Price Rises and the Community

[get2grips]

I'll take that wager!

If I win, you get a star part in next year's panto and do me a figure of my chioice.

If you win, you don't get a star part in next year's panto and I don't show you what happens to your figures when I get hold of them.

Where is the Panto slacker???

[sebigboss79]

Well someone (American) on FB "in the business" is trying to convince me the move to resin was just a stopgap on the way to all plastic.

Not only could the person care less to answer my question why wasting money on resin is so brilliant when you are moving to plastic in the long run anyways.

But now they move to plastic step by step and abandon resin (after sunk cost) step by step as any sane person would have - and as I suggested in the frst place. But of course my analysis that "GW tried to sell a sub-par product without necessary QC (outsourced to customer) at a premium price" is "angry and condencending". I beg to differ and believe that this attempt to screw the fanbase some more severly backfired.

And my notion to do what you want to do without wasting time and money is too expensive (while GW are now doing it anyways). Is it just me or are the intellectual capacities of my opponent really that limited (aka idiot)?

[Ithoriel]

Idle speculation on my part but could the rise of EBay, coupled with tremendous "churn" in the customer base also be a factor?

I still buy GW products, mainly Warmaster stuff, but I get it all from EBay. THe occasional conversation I have with sellers suggests to me that it is mainly  people in their late teens/ mothers of teenage kids who've moved out of the family home that I'm buying from. In other words, I buy from former GW customers, GW have already had their money for that product and miss out on a sale to me.

Anecdotal evidence (at best!) - any thoughts?

[get2grips]

Idle speculation on my part but could the rise of EBay, coupled with tremendous "churn" in the customer base also be a factor?

I still buy GW products, mainly Warmaster stuff, but I get it all from EBay. THe occasional conversation I have with sellers suggests to me that it is mainly  people in their late teens/ mothers of teenage kids who've moved out of the family home that I'm buying from. In other words, I buy from former GW customers, GW have already had their money for that product and miss out on a sale to me.

Anecdotal evidence (at best!) - any thoughts?

Agree to a point.  Most of the current GW customers won't use ebay for figures older than a couple of years; they don't know what they are and fit this week's rules.

[sebigboss79]

There is a point there but I believe another issue is equally valid.

Imagine a company vehemently conditions people to buy from them and not on ebay or cheaper vendors.
In the same instance said company lowers their cost as much as they can and justify it in whichever way.

Are "normal people" not compelled to lower THEIR OWN cost as much a spossible?
Are "normal people" not seeing the bigotry to do one thing and tell others how bad they are should they do exactle the same?
Are youngsters not particularly encouraged to do something "forbidden" such as buying from ebay, downloading rules etc just do be "cool" and get one back at the big bad EE?

GW has underestimated social cohesion and networking and instead of adapting their policies they start C&D-ing everyone including Santa Clause. Of course only because Santa has no insurance and could slug it out with them. Why do they go against BoW, BOLS, CHS and so on but CMON can post pictures of Speeeehs Marienz and use GW products (against current IP dogma) in their videos? Maybe because CMON would happily go to court with them and tear them apart while alive?

As Techno hints a bit more interaction and compassion for the hobby and its community would have avoided the shism they are now in. Much like many empires before they cheeringly dug their own grave.

[Fenton]

Who or what is CMON?

[sebigboss79]

Cool Mini Or Not...a website dedicated to "rate paintjobs of minis".

But don't you dare to post non-GW minis. Those are ruthlessly downmarked. (crappy painted GW mini 6.3, perfect specimen of Urban War Mini 4.3 at which point I deleted my account.)

[Techno]

All I can see....But I think someone's already commented on the fact that their customer base must be shrinking and shrinking.

Oh....and fsn....What odds are you giving me ?

Cheers - Phil

[Ithoriel]

Agree to a point.  Most of the current GW customers won't use ebay for figures older than a couple of years; they don't know what they are and fit this week's rules.

