Black Library fiction The End and the Death - Volume III

[skylerboodie]

You can see on ebay that lots of sellers have/had multiple copies, 3s, 4s, 8s, one had 15. A lot of them have sneaker related usernames so it's clear the queue system hacks are shared amongst the scalper community, and just hoovered up practically the whole stock.

 

This is the worst its ever been but sadly I don't see GW doing anything about it, let alone acknowledging there's a problem. I guess we'll see when the Black Library "Celebration" hits in a few weeks. Any decent company would fire the QueueIt system used and ask for their payment back, as well as do something for the community re: this release. But they won't. 

 

Edited January 13 by skylerboodie
weeks not months

[Redcomet]

I buy limited edition books, often from very popular authors, and I never have the same issues as when I want a limited warhammer book. 

[Matcap86]

37 minutes ago, Doghouse said:

 

I think the problem is more to do with limited editions/runs. If it was a Kill Team or army box set then I'd agree, the issue is that when you get a genuine limited run never to be made again item it's either miss out or go to a scalper who is rigging the system in their favour. People who want to complete their collection like in this instance or really want a particular item don't really have any choice than to go to a scalper when something is created in such limited numbers.

[...]

 

I think the more credible route would be to not buy limited editions from GW at all so it's hurting GW's wallet and scalpers waste money but again that won't happen because of the nature of the hobby.

 

I miss the old simpler kinder days mate. 

 

I'm honestly kind of upset I started collecting these. Thought it would be a nice bookend to following the HH series for a decade + 

 

Couldn't know in advance when I started that in the course of one book series it would get this bad. Super easy to get the first 2-3 (maybe not even selling out in the first day?) and getting worse and worse everytime ending with impossible.

 

Scalpers are partly to blame but the community itself is also part of the problem with it becoming accepted norm to vastly overvalue books.

 

I said it before but in the past I got secondhand HH books for like a fiver at most, nowadays every single dogeared damaged thing gets thrown up for 30+ with people offended if you bid less. 

Edited January 13 by Matcap86

[crimsondave]

It's not going to change until you hit them in the wallet.  If all the die hards would just refuse to buy anything GW related for 60 days they'd do something.

[SkimaskMohawk]

46 minutes ago, Blindhamster said:

 

limited runs is pretty standard practice across a lot of industries these days, and anywhere such things exist there are scalpers, so in a way yes the existence of limited runs is the issue.

 

None are limited to the extent GW is, talking in terms of special edition books. There's a lot of discussions in the BL subforum about how you used be able to buy limited editions easily and how other publishers limited/special edition offerings don't get instantly scalped and run out of stock. Add the price point to that too; those other publishers apparently charge way less for a much better quality book. It's the perfect storm for scalpers; it's the root problem.

 

Quote

But it doesn't change the fact that people willingly paying the dumb ebay and other prices is what perpetuates the issue of scalpers. If people wouldn't pay more than the retail price until years later, scalpers wouldnt exist in this way - because most of the business model for these people is based on quick returns. You buy in bulk for limited runs that you know you can sell for 100%+ profit.

 

But yes, GW fans do love to shovel large amounts of money away, you're completely right about that; that attitude only reinforces both GW and scalpers that their business models are effective. People were willing to shell out for the exemplary battle book simply so they could put it on their book shelf, as it had negligible value from its content. 

 

[Guest Triszin]

15 minutes ago, crimsondave said:

It's not going to change until you hit them in the wallet.  If all the die hards would just refuse to buy anything GW related for 60 days they'd do something.

It's not buying anything from gw.

It's about not buying any le's/fomo at all.

[ChargingSoll]

I don't know if this is common knowledge, but the terminals in Warhammer stores bypass the queuing system. I've gotten all but fury of magnus this way even before the website update. 

[crimsondave]

1 minute ago, Triszin said:

It's not buying anything from gw.

It's about not buying any le's/fomo at all.

