Battleground Games Forum
Games Workshop => Warhammer 40K => Topic started by: Pat.H on March 18, 2013, 06:53:43 PM
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I saw this on MWG. Apperently Games Workshop has now banned retailers from selling individual bitz from kits now.
http://www.miniwargaming.com/content/games-workshop-prohibits-online-sales-sales-bitz-and-more
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/wn5gq2srlbvxs6l/ZThiP0KMRn/Games%20Workshop%202013%20RETAILER%20POLICY.pdf
For the reasons set forth below, Retailers are not permitted to remove GAMES WORKSHOP product from its original packaging or otherwise break such products into components prior to resale. In recent years, GAMES WORKSHOP has observed a practice among some Retailers in which GAMES WORKSHOP products are removed from their original packaging for the purpose of reselling separately individual, unmarked components. This practice is now prohibited for the following business reasons:
1. We suck
2. We suck
3. We suck
Ok I might have added in the last parts but yeah this is getting really stupid now.
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I'm supposed to receive the document later today.
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Holy shit. This is going to make a very, very large amount of people upset.
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Holy shit. This is going to make a very, very large amount of people upset.
In the now, I wont be one of them.
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this will be a boon to Local shops.
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Here's a link to all the relevant info. (http://www.battlegroundgames.com/forum/index.php?topic=5512.0)
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Losing the ability to buy bits will stop me from doing a number of projects like make new units or start a new army. That's a lot of sales they just killed for local guys.
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i know ebay is a grey area in the retail world of crack down, but i wonder if it will even effect the ebay bitz markets
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Losing the ability to buy bits will stop me from doing a number of projects like make new units or start a new army. That's a lot of sales they just killed for local guys.
This may light a fire under certain asses, which is good. There's been something on the back burner for a while. :)
i know ebay is a grey area in the retail world of crack down, but i wonder if it will even effect the ebay bitz markets
I'm not sure how it can stop Joe Blow. I don't really know how they might stop BobsBitz from selling on eBay.
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All they are stopping is stores like Spikey Bitz and the Warstore from getting a bigger profit margin by cracking open boxes and selling the pieces individually. If say Ben goes and Buys a Tactical Marine box and sells each piece in it seperately games workshop can't stop him. They can stop Chase from doing it though by stopping shipment of inventory to him. If they don't sell bitz individually though it is going to hurt the hobbyist more than anyone since you can't do cool double Powerfist Thunderhammer Marines on Motorcycles with Dragon wings.
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It is HIGHLY unlikely someone can turn any sort of profit selling bits by buying boxes at retail price.
What's more likely to occur is the rise of 3D printing to fill in the impending void of bits retailers.
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this really pisses me off. I want to make a conversion and i gotta move fast to procure the bits to do it. GW needs to 1. Put their tampon back in their purse and suck it up or 2. sell bits individually them selves which i dont for see them doing.
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Or Battleground buys bits from the community and resells them.
This probably breaks the rules, but I'm not sure I care.
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Or Battleground buys bits from the community and resells them.
This probably breaks the rules, but I'm not sure I care.
For what it's worth.
All GAMES WORKSHOP products (including all game kits, sprues, rulebooks, components
and accessories) are only to be resold in their original packaging.
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Or Battleground buys bits from the community and resells them.
This probably breaks the rules, but I'm not sure I care.
I like this idea. If I could buy the bitz locally from y'all, I would be doing more conversions and stuff. Especially since alot of what I do is spur of the moment.
All GAMES WORKSHOP products (including all game kits, sprues, rulebooks, components
and accessories) are only to be resold in their original packaging.
I can just see it now, Chase standing outside the store in a black trenchcoat...
Opens trenchcoat "Psst, hey kid, you wanna buy some Space Marine Missile Launchers...Ork Power Klaws....Dreadnaught Multi-meltas...) 8)
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I can just see it now, Chase standing outside the store in a black trenchcoat...
Opens trenchcoat "Psst, hey kid, you wanna buy some Space Marine Missile Launchers...Ork Power Klaws....Dreadnaught Multi-meltas...) 8)
I'd like to see this scene played out at BG with Sam or Matt playing the part of Arnold
http://youtu.be/eLF-CMQ1ru4?t=1m5s
GW will never know about the secret Bitz room!
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if the bits are gathered from the community and BG resells them it is not in violation of this because they are 3rd party bits purchased from the community.
Now if BG starts breaking boxes to sell the bits then that is an issue. As long as BG is diligent about documenting where the bits came from it wont be an issue.
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Why document?
I kinda feel that when GW starts auditing stores like the IRS, a line has been crossed.
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I would say its to cover BGs ass. Better safe then sorry.
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Yeah, it's a really weird thing.
I have no idea how it can possibly be enforced if it's an in-store thing.
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like most things it would take someone saying something for it to come to GW's attention
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I have no idea how they think they can enforce it, period.
I own a brick and mortar store. Let's call it brattle grounds. I own an online store. Let's call it warbitz
battle grounds buys stuff wholesale. Sells some. whatever.
Warbitz does it's thing. Sells bitz. Shopping cart, 20% off, the whole deal. GW hear's about it. Asks me to stop. Probably even gets nasty, sends cease and desist letters, maybe claims copyright infringement or some bullshit. (all of which is completely meaningless and not true).
Warbitz tells them to go pound sand.
It's completely legal. It's called the right of first sale. The only thing that GW has over brattle grounds is it's contract with BG (totally different BG, here)....which is mostly an agreement to sell at wholesale. The main penalty of which is forfeiting being provided goods at wholesale. Except GW doesn't know Warbitz and BG are related. They would probably demand warbitz tell them where they got the goods.
No. None of your freaking business.
Now, GW could probably find out that the two companies are related with a little detective work. Probably not even super hard to figure out. But this is not, generally, something that companies do. And the man closest to the scene is the GW sales rep......who frankly just wants to sell product to brattle grounds.
Just saying. It's not something I see as really enforceable in any meaningful way. Especially since the base economic activity: buying it, and then reselling it in whatever form you want.....is perfectly legal.
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I think the only thing that GW is likely to "crack down on" is companies that attempt to sell their bits online (the same way they crack down on companies that sell their sealed products). I find it very unlikely that they will take any action against regular people selling bitz or models on eBay, as there is no way to enforce any kind of penalty at all.
A store that sells bitz to it's local community would be totally fine.
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Some of the "stores" on ebay are quite large organizations. GW I'm sure would like bully them, but they know that ebay, itself, would fight back. And the law is on ebays side.