"25/28mm figures prices" Topic

TLDR

TLDR?

In normal speak?

Gracias,

Glenn

"Does GW sell to literally 10's of 1,000's of gamers??? Or is this (completely understandable) hyperbole? "

Well, I did say I would hazard to say. GW had sales of nearly $225 USD million last year. If every one of its customers spent $1,000 USD last year, that would theoretically be 225,000 different customers. Likely, they have many more customers than that, probably over half a million.

On the GZG/Hasslefree debate. For my 25mm gaming, and when I move into 15mm I will continue to use GZG for my bulk of figures. For some purely lovely sculpts for something to paint (naked ladies for example) I'll buy from Kev. I'd love to see a time when the Grymm were perhaps a a bit cheaper – but only due to a personal wish for having around 50-100+ of them for a force. I just can't afford £3/3.50 a figure from anyone when I want to do a force that large. The GZG sculpts are nice, a lot of Kev's stuff to me is nicer. Either way both companies are on my 'buy from' list.

It depends on what you want figures for really. I used to buy a lot of GW stuff, nowadays I might buy some (Tau, Kroot, maybe some Eldar) but I don't like their prices for a lot of their stuff. I do 28mm and 25mm sci-fi gaming. I buy what I like. It's cost me quite a bit to collect the OOP WEG Star Wars figures in relation to buying other figures – are they great sculpts? No. Did they cost me more than £1.00 GBP a figure for true 25mm, yes in some cases but I wanted them. I like the WOTC pre-painted Star Wars plastics – but I do think they are a rip off – as in randomly packed, some figures that are nice and are useful, due to their rarity they go for crazy amounts – a false market created on them. Much the same way GW price certain figures.

Long story short (no joke at Kev's expense here) everyone has their own price they are prepared to pay for any particular figure or range.

Let's see, for $15.00 USD you get 7 random game miniatures, from WOTC for there Star Wars game, sound good, until you see them, they are done by 3rd rate sculptors, and 5th rate painters. There mass produced in China and look like it, but if there the only Star Wars figures available, what can you do.

There is this illusion, or at least hyperbole, that you can't put a price on quality, or that somehow all thing are equal, maybe in a Marxist alternative reality. Nonsense, I buy quality first, then availability, I expect to pay for it, and if you make it; you deserve to make tons of money off it. If anyone is happy, with any product that is inherently cheaper, say D&D figures from early 70's, you would be a fool not to buy some on EBay.

I'd love to see a time when the Grymm were perhaps a a bit cheaper – but only due to a personal wish for having around 50-100+ of them for a force. I just can't afford £3/3.50 a figure from anyone when I want to do a force that large.

Actually the Grymn are priced at £2.50 GBP for a single trooper mini, but you can buy a pack of five for £10.00 GBP ;)

Kev – don't tempt me even more damn you….

My mistake on the prices, sorry. Wish you hadn't told me that, now the last remnents of excuses are crumbling. Gah!
Just don't offer a deal better than that for a bit ok? :-)

TO All Over the Skye

Too Long Didn't Read

I read along until the ranting back and forth started, then TLDR for ranting purposes.

Roger that! If I hadn't started the thread I suspect I would have bailed too. I kept looking for useful dettails between the…other stuff.

TLDR – hmm, useful, I'll have to remember that one.

Gracias,

Glenn

I'm with Alien…Surfer on this one, Kev. It's not nice to tempt people like that.

Gracias,

Glenn

It's a free world. At least as far as miniatures are concerned. You don't have to buy them just because they're lovely and shiney.

Didn't you find Sal's costings interesting?

Kev, yes we do, but what I really want from you is 15mm characters, I'd pay your current £2-4 per figure for character figs in 15mm, I would even consider an army of Grmyn in 15mm.

After reading three pages of this thread, I leave it convinced that the figure manufacturers are not charging enough for their product. They are vastly underpaid vis a vis the amount of work that they have to do and the minimal payback for their efforts.

As consumers, we need to recognize that there is a distinct difference between "the price that we would like to pay" versus "the price the company needs to charge to make a living".

