That's it; I am done buying minis'!

[Dannyalcatraz]

And just for the record, they tried non-random distribution with Chainmail, and others have done so as well- see Confrontation, etc.

So far as the market has spoken thus far, your economically viable choices for selling minis associated with a minis combat game boil down to just a couple of options (assuming you want to keep the underlying game relatively balanced).

1) Random Distribution. Secondary sales in the aftermarket changes distribution for a price.

2) Price differences. Rare or powerful minis cost more, common & weak minis cost very little.

3) Same price, different # of minis in package.

4) Same price as non-collectible minis, but manufacture minis in different sized lots. This leads to uneven distribution of rare & powerful minis, which may be "corrected" in the aftermarket by secondary sales.

 

[AtomicPope]

You can also, if your brave enough, "dip" your mini in minwax to give it a quick coat after step four instead of step 6. It does the same thing and gievs it depth.

http://www.dysartes.com/model/painting/Dipping1.php

This is the easiest way to get blended and shaded results quickly.

Caution! Do not use the Classic Dipping method. It's very messy, wasteful, and the results are mediocre. Using a paint brush to lightly apply wood stain yields better results with no added time. Here's a mini I painted, dipped, detailed, and sold to support my habit. I mean hobby

Space Wolf Terminator Lord

It's very much a dip job but with some careful brush control it doesn't look shiny or goopy. When ever I'm speed painting mass miniatures (which is hardly ever) I use the brush dip too. I painted a WHFB vampire counts army with 200+ minis using the Brush Dip technique. If I did a dip 'n shake it would have been messy like kindergarten finger painting.

 

[Gailbraithe]

If you don't want to learn to paint metal miniatures (it's really not hard, it just takes practice) there is a very simple way to use metal minis that anyone can do, and will give you an end-result far superior to the splotchy paint jobs you find on rubbery plastic miniatures.

All you need is the following:

• A can of white spray primer (Duplicolor Sandable Primer is cheap and works great)
• a can of clear matte spray coating
• 1.5 oz. bottle of Reaper Pure Black paint
• a shotglass full of water (distilled or purified water is best)
• a pair of disposable rubber gloves (optional)
• Flow Improver (optional, found at any art store)

Spray all of the miniatures with the white primer so they are thoroughly covered. Use long sweeping passes with can, moving back and forth to get an even spray. Allow them to dry.

Put about ten to twelve drops of the Pure Black in the shotglass full of water. Add two or three drops of Flow Improver -- flow improved reduces water surface tension, and will allow the wash you are making to flow into the crevasses of the mini.

Dip each miniature into the wash, pull it out, and quickly set it down. Wear the gloves if you don't want your fingers to get blackened. Allow the miniature to dry.

Take a good long look at it. If it's grey and dull, you need to add more Pure Black to your dip. You should have a blend of greytones with dark, black shadows. You should be able to easily make out the individual details of the miniature.

Once you've finished several, let them dry, then spray the miniatures with the matte coating.

You can literally do hundreds in a day, if you want. They won't win any painting competitions, but you'll have a nice set of black & white miniatures.

 

[Fifth Element]

And just for the record, they tried non-random distribution with Chainmail, and others have done so as well- see Confrontation, etc.

Yes, but Chainmail was a more traditional non-painted metal minis thing.

The pre-painted Confrontation figures are of a much higher quality than DDM. They're also at a much higher price.

 

[Fifth Element]

Because they do? Between randomness and bad paint jobs I see them as a horrible investment over things out there.

For you, maybe. But as you yourself said there are reasons why others prefer them. Very good reasons. That's why a blanket "they suck" is silly.

 

[Dragon Snack]

But their release of skeletons and orcs in the first wave was puzzling, since most everyone already has a bunch of those, and the price point is too high to buy them in bunches.

And yet they sold out of the Orcs and Skeletons not once, but twice.

Puzzling indeed...

 

[Lanefan]

There are 2 dragonborn rares. Again, assuming 4 cases with perfect distribution, one can expect one of each, with a high probability of one duplicate.

I will say I think it was a HUGE ERROR to make both dragonborn minis in this set rare. Not wise to release a new edition of the game with a new race that many want to play and not have easy access to the minis (and no third party substitutes.)

I bought exactly one pack of the new minis set, and the rare...you guessed it...was a Dragonborn. Nothing could be less useful to me, so I traded it right back to the store for a Giant that might actually hit my table someday.

Lanefan

 

[Kyrail]

Ah, we have one of the Dragonborn that was released before 4E actually came out.

Dragonborn Paladin I think. Looks good.

Never played the mini game personally.

 

[Matrix Sorcica]

<snip>
3 cases. And that was with a good discount. A single booster pack costs
$46 in my country retail.

<snip>

I just checked it out. It seems his rates for oversea shipping matches his other rates. That gives some definite possibilities.

<snip>

Except that I am in Denmark, so while Ebay is cheap, there is usually a hefty shipping cost all the way over here, and then there are the customs of my country, etc etc.


Cheers

I too live in Denmark and I long ago got fed up with the Danish FLGS' prices. They are just stupid. I recently saw my FLGS charge $105 for an Aspect of Tiamat!!

I always use Auggies for singles. He has top prices, top customer service, shipping is at cost and customs are easily avoided.

I just found a shop in the UK that has Against the Giant boosters for £8,3 - including worldwide shipping! That's about $17.
They also have the 4E PHB for £13,3 ($26) and the DMG and MM cheaper, etc.
And no customs here!!

For my non mainstream rpging, I remain Leisure Games' bitch.

 

[Jack99]

I too live in Denmark and I long ago got fed up with the Danish FLGS' prices. They are just stupid. I recently saw my FLGS charge $105 for an Aspect of Tiamat!!

Been to Fantask in Copenhagen?

I always use Auggies for singles. He has top prices, top customer service, shipping is at cost and customs are easily avoided.

I just found a shop in the UK that has Against the Giant boosters for £8,3 - including worldwide shipping! That's about $17.
They also have the 4E PHB for £13,3 ($26) and the DMG and MM cheaper, etc.
And no customs here!!

For my non mainstream rpging, I remain Leisure Games' bitch.

What is the trick regarding the customs and what is the name of that store in England?

Cheers