Okay, I hate pricing rants....."either buy or not buy, there is no rant".
But sometimes it is interesting as an observer to see the train wreck unfold.
GW are releasing their new Deathwatch game accompanied by what are some pretty impressive miniatures. I got into 40k after the Genestealer Cult had been and gone but remember seeing a local gamer Shane Rongonui"s army. As a TO I used to make dispensations so he could field it in events 10-15 years ago. The new release is a board game with models for a Deathwatch Kill Team and their insidious opponents.
GW have set the price at GBP 100, USD 165, AUD 280 and NZD 330. Let's take that NZD price and convert it into the other currencies:
- GBP 158
- USD 220
- AUD 305
So NZD gamers are paying an enormous premium for GW's corporate tax policies. In this casewe pay approximately 160% of UK price, 133% of the US price and 108% of the AUD price.
If I was looking to purchase this game and didn't need it immediately - and let's be frank, who does? - then I would be going to one of the bulk sellers in the UK like Element Games or Firestorm Games....The Google will give you their website details. They will give you 20% off dropping the price to GBP 80 (or NZD 167 in real rather than GW world).
Of course GW has stopped them from sending to you direct so....again using The Google....go to NZ Post's Youshop site. Here you can sign up for a free address at their depot in the UK and UK sellers will happily send the product. You then pay NZ Post's low international post rates to your home in NZ.
And all done on this crazy new invention called the Internet that GW doesn't seem to think its customers can use. It takes 5 minutes and you can do it from home in your underpants!
I feel for the local retailers that have to try and sell GW products at these prices. However you wonder whether in the long run it is worth their while. Any sort of informed consumer is going to balk at paying such a ludicrous markup. Therefore you customer base is the ignorant or the independently wealthy (Venn diagram says Timmy's Mum). I'd be very interested to see what would happen if independents in Oz and NZ just stopped selling GW until they received a pricing parcel that provided more global parity. I guess this would only happen when local consumers act less like battered wives.
Posted with Blogsy
2006 called, they want their exchange rate back.
ReplyDeleteIt was always the discrepancy of NZD prices compared to GBP, rather than the base GBP prices of GW, that irritated me. Especially when combined with the EU embargo.
Yep....it's the NZ Tax that hurts the most.
Deletein your underpants
ReplyDeleteI am so torn. I LOVE 'stealer cults they were also my first army I had bright purple rhinos it was awesome.
ReplyDeleteBut these prices - I mean E.Force I thought was okay it had solo play or up to 5 people playing cool minis though many were old nice boards etc I wasn't thrilled but the model count and bits compared with Hobbit Start Dark Vengeance or Age of Sigmar seemed in line. But I decided i can wait till it goes nearly out of print and pick it up at a discount- not a MUST BUY
B@Calth was a massive jump I remember being pumped at the tease then seeing the price come out online I was actually gutted. I didn't buy it. I don't think $300.00 to dump in one game is reasonable no matter how I slice it - I can buy literally three excellent board games for that price or two of theor new Start Collecting boxes or two Warmachine factions for variable builds that my son wants.
I can afford it - I'd probably love it too but then am I encouraging the next set to be $350.00 the one in December will that be $375.00?
Have I milked this post enough?
They do seem to enjoy probing price points
DeleteIncluded in the UK sellers who happily post to your UK YouShop address is GW themselves. Go figure.
ReplyDeleteYeah that's what makes the embargo a little silly. Still it would have been quicker for me to get the model I ordered from GW Direct Only via England than the 13 days it takes GW to get it from Oz to its Hutt store
DeleteI would say the new Genestealer Cult figures look really nice....still not $330 nice for me to have as a painting project.
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