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How have Gw price rises affected your purchasing habits?


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27 minutes ago, TheCovenLord said:

I had already limited my spending on new units to 3rd party LGS stores offering 20%+ discounts. Now I believe I will only ever buy more miniatures second hand/ebay/exchange groups. But even ebay is bordering on ridiculous resale prices often being around the price of a brand new box even if they are already built and painted! 

 

The pricing is wild for how popular the game is.

There are also some bizarre ebay listings which sell the unopened box for a higher price than it would cost to get one direct from GW (all postage and packing taken into consideration). I have no idea how those sellers expect to every sell anything. I can just about understand people charging a premium for built and painted models because they think their paintjob is worth the price (It rarely actually is in my opinion, but that's another matter...) Unopened models should be at RRP or below though, otherwise whats the point?

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1 minute ago, EccentricCircle said:

There are also some bizarre ebay listings which sell the unopened box for a higher price than it would cost to get one direct from GW (all postage and packing taken into consideration). I have no idea how those sellers expect to every sell anything. I can just about understand people charging a premium for built and painted models because they think their paintjob is worth the price (It rarely actually is in my opinion, but that's another matter...) Unopened models should be at RRP or below though, otherwise whats the point?

I have seen this as well and have to assume that local postage/currency exchange makes this possible/cheaper in certain areas but not to my country. 

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A combination of the price rises and the increasing lack of variety in stores has stopped me buying any models in-store since... oh I don't know, must be January.  As far as Skaven go, my local GW now offers only Clanrats, Plague Monks and Stormfiends. Warp lightning cannon? Doomwheel? Grey Seer? Verminlord? Screaming Bell? Hell, the Start Collecting box? Not a whisker to be seen of any of them. And so my impulse buys have disappeared, because price increases are enough to make me think twice once the additional dopamine rush of, "Fancy new plastic thing!!!" is removed.

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For me personally I started the hobby 17 years ago when a nice character model was about 8 euro and a big box like a battalion about 40 or 50 if I am not mistaken. However, back then a purchase would normally not lose support at all. Like my Tau 40k stuff, despite new sculpts being released are still useable and have been stripped maaaany times and repainted with Gw paints.

Prices going up didnt bother me initially as it felt like the sculpt quality was getting better. It felt like an investment in time and money to buy and paint stuff. As a result I happily spent A LOT on things like tomb kings, Skaven, elves, bretonnia, etc, especially after AOS got released. I even kept buying custom round bases from GW at 4 euro each (the large oval ones). Soon I felt the sting however when stuff kept being discontinued or changed. Like sayl was a staple in my Skaven army and yes I know it was cheesy, but it is now eating dust. Or my warpfire stormfiends cant be used as-is anymore due to weapon loadouts rules having changed.

I feel everything GW produces nowadays has an expiration date. Wether its through power creep or rules changes or armies no longer being supported. I feel the thing they broke the most is trust. I don't mind paying high prices for quality models, or their overpriced paint, but when I can't be sure that my tactic or army is still useable in a year, I have to think very carefully before making a purchase. Its not just the price of a model. Even a simple foot troop takes about 6 hours at least to build, clean, undercoat, paint, varnish, etc. A unit of 40 is like working full time for 1.5 months with no rewards other than feeling you are making "your" army to battle with as long as you desire. To have that all stripped away again and again by GW like its nothing, it just feels bad. Very bad.

I keep on considering to quit GW games completely, not because of the money, but rather the feeling of wasted effort, time and resources. I now mostly enjoy the painting aspect of the hobby, but no longer the gaming as a result.

I wish instead of going up in price, they would make some cheap competitive armies instead, so they earn their money through new players rather than keep trying to milk customer loyalty instead.

I cant even convince a single friend to start Warhammer due to the pricing. 

 

Edited by Kugane
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I've definitely started to curb any non-required spending. I never buy brushes, glue, etc from GW anymore, there's no reason to really anyways.

For my lists, I am way more prone to sell off non-essentials, like units that rarely see the table, units I would have normally only held for sentimental value. Now my Warhammer budget is now like 60% resell, 40% new cash, where I only fuel new purchases by selling off old gear.

I'm also finding that I will skip Specialist Games that interest me. The fact that it now costs an additional ~$100 CAD to get into Ossiarch in the Book and Terrain are causing me to probably skip picking up any new AoS armies.

Overall I still love the hobby, but the pricing is putting up a new lens for what I really need in order to play.

