Hobby on a budget

 Hey Game Fans, we’re back to give you some excellent ideas for places to get into the hobby on the cheaper side. Notice we’re not saying the Cheap Side, because this isn’t exactly an inexpensive hobby. However, there are a few tricks to save you some cash when you are buying your minis.  

Tip 1: Shop Local. (Relatively local)

Having a home base, local hobby game store is an essential component to a happy, healthy hobby life. There’s a whole other article about that topic, but the key point in this for today’s purpose is that your local game store will usually offer a discount on Games Workshop (some times other product lines, depending on what they carry) retail prices. This is a win for you. You giving them your money is a Win for them. This cycle of Winning is good for everyone because you get your stuff at a discount, and they can continue to keep the doors open for you to continue using the rest of the game store’s benefits.  

If you don’t have a local shop of your own because of where you live, the online retail market is full of excellent choices for you to spend your hobby dollars on. Discounts are freely flowing on the interweb and it’s best to find a store you like dealing with and running from there. (I prefer Ministomp, but that’s me).

Tip 2: eBay is your friend

eBay is an incredible resource for the hobbyist on a budget. Not only can you find kits on sale, you can find second hand models that might need some repainting, you might also find individual bits for a specific model. The nature of eBay’s marketplace means that there are a LOT of sales to sift through, and you can get lost easily. However, you can find decent discounts.  

eBay also has potential downsides. The models may not be in the condition depicted, things can get lost in shipping, and you have to deal with individual sellers instead of a retail storefront. Buyer Beware on eBay, but the discounts can be very good.

Tip 3: Friends have things, right?

Some armies don’t work for some players. Some people just want to make a change. Either way, armies will go up for sale in friend groups from time to time, and that can be a massive windfall for the prospective buyer. Getting a fully assembled and painted army can be a snap, but you’re going to have to accept the army as is, and if it’s not a color scheme you want, you’re going to have to change it.

Still, with the right minis and the right price, you can get an army on the go for a decent discount. It also gives your friend some extra cash to buy into a new project.

The other aspect of this is splitting and defraying costs by pooling your cash. Two player starter sets are more common in this hobby than you might think, and they can be really neat. If you have two players, that is. However, if you have a buddy who wants the other half of a two player starter, you can split the cost of a box with your friend and end up with just the parts you want for half the price. This one gets a bonus round if you get two copies of the starter because then you both have a copy of the non miniature components of the game too.  

Tip 4: Buy, Sell, Trade?

There are groups on social media platforms that are tailored for folks who want to trade out parts for parts, or parts for cash. Say you find yourself in the situation where you bought an entire army of something and they turn out to not be the thing you really wanted. You now have something that you can trade for another army you prefer, with the right group of traders. 

Some traders are even looking for other things and you might be able to trade old books or other collectibles on your path to acquiring minis for your favorite game. Take your time in sussing out the trades you want to make, and you can be pleasantly surprised by the potential savings, As always, be careful when trading, especially on the internet.  

These are 4 tips for you getting into the hobby on a budget, and we’ll have some more ideas about this as we go forward. Have fun, enjoy the hobby, and stay in a reasonably manageable amount of trouble. See you next time.