Petition to GW... chances of this working?

[ash]

Here is a petition that I found on another forum:

Hi Guys,

As you know with the current value of our Australian Dollar it has become cheaper to buy Games Workshop Products from the UK and overseas. When you look at the bigger more expensive items the savings quickly add up.

I have spoken with Games Workshop about what can be done to allow our Australian Retailers to purchase GW stock at wholesale prices that compete with overseas and allow us to spend our money locally and but at the same price as overseas.

GW Australia cannot go to the higher powers on one or two complaints or suggestions. It will take as many Australian gamers as possible to add their name to this petition to make a change.

I live in Toowoomba Queensland. While we have a very good base of GW players locally and regionally this will change without a local store that supports the hobby. I have no link to the local store other than being a guy who has played GW games since Rogue trader and the desire to see the hobby continue to grow locally. Without our local gaming stores well will lose a large portion of our player base and have far fewer new recruits as well as a place for gamers to socialise around the gaming tables.

Once we have enough names on the petition I will forward it onto Games Workshop.

Rules:

This is not a place to bitch and start a flame war or long list of complaints. If you agree please add you Name, Suburb and State.

If you don't agree thanks for taking the time to read this petition.



Above all Happy Gaming!

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Now who believes that this will actually inspire GW to change prices to reflect the different currency values?

How much cheaper would prices have to be for you to want to buy from local retailers (assuming you buy overseas)?

Will GW drop prices by 40% and throw in free postage?

Why is there only this one and its aimed at GW?
Why not at the other companies too?
BF and PP products are also very very cheap overseas...


I only post this here as there is a lack of discussion on the topic over at the original forums.

[majordodo]

I believe it will do nothing. The fact is that theyre obviously selling enough in Australia to turn a reasonably profit so without knowing the exact numbers I'd say reducing the prices by any sizeable difference wouldnt really be in the company's best interest.
As for the other mini companies, maybe its just image? You surf the net more than me, is GW regarded as so much more the big evil corp than other mini producers.

[ash]

Of course GW is seen as being the big evil corporation. There are a lot of jaded gamers out there and then theres the fact GW has been on the stock exchange for a long time. Once other companies see comparable success and have the money to buy into the stock exchange I'll bet money that after a number of years and having to keep holders happy that people will start naysaying them aswell.

I guess as this is a petition about prices and their difference between here and say the UK there is no real reason why one out of the three biggest companies should be the focus especially when the smallest discount I can get is 30% off one of the other producers of miniatures. That same company outsources production to malaysia mind you...

All I can say is wait till the other guys spend a long time with share holders and watch their prices go up.

BTW this petition will not work for the simple fact that Australia accounts for something like 5% of worldwide sales of GW product. Thats not just now but has always been like that. We are small fish.

[ash]

Here is a pretty sensible idea from one of the WAU members:

EvilGez:

I agree with this whole heartedly, as I work in a hobby store, and we have seen the effects of peoples changes in purchasing behaviour.

I would suggest that GW would need to change its wholesale pricing structure before any sort of changes are possible. The biggest killer to a bricks and mortar store is the massive discounts available from puely online stores such as Scrap/Gaming Dragon and the like. These stores do nothing to expand the hobby and introduce new players.

The key to changing the viability of bricks and mortar stores over an online store is for GW to infact raise their wholesale prices to about 80% of the retail price. Proven Bricks and Mortar stores, those that are actually listed in the phone book with an actual store front should then be given a 20% discount on this inflated wholesale price. This would bring the wholesale price to bricks and mortar stores down to something close to the current GW margin, when selling at the RRP. If the store has gaming tables available or does other activities regularly then maybe another 5% discount would be available.

It is the difference between the overheads of running a physical store and an online store that are the biggest issues for retailers. We know the prices are high, and are just getting higher year on year, and we don't want to see your money going out of the country. But a real store can not compete with an online business that has next to no overheads, because it may be being run from an individuals garage as a tax write off.

Think about where you started buying your first figures, and how many purchases of completely new to your life products you have made without actually seeing and handling a sample of the product.

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This however really only affects the fact that online stores can offer a decent discount versus Bricks and Mortar stores.

I do not purchase from any Oz online stores who at best give 20% and free postage. The above idea would help equalise the footing between oz bricks and mortars stores with oz online stores.

[FOWnut]

I think it's up to the gamers/hobbyists to make sensible decisions regarding their purchasing habits and consider the consequences of those decisions.

