The Great GW Pricing Poll

[pseudodelic]

I would say that I am happy with the 12% plus discounts I get with independents. I buy nothing direct from GW. However if the prices were reduced by 20% or their packaging policy or designs altered slightly to make them more competitive that would suit too. I have to say that you used to get 2 Rhinos in a box for £10.00 (about $17 at the time) then you only got one and now you pay just over double that... Has it kept pace with inflation? Well when a Rhino was £5 a Mars was about 20P and Mars are now 70p so a Rhino should cost £17.50... that is approx... That is 20% cheaper than it actually is now hence I think 20% is achievable based on their previous pricing policies and the fact that their products are probably cheaper to make today anyway...

[simonbeard]

I, too, understand that 30% probably sounds drastic to many, and is perhaps unrealistic for GW to achieve and still make a humongous profit (or at least enough to continue to make 80-page hardbound books...), but the question is "If GW wants you to buy more and start new armies regularly what should they do?", and quite frankly, I've been priced out for a while.

Heck, I barely even buy GW stuff anymore (many other companies make appropriate minis that cost less than GW — so I can't use them at a GW tournament, no big deal. I haven't met a player yet who can't tell what unit they represent just by looking at them, and doesn't think they look as good as or better than GW minis). I now only buy rules supplements I need. I don't buy any miniatures boxes or clam packs from GW, my FLGS, or even discounted online retailers (I haven't for years now, it's just not something I can afford). I accumulate my armies as unpainted bits on ebay or at flea markets at my FLGS. I just can't afford to build an army at $60 for 10 core troops. That's $200 for one unit. I should have a small- to mid-sized starting army for $200 (not a single unit).

Saying that "you get what you pay for" is not an appropriate response to this poll. The prospect that Mantic miniatures are trash and GW miniatures are far superior is just a big ol' load of generalizing. Granted, a good chunk (the majority) of the Mantic minis do look really cartoony with weird stances and proportions (but I'd say that a good 20-30% of GW minis do too). However, some of Mantic's minis look fine (even better than GW minis in the case of the zombies), and have a reasonable or even attractive price point for the customer.

The point there is that it's obvious that because plastic minis are so cheap to fabricate (just look at Mantic's prices), it should be really fast to get a return on your up-front investment (concept art, sculpting labor, etc.), and after you've made that back, you're basically printing money. Now, I realize that because GW makes full-color hardback books with a good paper stock and high quality printing, those costs have to come from somewhere too (but, as someone who works in book production, I know for a fact that those are also priced to make an unbelievably fast return on investment).

Now, I'm pretty sure they could drop their prices. Would they have to scale back their operation to a size that is more manageable? Maybe. Probably, even. It was a mistake for them to go public in the first place, where they were going to be in a position of needing to be constantly increasing their profit margin (as a private business owner, this is another opinion I feel confident stating). That's just not a sustainable business model for a company that creates product for such a pricey hobby that is supposed to bring in children and adolescents as new players.

I've played GW games as an enthusiast for 20 years now. I stopped playing 40K in 3rd edition, because I didn't care for the rules changes, but I kept buying minis, and kept playing 2nd edition rules as well as continuing to follow Warhammer Fantasy. I also picked up their smaller/skirmish games (Space Hulk, Blood Bowl, Necromunda, GorkaMorka, Mordheim) in an effort to continue to support the company AND fuel my own hobby projects for 40K and Fantasy. I continued to buy GW minis up until pricing went prohibitively high (for me) around 2007-2009. It's not for lack of wanting them (that's certainly not the case, I think many of them are incredible sculpts, and I would love to have them in my armies). Whether I like the games or whether I'm good at the games or whether I think GW is a good company or a bad one just isn't the point.

The point is, I can't afford their miniatures, and haven't been able to for a while. And that's what this poll is about. If I ever have kids, I'd LOVE to get them into the hobby with me. But I can say for a certainty, they'll either be using my miniatures, or we'll be finding bits for them to make their armies through auctions on ebay or from flea markets that our local game stores host.

If GW drops their pricing (I can't see this happen unless they slowly reduce the prices as they release armies — the same way they've been raising them over the past few years), I'll most definitely jump right back in (I still play their games), and start buying their minis again. Until then, it's accurate proxies/conversions with minis from other companies (and GW bits), and used GW minis for me.

[Wilfen82]

I've noticed several people talking about their "Wargaming budget". Is that the norm for most people around here?"

I have a luxury budget each month, which covers days out, dvds, games etc. Last week my fiancee and I went and did a morning of falconry which cost £46 for both of us. I'd dearly like a Harpy but, to be honest, I enjoyed the falconry more than I would the plastic kit. An that's what GW also has to compete with.

[sgtpjbarker]

I have been buying plastic models since 1965, the quality is better than tamiya stuff that is roughly the same size is running about $75-$100 a kit and that is on sale thru the internet.

[Beardicus]

It would be nice for GW to drop prices by 20-25%. My local retailer in ATL sells boxes at cash price for 30-35% off but does not have room for play. I talked to the owner about it and he basically makes around $10 off of most purchases because he marks down so low from distributor costs. It's sad to say that my favorite place to play is far beyond too expensive to primarily buy from when I have this alternative so close to the LGS. Most of the time I just buy hobby supplies from Gigabites rather than models (though the owner is made of pure win)

[Psychosplodge]

I have a luxury budget each month, which covers days out, dvds, games etc. Last week my fiancee and I went and did a morning of falconry which cost £46 for both of us. I'd dearly like a Harpy but, to be honest, I enjoyed the falconry more than I would the plastic kit. An that's what GW also has to compete with.

For £46? that's not bad at all.

[HockeyDad16K]

I quit buying GW models when they forced the UK shop I was dealing with to stop selling to Canada. At the time I was getting about 30% off the local retail prices. So I voted for 30%. I also don't buy codexs anymore either as both the Hardback and digital copies are way too expensive. The digital should be equal or less than the old soft cover versions (imo).

Today I spend my money on X-Wing. It's way cheaper to build a force that you can play with at a FLGS.

[Eldar_Atog]

I have specific budgets set aside, but then I do have in the region of £850 a month disposable income

Heh, I don't quite have that much disposable income but I do pretty well. My temperment is more like a squirrel though. Pay the bills, food, gas... All my hobbies have to fight it out in "ThunderDome"

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

most stuff is 30-40% too expensive for me, I havent bought anything since abour mid-2012 personally. My "entertainment" budget per month is about £40 in general, so I'd rather spend it on cheaper things that I will get more out of such as books ect. Also, I'm not rich but I'm not going to make any judgements or complaints (especially at those whom can afford it) - It's a simple choice for me, if I can afford it ill pay, if not - well no worries it's not like I'm entitled or anything. Choice is a great thing

[Eldar_Atog]

I have a luxury budget each month, which covers days out, dvds, games etc. Last week my fiancee and I went and did a morning of falconry which cost £46 for both of us. I'd dearly like a Harpy but, to be honest, I enjoyed the falconry more than I would the plastic kit. An that's what GW also has to compete with.

That sounds very cool! It also put the mental image of a bunch of falcons attacking the GW execs and authors