Guide · 6 min read
Where to buy miniature paints
Craft stores, local game stores and online all sell paint that works on a miniature. They trade off selection, price and how fast you can start against each other - here's which one actually fits your first purchase.
No purchase needed to try a scheme first.
Miniature paints are sold through three real channels: big-box craft stores, local independent game stores, and online retailers. Craft stores win on convenience for a first purchase, game stores win on range for one game system, and online wins on selection and price across brands - none of the three is right for every situation.
The confusion most beginners hit isn't which store - it's assuming "craft store" and "miniature paint store" are the same aisle. A general craft-paint bottle from the art supplies section is a different product from a hobby-specific miniature paint, even when both are acrylic. What a craft store like Michaels, Hobby Lobby or JOANN actually carries is usually a real, purpose-built hobby line - most commonly Citadel - stocked alongside the general craft-paint aisle, not instead of it. Check which section you're standing in before you buy.
Craft stores
Michaels, Hobby Lobby, JOANN
These chains are the fastest way to hold a miniature paint in your hand today, because you likely already know where one is. What they stock is real hobby paint, not generic craft acrylic - usually a limited selection of one or two established lines rather than a full range. Stock varies store to store and even week to week, so a specific color isn't guaranteed to be on the shelf. Best for: your very first bottle, before you know whether painting is a hobby you'll stick with.
Local game stores
Your local independent hobby or game store
An independent game store usually carries the full paint range for whatever game system it supports, plus the brushes, primers and basing materials to go with it - one stop for an entire order instead of a partial one. It also puts money back into the store that likely runs the tables you'll actually play on. The tradeoff is real: prices sit closer to retail than online discounting, and a store outside a city may not exist near you at all. Best for: building out a full range for one game system, and supporting the store your gaming community depends on.
Buying online
Brand stores, hobby retailers, general marketplaces
Online is where the full range actually lives - every brand's own store, dedicated hobby retailers, and general marketplaces like Amazon all carry miniature paint, usually at the widest selection and often the best price once you're buying more than a couple of bottles. The real cost is that you can't see the actual color in person before it arrives, and shipping adds time and sometimes a minimum-order threshold to dodge a delivery fee. Best for: restocking a known color, or buying a specific brand your local options don't carry.
The three, compared
No fabricated prices here - what varies by location and by week isn't something a page can state as fact. This is the shape of the tradeoff, not a number.
| Channel | Selection | Speed | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Craft store | Narrow - usually one line | Today, in person | Your first bottle |
| Local game store | Full range, one system | Today, in person | One game's full range |
| Online | Widest, every brand | Days, shipped | Restocks & rare colors |
Which one for your situation
- You've never painted before and want to try it this weekend: a craft store or an online starter set. Don't build a full range before you know if it sticks.
- You're committing to one game system - Warhammer 40k, Age of Sigmar, D&D: your local game store, so you get the whole range at once and support the store that runs your table.
- You need one specific color a local shop is out of, or a brand it doesn't stock: online, direct from the brand or a dedicated hobby retailer.
Whichever channel you buy from, you can preview what a scheme actually looks like on your own miniature before you commit to a shopping list - see which brand fits your project first if you haven't picked one yet. Not sure which paints you already own match what a scheme calls for? Browse the paint library to check before you buy again. If a term on this page - basecoat, wash, primer - isn't familiar yet, the painting glossary defines all of them, and the guides hub has the full how-to for getting started once you've got paint in hand.
Questions people ask
Does Michaels sell miniature paint?
Yes, in most locations - typically a hobby-specific line like Citadel stocked separately from the general craft-acrylic aisle, not the same product. Selection and stock vary by store.
Can I use regular craft paint on a miniature?
You can, but it isn't built for the job the way a hobby paint is - consistency, opacity and how finely it thins are tuned differently. It'll work for a first test model; it won't match what a dedicated miniature line does at fine detail.
What's the cheapest way to buy miniature paint?
Usually online, bought in enough volume to clear a store's free-shipping threshold - per-bottle discounting tends to beat retail once you're past a handful of colors. A single bottle bought online rarely beats walking into a local store.
How do I know a color is right if I buy online?
You mostly don't, until it arrives - screen colors shift by monitor and lighting. Many painters keep a small in-person purchase for colors they're unsure of and buy online only for restocks of colors they already know.
Is it worth paying more at a local game store?
If that store runs the games you play, yes - it's the store staying open that keeps a local table available at all. If you're not part of that community, the price premium is harder to justify over online.
Pick your paints, then see them on your model
Upload a photo of your primed miniature and preview a scheme before you commit to a shopping list, wherever you end up buying.
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