Here’s how to profit off Games Workshop by using their own sales tactics against them without spending more money.
There’s been a lot of talk about GW’s price increases, whether their sales tactics are above board, their release schedule, etc. Today we’ll show you how to use some of Games Workshop’s own tactics to your advantage and grab even more miniatures in the process!
How to Actually Invest and Profit Off Games Workshop
This idea’s beauty is that you can “invest” in the company without throwing around too much cash- you just use your pile of shame.
You also have to pay a little more attention to the market, well, the hobby space, than you might be now (or you might already have all the knowledge you need).
Before we go further, this is just our idea. With that said, how do you invest? Well, you use the minatures in your current pile of shame or buy new models. It’s that simple (but not really). First, you must be willing to let go of your precious minis and reinvest in new minis when the time is right.
Second, you must also keep up on the latest releases and watch for sold-out miniatures and products on Games Workshop’s site and cheap deals like these on platforms such as e-Bay.
Why Does this Work?
This works for two reasons. First, with GW’s yearly (sometimes more) price increases, your GW minis are actually appreciating assets. If you bought a squad only a couple of years ago, you could resell that same box set for more right now!
For instance, the 2013 Space Marines Tactical Squad is now $55; how many do you have lying around from when they were just $35 a few years back?
This hobby is also all about, well, hobbying. So if you put some of your painting skills to work (and have some fun in the process), you might even be able to make way more like with these painted Kasrkins.
Next, minis for new factions regularly get sold out very fast. If you can catch wind of what new factions are reworked next, you can quickly raise your prices somewhat on the secondary market headed into the release date, as the products will invariably be sold out from Games Workshop for some serious time.
Miniatures are Always Out of Stock & Painted Models
Let’s start with a simple and recent example of Daemons.
This is the list of sold-out products for Daemons as of right now! Keep in mind that the Daemons released back in August… so months and months without miniatures available and even the codex! This means the secondary market is going crazy.
Not only is the price 2.5 times the price from GW, but it is also sold out, meaning someone paid that price for the Flamers!
So, if you just had a box of Flamers hanging around, you could have made a lot on your investment and almost paid for half a new Combat Patrol, getting you more minis!
Now, for the new Kasrkin, just the unpainted sprues are going for $100… So, pretty crazy and a short-term investment that is paying off. This skyrockets when you paint the models, as we saw painted Kasrkin going for well over $150 on eBay already.
Sure, they will come back down when the single box finally hits stores after being capped, but chances are they may not be until late February 2023 or even early March.
If you remember back when the new Dark Eldar book came out, Hellions got such a giant upgrade, but they were nearly impossible to find.
Back then, one of our writers could have sold off his excess and made enough to buy two full combat patrols, so pretty crazy to think about this.
So, just by holding onto your minis and selling them at the right time, you could make a ton. We’ll never know how the meta changes, and sometimes even simple things can go for a lot when they have been in the dumps for months (or years in the case of Flamers of Tzeentch).
This doesn’t even account for exclusive minis, but if you can get your hands on a few of those, wait a month or two, and bam, you can also make a ton. We could have even paid for our Adepticon trip in 2022 by selling Primaris Company Champions.
Just Holding Onto Models
Last but not least, there have been a crazy number of price increases recently. In March 2022, we had a price increase which put everything up on average by 5% followed by another 8% increase in March 2023.
Then, before that, 2020, 2019, and basically all the years going back had increased over thousands of items each time. So, if you find some models you bought back in 2018, you can sell them out for more cash and buy more minis.
So, if all you do is hold onto your minis, you may have made a ton! Just be sure to watch the market, and you can potentially fund brand-new armies with sometimes surprising opportunities to cash in on your miniatures and profit off of the sales tactics Games Workshop uses!
Warhammer Box Sets Going For Super Cheap on eBay Right Now!
Have you tried flipping your Games Workshop pile of shame for profit and to fund new armies?
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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.
