"TheWarStore Says Goodbye" Topic

Sorry to read this.

ALL the BEST to you in the future!!!

to one of the BEST in the business!!!

Charlie

Worst news I've heard all week. Good for them for the great run, terrible for us that they'll be gone. It's one thing for brick and mortar to fold, but for a big successful etailer to do so really hurts.

Why? Because though the product is for hobbyists, many of the professionals in this industry treat their business as a hobby as well, doing it part time, often out of their homes, often as a small family affair. Customers never become top priority in situations due to the scale problems that typify these operations. If the main guy is sick or at a con for a few days, communications cease, orders don't go out, the place just doesn't function. We tolerate it, because the product is often unique and can't be acquired any other way. Often we're supposed to be thrilled if any domestic orders arrive within a month.

So when a big professional outfit like this closes, it's really painful for the folks that rely on the service and selection levels provided. Peruse the consumer affairs board and count how many times phrases like "Neil at the Warstore has them" and "Great service from Neil at the Warstore" come up. It's a lot. They'll be missed and I hope something can replace them, but I fear not despite assurances that the industry is strong and growing.

Historical Wargaming really needs an Amazon and is a step further away today.

Oh, and Leon Redbone died yesterday.

Can't really say it any better than Flashman did. The War Store was my go-to for most online orders. I'm very sorry to hear this.

Thanks for all the wonderful service throughout the years, Neil. The very best of luck to you!

So when a big professional outfit like this closes, it's really painful for the folks that rely on the service and selection levels provided. Peruse the consumer affairs board and count how many times phrases like "Neil at the Warstore has them" and "Great service from Neil at the Warstore" come up. It's a lot. They'll be missed and I hope something can replace them, but I fear not despite assurances that the industry is strong and growing.

There is some truth to what you're saying, but I don't think it's nearly as painful as you think.

Neal's customer service was good, but there are others that are every bit good – if not better. And allot of these places don't charge the 7.95 shipping Neal did. Heck – when I bought Perry Miniatures, I found it was cheaper and sometimes faster to order directly from the Perrys. Nick Northstar and Brigade Games are fantastic to deal with. GW stuff – I just bought that from my FLGS and I got the same 15% off – without the 7.95 shipping charges.

At the end of the day – it's a very sad thing to see Neal pack it in and ride into the sunset. I wish him well with his future endeavors. However, our hobby will survive – and even thrive – without The Warstore.

Shipping costs are killing the US retailer. I ordered a game from MMP. Shipping is $15.20 USD. The average price for shipping in the US via Ebay is running me $10.00 USD. But the same item from England the shipping is much less. Anything I get via USPS that is marked fragile or hand with care. It smashed and stepped. In my Area all the historical games shops are long come. Neal has always made sure anything the got lost by USPS. Was made good. Their the only shop the would call me. That was to fix the problem. They where my go to place.

Outstanding service and outstanding inventory. I often joked that his shipping relied on precognition because the items came so fast. Sad news, indeed. Neal, we'll miss you.

TWS was our gaming group's go-to online store years ago. Unfortunately as the years passed TWS could not compete with stores such as Miniature Market and others. TWS's worst failing was no live inventory on the site. That's an unforgivable sin when it comes to online ordering, and frankly it's not hard to implement. For us, they were good when there was nobody else, and forgotten when they were no longer competitive.

Regarding shipping costs, any organization with a large shipping volume can negotiate good rates with the various carriers. The fact that, for example, GMT and MMP can't figure out how to ship for less than full price Priority Flat Rate is troubling, and keeps me from ordering directly from them.

I always had good experiences with Neil and TWS. I am sorry they are closing up, and I wish Neil the best.

I too am very sad at this news. Neal has always been a pleasure and a professional to deal with, both with the Warstore and even before that on Bartertown.

A sad day for the wargaming community. Neal was always so great to deal with. We will miss the booth at the HMGS East conventions. Wishing him and the crew at The WarStore much good fortune in their future endeavors.

It is a shame – they had opened up an auxiliary store in Middle Island NY a little over a year ago – had lots of room and lots of table space for games – looked like a fun place.

Also, living on Long Island I took a ride out to visit one day – what an operation they had! You name it – they had it. I will be sorry to see them go for sure.

I'm so sorry to hear this. TWS was one of my main sources for toys and paint.

Only really knew the Warstore was from their presence at GenCon. I did notice the last few years they had the same old stuff marked down. If that is what they had in their store then yeah their days were numbered. All that being said with the current Kickstarter environment no retailer can keep up with all the hotness, stuff like Batman Gothic City Chronicles and A Song of Ice and Fire are bypassing the FLGS and taking away huge sales and huge hobby dollars.

This is indeed sad news. While other places like Warweb became so unreliable, TWS was a lighthouse in a stormy sea. At one time I ordered all my Perry and Foundry products through them.

But when TWS stopped keeping stocks on hand, I found it quicker to order direct. Even so Neal provided great customer service and communication. There were some products at TWS you couldn't get anywhere else. Very sad news.

I tend to make larger infrequent purchases so Perry's 25% of the order cost for shipping would always be a lot more than TWS $7.95 USD fee. I have not had a package from England arrive the same week I ordered it or in a timely manner in years (though that could be the fault of the companies I ordered from).

Maybe my segment of the market is shrinking but for the games I played, TWS always had the latest items I was looking for. No matter what has caused them to shutdown, I will miss them.

Sorry to hear this news. I have had nothing but good experiences with The War Store. To you Neal, I raise a frosty mug of Root Beer! All the best!

im sorry to hear you are closing. you were one of one few sto I could trust tom get the order right and filled correctly.
i wish good luck in any future endevaors,

I've always had good service also.Never one problem.It's a shame when good people leave but things change for them.Best of luck to you Neal.
Mark

Sad news indeed! Best of luck in you future endeavors, Neal!

Oh, man. Where am I going to order the glue to put my heart back together?

His "E-figures" distributor company is closing as well.. That may really hurt the retailers in the US. Why not sell the businesses? I'm no Elon Musk, but wouldn't that make more sense? I guess.. unless it's not a profitable business.. hm

Fairly massive employee theft seems to be at least partly to blame.

link

Given the info on the last link, I'd throw in the towel on my small business too, if that happened to me. Neal has my highest respect for actually acting on his Christian faith. And just because it didn't turn out well in the short term, doesn't mean it wasn't worth doing. I'm glad that I was a customer.