I had a chance to buy a figure range once, and the thought of having to spend all of my free time spin casting figures, cleaning them up, packaging them, shipping them via mail, traveling to conventions to sell them, etc was enough of a reality check to make me decide not to pursue the opportunity. I tip my hat to those who are willing to do the hard work.

Kev: you should feel no need to divulge your profit margins or your business model. It's nobody's damn business.

As far as cost/price models go, when I'm reviewing a client's financial statements and business costs, I advise them to calculate their direct cost of the product and multiply that by a factor of at least 2 to get to a baseline product price. That's just to cover direct costs and overhead, i.e break even. Then they tack on a margin so that they can actually earn money from their efforts. Figure manufacturers should do no less.

Kev: you should feel no need to divulge your profit margins or your business model. It's nobody's damn business.

It's neccessary if we're ever going to stop the whining about miniatures being too expensive.

Well, I just read the link to Sally's comments. Interesting but I don't see the profit in the pricing myself. Do I want you to raise prices? Hell, no. If you did would I think you were price gougung? No. Very interesting but like most small business people I think you downplay your costs.

I believe I was not the one to say they were over-priced. Outside my comfort zone for everyday figures (to state my position in different words) doesn't mean over-priced. If that is too subtle a distinction for some of the other posters…what can I say?

I started the thread to get an idea of what others saw as a 'reasonable' range of prices for (primarily at this time) 25/28mm Old West figures and some small possible other eras/genres (SF, AWI, and Dwarf) I can see me buying figures for in the next 1-5 years. In that I succeeded. Muchas Gracias to those who stayed on-topic without rancor. Gracias to the rest.

Didn't want a 'price-war' thread but knew it was possible. <shrug> Life happens.

Miniatures are (or should be) primarily artistic expresions of what are essentially game counters. The free market decides what is priced correctly. I decide how much I am willing to pay. Sometimes those two agree.

Just to make a point, go to Tumbling Dice and price a 1/600th B-29. I bought three of them for a core of 9 B-29's for a scenario. GBP – 2.70. For one 1/600th plane. Crazy, right? Well, not for my game plans. Oh, and check out the B-47 and B-52 prices. And the Hercules. Value? To me, yes.

HF – keep selling the figures you make at a price you need to live at a reasonable level of comfort. As said, no one is forced to buy the stuff.

Gracias,

Glenn

I started the thread to get an idea of what others saw as a 'reasonable' range of prices…..

You did indeed. And I crashed the party and knocked over a few chairs :D

Sorry 'bout that.

So, out of curiosity, anyone care to venture what the profit is on figures made by GW, Old Glory and how about the Perry Miniatures plastics?

"…I crashed the party and knocked over a few chairs…"

Forgiven. Altho' if you want to sculpt space faring mice… LOL!

Gracias,

Glenn

Bede19025!

Go start another thread! I am still picking up the crockery!

Jez' kidding.

About the crockery. <wink>

Gracias,

Glenn

Grymn are very cheap to buy, especially when you purchase the "5 Packs." And, along with all HF figures, they paint up quite nicely :)
link

I dare you to go start a new thread on the main board about how brillaint they are :-D

I'll give you a free Grymn model of your choice for every Grymn order of £20.00 GBP or more that comes through with "OrcTrader forced me to buy them" in the comments box.

Quote:

I dare you to go start a new thread on the main board about how brillaint they are :-D

I'll give you a free Grymn model of your choice for every Grymn order of £20.00 GBP GBP or more that comes through with "OrcTrader forced me to buy them" in the comments box.

Dare accepted.

Though, of course, I must decline your offer of the Grymn. :)

Should not there be a time limitation on this dare/deal? Say, in the next 1, 2, 3,4, 6 months at the most?

Gracias,

Glenn

Quote: "Should not there be a time limitation on this dare/deal? Say, in the next 1, 2, 3,4, 6 months at the most?"

No need to limit this because:

"Dare accepted.
Though, of course, I must decline your offer of the Grymn. :)

Lovely jubbly :-D

Although I think you might find something extra in your next order, nevertheless.