"GW paints cheaper if you don’t buy directly from them?" Topic

Does anyone know why Citadel paints are more expensive on the GW website than they are on hobby shop sites? I just ordered some stuff from my preferred hobby site which charges 15% less per paint pot. I can't imagine that a hobby shop is using such a prominent seller as a loss leader to get you to buy other stuff. They also have a loyalty program that translates into some additional small discounts and they offer free shipping on £20.00 GBP orders as opposed to £40.00 GBP on GW orders. I can't see anyone ordering directly from GW for the exact same products that are regularly available elsewhere for significantly less money. Does anybody know why this is the case?

Shops, most likely, pay a wholesale price in exchange for buying in larger quantities. They also often discount off of "manufacturers suggested retail price" to get your attention. They also usually work on a lower profit margin to do that.

"I can't see anyone ordering directly from GW for the exact same products that are regularly available elsewhere for significantly less money."

Oh, I can. Young players whose intro to the hobby was a GW store. The parents and grandparents of those said young players who were just given a link to order presents with. Christmas and sometimes birthdays, the kids send me links to stuff for the grandkids. I do NOT say "I can find something cheaper elsewhere which looks to me like exactly the same product." It's not my field, and I know it.

If the kids stay in the hobby, they'll probably grow more cunning. But in GW's experience so far, there have always been more kids in the pipeline.

My paint orders are rarely above £10.00 GBP, easier to buy from a GW shop when I am in town (choice of three or more towns nearby) than to order by post and pay postage !

Most vendors across the gamut of all higher volume products do this. It's a sales strategy. If all resellers were required to charge full list price for something, then resellers would have a harder time selling much of it as a good chunk of buyers would simply purchase direct. If the resellers don't sell much of it, they stop buying and selling the product entirely. What is generally more valuable to the vendor: having 1 place to show and sell their product or having 1000 places show and sell their product?

Look at other brands like Warlord Games, Wargames Atlantic and all of the rest. Their products can be found for less on 3rd party seller sites. Even smaller sellers like GHQ with a very limited reseller list, if there are even any left, could have their product found cheaper than list at hobby stores.

There is markup at every step of a products flow from factory to sales floor. Anyone can choose to mark it up a little less and hope that equals increased volume.

Some vendors, usually of high prestige products, push full list price, but this is a bit of the exception.

Does anybody know why this is the case?

15% is the typical discount from independent stores.

I honestly don't buy that much paint so pay MSRP from the Warhammer store

It's not just paints, the local GW store charges $50 USDNZ more for a combat patrol box than the local independents. I asked the guy in the store about this and he pointed out that the GW store gave lessons in painting and playing so you were paying for that. But he had only just finished complaining about toothache and being unable to afford a dentist so they obviously aren't paying him extra for providing that service.
I took my money elsewhere.

Robert (who, after swearing off the evil empire over a decade ago has found the combat patrol boxes a great way out of a painting slump)

Sometimes it works the other way, too. It used to be cheaper, and you'd get your figures more quickly, to buy Essex figures direct from Essex in the UK, and pay for the phone call to the UK and airmail P&P. Buying them from the importer in Australia meant higher prices (for a while they were more expensive, per figure,than AB's) and a wait of up to two months for them to be posted (which was worse than the higher prices).

The growth of internet shopping gradually changed that, as people became aware of the "Australia Tax" and prices eased, slightly. Then Warlords and others introduced regional pricing and some countries went feral with their P&P charges. So things are reverting to the mid-90's.

(Note tariffs were not mentioned in this post. )

GW offer free postage in Oz. I think it's on purchases over $75 USDau?

Had thought the usual discount was 10% here to?? At last when I last checked.

I've got boggins of their paint to shift, noone wants it, even at throw away prices.

Have had an issue with dried and we'll settled paints at independent stores. Got them cheap and or replaced, so it worked out.

Perhaps people are fearful of such issues? So stick with GW, where the paint turn over is expected to be greater meaning fresh paint.

I'm still using mine, no signs of drying, last I checked, if a tad thick, it's called water. But I'm having no issues.

Hoping to be at toy fair, sold a few last time. Freaken tonnes left to go.

Its not just wargaming where this sort of things happen. I live a mile from a major manufacturer of model railway models and track. They have a retail shop attached to the factory. When I was into railway modelling I found myself buying by post from a shop 200 miles away. Even after paying postage I was saving 25-30% over the price I would pay at the manufacturers shop

Probably because the retailer was buying in bulk.

A dribble of sales from a manufacturer shop can be more of a hindrance.

If you needed enough you may have been able to swing an even better price.