k&c price increase (1 Viewer)

[PanzerAce1944]

I still don't understand why people are buying K&C figures these days.

They are costing twice what they were 8 years ago.

The quality is not better, it is actually worse in many cases.

Now they are stabbing their own dealers.

Seriously, leave the boat before it is too late !

Hi Alex, In response to your comment about quality being worse, here are just 2 examples of early K&C releases shown with 2 of the same series, current releases.
There is a huge improvement in both cases. It is quite easy to see the difference, for the better !

Wayne

 

[ivanmoe]

I still don't understand why people are buying K&C figures these days.

Alex, I collect toy pilots and other aviation related sets. I don't know that KC is the strongest part of my collection, but it's not the weakest, either, not by a long shot. I like the variety of subject matter, and watching the figures evolve. Anyone who believes that a range like RAF hasn't improved over time needs to take a closer look, IMO.

-Moe

 

[Jack]

There's no telling, Martin. However, we have to assume that a significant percentage was short enough to fit in the vehicle with the top down. That was the real trick. Perhaps KC should offer a discount on it's little roadster in recompense for our past suffering.

-Moe

Yes - even less room with the top down. They conquered a quarter of the world with a lot of 5'6" blokes it would seem. It was, however, one fine looking car. I showed my wife a picture of an MGA I looked at as well and she said 'It's Maxwell Smart's car'. Er ... no dear, it isn't.

 

[Jack]

I suppose K&C must be the odd man out. Every other manufacturer has kept their prices the same for years while simultaneously improving the quality and expanding their ranges. Hard to believe they are still in business with their competitors doing that. {sm3}

 

[Vicknor]

I suppose K&C must be the odd man out. Every other manufacturer has kept their prices the same for years while simultaneously improving the quality and expanding their ranges. Hard to believe they are still in business with their competitors doing that. {sm3}

I'd say that in many cases, there's an element of it being the buyers' own fault for paying full whack.

I spend a lot of money at K+C, but I'm very careful to purchase what I need/want at the correct time. All organisations offer repeated discounts/promotions and offers and the modern internet savvy purchaser of anything whether it be historical figurines or their weekly shop needs to be aware of this.

A simple example which although not TS, the best practice is the same;

NOT PLAYING THE GAME EXAMPLE;

I purchase 2* business class seats from HKG to LDN with Cathay Pacific and pay cash. Total cost = $12,000 USD


PLAYING THE GAME EXAMPLE;

I purchase 2* business class seats from HKG to LDN with Cathay Pacific and pay by HSBC Credit Card = total cost = $12,000 USD

However, I am a Marco Polo club member and get my full allocation of Asia Miles (enough for a weekend in Taiwan, unfortunately so does my wife), I get my RewardCash on my credit card which is equivalent to 4,000 miles or 1/9th an economy flight to London, I also pay on a Friday which grants me an extra 5* RewardCash points and thus gives me near as darn it a free flight to Europe. I paid the cash into my credit card and incur zero interest. I also gain sector miles by being Marco Polo and will be getting upgrades to seats and the class of lounge at the airport.


I take the same attitude to flying as I take towards my weekly shop and I likewise apply the same principles to my TS purchases at K+C.

It just happens to be my birthday month and so I will be taking full use of the Members' benefit for birthday month purchases, I'll be combining this with my taking up of the monthly offer whereby I get free figures or vehicles and I'll be paying using my credit card to get points I can transfer for flights. I will also be picking up some Verve Cliquot champagne as Pacific Place where King and Country are located have a monthly offer on for purchases of X dollars or more in any of their shops.

 

[Desertkiwi]

I still don't understand why people are buying K&C figures these days.

They are costing twice what they were 8 years ago.

The quality is not better, it is actually worse in many cases.

Now they are stabbing their own dealers.

Seriously, leave the boat before it is too late !

Interesting how so many non K&C collectors feel the need to pop into the K&C section every now and then to make such sweeping statements.

No one likes price increases but they are a fact of life, as for the statement regarding quality that's clearly coming from someone who hasn't purchased any K&C items in a while.

Your lack of understanding as to why some of us chose to collect K&C products is your problem, but I will say this, no other TS manufacturer develops, producers and regularly releases ever increasing ranges than K&C. That requires a huge investment in time and money and is the sign of a successful business plan.

Like them or loathe them they are the market leaders and the hobby would be poorer without them.

 

[ChrisTay]

Oh gosh, we keep cycling back to the same issues, same gripes, same complaints, unhappiness about offers for some markets, channel conflicts. Reading this thread makes everyone so unhappy.

You either see it half full or half empty.

As a customer, you make the best of it if you still like their stuff. If not, nothing the maker does is ever going to make you happy.

As a dealer, you have to figure your business model, how you want to differentiate, how you want to address it. As a distributor for semiconductors, we face issues like these very year from manufacturers, accounts being take over, margins being cut, but we continue to work on new businesses, new business models, new franchises/product lines, etc. Clearly, business is getting tougher. That seems to be the only fact of life.

 

[The Military Workshop]

I still don't understand why people are buying K&C figures these days.

They are costing twice what they were 8 years ago.

The quality is not better, it is actually worse in many cases.

Now they are stabbing their own dealers.

Seriously, leave the boat before it is too late !

Your concern for dealers is most heartwarming. Now if you look back at your post at #80 you will note you were bragging about undercutting Canadian hobby shops with your kit warehouse venture and saying internet was the way of the future.

If I recall correctly you said years ago you no longer bought K&C. I clearly remember you mentioning you were into the Russian stuff and had paid $900 for one figure. Clearly value is in the eye of the beholder but I suspect most K&C collectors would rather have 15 - 20 figures than one $900 figure. Not sure why you are now so concerned about KC prices and dealers when it clearly has no impact on you.

