(If there has already been such a topic, I did not see it)
I guess most of us are aware that the UK is pretty much the center for miniature wargaming in general and most companies are located there. As the final(?) Brexit deadline is only a few weeks away, I thought it would be interesting to look at the possible consequences for the hobby when the UK leaves the EU.
From what I have gathered, miniature gaming has a very strong following in the UK, compared to many other countries. Therefore companies there have a strong home market, but regardless of that, most of their sales will be made with exports. If a No-Deal Brexit occurs, it will mean the return of import charges and taxes, which will lead to cost increases of at least 20-25% on everything other than the smallest of orders. Large companies like GW, who have subsidiaries in mainland Europe, can work around that. Small(er) companies on the other hand, who mainly rely on online-sales from the UK, will be hit hard I guess. But this also works both ways and buying something from a EU located company as a UK customer will be even worse.
What are your predictions? Will the No-Deal scenario crush some of the small businesses? Will the £ to € exchange rate drop so much as to compensate for the increased costs (from a EU customer perspective)? Will buying from the UK stay a reasonable option in the next years? Should those of us, who will remain within the EU (as you should), do some last chance purchases before the Brexit and vice versa?
P.S.: Personally, I have already made some panic purchases in the beginning of the year and might make another during this month.