The teens I know playing GW games are playing about two editions ago rules with a mix of brand new figures bought by granny* and figures from a range of sources and a variety of scales - 20mm, 25mm, 28mm. Watched a 40K game recently where most of the "Imperial Guard" were armed with crossbows and halberds!!

*in this case a shorthand for all relatives with money, access to a local GW store and a vague notion that "little Johnny" does something with toy soldiers.

[DanJ]

From the point of view of an outsider (never played WH or WH40K or WH Historical) I've always been amazed and impressed by GW marketing/business strategy which seems to be 'Grab 'em young and drain 'em dry'.  Cutting off the supply of new victims sorry hobbyists seems like a strategy for disaster.

But one thing no-one seems to mention is boredom, the GW products haven't changed in about 30 years, it's still WH and WH40K, any new or inovative games have been ruthlessly killed off as GW has sought to concentrate on its key products, they don't seem to realise that the rest of the gaming world is changing and developing. 

Like many evil empires they've stagnated, they might well fall which would be a shame for their employees but I doubt the gamers will mourne for long and when it has gone there will be more room for everyone else, with the dinosaur gone the nippy 10mm mammals will evolve into a bright new future.

[fateeore]

GW's problem has nothing to do with the company, it is the customers - yeah I know this is heresy. But if one spends any time on forums in which the company and the games are discussed it soon becomes clear that 'the community' - particularly in the US - is insane. It is not so much the obsessiveness that jars, as their complete lack of awareness of anything beyond.

[Techno]

GW's problem has nothing to do with the company, it is the customers - yeah I know this is heresy. But if one spends any time on forums in which the company and the games are discussed it soon becomes clear that 'the community' - particularly in the US - is insane. It is not so much the obsessiveness that jars, as their complete lack of awareness of anything beyond.

That brings up (a possibly ?) interesting question......Do the prices over the other side of the Pond compare to those elsewhere ?.....Or do they work out (effectively) a good bit cheaper ?
Sorry....I'm too lazy to check...I'm sure someone will know without having to look 
Cheers - Phil.

[fateeore]

That brings up (a possibly ?) interesting question......Do the prices over the other side of the Pond compare to those elsewhere ?.....Or do they work out (effectively) a good bit cheaper ?
Sorry....I'm too lazy to check...I'm sure someone will know without having to look 
Cheers - Phil.

It's nothing to do with price.

A good example is White Dwarf. Read any forum over the past few years and a regular complaint is that the magazine is a catalogue and doesn't have content. So now GW has relaunched the magazine and apparently it will contain new rules - as used to happen in the 'good old days' - and the complaint is that this is a rip off, and how can people keep up with the new rules.

Or another example along the same lines, a while ago over a couple of issues White Dwarf released an uodate to the Sister's of Battle codex. The complaint was that the magazine sold out, and that it was impossible to get a copy, as the website listed it as sold out. It was pointed out that the UK website had copies - and it wwas also pointed out that unsold copies would be returned over the following month - at which point the complaint was that the shipping would be prohibitive from the UK - at which point it was pointed out that it was free shipping over £20 (or whatever) and they could get the magazine and miniature or two - at which point the complaint went back to it being outragious that the magazine was not available in the US (which was factually incorrect given that the interwebz exists)

Which is not to say there are legitimate complaints - Finecast springs to mind - and possibly price - but generally it is just a culture of pointless complaining and carping criticism about everything. So much so that I have long ago concluded that many of these memes are chimps being paid in minis by GW's competitors.

[sebigboss79]

Maybe because the rules are in the codex anyways?
Or maybe because the "content" was freely available on forums/blogs and the GW website before?

A lot of heat GW is getting is unreasonable but where there is smoke there usually is some fire as well.

[Sandinista]

I find GW bashing quite boring. I'm not really interested in their games, or prices or how they work. Some people think they are killing the hobby, some think they bring in new blood, some people also zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz