GW profits - A good news story - so why no post on the main blog?????

[Denzark]

Right, see here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/marketforceslive/2011/apr/08/games-workshop-gains

Now I know it is the Guardian - a nasty lefty newspaper. But this is surely easy enough to verify with secondary sources?

We had 300+ post counts on the bols story on the main forum when GW put out profit warnings, and now they are ramping up no comment?

Only bad news sells, hey?

So for all you nay-sayers out there, I invite you to repeat comments about how GW are susceptible to customer blackmail now. Quite simply I expect plastic GK crack won through in the face of all your petulant imorral highgrounds.

[Denzark]

PS credit where its due - I saw this linky in an EG post...

[JxKxR]

Are we supposed to be happy that the price hikes worked out for them? I don't see this as good news.

[Morgan Darkstar]

Thats good to hear, although there will be somone who comes along to moan that GW is doing well as apparently GW is evil and will sacrfice fluffy bunnys at the alter of capitalism to protect it's IP.

[Morgan Darkstar]

Are we supposed to be happy that the price hikes worked out for them? I don't see this as good news.

What price hikes? i havent noticed any.

[JxKxR]

Thats good to hear, although there will be somone who comes along to moan that GW is doing well as apparently GW is evil and will sacrfice fluffy bunnys at the alter of capitalism to protect it's IP.

You joke but if you had seen them sacrificing bunnies at the altar of khaine maybe then you would be worried.

[Morgan Darkstar]

You joke but if you had seen them sacrificing bunnies at the altar of khaine maybe then you would be worried.

maybe just a little tho :)

[JxKxR]

Well the Chaos Defiler used to be around $57 now it's $62.

[TheBitzBarn]

Well the Chaos Defiler used to be around $57 now it's $62.

Thats was over a year ago time to move on. Grey Knights use to be 35 for 5 and you got a crappy incinerator but now 33 for 5 and you get all the weapons you want and some

[Morgan Darkstar]

Well the Chaos Defiler used to be around $57 now it's $62.

Without knowing a great deal about the state of the american taxation system or current exchange rate could this "price hike" be the result of extra taxation or a change in the currency market. rather than a attempt by GW to make more money?

[JxKxR]

Thats was over a year ago time to move on. Grey Knights use to be 35 for 5 and you got a crappy incinerator but now 33 for 5 and you get all the weapons you want and some

Don't try and take away my right to B#$%@! :p Although that is exactly what I'm doing...

[Hive Mind]

The Guardian hasn't been a 'lefty' paper for years. Since it switched from broadsheet to Berliner it's moved strongly towards the centre. I blame Rusbridger.

It's also won several major awards for the accuracy and quality of its reporting, several years running. It's easily the best 'paper on the market if you ignore Polly Toynbee.

Anyway, /OT mini-rant. Carry on.

[jorz192]

May I ask what the "Guardian" is? It sounds like a publication I might be interested in if I can have a little more specifics on what it covers.

[Lane]

The Guardian hasn't been a 'lefty' paper for years.

It's also won several major awards for the accuracy and quality of its reporting, several years running.

I don't know the state of UK journalism but in the US winning awards for accuracy and quality does not mean unbiased. When the people judging the awards are biased (some male Carl Marx look like a moderate) then the winners tend to be biased.

[wkz]

Hmmm... the news article linked is written on 8 April 2011.

There're articles which are frontpaged 2 weeks or so "later" in BOLS, from their original "appeared on the internets" date. What's your point again?

[Hive Mind]

May I ask what the "Guardian" is? It sounds like a publication I might be interested in if I can have a little more specifics on what it covers.

The Guardian is an independently owned and operated, ostensibly left-of-centre newspaper.

www.guardian.co.uk


I don't know the state of UK journalism but in the US winning awards for accuracy and quality does not mean unbiased. When the people judging the awards are biased (some male Carl Marx look like a moderate) then the winners tend to be biased.

Most of the awards it wins are international, not national. Take a look at the link above.

[scadugenga]

Thats was over a year ago time to move on. Grey Knights use to be 35 for 5 and you got a crappy incinerator but now 33 for 5 and you get all the weapons you want and some

Which is all well and good for a small elite niche army.

Now lets look at a real comparison--the 70+% increase for imperial guard cadians. It used to be $35.00 for 20 guys. Now it's $24.75 for 10 guys. No change in sprues, no upgrades, extra bits, etc.

There's your kick-in-the-face price gouging for you.

[wkz]

Which is all well and good for a small elite niche army.

Now lets look at a real comparison--the 70+% increase for imperial guard cadians. It used to be $35.00 for 20 guys. Now it's $24.75 for 10 guys. No change in sprues, no upgrades, extra bits, etc.

There's your kick-in-the-face price gouging for you.But what about the rest of the IG army? What did it cost you to bring in a Valkyrie in the past?

We're all bringing out the absolutely worst example of price differences from the past and comparing it to the present (going both ways), to be honest. The only way to resolve this is to ask this: what is the price difference in building the exact same list, with minor changes, in the past as in the present? And is it worth it?

