After just a single day, Games Workshop is already walking back the 18% price increases they sent to retailers in North America.
GW originally sent out a price sheet to retailers with an average 18% increase to over a thousand items. Needless to say, retailers and consumers in North America were outraged and reached out to GW immediately as the price increases were nowhere near the 6% they had announced.
According to the correction email they sent retailers, it was a mistake. However, we would like to point out that both sheets had the current pricing on them. So whatever the case, GW started with the current pricing as of February 9th, 2023, as a baseline for both sets of increases they sent out.
What happened from there is anyone’s guess. We can only speculate if they either tried to force an increase of 18% out after their statement said otherwise or if that change was originally the plan but was perhaps rolled back internally for the increase of 6% which was originally announced.
Either way, it smacks of poor organization and leadership from Games Workshop, and we can only imagine the stress it put on their sales and customer service team.
Games Workshop is Already Walking Back Thier 18% Price Increases.
Already, things are looking much better as the majority of plastic boxes are increasing by only about 5-7%. Furthermore, without all the paints and such on here, the list of items receiving an increase is once again back under a thousand items (about 626, according to the information we received).
The average overall price increase across all six hundred plus items is around 8%, which still contradicts their original statement of a 6% increase.
As you can see, many of the $32- kits are not even increasing by 5%.
Almost all the $38 kits are going to $40, which, again, is much more acceptable than previously seen.
Unfortunately, all the Combat Patrols are increasing by $10, but they should still have decent value inside based on their contents also receiving an increase.
Here are some highlights:
- $60 squads now $65 (Orks, Chaos Space Marines, Votann, Leman Russ Tank, etc.)
- Combat Patrols are all $160 instead of $180
- $80 tanks staying the same now
- $70 units have very little change now
- $85 units now $90 instead of $100 (Sisters Exorcist, Repulsor Executioner, Armigers, etc.)
- A lot of $35 character models are now $38 (assassins jumped from $38 to $40)
- Battleforces $210 now $230 instead of $260
- Knights and Monolith go to $185
- Greater Daemons $150 now $160
- Daemon Primarchs $160 now $170 instead of $190 (Angron included)
- Horus Heresy starter set $300 now $310 instead of $360
- New World Eaters Khorne Berzerkers are already going from $60 to $65.
- Rogal Dorn Tank $90 to $100 instead of $110
The only real highlights for hobby supplies are now the brushes. Unfortunately, they bring up the overall average, as they are being increased the most of anything.
We really have no idea whether the Games Workshop leadership just sent out the wrong pricing or if they mixed up currencies somehow. We’re not even going to try and guess how the prices were advertised as going up 6% but appeared on the information they sent retailers as 18% and are now about 8% overall.
Either way, whilst still higher than their stated increase, even an 8% increase, a much more palatable 18% price increase than what we saw on Thursday, February 9th, 2023.
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About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits in 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
About Rob Baer: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor of Spikey Bits, the leading tabletop gaming news website focused on the hobby side of wargaming and miniatures.
Rob also co-founded and currently hosts the Long War Podcast, which has over 350 episodes and focuses on tabletop miniatures gaming, specializing in Warhammer 40k. and spent six years writing for Bell of Lost Souls.
Every year, along with his co-hosts, he helps host the Long War 40k Doubles Tournament at Adepticon and the Long War 40k Doubles at Las Vegas Open, which attracts over 350 players from around the world.
Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including multiple first-place finishes in Warhammer 40k Grand Tournaments over the years and even winning 1st place at the Adepticon 40k Team Tournament.
With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. As a member of GAMA (Game Manufacturers Association), he advocates for gaming stores and manufacturers in these difficult times, always looking for the next big thing to feature for the miniatures hobby, helping everyone to provide the value consumers want.
While he’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition) and has been hobbying on miniatures since the 1980s, Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and models made of both pewter and resin.