 

[waynepoo]

Toy soldiers, or rather military miniatures are, let's face it, luxury items that we buy with our disposable income. They are not part of life's essentials, they are not something without which we can not survive. Just about everything that we buy, has and will always rise in price now and forever. If you are a member on this forum I assume you are lucky enough to have enough disposable income to indulge in collecting some miniatures, but while some may lament rising prices let's remember that there are millions out here who are lucky if they have enough income just to feed themselves... if that.

 

[Alex]

I am not undercutting anyone since there are no canadian brick and mortar shops specialized in selling kit figures. I am now the biggest internet based shop in Canada selling kits.
The producers of kit figures are also selling directly to the customers but they are not doing so by cutting prices and offering free stuff.

Your concern for dealers is most heartwarming. Now if you look back at your post at #80 you will note you were bragging about undercutting Canadian hobby shops with your kit warehouse venture and saying internet was the way of the future.

If I recall correctly you said years ago you no longer bought K&C. I clearly remember you mentioning you were into the Russian stuff and had paid $900 for one figure. Clearly value is in the eye of the beholder but I suspect most K&C collectors would rather have 15 - 20 figures than one $900 figure. Not sure why you are now so concerned about KC prices and dealers when it clearly has no impact on you.

 

[Alex]

Of course not. Why would I buy such an overpriced product ?
And most importantly, why would I sell such a product ?

Doesn't make sense to me.

If I take for example BoB series (americans), can someone explain me how are the newest sets any better than the first ones made ?

Interesting how so many non K&C collectors feel the need to pop into the K&C section every now and then to make such sweeping statements.

No one likes price increases but they are a fact of life, as for the statement regarding quality that's clearly coming from someone who hasn't purchased any K&C items in a while.

Your lack of understanding as to why some of us chose to collect K&C products is your problem, but I will say this, no other TS manufacturer develops, producers and regularly releases ever increasing ranges than K&C. That requires a huge investment in time and money and is the sign of a successful business plan.

Like them or loathe them they are the market leaders and the hobby would be poorer without them.

 

[ivanmoe]

Of course not. Why would I buy such an overpriced product ?
And most importantly, why would I sell such a product ?

Doesn't make sense to me.

Taken a look at prices on iPhones recently?{eek3}

-Moe

 

[Phantom Warrior]

Taken a look at prices on iPhones recently?{eek3}

-Moe

not a good example. iPhone prices have gone down for older models and remained flat for newer models while the performance has increased.

Terry

 

[Phantom Warrior]

If I take for example BoB series (americans), can someone explain me how are the newest sets any better than the first ones made ?

In most cases they are not better and in some cases are worse. But unlike a market like electronics where performance has risen and prices have fallen, TS prices have steadily risen. But that doesn't explain why good quality older sets usually resell for much less than the newest sets

Terry

 

[ivanmoe]

not a good example. iPhone prices have gone down for older models and remained flat for newer models while the performance has increased.

Terry

It might be a better example than you believe:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/27/how-apple-got-us-to-pay-m_n_6558104.html

-Moe

 

[BLReed]

It might be a better example than you believe:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/27/how-apple-got-us-to-pay-m_n_6558104.html

A toy figure is certainly no Apple product. Bad comparison. Scratching the bottom of the apple barrel
or is that the orange barrel?

What ever happened to that marketing wonder the K&C [P] painting up grade? Haven't seen any more of
those with new price. I guess it was just easier to up all the prices.

 

[Desertkiwi]

Of course not. Why would I buy such an overpriced product ?
And most importantly, why would I sell such a product ?

Doesn't make sense to me.

If I take for example BoB series (americans), can someone explain me how are the newest sets any better than the first ones made ?

No ones twisting your arm up your back to buy or sell anything.

As someone who buys and sell's plastic kits and doesn't collect K&C, your recent posts carry little weight or meaning.

You've also gone from announcing overall K&C quality has gone down hill, to now focusing on K&C BOB Americans.

Sounds to me like you have more than a little sand in your undies and are simply having a go.

 

[ivanmoe]

A toy figure is certainly no Apple product. Bad comparison. Scratching the bottom of the apple barrel
or is that the orange barrel?

What ever happened to that marketing wonder the K&C [P] painting up grade? Haven't seen any more of
those with new price. I guess it was just easier to up all the prices.

If you're in the hater's camp, the iPhone is a perfect example. Viewed through that prism, one can look upon an Apple devotee as being just as STOOPID as a KC purchaser. Both are paying too much for products that are undeserving of the premium which "status-symbols" regrettably command. Personally, I see that kind of stridency as being overly simplistic and shrill. Still, Internet forums attract some real loons, so there you go.

-Moe

 

[Fitzgibbon]

I can still remember the good old days when petrol was two shillings a gallon. They cunningly changed the currency to decimal and the volume standard to metric so people could not see that jump to a dollar per litre was so dramatic a price increase. But it all goes round...and $50 an hour is a better income than Two pounds a day. ^&confuse

 

[Alex]

Just watch your words mate since nothing about this topic is personal.

Figure kits are resin or tin and not plastic. Actually, the better sets these days are produced in resin.

Overall, across all K&C ranges, there was not significant improvement in quality in the last 7-8 years, and that s from a sculpting and painting point of view.

And I am not the only one believing that.

Now, I can carry as much weight as I want, without collecting them anymore. I have still thousands of these guys in my cabinets.

But most importantly, I know first hand what figure painting is all about.

No ones twisting your arm up your back to buy or sell anything.

As someone who buys and sell's plastic kits and doesn't collect K&C, your recent posts carry little weight or meaning.

You've also gone from announcing overall K&C quality has gone down hill, to now focusing on K&C BOB Americans.

Sounds to me like you have more than a little sand in your undies and are simply having a go.