The Hobbit minis; are those prices for real??

[Hildred Castaigne]

The strange thing is that even though "GW prices are high" and "they're increasing" are among the oldest and best known pieces of not-news in this scene, they still manage to surprise me.

I confess I bought a few blisters from local shop's bargain bin last year...with a 11e price sticker right next to the original £3 from ten years ago. Has the inflation really been that high?

Fair enough that this is nothing new, but this is just the new low.
GW has always charged an obscene amount for their products.
So in 2015 we will probably be sickened once again at their new prices!

[Johnno]

I'm going to start by saying that I do not work for GW but enjoy many of their products, however as a customer, I sometimes have to wonder and shake my head.

When the Imperial Guard first came out in plastic I thought they were bloody expensive.
Then GW split the box in half and raised the price.

I noticed this myself which is why I do most of my shopping in the US (where prices are considerably cheaper than Canada even though the dollar is at par. I recently bought a box of 24 Dwarf Rangers, at full price  for $39.95. The newer version carries 12  Dwarf Rangers for $29.99. Theoretically common sense dictates that 50% less models should be 50% less money not 25% less.

Who else practically doubles the cost of miniatures *after* they have covered all the initial expenses? 

I hope most of you are considering overhead costs. How many of our beloved miniature companies do not have a single brick and mortar store and limited employees with probably next to no benefits. Whereas, GW has dozens if not hundreds of stores with hundreds of employees and some benefits.

I think if GW could reduce their stores/employees and overall costs that possibly we could see prices decrease.

[Funghy-Fipps]

It would actually be quite interesting to calculate just how out-of-step with inflation GWs price increases are. Apart from the occasional pot of paint I don't give them any of my money these days (though the reason is as much about aesthetics as it is about cash).

I was recently talking to the owner of a local model shop that carries GW products and he expressed how disappointing sales for The Hobbit miniatures have been. Personally I feel that the way GW have been fiscally abusing their customers over the last decade they deserve to fail: hopefully it would serve as a much-needed wake-up call.

[Dolmot]

Personally I feel that the way GW have been fiscally abusing their customers over the last decade they deserve to fail

Yet by reporting quite healthy profits for last year they're proving these 20-year old expectations false and their own business model successful.

[Mason]

It seems there are some that are willing to part with their cash regardless of value for money.
Their price hikes probably mean they are still taking the same amount of money off of each individual, it just means that the individual gets a lot less for his money after each increase.
Hence their 'profit' margin.

What amazes me is that it has continued year after year and shows no sign of stopping.
Can it go on 'forever'?
Common sense says no, but it has already gone on for this long, so who knows...?

[Doomhippie]

I agree that GW charges a rediculous amount of money for their individual characters. But if I look at the Goblin Town box it's about 2 Euros per miniature and I do know lots of companies that are just as expensive. 12 dwarves for 30 Euros? That's about 3 Euro per miniature. Still within normal price range I'd say.

Okay, 80 Euros for the White Council? That is far beyond anything reasonable. It's those special miniature prices that kill me. 20 Euro for one Gandalf. Hello? The three trolls just as bad.

I don't mind buying the rank and file stuff for the Hobbit or LotR. But I really do look what special miniatures I buy.

[Vermis]

I hope most of you are considering overhead costs.

I keep seeing this argument, and some day I wouldn't mind seeing a breakdown of it.

But if I look at the Goblin Town box it's about 2 Euros per miniature and I do know lots of companies that are just as expensive. 12 dwarves for 30 Euros? That's about 3 Euro per miniature. Still within normal price range I'd say.

Compared to what?  Metal minis (quality ones in particular), or other plastics?

[thebinmann]

Common sense says no, but it has already gone on for this long, so who knows...?

Surely there is s limit to the funds people (and parents) can invest in minis, it is now cheaper to buy vintage on ebay than the new stuff which seems crazy given that GW can make as many figures as they like. But at £8+ a mini for mass produced stuff it seems excessive....

[Doomhippie]

Compared to what?  Metal minis (quality ones in particular), or other plastics?

Hm, the thread so far has not made any distinction so I'll go as far as saying both, I guess. I often do see both plastics and metal miniatures of early to mid 80s standart that cost around 3-4 Euros and even more. Now I don't want to put down the 80s miniatures, I loved them and still think fondly of them, but the sculpting quality has really improved (or should have).

As I said, the high price range of GW is really absurd, no doubt about that. And I do not particularly care for the 40k and WH Fantasy comic style of GW. But I really like the qualtity of the Middle-Earth miniatures and the average plastic box is not quite as far out as lots of other things of GW. I'm not saying they are cheap - but they are not the rip of as the finecasts or individual metal miniatures.

[Gibby]

Yet by reporting quite healthy profits for last year they're proving these 20-year old expectations false and their own business model successful.

Yes but it's the margins that have changed. Actual sale numbers had decreased. Not a sustainable business model, but one that pleases investors in the short-term, which is the goal of the director.

[ar-pharazon]

Like others I will not be buying these

I have enough unpainted LoTR stuff and between these and proxied historicals I'm cool

I did get the Goblin Town set but only because I got it at 30% discount. When I got Moria the rulebook in that was usable even if you didn't want to buy the main big rulebook. You can't do that here, you have to buy the book

Since I didn't like the way the game was going, with a move to set tournament armies, it doesn't bother me that much, and I'll be working on the 10mm Battle of the Five Armies and Copplestone figs I got years ago even though I could fund the 28mm stuff by selling the BoFA stuff

The Dwarf Rangers were my conclusion also. I did buy a spare Bilbo and I'm using the boxed set Gandalf, and using a Spanish Dwarf Captain I got long ago for a special project, you can play in the world cheaper than using GW

And with different rules too

[Wilkins]

For anyone that is interested

http://investor.games-workshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Half-year-press-statement.pdf

They actually seem to be doing well. I find this perplexing when I spend far more money at places like HMV which are doing, shall we say, "less well."

[Hildred Castaigne]

For anyone that is interested

http://investor.games-workshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Half-year-press-statement.pdf

They actually seem to be doing well. I find this perplexing when I spend far more money at places like HMV which are doing, shall we say, "less well."

Thanks for sharing that, Wilkins!
I will properly read it when I am more awake, but it is great to put some figures on GW's operations.
But from a glance it is clear that profits are still high.

[P_Clapham]

I have the same plan to use my existing LotR miniatures, and the Dwarf Rangers box set for the Hobbit.  Right now I am regretting shelling out $90 for the Hobbit core book.  I could have gotten along just fine with the Lord of the Rings rulebook.  While the Hobbit book is pretty, it doesn't have enough crunch in it to justify the cost.

[Viper]

I'll have to check the newer figures but certainly a couple of years back GW had increased profits but contracting sales.

The prices keep going up, and costs keep getting cut everywhere possible with no benefit passed on to the consumers, to keep the shareholders happy.