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Over the past few years one of the biggest problems that Warhammer 40K fans have had is actually getting their hands on new products. That’s because new releases often sell out quickly, particularly for limited edition books and miniature sets that are only available via the Games Workshop website.
This issue has been exacerbated by online scalpers who use automated bots to quickly swoop in and snag new merchandise before anyone else can. They then sell these items on eBay and other secondary markets at an inflated price, screwing fans over doubly in the process.
This supply and demand challenge is something that Games Workshop has attempted to address over the past year, including announcing plans for a new Warhammer factory and revamping their ecommerce queue system.
Recently, however, they’ve taken an even more drastic step in actually cancelling shipments made by online scalpers for a new limited edition Black Library book.
So will this help turn the tides against the legions of Chaos-loving scalpers? Below we break out what happened.
How is Games Workshop Stopping Online Scalpers?
On a recent post of the Warhammer Community website, Games Workshop indicated that they had noticed unusual sales of the new limited edition, leather-bound version of The End and the Death: Volume 3, the final book in the long running Horus Heresy series.
The edition was limited to just 2,500 copies globally and fans were eager to get their hands on one, since these types of books typically sell out in minutes and have significant value on the secondary market. Following the original release of the book on January 13th, 2024, Games Workshop has since cancelled orders where a single customer purchased more than one copy, delivering a serious blow to scalpers.
The extra stock from the cancelled orders was relisted on the morning of Wednesday, January 24th, 2024. Notably, Games Workshop also recently installed a new authentication system which is designed to slow down scalper bot systems.
It’s not clear how many copies of the limited edition book were grabbed by scalpers, but some online estimates put it anywhere from 10% to 20% of the available inventory. This figure is based on available copies on eBay, where many sellers are listing them for between $400 to $500 USD (notably the product was originally listed for just $80 USD on the Warhammer Store).
Final Thoughts
Warhammer 40K fans have been blasting scalpers for years, so it’s great to see that Games Workshop is finally taking some key steps to level the playing field. Here’s hoping they continue to take action in the days ahead.
We’ll be keeping a close eye on this story and provide more information as it’s available.
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Zachary Birch lives in Medford, Massachusetts and has been a dedicated war gamer for over 15 years, playing pretty much ever system under the sun. Orks remain his favorite Warhammer 40K army (because nothing beats stomping gits into the ground). He also enjoys playing video games, reading, playing the guitar and shouting “WAAAGH!” at inappropriate times.
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