Games Workshop are changing their trade terms

[blongbling]

Interesting to note that Maelstrom has now removed the normal version of the starter pack.

Thing is, according to them, they’re limited to 90 boxes per week so it’s first-come-first-served. Man, it’s almost as if Games Workshop doesn’t want the independent retailers to actually sell their products...

No, I won’t pay extra for a model I don’t want...

No, I won’t pay full price at Games Workshop’s webshop.

Looks like they just lost a sale. Too bad for them...

Well...

In truth, it’s also bad for Maelstrom as they lost a sale too. The cynical part of me suspects that that was the whole idea in the first place. Remember kids, independent retailers are bad, Games Workshop Stores are good!

Sigh...

Are they actually trying to make every obvious mistake in the book? Are they trying to run themselves into the ground? I mean: why on earth would they limit the number of goods that the stores sell to customers? Why would they not set the normal set up for sale? Makes no sense...

Oh well... No starter set for me then. Anyone got an extra rulebook they want to get rid off?

GW's trade policy was written in response to the growing dominance of the internet retailers in the UK (and sales into the European) market. GW will dress it up as something else but that is the reality of it as the only people it really impinges upon are the internet retailers. So yes, they do not want you to buy from a webstore other than there own, yes they want you to go to a retail store, they do not want you using 3rd party internet retailers to buy your product from.

[Darnok]

So yes, they do not want you to buy from a webstore other than there own, yes they want you to go to a retail store, they do not want you using 3rd party internet retailers to buy your product from.

I think you are right, but: I'm sure I'm not alone with rather not buying at all if the only option is GW itself. Currently I can afford GW, as long as I budget and get a discount. Internet retailers are my only option for latter, rumour threads are my only (weak) chance for the first half.

Chances are high GW will simply lose costumers like me with this.

[rich1231]

I remember when Wayland started and we got the first call from them at GW. At that point we all thought that there was little point in anyone trying to compete with Maelstrom as they were so dominant...and then we look at it today and see where Wayland is.

Aww shucks

[frozenwastes]

Interesting, though 'a significant amount' is very arbitrary and could be almost anything. I like others fail to see how BOW got a 'significant amount of people' into the hobby without them having knowledge of the wargaming industry in one form or another. I dont think its that easy to just stumble across any of their videos or website as opposed to stumbling across LGSs. Does anyone have the numbers from BOW?

I send people links to BoW videos that I don't know are gamers or are into miniatures, but I know like sci-fi, fantasy or are history buffs. So far I've had six people end up asking me for painting advice after they got their hands on something they thought was cool.

I spend about half of my hobby budget online and half at a local store.

What many people fail to realize is that both online and brick and mortar stores are GW's customers. They may dress it up in terms of "partnership" or "independant sales agent" or some such nonsense, but at the end of the day, GW is selling them a product and they're paying for it.

A local guy Joe who owned a comic shop was talked into taking up GW's product lines. He was worried that they'd be opening up one of their hobby centres in the city, but they assured him that if he carried their stuff, they wouldn't have to. He should have gotten it in writing, because six months later, there was a GW store in town. That's how GW treats their "partners." Shafts them just like any other GW customer.