A big OUCH at my LMS today

chrisonord · January 31, 2009, 10:20:41 AM

I went into my LMS today yoget some paint and a fujimi 1/72nd scale Abrams, these were £3.75 each only a few months ago.
I picked one up and thought to myself this price can't be right, so I asked the owner and he said yes that is correct.
The price had gone up to.......£9.00!!!!! WTF

What is that all about then?? I try to support the shop as much as possible but price hikes like that are having a giraffe.
Needless to say it got put down, everything had gone up and some nearly double the price, and some nearly tripple.
I am sorry but I can not justify these prices so I am going to stick to internet shops from now on.
Anyone else seen their local LMS go into orbit with their prices.
Chris

Mossie · January 31, 2009, 10:28:57 AM

I've seen kits rise a few pounds, but that's been reflected on the internet too. A 2¹/₂ times increase seems nuts.

Aircav · January 31, 2009, 10:47:17 AM

Could be that they went from the Yen to the Dollar to the Pound and by the time it gets here to the UK the price goes up because of the exchange rate and the increase that oil had, I bought a muzzle brake for an air rifle and in the catalogue it was £19.95 but since it was printed (last year) they are now £29, well come Browns country

philp · January 31, 2009, 04:15:21 PM

A lot of the Japanese imports recently went through a major price hike but didn't think that would affect prices of kits that were already in the shops.

Was just at one of my LHS today (also for some paint) and their prices still seem to be the same.

And, an aside, think the Revell Abrams is a better kit than the Fujimi one IMHO.

John Howling Mouse · January 31, 2009, 04:24:38 PM

Went to one of my local shops recently and was surprised that no kits had pricetags anymore. I asked what's up and they claimed that they went to UPC barcode scanners because they've had two price hikes as the Cdn dollar has taken a dive. I said "You're increasing prices on kits that have been on the shelves for years, kits that you bought at completely different exchange rates?" I took my business to the other shops in town who don't do that. Funny how model prices did not go down in my city even when our dollar was on par with the States (and even above the USD a couple of times in 2008).

Wonder how it possibly works that everybody's currency suddenly drops in value as compared to "some other currency"

sotoolslinger · January 31, 2009, 04:34:25 PM

I have heard a lot of crap recently about the price of kits going up because of the price of petroleum going up and the cost of transport. Now plastic is a petroleum product and transportation prices did go up ......temporarily.....but all that has gone back down. There have been market adjustments. there are also always going to be vultures.

chrisonord · January 31, 2009, 05:57:05 PM

To me it is just a P*** take as the kits that have taken the price hike have been there for ages, how can you justify, £3.75 to £9.00?

You can't can you. The revell stuff has been going atmospheric for the last 12 months, and is way beyond realistic value.
Me thinks I will be buying Kitec and some filler from now on.
Chris

jcf · January 31, 2009, 11:23:39 PM

Quote from: John Howling Mouse on January 31, 2009, 04:24:38 PM
Went to one of my local shops recently and was surprised that no kits had pricetags anymore. I asked what's up and they claimed that they went to UPC barcode scanners because they've had two price hikes as the Cdn dollar has taken a dive. I said "You're increasing prices on kits that have been on the shelves for years, kits that you bought at completely different exchange rates?" I took my business to the other shops in town who don't do that. Funny how model prices did not go down in my city even when our dollar was on par with the States (and even above the USD a couple of times in 2008).

Wonder how it possibly works that everybody's currency suddenly drops in value as compared to "some other currency"

See that at Hobbytown USA shops all the time. Very often you can see the original price sticker under the new higher price.
I'm sure their justification is based on having to increase the price to cover what it will cost them to buy a new example of
the kit once the ancient shelf-sitter is sold.

Jon

nev · February 01, 2009, 08:47:21 AM

The pound taking a dive against the yen is definately a factor - was just looking at a 1/48 Hasegawa F-15 on HLJ - £40 including shipping!

