A New Hammer of War: What Changed, What We Learned and What's Next
If the site looks different lately, you're not imagining it.
Hammer of War has a new look, a new layout and a few new tricks. Here's what changed, what we learned getting here, and what's coming next.
Where we started
Hammer of War began in June 2023 as a small eBay shop. One guy, a stack of Black Library books and a lot of bubble wrap.
It grew faster than expected. Over 1,600 items sold on eBay, hundreds of five-star reviews, and collectors who kept coming back for the books nobody else had.
In May 2024 we opened hammerofwar.us so we could sell directly to you, without eBay fees baked into every price. Today the website is our home, and it's where you'll always find our full stock.
The growing pains
We'll be honest. Growing a one-of-a-kind shop is messy.
The stockroom outgrew the system. In October 2025 we launched consignment with two partners, Fenrisian Goods and Prism Creative Studios. That brought in hundreds of new items: Kingdom Death, Batman: Gotham City Chronicles, Conan, BattleTech and a lot more. It was great for the shelves. It was hard on our record keeping.
Almost everything is one of one. A normal store has 50 copies of a product. We have one, in one condition, and it has to be in exactly the right spot when you order it. When that slips, things slow down.
Some orders this fall shipped later than they should have. If yours was one of them, thank you for your patience. We reached out to everyone affected, and we're fixing the cause, not just the symptoms.
None of this is an excuse. It's the reason for everything below.
What's new on the site
- A darker, cleaner look. Gothic type, a new logo and a design that finally feels like the hobby we love.
- Shop by category. Jump straight to Warhammer 40K, Age of Sigmar, Horus Heresy, board games, RPGs, miniatures, collector's editions or Batman: Gotham City Chronicles.
- Clear condition grades. Every listing shows its condition with a photo of the actual item, so you know exactly what you're getting.
- Real reviews, everywhere. Reviews from real buyers now show on products, and the Review Hall collects them all in one place.
- Easier to find things. We cleaned up product types and publisher names, so search and filters actually work.
- Smoother and faster. Pages load and move more smoothly, on desktop and phone.
What's coming next
- A rebuilt stockroom. New shelving and a label on every item, tied to its listing. That means faster shipping and stock counts you can trust.
- Hundreds of new listings. A lot of great stock is still waiting to be photographed and listed. It's coming out of the back room over the next few months.
- The Missing Blanches. Our series on three original John Blanche paintings continues through the end of the year. Start with part one.
- More from the blog. Collector guides, lore deep dives and honest notes on what things are worth.
Thank you
Every order, review and patient email has kept this shop going. We built the new site for you, and we'll keep making it better.
The Harvest Crusade holiday sale is running now through Cyber Monday. Join our email list at the bottom of any page for 10% off store stock through Thanksgiving.
For the collection. For the lore.
Alex and the Hammer of War crew