 

If all the people (like me) who spend thousands of dollars a year on plastic soldiers spent $0 for 2 months I promise you someone would take notice immediately.

[StraightSilver]

Back when Warhammer+ launched subscribers were promised perks, such as early access.

 

I remember getting some of these perks in year 1 but don't think I've had any since.

 

But could an incentive to subscribe not be earlier access to pre-orders?

 

You'd have notification via Warhammer+ with a code and maybe a short quiz (to try to get round non-fans signing up) and a separate link to buy limited edition products before being made available on the web store?

 

It might at least give genuine fans a fighting chance....

[StrangerOrders]

The fact that their community article goes out of its way to mention 'the queue maintaining fairness' is hilarious.

Edited January 13 by StrangerOrders

[Vazzy]

3 minutes ago, StrangerOrders said:

The fact that their community article goes out of its way to mention 'the queue maintaining fairness' is hilarious.

 

Yeah dude it fairly made sure everyone had to get lucky to get one

[Guest Triszin]

I had more luck pre queue in getting les.

85+%

 

Post queue it's a 15% success rate

If I had to guess

[Kastor Krieg]

James Workshop, changing FOMO to U today!

Edited January 13 by Kastor Krieg

[Kastor Krieg]

I'm at the same time sorry I've started collecting Siege of Terra in hardcover only at about the 5th or 6th book, and at the same time I only decided to collect in hardcover and noped out of the LEs at the first sign of the queue / scalping nonsense issues back in the day. One of the best buying calls I've made.

Awfully sorry for you guys, especially with that hole rubbing it in everyone's faces. 

Edited January 13 by Kastor Krieg

[Shield-Captain]

I actually managed to get one, which I can’t really believe myself. I queued early enough and got into the website about 7 mins early. 
 

I’ve got an order confirmation but I’m not holding my breath. I know some people got their LE Necron codex orders cancelled. 

[Doghouse]

3 hours ago, Triszin said:

the experience is miserable, and frankly a blackspot and issue that is growing.

 

That perfectly sums up my GW experience of late. I love 40k, I want it to grow and be popular but they're really not making it easy for me to care anymore because of stuff like this.

[Gnasher]

100% agree

[Scribe]

33 minutes ago, Doghouse said:

 

That perfectly sums up my GW experience of late. I love 40k, I want it to grow and be popular but they're really not making it easy for me to care anymore because of stuff like this.

 

I live well off the beaten track from any kind of major city center. We have 1 FLGS. I try and support it, and take part in the wider community, but you cannot grow it when we cannot buy stuff.

[Subtleknife]

5 hours ago, Blindhamster said:

Frankly speaking though, the issue is that people then willingly lap up the scalper prices, 

Frankly speaking the issue is with GW here not their customers. As a community we shouldn't be trying to shift the blame - GW have the power to address this fairly easily. GW create the scarcity that allows the scalpers to thrive. 

 

Blaming the customers, who don't really have a choice if they want to complete their collection is not really cricket. Saying "just wait" really isn't a suggestion. It isn't like the customer base is able to coordinate for it even to be effective. On top of that you could end up waiting and the book still increases in price ie watcher of the throne routinely goes for £800.

 

If this issue is to be solved it will be GW that do it, not the customers.

Edited January 13 by Subtleknife

[Kastor Krieg]

2 hours ago, Subtleknife said:

Frankly speaking the issue is with GW here not their customers. As a community we shouldn't be trying to shift the blame - GW have the power to address this fairly easily. GW create the scarcity that allows the scalpers to thrive. 

 

Blaming the customers, who don't really have a choice if they want to complete their collection is not really cricket. Saying "just wait" really isn't a suggestion. It isn't like the customer base is able to coordinate for it even to be effective. On top of that you could end up waiting and the book still increases in price ie watcher of the throne routinely goes for £800.

 

If this issue is to be solved it will be GW that do it, not the customers.

GW created this issue and have zero interest in resolving it. Zero.

