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GW have a sales model, it goes something like this.
They launch a new range with an introductory box (in this case the Beast Snagga Orks). Said boxes are limited in number and when they’re gone, they’re gone. Following this they then release the individual components/units as separate boxes. GW also don’t offer discounts or have clearance sales as part of that model. Their prices are their prices. These limited boxed sets are basically GW offering a discount.
None of this is any great secret, it’s been like this for quite some time now. Now, in terms of allocation of product, well have a look online at the shortages currently being experienced across the world. Card and Cardboard are currently in short supply which is probably limiting production run sizes. Also, anything printed in China is proving very difficult to ship at the moment, which again will be affecting global supply and thus the size of production runs.
I know it’s easier to just say “GW BAD” but they’re not bad. They’re a business whose aim is to make money, something that they do incredibly well. They will know what their optimum production run is to ensure that the miniatures continue to sell AFTER the limited edition box has sold out. At the moment they may not be able to hit those production targets and may have had to scale back. Or maybe they have analysed their own sales data and decided that smaller production runs lead to greater sales of the separate units. Who knows. Either way this isn’t about fleecing customers, it’s about ensuring they generate a greater return on investment on each product line. Businesses that set out with the explicit aim of fleecing customers don’t really last very long; GW look like they’re going to be around for a while yet so they must be doing something right and we can probably assume they’re not ripping people off.
Just because you didn’t get or can’t get a particular item doesn’t mean you’re being ripped off.
