Speck and IWM,
Although I'm pleased the Archive is going away I am genuinely concerned about the price increase. It may be totally justified from IWM's perspective but I'm already grumbling about a range of new releases that approach the $17 mark for a single mini. We're soon to be close to $18 dollars for certain minis. Price was the reason why I stepped away from Games Workshop minis and games.
I love IWM's metal Battletech minis but no one should be surprised if we hear a rising call for more plastic minis.
Mike
$17.95 is $18 a mini. Setting a price just below a whole number is a well established, and effective means of making a price appear smaller then it really is. A nickle more or less then $18.00 is not going to effect the pocket of someone paying $18 a mini, give or take a nickle, but it may make it easier for you to say "yes" to the price.
IWM is a company that is out to make a profit, and there is nothing wrong with that. The question is how will the price increases affect IWM in the long run? How will the price increases affect the game shops that are looking to stock the game? How will it affect those of us that need to special order stuff because the game shop is unwilling to stock the game unless it sees x number of people playing it in the shops? How many people will opt not to buy from a shop that will charge them more, or cost them something such as time, and instead purchase minis from those willing to give the buyer a discount?
I have not ordered from IWM directly for years because of the shipping charges. This was reinforced by the archive fees of the minis that I wanted. The local shop's distributor does not carry the full line of minis and is heavy on the darkages stuff and light on the Jihad era and earlier, except for 3025 which I have enough of. At the same time I am dealing with the potential of new and returning players. The DA era mechs are going to be out of the reach of these players. Returning players sometimes come with the problem of having dropped out because the increasing level of tech shook things up to much for them at the time. Increased prices are unlikely to help the situation especially if the distributors that are unwilling to get heavily invested in the game see a need for greater investment while seeing reduced returns as players walk away from $18 minis.
I personally have not purchased either of those minis as I believed that the prices had already starting hitting a high that was offsetting. I have instead starting putting more into the secondary market such as ebay because
1) I can rarely get what I want off of the shop's distributor though I do make a heck of an effort to sell the minis to myself
2) Of those on the distributor's list I have a hard time accepting $15 per mini and having enough assault causes me to look for smaller mechs that are fortunately smaller in price
3) If I can get free shipping and slightly better prices then IWM on mechs that the shop's distributor does not offer then I go with that route instead of the high IWM shipping prices
4) While I am known for long term planning with people in every aspect of my life, regardless if I like it or not, I can be an impulse buyer when it comes to minis. This means that I have problems creating $100 orders with the local shop to order through IWM the minis not on the distributor's list.
I am working on becoming a psychologist, not an ecconomist, so I can only review the likely outcome of price increases on the buying habits of individuals such as myself. I am not a heavy buyer when compared to others, but I do try to buy a mini at least every other week the past 2 years. I can only see additional restraints on purchasing as prices increase since I can spend some time kicking around purchases already. Others like me will also do the same and if purchases are made it will likely be on the lower priced minis which removes some level of profitability on the higher priced minis.
Sure, anyone can read this as a complaint and dismiss it. I don't really care if someone does, but those that have an interest in how IWM is percieved and how it may be negatively affecting it's established customers who are attempting to either generate new customers or revive lapsed customers should consider what has been said. It comes down to the IP's fanbase size and purchasing power versus the production cost and desired level of profit of IWM. While IWM took one step forward they also took at least 1 step back with the archive fee going away but increasing prices that some of us are having a hard time taking before the increase. Hopefully there is a happier medium to be found.
I believe that there has been a lot of untapped profit by locking up the minis that did not sell as well with the archive fee. With the archive fee in place the sales of those minis were only made worse.
IWM shipping fees are pretty damn high. Again this locks up the minis that people want as some of us are unwilling to place $100 orders. Someone once posted some sanctimonious comments that insulted people for not wanting to save $100 to make a lump purchase of minis, which completely ignored the buying habits, wants, and budgets of individuals among many other factors that can leave an individual unable or unwilling to drop $100 at a time.
The $100 limit also affects my orders through the local game shop. The only reason to do so is to help throw a few bucks into the coffers of the shop instead of just having the order sent to my house.
If the shipping costs were reduced and coupled with the death of the archive fees that would unlock several purchases from just me. I could then purchase Baboons, Duan Gungs, Enfields, Lineholders and many more to my fusion reactor's content as the prices would be easier to take and the access would be there. It would help the local game shop see additional BT sales, which they would not really know that it was a lack of access to designs that I want. Other players will see those purchases being made which will help generate additional interest in the game on top of our group's pressence. That may get some of those players off of the fence and into the game, thus increasing sales as they wish to build up their forces.
As I see it, there is no way for me to affect the distributor, therefore I am posting my thoughts here.