Rob Baer, the founder and owner of Spikey Bits, has announced he is closing down the bits sales after Games Workshop ridiculously bullshit policy was announced that retailers would not be allowed to sell their product off the sprue. You can read all about it on his blog here.
Rob basically started the bits business a number of years ago with Battlewagon Bits, sold that business to The War Store, went to work there and then headed off to start his own game store in Virginia.
I am a huge fan of Rob. He is a great person, a fun gamer to hang with, and a great entrepreneur. And if you know anything about me (I started 5 companies and speak on entrepreneurship at local colleges and universities) I love supporting other entrepreneurs, and Rob knows his stuff. he is a real innovator in gaming retail and I support him whenever I can.
So go buy some bits from Rob and say hi to him at Adepticon!
Loken
The Bitz business is nothing more than a miniatures chop shop.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to see all his hard work and ingenuity tank like that but if someone was buying my product at trade cost and began to devalue my product by hacking it up and selling it off in pieces which was never how it was intended to be marketed or sold, then I'd do something about it too.
That's business baby.
How is bitz sales devaluing a product? That makes no sense.
ReplyDeleteIn fact the opposite is true. GW Sells more boxes because of the bitz companies. People are more likely to buy more GW product to then modify, or get more vested in the hobby because of what they can do.
GW's policy does nothing by stifle their own business.
If GW never wanted boxes to be split and sold they should have given every viable option in a box. GW's policy of killing the middle man is going to work against them, and it will happen sooner than later.
ReplyDeleteLooking at the blog he's going to be running Bitz from other companies. So promoting sales for GWs competitors and strengthening them. Not sure that was GW's plan.
ReplyDeletehe didn´t invent the bitz store
ReplyDeleteGW did years ago -.-
after they stoped others picked it up back in the late 90tys allready
said day for him
But GW makes more profit, if you buy a whole 30,- kit than just the a 3,- bit on the web
Clearly that is GW's reasoning and its faulty. Here's why: i enjoy hobbying. In my mind ive seen a really cool lord. I need bits from five different kits to make it. Spending 20 usd on bits that enables me to realize my vision is a price at which im able to do so. As a result i enjoy my hobby and get fullfilment from it, i am motivated to conitnue on the next project.
DeleteNow i need to spend 100 usd on the five kits of which i only need a little bit. This evoces a negative emotion and is beyond my willingness to pay. I now will also not be able ro get the sense of fullfilment from creating something and wont be motivated to consider a follow up project. So i spend my 20 usd on bits from another company or a different passtime all together.
In the first case GW earns 20 usd from me (potentially from others too) while in the second case GW gets nothing.
In addendum this is a similar fallacy movie and music companies are guilty of. Just because i download movies and now watch say 5 movies a week, it is not taking my money away from them. Before downloading i did not go to the movies 5 times a week. At worst now my money goes to another product in the global economy. At best i am exposed to a new writer/director/actor/singer that i would never have given the chance when i had to choose what to spend my limited resources on. If after a free experience i might learn i like them and next time i might go see something by them in the cinema or concert.
DeleteJust because a more expensive option is what the company wants to limit you too, doesnt mean that is what you will end up spending your hard earned cash on. Chances are they will simply not see any percentage of your money.
Sometimes businesses need to take risks to move forward, risks aren't easy and will never please everyone.
ReplyDeleteSome are happy with this decision, some are mad, and some just don't care.
But the Bits business is a niche business WITHIN a niche business that focuses on a smaller market.
Games Workshop regulates the price of their models based on the box as a whole, retailers have liberties to discount them, however there's still a price.
I got curious and totaled up the cost of a Dark Vengeance in bits and it costs almost more than 50 dollars more than the normal retail price.
So GW get's the same amount from the bits retailer per box, but really in the long run the bits retailer is making out like a bandit by cutting up the sprue and selling them individually.
So the bits retailers are setting the prices rather than GW.
So even though it takes Spikeybits and others a few customers to buy the contents of a whole Box, they are making more than retail and GW isn't seeing any of that extra.
So, I understand why they made that decision.
Also, typically business licenses do not allow you to provide services involving used, second hand, pawn, or consignment goods.
Opening a box and bitting them out is selling something used because it's not new in box, there's no such thing as new on sprue because it comes sealed in a box.
Also Bits Bazaar sales even on gift card's shouldn't even happen because the shop is accepting money for used / second hand items which is why GW stopped doing it too.
A quote from his shipping policy: "We ship to most major countries where these games are played as follows; Ireland, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Australia, Germany, New Zealand, France, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Poland, Spain, and Canada".
ReplyDeleteI personaly was offended by this statement when I tried to order some months ago, being a resident of the country not listed above. I say he is no better than GW with their stupid embargo policies and Im glad that racist troglodyte is outta business :)
It's funny, people like troll above say they are happy he is out of business. Sorry to burst your bubble but he has and still does run a friendly local game store called FTWgames which sells all sorts of games both at a brick and mortar store and online.
ReplyDelete