Exchange Rates Falling Against the US $ (1 Viewer)

[Desertkiwi]

Anyone here feeling the pinch of their falling exchange rate against the US dollar?

Our Kiwi dollar has plummeted from around 70 cents against the greenback only a matter of weeks ago to now only being 56 cents today as the USA aggressively tackles their inflation.

For me this is devastating when purchasing TS off shore as most items are sold in US dollars and virtually all my TS purchases are off-shore. {eek3}

 

[waynepoo]

Yes and add postage it can become beyond reason, I recall recently I wished to purchase a vehicle from the US at what was I believed at a bit high cost, but I wanted it, $400 odd but then the postage was $500 odd with no option to choose an alternative. I didn't buy it of course.

 

[Horus]

Same with GB Pound £ falling against US $ quite steeply recently and so am also going to have to be more choosy when buying.

I know from reading posts they have written themselves on the forum that Thomas Gunn being based in UK but importing from China and needing USD for transactions has been putting their cost of figures up as well which has to passed on to us naturally for them to continue and I guess some variation on this will effect all the manufacturers.

Of course on the flip side it makes it much more affordable for Collectors in the US to buy from UK and rest of world of course depending on postage which no doubt will go up soon to compensate.

 

[paxtoysoldier]

Same with GB Pound £ falling against US $ quite steeply recently and so am also going to have to be more choosy when buying.

I know from reading posts they have written themselves on the forum that Thomas Gunn being based in UK but importing from China and needing USD for transactions has been putting their cost of figures up as well which has to passed on to us naturally for them to continue and I guess some variation on this will effect all the manufacturers.

Of course on the flip side it makes it much more affordable for Collectors in the US to buy from UK and rest of world of course depending on postage which no doubt will go up soon to compensate.

All true I think because we have seen similar before.

Paddy

 

[Desertkiwi]

Yes and add postage it can become beyond reason, I recall recently I wished to purchase a vehicle from the US at what was I believed at a bit high cost, but I wanted it, $400 odd but then the postage was $500 odd with no option to choose an alternative. I didn't buy it of course.

Yeah increasing postage costs are definitely a determining factor when purchasing overseas for me now unfortunately and our dropping exchange rate isn't helping.

Its also not unusual now-a-days that postage from the US ends up being more expensive than the TS item itself, which for me kills the deal.

I'm sure manufacturers are also feeling the impact of the rising US dollar, hot on the heels of navigating through the Covid crisis......

 

[Horus]

Hopefully exchange rates with improve in the coming months for us collectors not in the US.


I couldn't pass up the opportunity of ordering a TCS Medevac Huey which disappeared so quickly when they were originally released.

Some other wants I will have to wait a while longer than anticipated for now after an idiot decided to pull out of a side road without looking and writing off my car ! {eek3}

 

[mikemiller1955]

Yes and add postage it can become beyond reason, I recall recently I wished to purchase a vehicle from the US at what was I believed at a bit high cost, but I wanted it, $400 odd but then the postage was $500 odd with no option to choose an alternative. I didn't buy it of course.

Jesus Christ Wayne...
seriously...
$500 for shipping..
was that a real car that you put gas in and drive?
or a resin model?
$500...that's obscene...
I wouldn't have bought it either...

 

[marco55]

Don't people realize they are losing money in the long run charging those kind of prices. Except for the super rich nobody is going pay those kind of prices.
Mark

 

[Desertkiwi]

Don't people realize they are losing money in the long run charging those kind of prices. Except for the super rich nobody is going pay those kind of prices.
Mark

To be honest Mark I don't think some sellers care these days, for them its all about the almighty dollar and screwing over folks.

 

[marco55]

To be honest Mark I don't think some sellers care these days, for them its all about the almighty dollar and screwing over folks.

I was thinking more of the postal services. It's ridiculous that it cost $5-6 to ship a book to upper Michigan but it jumps up to $20+ if it crosses the border into Canada. Then you have custom charges and VAT on your end if you guys order something from another country. I heard that some politicians over here over want to put a VAT in.
Mark

 

[lancer]

The Folio Society recently released a high quality version of Frankenstein, a book I would love to have. Upon checking the UK website, I discovered that the price was a reasonable 300 pds. Thinking that this was a good price in US dollars (about $322 at current exchange), I went to order from the US page only to find that the US price was $450. Apparently, Folio believes it is still in the 80's or they are deliberately gouging their US customers. Looks like I will be living without Frankenstein as I don't see paying an almost 50% surcharge for living in the US. -- Al

 

[Combat]

The Folio Society recently released a high quality version of Frankenstein, a book I would love to have. Upon checking the UK website, I discovered that the price was a reasonable 300 pds. Thinking that this was a good price in US dollars (about $322 at current exchange), I went to order from the US page only to find that the US price was $450. Apparently, Folio believes it is still in the 80's or they are deliberately gouging their US customers. Looks like I will be living without Frankenstein as I don't see paying an almost 50% surcharge for living in the US. -- Al

Al-
I collect a lot of books and can't believe the prices. Many sell out in seconds at $500 or more. It's unreal that there is enough disposable income even in this disastrous economy to support those prices. Books are just one example of many.

 

[lancer]

Al-
I collect a lot of books and can't believe the prices. Many sell out in seconds at $500 or more. It's unreal that there is enough disposable income even in this disastrous economy to support those prices. Books are just one example of many.