Quote from: JHMWonder how it possibly works that everybody's currency suddenly drops in value as compared to "some other currency"

Or like my workplace, where they tell us a strong pound is bad because our products cost more overseas, but a weak pound is bad because overseas raw materials cost more! Talk about having your cake and eating it...

lenny100 · February 01, 2009, 09:49:55 AM

talking to the owner of my lms here he told me because most company's supply direct from mainland Europe they are putting up there prices to UK shops so that they can get the 2% tax change in their own coffers and with the pound doing so badly against the euro his prices have gone up 10% since the start of December alone.
He is now considering if it is even worth stocking any of the main line manufactures kits because his profit in some cases is only pence per kit!!!!

NARSES2 · February 02, 2009, 04:01:48 AM

Quote from: nev on February 01, 2009, 08:47:21 AM
Or like my workplace, where they tell us a strong pound is bad because our products cost more overseas, but a weak pound is bad because overseas raw materials cost more! Talk about having your cake and eating it...

Heard that one a few times before Nev

I was stunned at MK yesterday. Picked up Roden's new 1/32 SPAD VIIC, nice kit but nearly £60 ! Now that's plane daft. The range used to be about £30. Now take the fall of the £ against the Euro and I could deal with maybe £40 - but £60. Needless to say it didn't get bought.

Mike Wren · February 02, 2009, 04:43:48 AM

Quote from: NARSES2 on February 02, 2009, 04:01:48 AM
I was stunned at MK yesterday. Picked up Roden's new 1/32 SPAD VIIC, nice kit but nearly £60 ! Now that's plane daft. The range used to be about £30. Now take the fall of the £ against the Euro and I could deal with maybe £40 - but £60. Needless to say it didn't get bought.

I think the previous 1/32 release went up to £45, but £60 is ridiculous, that's why I ain't ordered any for our shop... in the same batch of releases from Pocketbond is the Trumpeter Lightning F1A/2, now £20.99, we've only ordered a couple whereas we ordered 12 of the F6 at £16.99 (which was still rather expensive)

all new deliveries of stock into UK distributors is generally going up 20-25% due to the Euro exchange rate, simple as that - Tamiya, Italeri, Dragon are all going up this month

you pays your money...

viper29_ca · February 03, 2009, 10:03:34 AM

Prices for kits have gone up across the board. They say it is due to the increase in the price of the oil for not only styrene manufacture, but for transportation. I believe this, and alot of people are complaining that the price of oil is now down, why don't the kit prices go down as well??

Now I am not defending any of the increases, as it hurts me being a shop owners as much as it hurts the buyers, but if you look at when Oil started going up, and when the kit prices started going up....there is about a year in between. Will it be another year before the prices of kits go down? No, I doubt it, as I don't think they will end up going down at all.

I base my exchange rate on what I paid when I bought the items, or when they were charged to my credit card....so if you bought a kit 2 months ago, and you bought one now, even if the cost was the same, it might be more or less depending on the exchange.

Lately though, I have been running on a constant exchange rate of about 20% (US/CDN), and even though the exchange rate is more like 26%, then the savings go on to the customer. I figured the price increases are bad enough, I will eat the 5-6% of the exchange....mind you if the exchange starts heading much more towards 30%...I may have to reconsider.

cthulhu77 · February 03, 2009, 11:24:42 AM

Invest in scratchbuilding materials.

jcf · February 03, 2009, 11:42:55 AM

Quote from: viper29_ca on February 03, 2009, 10:03:34 AM
Prices for kits have gone up across the board. They say it is due to the increase in the price of the oil for not only styrene manufacture, but for transportation. I believe this, and alot of people are complaining that the price of oil is now down, why don't the kit prices go down as well??

The price of styrene monomer has little to do with kit prices.

Styrene monomer prices dropped 67% in Europe between August and November 2008, 60% in China.

http://www.icis.com/V2/Chemicals/9076471/styrene/pricing.html

Jon