GWS 2024: UK - Center of the Miniatures Wargaming Trade?

[Mikai]

Perhaps an interesting read for some of you:
https://www.karwansaraypublishers.com/blogs/great-wargaming-survey-blog-wss-magazine/gws-2024-uk-center-of-the-miniatures-wargaming-trade

[Pattus Magnus]

I found that interesting. The findings definitely align with my experience - I don’t play many games by bigger companies like GW or Catalyst Games so finding stuff in local shops is very hit and miss. I mainly buy paint and other basic supplies from local retailers. A few times per year I am able to drop in to the Sentry Box in Calgary, where they do carry games and figures I like, and I make sure I stock up!

Most of the rules and models I buy from the maker, or from online retailers like Northstar. The vast majority of those suppliers are in the UK. Oddly, delivery times are quite reasonable from the UK to this part of Canada and the postage costs are high, but often not insane (especially if VAT is included in the list price and is deducted from my cost, as Northstar does).

[Rick]

I wonder if the results would alter much if they specifically exclude GW products?
Still, it's an interesting survey but still doesn't help if, say, a US producer doesn't have a regional importer or vice-versa.

[Funkmachine7]

As Uk Based collecter i can say that imports are less atractive for small spontaneous orders due to higher taxs an postage, when your order doubles in price for shipping you think twice about it. 

Luckly many of the US figuers have UK importers and shipping from europe is not too bad.

If i'm buying via middle man like ebay, esty, vintid ect then its relativly easy to find some one closer selling the same thing.

[Fred Mills]

Super interesting.

I'm in Canada and buy a lot online, mostly from the UK and Europe. Though closer, US postal rates or couriers are exorbitant. The couriers charge bogus handling and tax payment fees, which mostly doubles the actual shipping and handling cost, while Canada Post sometimes charges extra fees and sometimes not. A few - such as Litko Bases, a great company - offer low or now postage fees, based on reasonable volume, as do places like Sarissa, another great vendor. Others (Total Battle in Europe) also have free shipping at certain purchase points, but these thresholds tend to be very high - which is perfectly understandable, but still prohibitive for most ordinary purchases. And very generally, I find the order experience from the UK/Europe to be far easier and less costly than the US, with - inexplicably - faster shipments too.


In Canada, there are some well-stocked vendors, including the terrific Sentry Box in Calgary, which I can physically visit a few times a year due to work travel. Alberta has no provincial sales tax, an added benefit. Imperial Hobbies in Vancouver is great but I visit less often; it is close to the international airport but has higher prices and BC does have provincial sales tax. Meeplemart in Toronto is very good for board games and has super reasonable shipping rates within Canada, but is  increasingly poor for historical miniatures. (Meeplemart used to stock loads of PSC, but not so much anymore.)

One of these days, I'll get to Salute or Partizan and drain the family finances directly. Until then, those great UK and European sellers will see me in their in-box!

[HerbertTarkel]

Canadian as well. I’ve lived in Vancouver and now am in Calgary.


Can confirm that US postal rates are egregious. Often cheaper to order anything from the UK, and, ironically is 99% faster. US Post is horrible. Also now the tariffs issues are so random out of the US that I (and I m think many Canadians) are ignoring US when possible.

Calgary has Sentry Box, the “world’s largest gaming shop” (it is something like 14,000sft!). They have normal retail prices but a good rewards program. I used to live a lot closer to the Box, but now it’s an adventure to get there. Calgary is one of the worst cities in Canada for endless urban sprawl without good transit. Horribly car-centric.

Vancouver has Imperial Hobbies. Their subscribe to discount program does work out well. I lived just over a bridge to get to it, so would go there often. They have changed a lot since I began. Going there, with a bigger focus on “popular games” versus historicals. Still a good shop.

There are a few other shops in Canada.

I also order from online shops - I will get GW pre orders from shops in Quebec usually. 15% discount, night before officially order able, and a healthy reward program make them good to order from. Plus the English editions sell out less quickly, due to Quebec.

I will order direct from GW in Memphis here in North America, but their supply chain is so horrible right now. I have been looking for 2 boxes of Howling Banshees for my Eldar army for … 6 months? No resupply. Just frustrating. I’ve heard GW is building a new plant at the site of an old bus yard in Nottingham, so maybe that will help. GW’s one thing they do right is shipping: UPS, no fees, and literally in 2-3 days. Staggering how they can do it, honestly.

