Prices (2 Viewers)

Phantom Warrior said:
What I find upsetting, is that in some cases, it has become cheaper to get the older collectable figure on the speculative resale market than it is to buy the new replacement model.

Terry
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Good point. It used to be when there were price increases in new products generally the older issues would keep pace in the secondary market and insure the value of a hobbyists collection. For the most part this has evaporated and the newer pieces in many cases are significantly more expensive than older pieces one can find on the secondary market. For those who concern themselves with the value of their collection this could indicate a tipping point in the hobby.
 
I'm really sort of stunned that we are 4 days past release of dispatches and we are discussing prices. Seems sort of odd, this is all new and exciting and imaginative material and positions from all parties. Who would have thought this could be a discussion point?? {sm4}{sm4}{sm4}

BTW- WWiiaddict, please don't take offense at my comment- it wasn't meant to insult you by any means my young friend, I just enjoy the fact that from a lot of these guys- myself included- the prices discussion has become so routine I can pretty much set my calendar to when it will take place- just enjoying the irony of it all. All apologies if I said something condescending to you. :) The price discussion pops up usually by day 3 or 4 of the dispatches. In another 24-48 hours, look for the historical inaccuraccy/ unit identification obligatory thread. {sm4}

Best regards
CC
 
Cyber Field Marshall said:
Good point. It used to be when there were price increases in new products generally the older issues would keep pace in the secondary market and insure the value of a hobbyists collection. For the most part this has evaporated and the newer pieces in many cases are significantly more expensive than older pieces one can find on the secondary market. For those who concern themselves with the value of their collection this could indicate a tipping point in the hobby.
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It wasn't meant to be a comment on the value of a collection and it isn't so much that the values of older models have come down - it was a comment about how expensive new models have become and that it may now be cheaper to find the old version of the model than to buy the new ones.

Terry
 
Currahee Chris said:
I'm really sort of stunned that we are 4 days past release of dispatches and we are discussing prices. Seems sort of odd, this is all new and exciting and imaginative material and positions from all parties. Who would have thought this could be a discussion point?? {sm4}{sm4}{sm4}

BTW- WWiiaddict, please don't take offense at my comment- it wasn't meant to insult you by any means my young friend, I just enjoy the fact that from a lot of these guys- myself included- the prices discussion has become so routine I can pretty much set my calendar to when it will take place- just enjoying the irony of it all. All apologies if I said something condescending to you. :) The price discussion pops up usually by day 3 or 4 of the dispatches. In another 24-48 hours, look for the historical inaccuraccy/ unit identification obligatory thread. {sm4}

Best regards
CC
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Historical accuracy discussion will be delayed for a few days due to the expected length of the discussion on price and the Mother's Day weekend. {sm4}

Terry
 
lancer said:
Just as a comparison: the new Priest and two add-on figures will run the collector $300.00, that's for a total of one vehicle and three figures. I have a KC Howitzer Sherman with three partial and complete crewman (DD045), the second version Normandy Stuart with three partial and complete crewmen (DD067), and the US ambulance jeep with three complete figures (DD068), a total of three vehicles and nine complete or partial crewmen. The three sets combined cost $273.00, new, less than the new Priest and add-on crew by about $27.00. Older sets they may be, but a prime example of why the price increases in such a relatively short time have stopped my collecting many different lines and forced me to focus on just one subject. A loss for all makers but one. I'm know I'm not alone in scaling back. -- Al
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I've been scaling back as well. Can't afford too many $200+ tanks. Makes me appreciate the older sets I have even more.
 
lancer said:
Just as a comparison: the new Priest and two add-on figures will run the collector $300.00, that's for a total of one vehicle and three figures. I have a KC Howitzer Sherman with three partial and complete crewman (DD045), the second version Normandy Stuart with three partial and complete crewmen (DD067), and the US ambulance jeep with three complete figures (DD068), a total of three vehicles and nine complete or partial crewmen. The three sets combined cost $273.00, new, less than the new Priest and add-on crew by about $27.00. Older sets they may be, but a prime example of why the price increases in such a relatively short time have stopped my collecting many different lines and forced me to focus on just one subject. A loss for all makers but one. I'm know I'm not alone in scaling back. -- Al
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These are two of the nicer ones made, particularly the Stuart, even if somewhat undersized, not to mention they were affordable.

Terry's comment about the retired ones being cheaper than the new ones is both a LOL moment and an eye opener.
 
Iron Brigade said:
Dear "WWii addict":

Alas, I have to agree 100% with the first member who made a reply back to you on your initial posting or Thread. I did not want to entirely believe what my local toy soldier dealer said to me a year or so ago when I had the same question that you had about prices. I can remember in about the year 2000 the price for a foot figure at K&C was about $19.00 each. By 2007 it was up to $25.00 per foot figure. Now it is up to $32 to $35 per foot figure. Soon after I had the "K&C price discussion" with my local dealer I saw an article in the Business section of our local newspaper that noted the same things he was telling me. Namely, ever higher labor prices, especially for skilled labor and also higher costs for metal in China. Sorry, but you will have to make the best of it.

