Price Increases (4 Viewers)

[lancer]

The effect of the increased prices is evident in my current buying habits. I used to buy at least once a month, sometimes twice, and usually within budget. Now, I have been saving for the Snow Tiger, expensive and 15% outside of my budget, for almost 8 weeks. I will be ordering it next week but this means I have not purchased anything in almost 2 months. How can this help a business? It certainly doesn't help my collecting and I don't see it improving. -- Al

To further illustrate how the prices have changed my collecting, I have made up a very strict buying priority. I will buy WW1 aircraft (I want them all) first, WW2 aircraft (that I want) second, Tiger Tanks third. Only after these are bought or not offered in any particular month, can I afford to consider figures. Since July 2010, I have not purchased a single figure because the 3 priority catagories have kept me busy. I am not complaining about what I have bought as they are all outstanding models, just whining because these models (5 of them) have eaten up my entire (and then some) TS budget. I will probably have to drop the Tigers soon, also. Just not enough bucks to go around. -- Al

 

[10TH LA.]

I have to admit i have really cut back as well at one time I would spend a few hundred dollars in a month every month....sometimes up to $ 3000.00 a year according to my MasterCard.....but I know this year will not be even close ....Will still purchase Egyptians and RAF.......but that is it .......sorry K&C...

 

[nmrocks]

the world uses the US Dollar as the standard of worth, the simple fact is the dollar is being artifitially inflated causeing the value to plummet. Not widely reported and it should have got intense scrutiny but the Fed recently decided to print an additional 600 billion U.S. dollars above normal printing and replacement.... excuse me!!! Does anyone expect anything less than inflation when that happens?

 

[lancer]

the world uses the US Dollar as the standard of worth, the simple fact is the dollar is being artifitially inflated causeing the value to plummet. Not widely reported and it should have got intense scrutiny but the Fed recently decided to print an additional 600 billion U.S. dollars above normal printing and replacement.... excuse me!!! Does anyone expect anything less than inflation when that happens?

Are we copying the oh so sucessfull example of Zimbabwe? One wheel barrow full of $100 bills for a TS? -- Al

 

[Templar]

It's exactly why American companies (and others as well) should have tried to keep their business at home and do not reach for a "cheap" labor in China, Mexico and other countries...The business with Chinese companies is tricky : when they see you completely depend up on them. they will not hesitate to increase their rate & even make the same stuff for your competition. Their labor is not cheap after all in the long run...I hope that competition from FL , CS and others TS makers will make K&C drop their prices: if not I guess they will have to deal with 20 customers worldwide
IMHO
Al

I am sorry, but. are you saying its cheaper to make this models In the U.S.A.? With Polystone (I do not know where this can be bought, So correct if I am wrong) that needs to be Imported. We have very skilled Workers in U.S.A. much like China. But how much Wages does an American make versus a Chinese. My Guess its Higher. What about Importing Everything from The U.S.A to other Countries will that be Cheaper?
And last time I checked Fl prices are $15.00 and up on Single pieces for
each one that you buy, Tanks / Artillery. are $100 to 200 dollars higher, Than K.C.
And with CS( has limited editions), a little bit less limited categories (WW2, Civil War, Napoleonics, LaH) than KC. But does Astound me with their AFV prices.

 

[Private Ryan]

Good points all. Everyone knows prices go up, but if my food and shelter had more than doubled in the last few years, like TS have, I'd be out on the street, living in a condo made of TS boxes. I still buy, but my purchases are far fewer than they used to be and I expect they will shrink further. I can still purchase at the present price level but I see the day when it will no longer be possible. Figures at $35-$40 apiece and vehicles and planes at $200+ is just too much money. It is a hobby and that is all. -- Al

Exactly, Hobbies are supposed to be fun and enjoyable, and for me, there is slightly less enjoyment when 1 tank and a couple figures cost me an arm and a leg.

 

[Currahee Chris]

I have really had to take a hard look at the price increase and business practices issues with KC. For the prices increases- I give them a C- average- it was bound to happen. I have been collecting KC since 2000 and can recall paying $15 a figure. Still, the detail has increased since then dramatically too. I was happy buying cheaper, less detailed AFVs but that wasn't the direction the market went- it went the way of hyper realism- fine, but it's gonna cost- people gotta realize that. I certainly accept it.