IG: a fair bit more?
GK: slightly less?
Nids? Marines? Dark Eldar??

And please remember to adjust for inflation... $10 ten years ago can buy a lot more than $10 today.

Well, IMO, I know I got my Orkz quite cheaply now than if I got it in the distant, 4th edition past (and with the updated spruces, quite a lot more kick-*** looking too). I'm most certainly not complaining GW is a kick-in-the-face price gouging b*tard to be honest.

[scadugenga]

But what about the rest of the IG army? What did it cost you to bring in a Valkyrie in the past?

We're all bringing out the absolutely worst example of price differences from the past and comparing it to the present (going both ways), to be honest. The only way to resolve this is to ask this: what is the price difference in building the exact same list, with minor changes, in the past as in the present? And is it worth it?

IG: a fair bit more?
GK: slightly less?
Nids? Marines? Dark Eldar??

And please remember to adjust for inflation... $10 ten years ago can buy a lot more than $10 today.

Well, IMO, I know I got my Orkz quite cheaply now than if I got it in the distant, 4th edition past (and with the updated spruces, quite a lot more kick-*** looking too). I'm most certainly not complaining GW is a kick-in-the-face price gouging b*tard to be honest.

I have a 90% infantry Guard list. The cost would be about 70% more. :)

Nids--significantly more, as you need to kitbash the all-important Tervigon.

Brass Scorpion (IIRC) and I had this discussion in a Bols article comment thread awhile back. The trend for GW seems to be to increase the price on the troops choices significantly--either by just a price increase, or by going for the head-fake: Dropping the price by a smallish margin, while cutting the actual contents of the box by 50%. (EG: IG Cadians).

I honestly wouldn't mind it so much, if they would've done something like add all the cool bits to the box set a la GK's, etc. But repackaging the same exact sprue and gouging me on the price is ridiculous. :)

I too, am thankful that I have the vast majority of my Guard from 4th ed days--but I don't have your experience of updated sprues that look more kick-***. (Save for the CCS box, which is very cool, and worth the price.)

Counterpoint: while it sucks to pay $33.00 for 5 GK's, wow do you get your value in the options! However, again--they are a niche army and not likely to be widely played for too long after the initial release ooh's and ah's grow older.

Your horde armies are the ones that suffer the most from gouging.

[Hive Mind]

You know, no-one's forcing you to buy these things. God forbid they should make money for their shareholders. Terrible business plan. They should be giving miniatures away.

[Lane]

We're all bringing out the absolutely worst example of price differences from the past and comparing it to the present (going both ways), to be honest.

And please remember to adjust for inflation... $10 ten years ago can buy a lot more than $10 today.


Dark angel chapter upgrade frame, Last year it was two sprues for $20, now $13.25 for one sprue
no change in the sprue, codex or packaging. That's 32.5% price increase however the Space Wolves tac squad, which includes chapter upgrade bits is the same cost as a vanilla tac squad.

Based on rates from http://www.inflationdata.com the increase in prices from 1990 to 2011 was 72.86%

Lane Raider 1990 was 2 for $35, now $62. Adjusted for inflation it would be $30.25.
Average annual price increase above inflation 3.5%

Rhino was 3 for $20, now $33. Adjusted for inflation it would be $11.52.
Average annual price increase above inflation 5.15%

Eldar Guardians was 10 for $10. Adjusted for inflation it would be $30.25
Average annual price increase above inflation 1.31%

IG troops was 10 for $10. Adjusted for inflation it would be $30.25
Average annual price increase above inflation 1.7%

[eldargal]

There hasn't been a price rise since they announce downgraded profits, so this is an increase in sales volume.

[isotope99]

Part of this is due to GW's tactic of making equivalent boxes cost similar prices regardless of what's really in them (e.g. raveners versus killa kans) . The new infantry boxes have trended towards fewer guys, increased price, but way more options saving you money elsewhere by eliminating the need to buy separate special weapons troopers etc. Some of older boxes have really suffered from this as they have increased in price with little change to their content. IG and gaunts being obvious examples I can think of.

Not saying this is right but its slightly different to just jacking up the cost. On IG don't forget the new battleforce is almost all infantry so you should be able to pick them up cheap online, again not really a justification for a GW price rise.

Inflation is still going up pretty fast (although in the UK this includes a VAT rise already factored into prices) so don't be surprised if some kits increase in price again around GW's financial year end in June (?).

[fuzzbuket]

Right, see here:

We had 300+ post counts on the bols story on the main forum when GW put out profit warnings, and now they are ramping up no comment?




1) itll be up by next month :P

[Bigred]

Turns out it'll be up tomorrow morning at 10:00 AM.

What the comments will be in comparison to the profit warning will be an interesting social experiment to monitor.

We really aren't biased - just lazy :)

[Gir]

Dark angel chapter upgrade frame, Last year it was two sprues for $20, now $13.25 for one sprue
no change in the sprue, codex or packaging. That's 32.5% price increase however the Space Wolves tac squad, which includes chapter upgrade bits is the same cost as a vanilla tac squad.

