About Us

Background & Ethos

Principlesofwar.com began trading in Summer 2002.  I have a background in wargaming – ranging from historical to fantasy.  I am closely involved in new editions of the Principles of War rule sets, and run the yahoo web discussion group (list here).  I am enthusiastic about the subject areas; but far from being an expert on everything, I am frequently investigating new periods – like many of our customers. I aim not just to be a shop keeper, but a great source of information and new ideas about the historical periods that I cover.  Unlike many internet sites, I regularly update  content.

I also have over 15 years experience in IT, so you can buy  in confidence that any glitches that sometimes occur with internet shopping are competently investigated and your order is in safe hands!

I regularly help  customers to find out about new periods of historical gaming;  whether it is from providing product samples, to advising about publications.  Whether you an expert, or totally new to a historical period I can help.

The business is small enough to care and  I take pride in getting to know my customers and giving them really first class service;  if you are looking for inspiration for a new period to game, I would love to hear from you.  Many repeat customers are above all your best guarantee of a positive shopping experience.

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‘Weigh & Pay’ Fair Postage Policy

I believe in charging customers fairly for what they are buying.  You pay a fair price for your goods, so why should you pay exorbitant postage charges on top?  So I charge customers by weight not percentage of value for postage and packaging;  this gives a much fairer (and cheaper!!) postage charge to you.  I add only a small nominal charge for packaging, again with the policy of charging purely at cost.

The shopping system tells you exactly what you will be charged, before you pay.

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Q&A - Quick & Accurate - Customers Praise the Delivery Service

You are buying over the internet so I know you expect nothing less than fast despatch of your order.  Once anyone hits the ‘send’ key they want their purchase to arrive as soon as possible, be correct, and in pristine condition. 

So, I treat your order like I am buying it myself (in fact sending out orders is one of our favourite jobs!) and will happily spend a few more minutes, and a little extra packaging to make sure it reaches you in A1 condition.

Normally I aim to have most UK orders despatched to customers within 72 hours of receipt. It is usually faster! I also trade on E-bay;  to find out what our customers think about us, take a look at our E-bay feedback. click here for details. You’ll see many positive comments about the speed of our delivery and the care taken with packaging. 

If products are out-of-stock we will keep in touch via e-mail and give you realistic despatch estimates.

I know many of our customers want goods despatched to arrive for use at the weekend. Perhaps you are hoping to play a game, or paint/rebase figures?  If you are ordering late in the week for items you are planning to use over the weekend, just email me (sales@principlesofwar.com) and let me know, or if buying via E-bay let me know in the comments section on your order form, and I will do my best to get these to you as quickly as I can, although please remember I am only human!!

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Problems 

Like anyone I get the occasional problem – mislaid parcels which seem to have taken very creative routes to get to their end destination (!), and the very occasional error in filling an order.  But I can honestly say we have no customer for whom we have not resolved a problem and our volume of repeat business supports this.

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Safe Buying/How To Buy

I have an established reputation as a trader using PayPal, and can also take payments via UK cheque or postal order, including international money order or international bank transfer, and operate using a business account with a major UK bank.  I regularly appear at UK trade shows, and have long-standing distributor relationships and trade accounts with other companies including the largest publisher of historical books – Osprey.  I use quality internet shopping software, and our customers have not reported any problems with internet fraud or similar when buying from me.

If you are planning to make a large order and need any reassurance about our financial status, please contact me and I will be happy to discuss your requirements with you.  I am always happy to talk to larger customers/clubs about advantageous terms dependent on sales volumes.

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Information for International Customers

I specialise in supplying international customers, and recognise it can be difficult to find and buy some specialist wargaming products if you live outside the UK.

I am experienced in despatching goods throughout Europe, the United States, as far afield as Australia, in fact I do so almost every week;  I welcome orders from abroad, and have developed links with clubs in countries such as Italy.  I can send  items both air and surface mail, and can arrange for goods to be sent ‘signed for’ (at extra charge) for valuable orders where you want greater security.  I make sure that we use the most competitive rate for your goods – whether it be small package or printed paper – for European orders.

If you would like to speak to another customer in your country about our service, please let me know and I will be happy to put you in contact with them.

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Contact me by clicking here Richard Holling