Business practices, I give em an F

Soooooo, I had to step back and ask myself if I needed to keep tacking on Tigers, panthers, etc. I do not. So, I have decided to drop WW2 purchases drastically. I am now collecting Egypt as my exclusive KC line- and am happy with that. I will not have to worry about shelling out $200+ for a Tank- EVER!! I think a lot of collectors are going to have to come to grips with some of the realities out there of this hobby. I am still happy to shell out $240 for Figarti Abrams but that is pretty easy to do as that theater isn't as popular as WW2.

 

[lostboy]

The prices are what the prices are. It is totally out of the control of the collector at this time. The cost of everything is going up and it stands to reason to expect the cost of toy soldiers would soon follow.
I notice that the prices on ebay are not dropping at all so even the secondary market for the majority of the KC ranges are holding their prices quite well.
I guess all the collector can do is set a budget and try to follow it.

 

[spartan71]

Possible simple fact is, KC Tries to make a lot of people happy, They have dabbled on quite a bit of Collections, We have WWII (DD, BoB, Lah, Market Garden/Arnhem, Afika Korp, 8th Army), Warbirds, WWI, American Civil War, Medieval Knights, Ancient Egypt,AWI,Life of Jesus,Napoleonics, The Alamo,the Real west, Sons of the Empire, The Orient, Australian Light Horse, United States Navy,United States Marines. Normandy Villages/ Dioramas. Whew( And of course the world Of Dickens, Romans/Barbarians).
Now Is everything selling the same, Is there enough Demand for every single piece/ Collection?? the simple answer is No.
IMO, what happens is some Collections That really sells well,Will have to carry other Collections that Does not sell as much. Clear across the Board. every Piece has to carry, itself plus others.
Only other Option Is not to make the Collection, that does not sell too well. There would be a lot of people that will get upset if that happens. I doubt if there are a lot of people outside the U.S.A, That cares for The AWI or the ACW. Or others( I am not going to specify any others. But, you can guess). I believe Andy, just does not want to cut any collection out, because of the people that does have that collection.
I do not like the price Increase, as much as everyone. But it does come with the territory of " I wants". Buy What you Can. and Fingers Crossed that there will be Months, That there will be releases. That Fall to "I do not Want" .So you can get the Ones You do.

 

[spartan71]

Rob, I still consider myself a loyal K&C customer as well, the happy part is debatable though because of the accelerated pace of the price increases. I'm certainly not questioning that goods in general don't go up over time (except lately for my house I guess and a few other things) but it's the amount of the increase over the last 5 years that concerns me. I've heard it said that the $89 tanks in 2006 were a bargain and I guess looking back now that would seem to be the obvious, but back then $89 was the price and I doubt K&C was selling them to me for that price just because they wanted me to have a bargain.

I Know this does not have anything to do with this discussion. But, we bought the house I am living in, For $275K in 1996. In 2006 It was appraised At $825K.
A year ago it was worth $400K (I live In the California Central Coast, Spectacular View Of the Ocean), Its the Ups And Downs of life, pretty much everything Changes, Goes higher. Gas,Food,Way of life. Not Unless you own Land. Then.......
If the price Increase Happened a year or two from now, will there be less dissapointment?. I doubt it. Only Buy what we can.

 

[Phantom Warrior]

One of Andy's sayings on toy soldiers is "buy what you like and what you can afford" For many collectors, the afford part has become the limiting factor. Add to that the mature collectors market where many WWII collectors already have several each of Tigers, Panthers, Shermans, etc so new sales and resales of these large items are going to depend on newer collectors who don't have any of them yet.

I've got 8 Shermans, 6 Tigers, and many Panzer I, II, II and IV models plus several Panthers. I got them during the Golden Age of Collecting but don't need that many of each. I certainly won't be buying more of them and will be selling my least favourites.

To spend $250 plus taxes (almost $300) for a tank will require that model to be really special. I am unlikely to get the Jagdtiger by choice, but would get the Sturmtiger when it comes out as I much prefer it. - But not get both.

Terry

 

[Sahara]

Its nice to see everything go up in price except my house value and work pay. In fact my house value is a shadow of its former self and my work hasn't seen a pay raise in 4yrs, In fact the city I work for wants to slap us with a crappy Ins. plan and take a 10% pay cut Oh well, I have only purchased 1 figure in the last 3 months so until something changes it looks like this will be the norm.