Amazon is also a random source occasionally. But price checking is always a must.

[JonFreitag]

If interested in seeing a diverse response to this analysis and topic, a broader discussion can be found on Palouse Wargaming Journal at
UK: Center of Miniatures Wargaming Trade.

[HerbertTarkel]

If interested in seeing a diverse response to this analysis and topic, a broader discussion can be found on Palouse Wargaming Journal at
UK: Center of Miniatures Wargaming Trade.

Looks like you grabbed the Australian and US side of things in the comments.

[JonFreitag]

There is a number of British and New Zealanders in among the commenters too!

[HerbertTarkel]

There is a number of British and New Zealanders in among the commenters too!

There used to be a decent hobby shop in Spokane - somewhere up where the main road split into north and south - in a strip mall, if I’m not mistaken.  Still there?

Haven’t been to Spokane in something like a decade. Used to stay at the Davenport when I went, fantastic ghost stories about that hotel!

[JonFreitag]

Nope.  Hobbytown at the 'Y' is long gone.  Next time you come to Spokane, let me know.  My gaming table is always open.

[HerbertTarkel]

Nope.  Hobbytown at the 'Y' is long gone.  Next time you come to Spokane, let me know.  My gaming table is always open.

Will do, and thanks! Spokane is an under appreciated gem of a city. Go Zags!

[carlos marighela]

While there are some US companies that produce quality products that appeal, it's very rare these days that I purchase anything from the US. In fact, now that I really think about it I'm struggling to think of anything I have purchased from the US in the past five years and that includes sellers on online mega marts like ebay etc. I've gone through the sales process with a few in the past few years then killed the order when we get to the second mortgage that's the P&P charges.

The reasons are as above. P&P is exorbitant. USPS and the courier services are quite bad enough but some of it seems to start with the vendor themselves, applying silly handling charges from the get go or being unwilling to look at actual postage costs and aggregating those costs unneccesarily high. We get it that the customer will absorb those costs but I've had postage costs quoted that make absolutely no fucking sense. I often get the impression that US gaming manufacturers and retailers really have little interest in export sales. Murrican products for murricans only. Maybe they think we are stealing US military technology? Maybe they all read the Art of the Deal and thought it was non-fiction work?

As a result I pretty much only buy from local, UK or European manufacturers and retailers plus the occasional buy from Chinese sellers for cheap filler items lie trees and scatter terrain. Europe is essentially half the distance again to Australia, compared to the West coast of the US.

It's funny, there's a debate going on in the larger bat shit crazy tariff war about allowing additional US beef sales into Australia, largely around bio-security (no foot and mouth, screw worm, BSE or other nasties here). Australia already allows the importation of US raised and slaughtered beef, and it has done for about a decade. The current argument is about US slaughtered beef raised in third countries, like Mexico and Canada and whether tracing information for disease control can be accurately supplied.

Here's the fun bit. US beef is already imported, legally. It's sales volume is incredibly low as Australia produces far more beef than it can consume and US production costs, including shipping, make it totally uncompetitive. The Yanks are up in arms about a product they won't be able to shift anyway.

[HerbertTarkel]

Well, noted lunatic RFK Jr cancelled the FDA - why would anyone trust American beef?!?

No thanks.

[carlos marighela]

Fortunately we won't need to. US cattle stocks are at their lowest in decades, they can't even begin to supply their own domestic market, hence their reliance on imports from Brazil, Australia, etc, etc.

Australia on the other hand is the number 2 producer of beef on the planet and 75% is exported and a fair chunk goes to the old Estados Unidos. Unlike the EUA, we like science. So, if and when the tin tanks can demonstrate that, yes, they can accurately account for the provenance of their produc, they are welcome to try and sell it here. Free trade and all that.

Back to gaming. I notice that quite a few UK manufacturers have distributors in other countries. Even one man shows like Eureka, here in Oz have distributors in the UK and US. Nic at Eureka also does, Salute and maybe one other UK show every year. This is not something you see with US manufacturers as a general rule, although I would note Wargames Atlantic have a local distribution outlet.