TYRANNY of DISTANCE

Wargaming in Australia is an expensive hobby – far more expensive than for hobbyists in the UK, the US or just about anywhere for that matter. For New Zealanders it will be just that extra bit worse. For those of you in the UK, I’ve read some chatter on the forums about increased prices of metals and postage charges in recent times and no one feels that more than those of us down-under.

The two things that puts the pinch on us is the currency exchange rate and postage. The Aussie dollar (AUD) is almost always significantly weaker against the pound sterling (GBP) – by a long mile and usually near half the value. As I type we are only getting 55-58 pence to the dollar. In Australia our cost of living is more or less on par with Brits who live within the greater metropolitan area of London or in the South more generally. Pretty much, a dollar here buys what a pound buys you over there.

The postal rates for shipping figures from the UK to Australia is the worst you can get and what’s worse still is that we take the high postal charge in GBP then nearly double it by paying in AUD – wicked. Allow me to illustrate.

The current price for a box of Perry Miniatures plastic 28mm infantry (French for Franco-Prussian War for example) bought directly from the Perry’s in the UK is GBP 22.00. There are 25 figures in a box and their UK postage charge is just over three pounds – so that’s near GBP25.00 for you in the UK to buy a box of Perry’s, working out to be 1 pound per figure.

If I buy the same box directly from the Perry’s my postage is GBP 10.58, so that’s GBP 32.58 per box. At today’s exchange rate (58 pence to the AUD) that box costs me AUD 60.89 which works out to AUD 2.34 per figure. Remembering our comparable cost of living, that’s like wargamers in the UK paying 2.34 sterling for each plastic 28mm figure. Would you?

Now it just so happens that I’m a big fan of much of the Elite Miniatures ranges which I use for my Napoleonics. In this case we have a comparison which you might find revealing. If I buy a set of four metal figures from Elite Miniatures (UK) it will cost GBP 5.30 and I am charged 35% ‘rest of the world’ postage at GBP 1.80 for a total of GBP 7.10, converting to AUD 13.27 which equates to AUD 3.30 per figure. Now it just so happens that we have our own Elite Miniatures Australia (G’day Vinnie) who produces Elite Miniatures in Australia under license. The same set of four metal miniatures will cost me AUD 1.75 before postage and thanks to Australia Post, it’s a low rate and depending on quantities ordered, the unit price does not reach AUD 2.00 per figure. It’s bizarre how they are cheaper than a plastic figure.

To the best of my knowledge, no other figure manufacturer has such an arrangement in Australia and I think you can see we could use some more.

I don’t know to what extent overseas sales are relied upon by UK manufacturers and Australian wargamers represent a comparatively small market share. I do think that everyone would benefit by a more expansive business model. I don’t know how significant in the mind export markets are to UK figure manufacturers. I have no idea what impact BREXIT has made on the industry.

Australians like myself cannot hope for improvements in the exchange rate as it works too well for the existing trade balances. The Australian economy exports far more than it imports in dollar terms so a weak dollar makes exports more competitive, whereas the UK imports more than it exports so a strong pound increased purchasing power. So, it seems I’m stuck with it.