updates the bases on some cheap pre-paints.
Hopefully by now you will have already seen this news notice on the Heresy site, on Twitter or Facebook, or on the Forum of Doom over the last few weeks.
I am shocked and horrified at the latest price for metal. It has risen another 30% since December, which itself had gone up 12% since the price rise in September. I just can't carry on with the prices as they are on the majority of the range. I need to put prices up again to maintain minimum profitability. It saddens me to do it, but it means that there is a reason why GW are charging £8.00 GBP plus for single figures these days.
To illustrate: When I started out, the metal price was £4.65 GBP a kg plus VAT (15% rate back then), it is now £23.75 GBP/kg plus VAT (20%) - which means in order to get bare minimum profits on the heavier figures at trade discount (which is the bugger in all of the pricing problems), and that ignores additional costs such as packaging, labor, a figure like a Deathball Ogre, which weighs a lot due to all the optional parts and bulk, now needs to be priced at £22.00 GBP each. Currently they are £12.00 GBP, with an option to buy them at £8.00 GBP each if you get five or more. Something has to give, the disparity is too great. I think they will have to come with less pieces from now on, i.e., only two random fists, not six, only two heads not three, just so I can scrape some savings on the RRP. The NL2, it says on my Excel spreadsheet, should really be £154.00 GBP. That one's not gonna happen, I'll tell you that. Fortunately, I don't sell it to Trade so I can limit it to around £65.00 GBP RRP, but even at that price it's going to stop selling. Need to pull my finger out and get that beast resined up. HM009 Azaroth The Fallen One does sell to trade, so he now needs to be £55.00 GBP instead of £30.00 GBP. Again, this just means, IMO, people won't buy him any more. Have to seriously look into getting him resined up, too. It surely can't cost quite as much as the metal does now.
In summary - there will be major price increases coming to the site in the next couple of weeks, by the end of the month at the latest. Whilst the human-sized figures like the skinny sci-fi crowd (except for the big heavies with massive guns) won't be too badly affected, bulky figures like the Boris range (Berserk Boris 1 should be £9.00 GBP RRP for example, not £5.00 GBP), the monsters, and the multiple-figure troop packs, will be hit noticeably harder.
So, if you want to get those gang figures, or have been holding off on a purchase until Salute, probably best to stick that order in right away instead! You'll save a small fortune on the big gang deal compared to what the new prices will add up to!
I am sorry about this, I'm sure you all know the reasons by now, it's become such a regular announcement. And you will probably see a lot more of them in the next month or two from all the other indie minis manufacturers as the cost works its way down the chain from casters.
I am told that the tin price is leveling out by the alloy suppliers, so there shouldn't be another massive hike in prices in the near future. Will it go down? I hope so. I really do.