An interesting note from Crocodile Games...

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**Ghaz**

... on the price of metal:

<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" width="98%" align="center"> <tbody> <tr> <td class="newsHeading">NEWS: Crocodile Games Price Increase
- Posted by Osiris
- Thursday, August 02, 2007 </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="newsArticle">

Due to increased metal costs, Crocodile Games has been forced to implement a price increase. We’ve held off on this as long as possible, and this is our first across-the-board increase in six years of operation.

Just to give everyone a bit of perspective on this, when Crocodile Games first opened for business in 2001, metal cost us under $2.00 per pound. It is now six years later, and in the last year the cost of metal has skyrocketed to nearly $8.00 per pound! The price of our miniatures is dictated by the production costs of the hard-working guys and girls who cast our miniatures for us, we simply can’t absorb the latest increases without a general price raise. It had to happen sometime, and we feel that six years is quite an accomplishment, by anyone's standards. We appreciate your understanding with these new changes and thank you for your continuing support and business.

Our new prices are now in effect. Customers with pending orders in the Croc Online Store that were placed before August 2 will be processed at our old prices.

Retailers or Distributors who would like a complete listing of our product list with the new prices, please contact Deborah at sales@crocodilegames.com

</td> </tr> </tbody> </table>

So the price of metal has quadrupled in the last six years. Something to think about next time GW announces a price increase. :S

**insaniak**

Posted By Ghaz on 08/04/2007 7:50 PM
Something to think about next time GW announces a price increase. :S

It would be, if Kirby didn't keep pointing out in his financial reports that materials are only 4% of their operating costs.

I suspect that GW has a huge advantage over their smaller competitors. The sheer scale of their manufacturing means that they would be buying their raw materials in much larger batches, which would get them larger discounts.

So while their costs would have also risen, it wouldn't hit them anywhere near as hard as the little companies.

**Green Angel**

Yet GW claims production costs don't impact prices.

I think its greed. They are greedy, plain and simple. When will they learn they need to price their products to a reasonable level so we can afford their product.. It is almost price gouging what the miniature companies are doing.

**stonefox**

GW's also doing mostly-plastic models now...just sayin'.

**Jester**

Polystyrene prices have increased quite a bit in the last six months, too, though they have stabilized lately.

**Ghaz**

It would be, if Kirby didn't keep pointing out in his financial reports that materials are only 4% of their operating costs.

And who believes anything he says?

**PenguinDude**

He could so easily end the moaning of so many GW customers by saying "Look guys, material prices, gas prices, shipping prices, they've all gone up. We had to raise our prices to compensate. Sorry." I'd buy that, I bet most people would. Only industry insiders would know differently.

I'm not saying he should lie, but if GW released something like these guys did, I wouldn't be nearly as hostile towards them now.
Sadly, he already blurted out the 4% figure.

**H.B.M.C.**

Posted By Ghaz on 08/04/2007 10:01 PM

And who believes anything he says?

He does, sadly.

BYE

**tesseract**

Posted By Green Angel on 08/04/2007 8:40 PM

I think its greed. They are greedy, plain and simple. When will they learn they need to price their products to a reasonable level so we can afford their product.. It is almost price gouging what the miniature companies are doing.

Its not greed, it's the cost of greed...erm...I mean markup.

Here's an interesting pricing encounter I had with GW. I went into an Air Traffic to pick up a Warhammer kit and they must have just gotten a shipment in. I wanted a Falcon and know they cost about $40.00. On the kit I wanted was something that looked like a GW price ticket for $8. I went up to ask what was going on and ended up getting the kit for $8. I later found out that the ticket is a customs tag and I probably owe Air Traffic $32.

Still.... claim $8 customs worth and charge $40. That's markup!

**Ghaz**

Another INTERESTING NOTE, this time from Heresy Miniatures. At this rate, it may be feasible (or at least cheaper) for them to all switch over to plastics!

**Stu-Rat**

Let's see... an honest unprompted note to its customers, a great range of beautiful miniatures, and an incredible game system that makes Warhammer Fantasy look like a slowed cousin of Little Wars. Hmm.

And yet no one plays WarGods. I keep wondering why.

**Ghaz**

Because they can barely get anything out. And on time? Forget about it...

**Stu-Rat**

Yes, they have had problems with deadlines. Unlike GW...

But there are 12 complete armies that will never be changed, ready to go. Can any other wargame say that? FoW perhaps, but none of GW or PP games can.

**Green Angel**

No game store support.

I see people claiming that Warmachine is going to take over GW etc etc. Of 3 local gamestores, 1 has the stuff sitting on its shelf with no buyers, one seems to sell a bit, and 1 refuses to carry it having been bitten by Confrontation and Lord of the Rings.

I would rather spend the money on a warhammer or 40K army that I know I will be able to play somewhere with someone then spend more money to get a playable Warmachine army etc and never get to use.

If there were a concerted effort to promote Wargods or Warmachine by a large number of stores, then perhaps its poplularity would spread enough to become a feasible investment. As of now, I'm not wasting my money.

**Ghaz**

And this time from Reaper:

Greetings to all of our fans around the world,

There is no easy way to say it, so as people may have anticipated, there will be a price adjustment on several models with the printing and issue of Casket Works 23.

The effective date of the new prices is Monday, 08.13.2007

You might be asking, "Why only some models and not all models?" The difference happens because of the pricing equation we use. For several years the labor and not the metal was the highest cost factor. On heavier models the metal cost now exceeds the labor cost and this has triggered a review of the retail price of these models.

It has been several years since our last price adjustment and I assure you it is not something we enjoy doing. The global price of tin has continued to climb over the past year and the increase is something we must do to survive. We always have, and always will continue to produce the highest quality models possible at the best price possible.

If you have any questions or need additional information please do not hesitate to contact us.

Best wishes,

Ed Pugh
CEO

So is GW the only one who hasn't raised their prices on metal miniatures this year?

**syr8766**

I wish there was more local support for Wargods. I've got some random figs, as a lot of the sculpts are really nice, and I think the concept is really interesting...

Warmachine/Hordes are pretty well supported in this area. At least as well as GW. Confrontation, not so much (in drips and drabs mostly).

Reaper raised prices back in 2003 as well, IIRC. I'm frankly not surprised by any of this, and it's not just Croc or Reaper; a number of the smaller workshops (Bronze Age, for example) have raised prices recently to offset costs.

**Tazok**

Urban Mammoth did as well

**Hordini**

Battlefront raised their prices within the last year as well, I believe.

**Hellfury**

Posted By tesseract on 08/06/2007 8:57 AM

Posted By Green Angel on 08/04/2007 8:40 PM

I think its greed. They are greedy, plain and simple. When will they learn they need to price their products to a reasonable level so we can afford their product.. It is almost price gouging what the miniature companies are doing.

Its not greed, it's the cost of greed...erm...I mean markup.

Here's an interesting pricing encounter I had with GW. I went into an Air Traffic to pick up a Warhammer kit and they must have just gotten a shipment in. I wanted a Falcon and know they cost about $40.00. On the kit I wanted was something that looked like a GW price ticket for $8. I went up to ask what was going on and ended up getting the kit for $8. I later found out that the ticket is a customs tag and I probably owe Air Traffic $32.

Still.... claim $8 customs worth and charge $40. That's markup!

Are you still in the twin cities, Tesseract?