Everything goes up, and all hobbies are expensive, but $60 a box has become the new normal from Games Workshop. What does it all mean?
So these days you may or may not think the hobby is pretty expensive, but whatever your opinions are, we can’t deny the fact that Games Workshop has raised their prices significantly as of late. With that said, the new normal price for a basic Troop looks to be $60- mainly for anything that gets reworked/re-released from this point on. Take a look at this.
Basic Troops Cost $60: The New Norm For GW
Looking at just a few of the more recent basic troop kits to come out, they’re all $60. Even the Age of Sigmar ones like the new Lumineth Realm-Lords and Ossiarch Bonereapers.
If you look into these factions a bit more, you’ll also find that plenty of Elites (and other infantry-equivalent kits) go for the same price. No matter if you think that price is justifiable or not, we have seen blatant and steady price increases hit GW’s entire line overnight multiple times. TL:DR, your buck isn’t going as far as it used to. So what’s a solution?
You Can Try the Secondary Market But It Is Hit or Miss
Historically speaking, eBay has been a great source for players to get sweet deals on kits. If you’re lucky, you can still stumble across an outstanding deal. However, there’s definitely been an increase of people with sought after kits jacking the prices way up due to unequal supply/demand.
Check out some of the more recent kits that have been skyrocketing in price:
These are just two listings of Battle Sister squads that have sold for 1.5x the amount that GW normally charges. Seriously these ten models are selling for the same price as an entire Start Collecting.
For the Allarus Custodes that normally go for $50, they became extremely popular after multiple players placed at the tops of the leaderboards running these guys. GW dried up but it’s a seller’s market on eBay for sure…
Once again, all of these kits are going for about 1.5x the cost of a regular box, and some, like the once again popular Jetbikes, are just downright ridiculous.
Seriously…What… You could eat out every meal for a week on that budget.
The Value of $60 Somewhere Else…
The price of a brand-spankin’ new game just so happens to cost $60. Plus, while you’re stuck at home and not really able to enjoy your models like we all used to, video games may be a great way to get more bang for your buck, so to speak.
Games like The Last of Us have some incredible campaigns while Fallout 4 has easily over 200 hours of gameplay in it if you like to explore. When you start adding mods, the playability just goes through the roof.
What we’re trying to say don’t get caught in the whirlpool of hobbyists scrounging to buy every last kit. If you’re bored at home and some kits you’re wanting are out of stock or too expensive, there are still great ways out there to pass the time, especially while social distancing.
Or maybe you want to pick up a new hobby tool or two…
The Hobby Products & Tools We Swear By
What’s been your method of staying pre-occupied these last few months? What are some other video games you’d suggest to players out there? Has Games Workshop been slowly pricing you out of the hobby?
Let us know in the comments of our Facebook Hobby Group, and make sure you enter the latest monthly giveaway for FREE today! You can also support us on Patreon and get ad-free access to the site, plus a ton of minis that helps support some of the best creators out there!
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.
