PP doing a GW for OLR?

[Mr Mystery]

Yup, think it was May of 2003. I remember very clearly, as I saw the first pre-orders for WM going up while looking for news about GW's sudden ban on online sales.

Maybe think a bit before getting all "smug" yerselves, fanboys.

Nah.

WM was out by then. I got into it shortly after Salute - I know this is right because I first played it properly in Edinburgh, and the events of that period of my life aren't something I'll forget (much as I'd like to) but had the models for a good while beforehand.

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That's effectively why they were doing it. It wasn't just the whole "leech" thing, it was because online stockists directly compete with GW's web store, and holding stuff back as exclusives isn't as effective as trying to remove all competition.

An unsubstantiated claim from THE INTARNWEBS....and directly contradicted with GW's statement at the time.

But hey....what would I know compared to you. I was only like, working for them at the time, and got direct info on it from a Manager who'd been briefed on it at Head Office.

Clearly you're the font of all accuracy by regurgitating stuff you've read online, yeah?

[grimmas]

Also they don't really compete with people who are selling stuff they've bought of them in the first place. I much more profitable for them to sell bulk direct than to individuals, reduced overheads and the like. Granted not so dramatic with online sales but it'll still cost them more to do it.

Of course relying on others to sell and push your product isn't as reliable so it's a double edged sword.

[grimmas]

And one more thought I don't believe the people who moan about these sort of things really care about Independent stockists or are outraged at GW or PPs evil business practices. They're just *****ing because they can't get discounts without going to the store (well we still can in the EU might be a plus point for a YES vote there)

God I'm boring myself now. It's your fault Mystery you started this.

[Erik Setzer]

"I've heard" doesn't really count Erik.

Actually meant to cut that out as there seemed to be conflicting info on it and GW's own policies weren't entirely clear on the matter.

Not disputing GWs policy although it is different in the EU.

Actually, the online retailer bit isn't different. Though they probably don't have the rule on "you can't sell to people in a different country" that they place on US and Canadian retailers. Doubt the EU would look kindly on that.

So once more with feeling they're BOTH doing it. My issue with it is when GW do it, it's greed and evil, but when PP do it (and FFG) it's a lauded move to protect the vital Bricks and Mortar stores. The seventh level of hell is reserved for hypocrites. I like all the policies in question I think they are sensible moves

They're both doing something, but the things they're doing are very different. PP is doing targeted strikes, GW's carpeting-bombing the entire countryside. Assuming PP isn't abusing their policy (they might be, but you said about "I've heard" doesn't count), it wouldn't be a bad policy for GW to have. But GW straight up admits they're doing it to funnel people to their own online store.

If the seventh level of hell is reserved for hypocrites, there's going to be a lot of BoLS posters there... (And Dakka posters, and Warseer posters, and the GW Board of Directors to keep them company.)

[Path Walker]

GW stockists in the EU can only sell online within the EU.

Its probably cheaper for GW to sell to stockists for them to sell than to sell through their own online store, but, when that hampers the hobby then in the long term thats what they, and evidently PP don't want. GW could save tons of money by closing their stores, those things cost a fortune to run and yet, again, long term, its not worth it.

[Erik Setzer]

An unsubstantiated claim from THE INTARNWEBS....and directly contradicted with GW's statement at the time.

But hey....what would I know compared to you. I was only like, working for them at the time, and got direct info on it from a Manager who'd been briefed on it at Head Office.

Clearly you're the font of all accuracy by regurgitating stuff you've read online, yeah?

Except Games Workshop's current Retailer Policy outlines that online sales are restricted to Games Workshop only, because they claim they market the brand better, can promote it better, and have to protect their precious IP.

That's their own freaking document for the NA stores.

Strangely, the European one (and the one for Oz) seems to suggest you can sell online if you have a storefront as your primary means of sale, meaning they're only doing that monopolistic bull**** in the US and Canada.

So you can put away your "I was a GW manager!" card and stuff it back in your pocket, and maybe stop being such a pointless tool with your GW-is-awesome nonsense. I get it, they paid your bills, your soul belongs to them.

But when you claim GAMES WORKSHOP'S OWN DOCUMENTS are just "things you hear on the Internet" and I should trust you over GAMES WORKSHOP THEMSELVES because you were once employed by them in the past, it's past borderline stupidity. It's past reasonable discussion. You're being offensive in your arguments and it's clear you can't hold an honest conversation on this.

And if being a GW manager at some point means your word is golden, then I guess the local manager's word is good enough to accept that the Start Collecting! boxes were a North American idea to combat abysmal sales in December, and that Age of Sigmar is only doing "well" when trying to compare it to a product line the company tried to bury alive and then acted shocked when it was barely breathing. (The NA line wouldn't be because he's American either, he's from across the pond and shows off the snooty attitude toward "colonials" too often when he isn't careful. At least the former manager did it as a joke.)

Now keep that "manager card" in the deck where it belongs, and try reading GAMES WORKSHOP'S OWN POLICY and maybe informing yourself before you go off and show off how much of an uninformed tool you are running around screaming "I was a GW manager, my word is so much better than anyone else's!"

Their policy is a stupid monopolistic piece of crap designed to prevent competition, not to help brick-and-mortar stores. (And if you read their ridiculous reports where they do their best to pretend they don't sell games, then it becomes clear they aren't really worried about preserving places for people to play games, because according to them, people just buy their toy soldiers to look pretty on a shelf and be part of an exclusive club. But we just established you don't read what Games Workshop writes and prefer to remind us all you once worked as a GW manager, a job I could have applied for if it hadn't been a huge pay cut with no chance for a raise and zero job security and nowhere near the same level of benefits I have now. But hey, I could have at least told everyone I know better than the company itself, because I was a GW manager!)

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And, you know, normally I'd feel bad about going off like that, but you bloody well earned it with your attitude. I even linked to the freaking documents, you chose to disregard that and attack me because you couldn't be arsed to bother with an honest discussion.

[grimmas]

GW stockists in the EU can only sell online within the EU.

Its probably cheaper for GW to sell to stockists for them to sell than to sell through their own online store, but, when that hampers the hobby then in the long term thats what they, and evidently PP don't want. GW could save tons of money by closing their stores, those things cost a fortune to run and yet, again, long term, its not worth it.

I'd agree with that.


Not contected to Paths comment.

GWs main sales line in the North America is through Independent stockists and the last figures they gave on this shows that its trade sales to these businesses is over 4 times higher than their mail order sales. Their trade sales in North America went up last year.