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I will support a local store if I'm gaming there, otherwise I tend to buy online from 3rd parties as well. There's no shame in that.

I did get Feast of Bones at my local GW but that was only because they were doing their anniversary so I got a "free" bag and some art prints out of the deal. Money saved is less than the bag would have cost and I do need a new general backpack so its worked out well for me. 

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So the giant leaked list of next releases appears to have been confirmed, and with that, the prices.

 

Warcry warbands are going up in price without even having 6 months. OK GW. You are really surpassing yourselves! And lets not talk about the price of the Sisters of Battle box. 

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1 minute ago, Galas said:

So the giant leaked list of next releases appears to have been confirmed, and with that, the prices.

 

Warcry warbands are going up in price without even having 6 months. OK GW. You are really surpassing yourselves! And lets not talk about the price of the Sisters of Battle box. 

Well the warcry warbands are likely being reboxed with some content shifts one would expect. I can't see them just blanket raising prices that fast it is indeed odd. 

Sisters of Battle box though is a pretty good price - don't forget it contains a GW limited edition codex along with a good chunk of models - its price is pretty much in-line with the christmas army packs (if at the high end). 

 

 

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TBH even without inflation it works out cheaper than when I was playing 6th edition fantasy roughly £7 for 3 troll slayers/metal miners/ironbreakers/longbeards = £56 for a unit of 20 plus extra for command so I am all for it also lets take into consideration that since then (15years ago there has been steep inflation) so for 4-units of my old dwarf army (when a punt could buy you a lot more) I could have 4 start collecting or 2 battle force boxes. Price is not the dictator for me personally but what I have done is knuckle down and finish my armies before buying new stuff unless I really want it, literally have a never endingkhorne army and want to finish my cities then I still have some seraphon, so this year will be cheaper than last maybe just a few models then about half way through next year probably be expensive

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It's definitely curbed my impulse buys. Making me more deliberate about my purchases isn't a bad thing per se, but it does take some of the fun out of popping around the game shop and just picking up a little box here or there. It feels like everything has to be an investment now, the product of considerable research and planning. Then again my hobby budget's never been particularly large.

Also, I'm curious to see if the relaunched Warcry warband boxes will have more customization pieces in them. I wouldn't be too put off by the increase if the boxes came with extra heads, weapons, bits, etc.

Edited by Zamik
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10 hours ago, Overread said:

One thing I notice is that whilst some are priced out of the hobby; many are saying more along the lines that they are no longer buying "at launch" or that they are "working on completing their backlog." 

Both of those to me suggest that GW isn't actually pricing people out, but more that people are waking up and adjusting their buying habbits to suit their actual hobby pace.

I think it's because even if people actually are priced out now, nobody wants to simply outright say "I quit" on a hobby they've invested heavily into or enjoyed for years.  So for now, people are switching to their backlogs rather than facing a decision on whether they can buy new models anymore. As for existing AoS customers, I think we will not see the long term effects on them for a while yet.

To further confound the data, more and more new customers have come onto AoS since 2.0- whether from 40k or as brand new tabletop gamers.  I personally predict their sales rate is going to be a roller coaster of some kind in the near future.

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It's actually been a weird mix for me. The last round of price hikes definitely killed a couple projects, like picking up a an insensate rage bloodthirster, but another killer has been the regular balance changes. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate that GW is balancing the game more regularly, but it's making buying any new models a real gamble. Now if I'm looking at buying something I regularly find myself thinking it might be too strong and will just get nerfed into something completely unrecognizable in 6 months. Take Slaanesh for example. I was planning on picking up Slaanesh for years to finish off my 4 armies of chaos, so when they came out I was super excited and bought a basic army. Now I just feel dirty every time I play them, and I'm frozen on purchases because I have no idea what's going to get the nerf hammer in January and what isn't. I'm finding myself in a holding position where I don't really want to buy anything anymore.

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I have definitely had a bad plastic crack habit over the years, but my purchases have dried right up. In previous years I would likely have bought the new ossiarch box, but that kind of impulse buy is just too much now. I've largely been limited to just the special box deals with heavy discounts the last couple of years (with online 3rd party discount on top) making it still affordable, but even those are getting rediculous.

So now I'm putting a dent in my backlog (some of which is repaints), and recycling old minis by buying some new parts from bits sellers or other conversion companies to update weapon options, heads etc instead of buying new.

