With all the changes recently from the wholesale repricing of existing stock, jumping from $32 to 42 to 55 per figure in very quick order with neglible quality improvements, increasingly shorter production runs with consequentially increased retirements etc etc K&C has taken a lot of hard business decisions that are not in my opinion consumer friendly at all. In fact they are pushing many to the breaking point. I could accept price increases if quality were markedly improved or modest price increases if quality doesn't improve but the jumps we are seeing are in this collectors viewpoint nothing short of price gauging. I'm starting to feel ripped off. I know I'm not alone here. I won't take my toys and leave the playground but I am disappointed that I must increasingly look at other options for my collecting habit. The forum is the only place I can express my feelings and opinions so there they are. I make no apologies for them.
CFM,
No apologies necessary. It is unfortunate that you feel you are being priced out of collecting.
I could make an in depth reply but there are a couple of points I will comment on.
You mentioned the wholesale increase of existing stock. That happened 2 1/2 years ago (or was it 3 1/2) and K&C informed people 2 months ahead of it. K&C is a brand that has some items available for far longer than other brands and this involves doing a number of production runs. Google China Labour cost increases and draw your own conclusions. If you were running a business could you sell your product at the same price over 3-8 years with the increased costs your Google search will show ? I remember the Black Watch figures were still available at $25 when other new Nap figures were $32. I could see K&C were doing further runs but also that their margins on them would be decreasing. As a dealer I told Andy I would prefer he increased the price rather than not have those Black Watch at all. The French Imperial Guard were around for nearly 8 years and went from $25 to $32 in that time. There is a cost involved in K&C having such a large range of product available over long periods.
You mentioned that you felt you were being gauged and ripped off. As I said below I believe K&C goes on a certain percentage margin and any prices he charges are a reflection upon his costs.
The good news is that Google search will also show that a number of experts expect that in about 5 years Chinese labour/manufacturing costs will be about the same as those in USA. Then it is just a matter of getting the labour that wants to paint figures for years of their life.
I did express some thoughts in your previous thread Reflections and thoughts on P six weeks ago and an edited version is below. My apologies for re-posting it here but we do seem to be discussing the same subject over multiple threads and my comment still hold true (I still think if a US GI is $42.50 then a Para smock figure is no surprise, to me at least, at $55).
Regards
Brett
Re-run of previous post :
"Below is part of Stephen Chongs report from Andy's comments from the recent West Coast show :
"Unfortunately, costs keep increasing. Despite having more than 1.4 billion people, there is actually a labor shortage in China with few young people willing to do low tech jobs like painting figures. K&C will be celebrating its 30th anniversary, having started in 1983. It started producing in China in 1988. Around that time, a painter earned US$200 to $300 per month and factories had 400 or more painters working double shifts. Now, K&C's biggest factory only has 50 to 60 painters each earning 3 to 4 times more. There has also been drastic increases in raw material and transportation costs (compare cost of gasoline in 1980's to now. But there has also been an increase in quality and variety coupled with customers becoming more demanding".
My reaction to the price jump of Arnhem and the Indians was also one of surprise as it was more of a rise than normal. I can appreciate the price rises are not welcome by collectors but take a moment to consider it from the other side. For the collector this is a luxury hobby so really the choice is about whether or not you will buy a metal soldier that may have crossed your price level. For Andy/K&C this is a business that affects his livelihood and those of his staff and indirectly the factories and his dealers. He has a lot more riding on this than any collector so I think it safe to assume he gave considerable thought to this pricing change knowing that it would not be popular.
Having dealt with Andy for over 10 years and had many conversations with him I know price has always been an important consideration. From my knowledge he works on a certain percentage on top of the factory price. Whether or not the Arnhem and Indian figures are a significant change in detail I cant comment on at this stage but I am sure the percentage is the same. However here is another way to compare the Armhem figures. Try to imagine going into a TS shop for the first time (ie. never seen a TS before) and you see the Arnhem figures and the two new US Medic sets (2 for $85 so $42.50 each). I think it is clear that the Arnhem figures would require more painting time and hence cost more. On that comparison the $55 is not unreasonable if compared to the Medics.
Some other points to consider. The variety of product now across various brands, historical periods and price points is huge (and lets not forget the UK cottage guys). I would like to think I have a good variety of stock across the brands I stock but I think, as a dealer, there is too much variety available. Whilst this may seem good for the collector it may not be as good as you think. Whilst my view might be slightly different to a USA dealer I am sure all dealers are finding there are some series that hardly sell at all. In some cases there have been items I simply did not get in and had no orders for. For a brand that means their successful series has to cover any series that does not sell as expected. A knock on effect of this is that brands are doing smaller production runs (this is quite obvious) and I believe factories would charge more per figure the smaller the runs get.
I know Andy will know and have met quite a few forum members who are now making negative comments about pricing and say they will not buy the figures etc. He will not find it much fun to read them. However I am pretty sure Andy is doing what he thinks is in the best interests of his business and the continued employment of his staff. No doubt some will jump on this comment as somehow being insensitive to their requirement that Andy price his products to their particular budget. The reality is for Andy it is a serious business whereas for collectors it is a hobby. He has more to lose than anybody if he has got it wrong".