Based on rates from http://www.inflationdata.com the increase in prices from 1990 to 2011 was 72.86%

Lane Raider 1990 was 2 for $35, now $62. Adjusted for inflation it would be $30.25.
Average annual price increase above inflation 3.5%

Rhino was 3 for $20, now $33. Adjusted for inflation it would be $11.52.
Average annual price increase above inflation 5.15%

Eldar Guardians was 10 for $10. Adjusted for inflation it would be $30.25
Average annual price increase above inflation 1.31%

IG troops was 10 for $10. Adjusted for inflation it would be $30.25
Average annual price increase above inflation 1.7%

You do realize that all those models from the 90's are VERY different from the current ones, right?

[Crevab]

The annual price hike is usually in June/July, yes? We'll probably hear about it sometime in May.

[Denzark]

Turns out it'll be up tomorrow morning at 10:00 AM.

What the comments will be in comparison to the profit warning will be an interesting social experiment to monitor.

We really aren't biased - just lazy :)

My respects to you sirrah.

[Fellend]

Turns out it'll be up tomorrow morning at 10:00 AM.

What the comments will be in comparison to the profit warning will be an interesting social experiment to monitor.

We really aren't biased - just lazy :)

For what it's worth, that made me laugh, and thanks for the working on the site.

[scadugenga]

You know, no-one's forcing you to buy these things. God forbid they should make money for their shareholders. Terrible business plan. They should be giving miniatures away.

Wow.

Way to not contribute significantly to the discussion!

[Morgan Darkstar]

Price of SM battleforce in 2002 was £50 price now in 2011 £51.25 if anything with the increase in infation and VAT, the price before taxation has gone down.

However i can see the battleforces being pushed up in price to match the ridiculous price of the Blood Angels battleforce at £60 at this point i think i will cease purchasing from GW's stores altogether and solely purchase from online

[isotope99]

The internet may actually be the cause of the battleforce price rises. The increase in the number of people breaking down the boxes is a bit of an issue. Discounted internet retailers are actually part of GW's strategy (otherwise they wouldn't sell to them or would push up their wholesale prices) but splitting up the battleforces is almost certainly not.

[Lane]

Discounted internet retailers are actually part of GW's strategy (otherwise they wouldn't sell to them or would push up their wholesale prices) but splitting up the battleforces is almost certainly not.

GW does not like discounted internet sales. Their statements were basically "discounted prices make people think are games are not worth retail price"

It was probably 5-10 years ago that GW tried to hammer internet sales. Over a period of about a year GW canceled direct sales accounts to internet only stores, raised their wholesale prices to stores and distributors and prohibited online stores from using pictures of the boxes. from what I hear thos actions cut the online store profits by 25-50% until they started breaking up battle forces.

[Lane]

You do realize that all those models from the 90's are VERY different from the current ones, right?

All of the ones I mentioned have been changed. But that does not excuse a doubling or tripling of price.

How do you explain the price gouge a few years ago when Wraithguard got a 50% price hike?

[Gotthammer]

Prices for metals have been climbing rapidly (http://www.metalprices.com/pubcharts/Public/Tin_Price_Charts.asp?WeightSelect=&SizeSelect=&ccs=&cid=), dropping only when the GFC hit everyone hard.

http://metalprices.com/PubCharts/PublicCharts.aspx?metal=sn lme&type=L&weight=LB&days=60&size=M&bg=&cs=1011&cid=0' border=0>


Making metal minis is getting more and more expensive, almost certainly the reason for the likely switch to resins.

[Gir]

All of the ones I mentioned have been changed. But that does not excuse a doubling or tripling of price.

Spru count (I may be wrong, but isn't 1 current land raider the same amount of sprus and 2 old ones?), raw materials price increase, mold price increases, transportation cost increase, and inflation. Also, remember that for inflation, increased wages of the employees, increased rent for stores, etc, etc.



How do you explain the price gouge a few years ago when Wraithguard got a 50% price hike?

More then doubling of the raw materials cost?

[eldargal]

I am more than happy to pay 1-5% over inflation per year when cost of production is going up in excess of inflation and the quality is advancing in leaps and bounds. Yes the old miniatures are classics and have a certain charm (a lot of them anyway) but the new ones are far, far superior.


All of the ones I mentioned have been changed. But that does not excuse a doubling or tripling of price.

How do you explain the price gouge a few years ago when Wraithguard got a 50% price hike?

[Farseer Uthiliesh]

Right, see here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/marketforceslive/2011/apr/08/games-workshop-gains

Now I know it is the Guardian - a nasty lefty newspaper. But this is surely easy enough to verify with secondary sources?

We had 300+ post counts on the bols story on the main forum when GW put out profit warnings, and now they are ramping up no comment?

Only bad news sells, hey?

So for all you nay-sayers out there, I invite you to repeat comments about how GW are susceptible to customer blackmail now. Quite simply I expect plastic GK crack won through in the face of all your petulant imorral highgrounds.

Because there is no good news with Games Workshop; fans will find any reason to whine ;) Just kidding.