The irony is that being middle aged on a decent wage I can afford to buy at the current prices, but they feel such a rip off now it really counteracts that 'so coool' impulse purchase for something new, or a cunning conversion - and once that passes, and I remember my massive backlog, I just go back to mostly painting what I already have. Even the 'boxed' games which I've usually found hard to pass up have gotten to silly pricing levels and I don't buy, like titanicus.

Repeatedly seeing units be killed off before I can even finish painting/updating them is disheartening with every new book, and I'm seriously considering selling off a whole bunch of older models which would literally be a first ever for me.

 

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For me the big bummer is the pricing in combination with the business practices to some degree.

On the one hand they hike the prices, and then you got those new boxes coming out, with limited edition models that would be necessary to have, if you wanna play that army competent.
It happened for AoS a lot, with the carrion and looncurse boxes having characters, that are obligatory for the forces included, wich might never be released, and if they would, we will never be aknowledged when that is.

At the launch of AoS, wich is a long time now, they never released core models for e.g. the Khorne army, wich is the whippy guy, the Khorgorath "monster". They had released the mighty lord in combination with the Standart bearer, wich disappeared again.

For the practice of grabbing into our wallets, to have limited access to models we would really need, the price hike was pure mocking of the customers.

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No Mod Hat here but my own personal thoughts....

Do I think GW kits are expensive? Yes, but then they are the best model kits in the world, especially when compared to others. Yes some models from other companies are amazing but GW consistently makes kits that are a joy to put together and use.

I also think as you get older things change. When I was younger, I had a lot more disposable income and I thought GW was expensive then but now I my circumstances are different. I have less disposable income and more responsibilities. Also things change in life as I’ve not been well and I’ve changed jobs, so I’ve not done much hobby stuff (doesn’t help my hobby area is now a portable set up now due to in laws stopping round whilst they are waiting for their house to be finished).

I think for the pleasure I get from the hobby, GW stuff is great value. For example I have an Ogor army from a few years ago which I love playing and with the new book, I’ll get more fun out of playing it.

I came to the realisation, I can no longer go out and buy all the models I want, so I’ve just dialled the pace back and it’s fun. I get stuff as I go and that’s okay with me. Besides, even if I brought all the models in one go, I don’t get the time to paint it all anyway! 🤣

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My Warhammer spending has been significantly curtailed in recent years. It's nothing to do with the price tbh, I just have too much stuff, and still loads unpainted. I have two full 40k armies, and everything I need for my Clans Pestilens army three times over. Just books, paints and the odd bit of scenery now. You don't need all the best units to play the game

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I'm getting less and less of the special/big characters as a result. I eventually going to get one, but for example Shalaxi (Keeper of Secrets named character) that price means I'm holding off on it. Same goes for the Ironclad, Verminlords, Thanquol, etc.  Main reason is I paint about a unit a month if i'm active. So in my mind my budget is around €50,- a month. Excluding gaming things, paints, brushes etc.

So you are right in the premise that the value is still there for the price but it's a mental thing. Case in point for me was the Feast of Bones box. I eventually decided to get it. But only by convincing myself that if I sell the Boney Boys for €75 and maybe a bit more for the booklets I'm not really going passed that €50,- boundary. The value is there but it's pricier than boxes used to be. 

But still that boundary is very real for me and the more sets that break that margin the more likely it becomes that I either raise that 'budget' or not getting the bigger kits. 

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Completely agree with the comments here. And while the current commercial model doesn't anger me, it does bemuse, and if I'm honest, have me concerned.

I haven't bought from a GW store since we visited Warhammer World back in April, and even then I went for a solitary Master Moulder.

We have 2 other hobby stores here, one with a 10% discount, the other with 20%. I buy all my stuff from there. I'm sure the GW manager is miffed by this as we always come into look but never buy, and yet I still have regular source of projects.

That source comes mainly from savvy buys from eBay, but myself and eldest son are budgeting on a points vs prices basis: if it's near enough £10 for 100 points, then it's worth it. Exceptions tend to be for ultra cool models. But that really is the exception.

Since April we've bought Nagash, Gotrek and Thundriks Thunderers. All follow the above restrictions on our hobby purchases. Theres no way in hell, for example, we'd buy Chainrasps.

And that brings me to Bonereapers. It's no secret that I'm not a fan of the sculpts (too cartoonish for me) but my eldest is. Until he saw the price of Feast of Bones. He made the decision to not collect that army himself. And he is ten years old. 

Not the best age to alienate the next generation of hobbyists then.

Edited by Mcthew
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I think the latest round of price rises hasn't really affected me specifically, but would say that my general buying habits have changed a lot over the years I've been in the hobby.