Good luck, "Iron Brigade"
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Two of the new Napoleon in Egypt figures have already raised the bar to $37 each:(
 

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"In another 24-48 hours, look for the historical inaccuraccy/ unit identification obligatory thread."

That is too funny!!

Wlat
 
Regarding prices per single figure it should be noted there are still some figures at $29 (LAH). I can see why the new NE French soldiers might be more than other Naps. There is a bit more work and detail in them than for example the Coldstreams and the Imperial Guard or the American Revolution figures.

Unfortunately rising prices are a fact of life and is not just applicable to K&C.

Regards
Brett

PS The good news for Australian collectors is that the A$ has been rising in value against the US$. The Ltd Ed M26 Recovery Vehicle at US$299 was about A$450 when released and is now A$279 thanks to significant variations in the exchange rate.
 
Why was this thread closed earlier this morning????
Mitch
 
Although we accept that rising prices are a fact of life and that manufacturers have to earn a good return on their money, it may also become a fact that sales will be affected and that certain collectors may be priced out of the hobby. There is no getting away from those realities.
 
The way prices keep increasing rapidly evey year, this hobby will very soon be exclusively for the privileges.
 
jazzeum said:
Although we accept that rising prices are a fact of life and that manufacturers have to earn a good return on their money, it may also become a fact that sales will be affected and that certain collectors may be priced out of the hobby. There is no getting away from those realities.
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Those are indeed the facts Brad....Also I personally refuse to pay higher prices without noticeable improvements in quality of sculpts and painting....paying more and getting less and less????...I will be scrutinzing what I buy....buying LESS and....I will be much more selective........The only thing that doesn't seem to go up are most people's salaries; most collectors can only by pushed so far before they are pushed out of the hobby.:(...Sad but a reality....Hard economic times for most ...and younger folks/collectors just starting will find it difficult to enter the hobby
 
I am toying with taking a job which will cut my defense budget in half or more (as FL decides to launch their Roman line- go figure- gotta love the timing on that one^&grin) so this is a variable I am wrestling with myself.

Step back, take a deep breath and look it the hobby from this perspective- as I see it- companies are combatting rising costs in one of 2 ways-

1.) Cost up, ranges up, releases down- in other words- a company can spread it's costs across multiple lines and collectors see price increases. Still if the collector is faced with a choice- how many lines do I get into?? KC's WW2 American's release at a rate- (Normandy only, which is what I collect), where you get troops sometime in the Spring and they typically don't retire for 18 months or so. With this last round of releases, that is $484 TOTAL (including the Priest but not the add on crew set or Churchill). Let's assume with the new rapid retirement model that these guys have a shelf life of 12 months, that equates to $40/month- you telling me you can't swing that??

2.) Costs static, ranges static, releases slow- the FL model- costs have stayed pretty consistent in the $50/range. Not a lot of ranges out there for them to spread their costs too which helps drive that msrp. They also do not release too many figures at a time nor is their a retirement pressure. So again, I do believe you could accumulate a rather nice collection of FL figures on $50-$65/month.

KC cranks out WW2 Germans every doggone month so you can't tell me you ain't gonna get anyone for the American's to fight. On $1,200 for a year I could snag all the KC WW2 Americans just released and grab whatever German AFV struck my fancy and several Germans grunts as well- same with FL and the others. I think what a lot of collectors are guilty of is getting spread out too thin- I was myself- I jumped on several lines and have realized that they aren't as important as the others so I sold them off. Of the new lines, I like the LoJ and Greeks but asked myself- do I like them enough to move me outta WW2 or Egypt? No, ok then, don't get them.

Rather than this being an issue of cost, I see it more as an issue where collectors have had to trim the fat and simply cannot eat all the main courses like we used to.
 
Is it me or have prices been rising since 2000 when KC figs were $17-9/each?? It appears to me that all the companies that existed in 2000 are still alive and well in 2011 and, in fact, we have added some companies in the span of that decade. Is there some burgeoning elite crowd that I am excluded from??

Prices have doubled, available lines have doubled, amount of companies manufacturing these toy soldiers has doubled?? Are we going from A to M in one fell swoop fellas??

Rather than the curtain coming crashing down because of prices, I think it comes crashing down when our AARP collectors call it quits or restrict/ regulate their retirement expenditures on this stuff. {sm3}
 
"I remember when smokes got upta $2 a pack. Nearly quit, dontcha know."
 
Discipline is the only way to stay in this hobby
U choose a company, a range and stick with it
I know it will be hard to follow with all the new
ranges comming out.
Solution: want a new range sell the old one
which i think is happening already by looking
at the for sale thread
The bottom line is DISCIPLINE
 
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