the base cost to the shop/retailer/manufacturer hasn't gone down. It remains £60 of the asking price.

So, although this might drive an improvement in sales volumes, to make the same profit as before the discount, you would need to double your sales volumes. And let's face it, a 20% cut isn't going to pull in that sort of extra business!

[daboarder]

Except that GW is a niche market driven by impulse buying, no thought out purchases.....so yeah, inflated prices prevent impulse buying.

[CoffeeGrunt]

How is it driven by impulse buying and not thought out? Everyone I know tends to plan their purchasing ahead.

[daboarder]

because you have to, but the entire model is based upon impulse, hence to short preview for releases etc