The rate of release has actually had the greatest impact on what I pick up.  I play/collect lots of different GW systems - AoS, 40k, Necromunda etc.  Gone are the days when I would "only" want to pick up two or three new releases each month.  Pretty much every month I could pick something up for some reason or other, be it something I can add to an army or just something I fancy painting.  I'm a slow painter who tries to paint to a fairly decent standard, and there are physically only so many hobby hours in a month 😉

The "big box" games I'm also a lot more cautious about picking up since they passed the £100 mark.  Don't get me wrong they are superb value, normally granting a 30% ~ 60% discount over buying the bits separately, but I tend to be a lot more ruthless when working out if they're good value for me.  I now work out what it'd cost to get the bits I specifically want/need, if that cost exceeds the total box cost then I'll consider picking it up, if not then I'll likely not bother.

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Has done nothing to me. In the past two years I have collected about 5-6k of Gloomspite Gitz and now a full 2k of Nurgle. I buy about 30% used 30% LGS and maybe 40% I order from UK as the our shops here in Finland offer no discount and element games has one. Every hobby you are invested in costs money. 

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1 hour ago, Gaz Taylor said:

Do I think GW kits are expensive? Yes, but then they are the best model kits in the world, especially when compared to others. Yes some models from other companies are amazing but GW consistently makes kits that are a joy to put together and use.

I agree with you on the new kits being extremely good technically, with one caveat I'll come to in a minute. But they also sell a lot of old models, particularly in 40k, where some armies are still slogging on with models that are 20 years old. They might have been recut with extra accessories, but they kept the same main models - or finecast. Compared to models from say Artel W, or victoria miniatures to pick just 2, GW does not look good in comparison, yet those kits continue to relentlessly rise in price too. Blood Knights, 5 for £61.50!

Of course, the cities of sigmar book was the reason they ended a lot of older kits, and effectively ended their rules too. GW are being much more aggressive at killing off older factions (rather than updating their models) than they dare to with 40k. Still rather salty on how many dispossessed models I've got that are effectively useless now (some still technically have warscrolls and points, but won't survive the next handbook and it's not like dispossessed were in a good place ruleswise before). The various other factions in CoS have seen similar butchery of their options. I do have a legions of nagash army, I'm fully expecting that to get mostly squatted in the near future.

So yes, the new kits are lovely, but it's such a lottery, as they rarely update older factions but launch entire new ones instead. Will your new faction get a handful of units then get forgotten about (kharadron & fyreslayers)? Will your models hang about for many years never getting an update (classic undead, say hello zombies), or will they just get wiped out when GW wants to sell the new shiny? Will a key character be in a very limited run box that's sold out before it even releases, and never be seen again?

Lastly, that caveat. The models are very detailed and the layout engineering is basic genius to eliminate seamlines etc, but at the cost of much more monopose design. The legs + torsos are almost always a single layout, only certain arms fit certain torsos; often the only significant decision is which head to pair with which body, so the unit looks very repetitive. It makes conversions and posing significantly tougher, not least as all those detailed dangly bits are moulded across multiple parts so you can't swap things about without major reconstruction; and you have to be good to make it fit in with the existing detail. So you mostly have to like the kit as it comes, and live with the repetition.

This isn't a discussion about value for money or prices because those are ultimately subjective - of course my opinion is no more valid than anyone else's. But the above issues, in combination with the - for me - eyewatering prices, are what have impacted on my purchasing dropping off dramatically.

Edited by Arkhanist
can't spell dispossessed
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16 hours ago, Galas said:

Since the made the Start Collecting sets more expensive I stopped buying those, and nearly everybody I know did the same.

 

They said new kits were gonna be more expensive because they would avoid any general price rises. But then a couple of months ago they did a general price increase after the SC! price increase. They lost a TON of the good faith they had recovered the previous two years with that move. And in the past two months they are going again in the Kirby Era path. 

 

The difference is that this time people knows where it leads. So they are stopping now instead of waiting for things to get better, because they won't.

I think the general policy of GW making less than transparent decisions around prices and a closed door to the public, will back-fire on their commercial model.

We are entering a recession (retail particularly) and disposable income even on an addictive hobby like this will be limited. If, however, there was a reason beyond their profit margins/being overstretched that guided price increases, such as the cost of plastics, paying staff better wages than the rubbish ones they get currently etc, then fair enough. But they wont communicate that.

My gut feeling is that GW have overstretched themselves or they are at the mercy of the markets and their share prices.

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