 

[Gustavflyer]

i am glad I have turned off my buying

 

[lancer]

Its nice to see everything go up in price except my house value and work pay. In fact my house value is a shadow of its former self and my work hasn't seen a pay raise in 4yrs, In fact the city I work for wants to slap us with a crappy Ins. plan and take a 10% pay cut Oh well, I have only purchased 1 figure in the last 3 months so until something changes it looks like this will be the norm.

I hear what you say, Joe, and understand completely. My disability pension has fallen 3 straight years (giant medical plan increases, no raises) to the point where my take home is now $1.26 (no mistake, one dollar and 26 cents) more as of Jan.1, 2011 than it was Jan.1, 2006. I have to be careful not to blow it all in one place. -- Al

 

[MarkeytMaker]

Wait until gas and milk shoot through the roof with everything else...seems K&C is just ahead of the where were all going anyhow...though again there will always be those who feel no pain by any increases, becuase they understand how to make their money work for them, not them working for it

 

[thales41]

Wasn't crazy about the retro price increases on existing pieces (got hit on some of those already, made me buy before the new year on others), understand increase on new issues. Not happy, but understand.

As long as the quality of what K&C produces does not falter, I will not be deterred in continuing to acquire the pieces that strike my fancy. I see no indication of that occurring.

I hope K&C realizes the concern on the part of what I consider to be the core of their support, here on this forum. I hope they can strike a balance between profitability, staying in business, and keeping their product affordable for that core support they need to keep.

 

[daruss]

The increase of prices on "old inventory" really got me steamed!

 

[kilted vampire]

It seems that the reality for a lot of us (including myself) is we are going to be buying a lot less, buying what we can afford(maybe from somewhere else).
Or we can all learn how to cast and paint our own toy soldiers. Oh wait I already do that. Maybe I should do some more.

The GF had an interesting thought..... Maybe Andy is looking at retirement and loading up his 401k or an equivalent. She thinks in the next 5 years. I do not think it will be that soon. She wants to bet.....Any takers? She has met Andy several times and believes Andy loves the hobby but maybe not all the traveling.

 

[joesgis]

HI Duke,

I hear your concerns, and I feel your pain. Increases in the cost of living are a generally accepted reality, but when our hobbies have disproportionate, precipitous price increases, it can create quite the quandary. I've definitely been buying less, and I have decided after the Westcoaster (note keyword "after"), I am going to develop a new game plan to deal with these seemingly continuous toy soldier price increases. I love this hobby too much to give it up, but like Lancer said, my frustration level has risen w/ the prices as things we might have been able to afford in the past are now out of reach or must be attained via bypassing something else of similar interest. However, I have also noticed something else taking place, and that is that I I am now appreciating my individual purchases more these days. I think I am enjoying them to the fullest perhaps more than ever. (Does less collecting=happier collecting even if I'm spending the same amount of money as I was when I was buying less?) I'm certainly really enjoying what I already have.
Also, I have bought and do buy from multiple manufacturer's. If I'm having to pay more to get my fill, then I am going to buy the best. IMHO, K & C is the best overall, so I find some solace in that. If I have to pay $99.00 for a three figure set, then it's going to be by the best three figure set maker on the market. As I mentioned before, I will soon be reassessing my buying trends, and I, like many of us, have some tough decisions ahead. For instance, as much as I like it, I might be retiring from collecting the MK line altogether, which may or may not include selling off all of what I have acquired from the range. I'm also considering getting rid of entire arms of my collection that are not K & C. There was a when it almost made sense p) and I could branch out here and there, but w/ the way the direction prices are headed, every purchase must be carefully weighed; the margin of error has shrunk. So guess I will be thinning the herd along multiple fronts as it seems a necessary evil. I hope others too can "gameplan" around the financial restrictions that are now blanketing the hobby so we can all find away to stay involved and happy. Hopefully the manufacturer's remain engaged in such evaluations as we work toward a common goal, which includes trying to attract new collectors to keep the hobby alive and grow it.

Joe

 

[Eazy]

Cost is a big problem to me too. Hard to justify buying some of this stuff and so I know this year will be my smallest year for collecting since I began in 2005. As Phantom said I take a look at my collection and I've got pretty much most things covered. So when I see a new panther priced nearly double what I paid for my old panther why should I get excited over it?
So if there's a few other guys out there like me then these new expensive panthers are going to appeal to new customers maybe?
Anyway - I know this is a bit of a ramble but once you begin cutting back on what you buy because of cost it becomes very easy to lose the buzz and cut back altogether.