Think about this: My local bricks & mortar store offers:

• Gaming tables & terrain to game on. As an added bonus it's their problem to find storage room!
  
• A social place to meet people with similar interests.
  
• A place where can I see different games being played that may be worth getting involved in, without having to purchase them first.
  
• Single tubs of paint without paying extra freight
  
• Can view other people's mini's and get tips on painting etc.
  
• Get back up service if there are any problems with a purchase.
  
• Support the local club
  

There are probably a lot more valid points to be made that I can't think of right now, but I'm sure you get my point.

I'm happy to pay more at the LGS, where I also play. I'd rather pay more and have the store stay open! Why line the pockets of people who don't give a shit about my local gaming community, when there's a store that stocks the products and supplies tables & terrain to game on? It also irritates me to hear of people pricing up a new army at the LGS and then shopping around online for a better deal. As stated in a previous post, the LGS is going to HAVE to be dearer to cover the overheads.

On the other side of the coin I can understand that cash flow problems create the need to shop around, hence my first comment about 'hobbyists making sensible purchasing choices'.

[alex]

Gamers will buy their minis cheaper online, fine- but they will end up having to pay for gaming suitable locations to stay open- so they are only saving money in the short term. Unless they are buying miniatures but not planning to game with them.
[/$0.02]

[ash]

I wonder how many clubs there are that are actually located within a gaming store?
I know of two in Adelaide out of the eight or so besides GW store. And with GW having opened their first one man store over in Sydney (or was it Melbourne) I would not be surprised if it becomes a more common thing.

Gaming clubs outside of gaming stores are in general bigger and there is no guilt of bringing in models you purchased elsewhere (for those with morals.... ). There will always be clubs.

Originally we were going to be stocking product at Movie Nights but it really is not worth it as even myself who would be running it would still be buying overseas as it is still 10-20% cheaper than wholesale! Therefore we wont be stocking it, well none of the stuff from the big companies anyways.

A lot of the Friday night gamers have learned of a certain overseas store and now use it exclusively. Even the impulse buy from going into a hobby shop is not evident as it only takes 4-5 days to get your product (free shipping if over 10 pounds).

The only stuff I buy from say Military Hobbies is the stuff I can not get from that certain store.

I think the best solution to the problem without having to count on companies changing policies or exchange rates evening out would be for stores to start diversifying their stock and pushing games not sold by those online overseas companies. But even then the reason why they are not stocked is because it is not popular but in the event that it does become popular those online stores will start stocking it.

I know other businesses not gaming related that are starting to source stock outside their usual distributors in an effort to save money.

Question. I heard wizards of the coast have banned online stores from selling products internationally. Is this true?

If so it could be a way to combat it.

[bigdave]

I agree totally. In this global age people seem to forget that if you spend $1 at a local store, the they can spend that same $1 in another local store. With a little bit of logical extension you will see that the same $1 will end up back in your pocket so that you can spend it again.
The origin of the word "Import" is the acquisition of good that are not readily available or produced in the local area.

And it is really difficult to have a really good cackle and bullshit session with someone who is 4 continents away whom you don't share any common history.

[ash]

What is there to stop a local retailer from buying from an overseas source for much cheaper than what they can buy it from their local rep and then resell it?

You will be still paying GST on the sale, you are still making a profit.... All that might happen is the parent company might stop selling you their stock at wholesale but that would not matter as you would not be using them anymore.

There is probably some legality stuff I am not aware of to stop this but it would be no different than the way people operate in flea markets or ebay...

[draconis]

The last O.S order I got was worth over a grand and attracted around $300 in import duties which pretty much shot the ol' profit margin to sh1t

I could restock the shop by sourcing stock from O.S. but the afore-mentioned would make it pointless, and the customers would probably just buy it cheaper from the same people I bought it from, and not have to pay import duty... Hmm

[ash]

I'll guess that that order came from BF?
I thought they split orders in order for you to avoid having to pay that?

[draconis]

It was, they now do... I was just using it as an example of how people will still buy individual orders O.S. regardless of what we do.

There are a few people here that already use O.S services (and a certain auction site ) for their purchases.

As an indie, I have no control over that... I can't make people make their purchases at the shop (note to self... buy cattle prod tomorrow ;D) I just have to hope I can hold on long enough for the market to swing back in my favour.

[ash]

Dude, if I were you I would buy OS when people make orders and you do not have the stock. Pocket yourself an extra tasty percentage