I'm a much bigger book addict than even a TS addict. The inflation and all around price increases have slowed me down, big time, but I am always watching for high end publications. Collect such publishers as Suntup, Centipede, Subterranean, Folio, Cemetery Dance, etc. None are cheap, but I just pick and choose titles I have interest in. I am currently involved with collecting The Dune series from Centipede. Fortunately, the releases are coming slowly (as in over years), so I don't have to live in a cardboard box. Books are NOT a cheap hobby and not for the faint of heart. Being really choosey is the key to survival. :wink2: -- Al

 

[Combat]

I'm a much bigger book addict than even a TS addict. The inflation and all around price increases have slowed me down, big time, but I am always watching for high end publications. Collect such publishers as Suntup, Centipede, Subterranean, Folio, Cemetery Dance, etc. None are cheap, but I just pick and choose titles I have interest in. I am currently involved with collecting The Dune series from Centipede. Fortunately, the releases are coming slowly (as in over years), so I don't have to live in a cardboard box. Books are NOT a cheap hobby and not for the faint of heart. Being really choosey is the key to survival. :wink2: -- Al

I'm a big Stephen King fan and you can't touch any signed book these days. When they do sell them, the website is overwhelmed and crashes. Books immediately show up on ebay for $1K plus. I love Suntup, but many other book publishers are a disaster. Cemetery Dance has books pending for years of even a decade or more. They are the worst run business that I have ever dealt with.

 

[lancer]

I'm a big Stephen King fan and you can't touch any signed book these days. When they do sell them, the website is overwhelmed and crashes. Books immediately show up on ebay for $1K plus. I love Suntup, but many other book publishers are a disaster. Cemetery Dance has books pending for years of even a decade or more. They are the worst run business that I have ever dealt with.

Agree about Cemetery Dance. I don't even get involved with pre-ordering with them, just purchase select titles on secondary market, such as The Shining, Night Shift, etc. Still in pursuit of their Salem's Lot but prices for that are much too high right now. Suntup is a great publisher to deal with and Centipede equally so. I really want that CD Salem's Lot and maybe even Carrie, eventually. -- Al

 

[Desertkiwi]

I was thinking more of the postal services. It's ridiculous that it cost $5-6 to ship a book to upper Michigan but it jumps up to $20+ if it crosses the border into Canada. Then you have custom charges and VAT on your end if you guys order something from another country. I heard that some politicians over here over want to put a VAT in.
Mark

Yes so was I, but should have explained myself better. I've found some sellers sometimes slap big inflated postage and handling fees on items, way in access of what the true postage charges actually are.

Its not until your parcel arrives that you discover you've been screwed on the postage and I'm not talking about a few dollars either.

While some of this can be put down to pure laziness and can't be bothered to get a proper postage quote from their local post office, some are definitely trying to squeeze the most out of a sale.

It's why I generally only buy off dealers or collectors I know or trust these days.

 

[Desertkiwi]

I see the Kiwi dollar is down to 58 cents against the Greenback (USD). That's the lowest I've experienced since becoming a TS collector. {eek3}

I'd hate to think how this sort of thing impacts manufacturers and other collectors outside of the US.{sm2}

 

[Horus]

Exchange rates certainly has impacted on my recent purchases, unfortunately it's also coincided with some great releases and re-releases. With the Vietnam War being one of my main interests in Toy Soldier collecting I couldn't let a TCS Huey's re-release go by without getting another to go with one I'd gotten on the secondary market which was quite a bit more than the original release especially with the exchange rate being so unfavourable.
But I'm glad I have them in my collection now. Of course now I have the TCS ones I'd be unlikely to go for a K&C release of same helicopter type and with their re release I suspect Andy has drawn his own conclusions regarding their own plans whatever they may or may not have been especially with the ongoing uncertainty in mainland China and of course Andy and K&V have many other plans for many of their other ranges that we on the forum sometimes come to hear about from him.

But back on track to current exchange rates theme, assuming collectors aren't having money worries themselves it's a great time for US customers to snap up some bargains and hopefully help keep makers and the hobby afloat !

 

[tdubel]

Just a quick comment on postage. I will not post overseas unless using Priority or Express mail due to tracking issues. IF the item is not a flat rate, expect a small package priority to Australia to exceed $80 US. If Express - $95. That is a 2 lb parcel today. There is not much in the US you can do about that to ship. Shipping costs are high. Small flat priority in the US is now $10.60 til after January due to holiday surcharge. Goes back down to $9.60.

Forgot to say to ship a good size K&C Tank or FL tank to Australia right now is about $150 through the US Post including insurance via priority or express.


Tom

 

[Desertkiwi]

Just a quick comment on postage. I will not post overseas unless using Priority or Express mail due to tracking issues. IF the item is not a flat rate, expect a small package priority to Australia to exceed $80 US. If Express - $95. That is a 2 lb parcel today. There is not much in the US you can do about that to ship. Shipping costs are high. Small flat priority in the US is now $10.60 til after January due to holiday surcharge. Goes back down to $9.60.

Forgot to say to ship a good size K&C Tank or FL tank to Australia right now is about $150 through the US Post including insurance via priority or express.


Tom

Thanks for the update Tom, much appreciated. Yeah postage is a killer and catches a lot of folks out.

My brother who lives in the States used to send 'goodies' down here to us all the time, but has given up as it simply costs too much now-a-days which is a real shame.

Right now any company offering free postage deals if you spend a certain amount are looking very attractive.

Cheers.