Unless they get pushback from the customer base. This has worked before. Our pushback and wallet-voting has caused them to shift policies, change CEOs, reengage on the social media and many others.

The only losing move is to do nothing and politely take it.

[Blindhamster]

2 hours ago, Subtleknife said:

Frankly speaking the issue is with GW here not their customers. As a community we shouldn't be trying to shift the blame - GW have the power to address this fairly easily. GW create the scarcity that allows the scalpers to thrive. 

 

Blaming the customers, who don't really have a choice if they want to complete their collection is not really cricket. Saying "just wait" really isn't a suggestion. It isn't like the customer base is able to coordinate for it even to be effective. On top of that you could end up waiting and the book still increases in price ie watcher of the throne routinely goes for £800.

 

If this issue is to be solved it will be GW that do it, not the customers.

no.

 

buying the books is a choice, you do have a choice.

 

im a blood angels fan, i have been for 27 years at this point, i desperately wanted the sanguinius primarch book limited ed. It sold out before I got a chance. I refused to pay scalper prices so didn’t get it. It sucked, but I made that choice.

 

limited editions are meant to be limited. GW used to make more, and then they didn’t sell. It’s a commonly known fact. So now they don’t make as many. A limited Ed theoretically shouldn’t be “there’s enough for everyone” otherwise it isn’t well.. limited. 
 

GW absolutely does have issues, their new website sucks, their queuing system clearly also sucks, and the way they police single order per customer obviously sucks too (why the hell can you just use the same account and order to multiple addresses..). They could potentially also look at making more, but they won’t look at making so many more that we still wouldn’t get angry posts about failing to get it, because of the two facts already mentioned (limited editions never used to sell like they do now, causing dead stock and the whole fact it’s meant to be limited). They could go back to collectors editions (which is a different thing entirely).

 

So, I already had said it and I’ll reiterate, yes GW have some of the blame. But everyone saying “I had no choice but to pay scalpers prices for an optional thing I didn’t need, just wanted” are also part of the problem. I’m not saying it doesn’t suck when you miss out on something, I have missed out on other limited edition things both from GW and other things many times too, it sucks hard, especially to obsessive collector types - which I am too, but saying you had no choice.. is wrong, and opting to pay the scalpers just makes it a self fulfilling prophecy that they’ll keep doing it, and thanks to organised subscription schemes and bots to make it work.. they won’t stop even if GW makes more stock.

 

P.s. agree with Kastor, just stop buying stuff, or at least limited editions. Vote with your wallet 

 

Edited January 14 by Blindhamster

[Felix Antipodes]

GW will continue to use FOMO and minute print runs for LE books so they can avoid the costs associated with warehousing unsold stock.  Scalpers will continue to target GW LE stock while there is a guaranteed profit in it.

A solution to this is GW making LE books MTO, with only the first X copies (current LE numbers?) being signed.  No excess stock for GW to worry about.  Less likely that scalpers will target the LE books but, if they do, it will be the signed version only.

 

Frankly, GW will only change their ways if forced by something affecting their bottom line, so I can’t see this happening.

[Noserenda]

Yeah the current system works fine for gw, they sell all their stock and this will be forgotten in a week, I'll be interested to see how the next series goes, because despite so many people saying never again, the one off limited books still vanish in seconds.

 

Ultimately if people didn't support the scalpers by buying off them, they wouldn't scalp gw stuff, there is a reason they have like, shoe based names on eBay :D

 

The Dawn of fire ltd editions have hung around at least, so there's hope for us yet, though I suspect that's more to do with that series problems.

[Osteoclast]

I can’t be the only one confused by the dissonance of people wondering why GW’s queue system is borked while also saying that they’ve got a dozen separate tabs entered into it, right?

[SpaceDwalin]

Interesting that the limited edition book is "temporarily out of stock " rather than "sold out online". Maybe a sign they've decided to make more, maybe MTO?

Or it could of course just be another webstore mistake.