cartpix Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 I took my daughter to my LHS, to buy me a kit, for Father's Day. The kits were about a buck more, since last Father's Day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niteowl7710 Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 Without taking into account the costs going into this equation... If Model Company A wants to make a Quarter Million Dollar worth of net income on a it, there was a time when you could buy models anywhere, everybody carried them, everyone built them, we all sang Kumbaya around a campfire in delight. 50,000 kits x $5 = $250,000 Now everyone - but Pittsburgh apparently - is losing all of their LHS, no one builds anymore, the hobby is in the crapper, we're all watching it die, someone light the funeral pyre and get out the black suits. $250,000/10,000 kits = What's the price guys? It's $25... There ya go explained - done and done. Onto lamenting the next thing... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thatswhatshesaid Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 This is discussed all the time. Too many 'I remember when kits were $5' type of comments. Let it go. Everything is going up in price. Get used to it. The days of $5 kits being sold everywhere are gone. Hobby shops are drying up as we transition to an online world. Also, the hobby shops around here are notoriously high. Look around online and you can find deals. As referenced in post #2, oil also costs a lot more than it used to. It takes oil to make plastic, hence plastics kits cost more to produce. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrObsessive Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 One fly in the ointment that no one has mentioned, is the fact that our dollar has been GREATLY devalued over the last few years. This is for various and sundry reasons, but it's a fact that a devalued currency will ALWAYS lead to higher prices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbill Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 well, I can remember a time when someone else paid the light bill, the food bill, the mortgage and the car payment........all I had to buy was the model. now that I am older, I'm the one paying all the bills, so if I gotta pay $25 bucks for a kit that will give me a calgon moment [take me away] a few hours a night for a few weeks, i'm in Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrObsessive Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 so if I gotta pay $25 bucks for a kit that will give me a calgon moment [take me away] a few hours a night for a few weeks, i'm in :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJ1971 Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 While businesses are in the business to make a profit, which is quite ok with me & most others, some businesses, such as my local HS, have taken profiteering & have turned it into... Greed. Just be glad none of you who love this hobby live down here in Australia. My LHS, located in Newcastle, NSW, is a down right rip off. In the 5.5yrs I've lived up here I've only bought 3 kits, out of necessity, because it's far cheaper to buy off the internet, be it from Japan/USA or Europe, even with shipping costs, as high as they are - especially the USA. ( No idea why ?? Though ) Here's a few examples... Tamiya kits... La Ferrari, Aston Martin DB9, Nissan GTRs ( latest kits ) - $80-85au. The BRZ/FT86 - $50au. Most American kits.. $35-$45au. Revell Germany $40-50au. Alcad regular size bottles $13.99, large bottles $17.99. Tamiya spray cans $13-16.00. I only ever buy supplies from them & it's quite rare when I do. Mostly just Alcad paints/micro mark sanding clothes pack. To put it into perspective, I just purchased the Fujimi Lamborghini Veneno, Tamiya La Ferrari & a set of HD wheels + shipping for $109au, from HLJapan. Mind you the shipping cost $26au, more than the Veneno kit ? Greedy retailers/LHS are the major reason why the hobby is dying ( rapidly ) on this side of the pond. ? And I for one won't be shedding any tears when they are gone ( LH shops ) for good. Like i said... Be happy you ONLY pay what you do on your side of the pond. ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russosborne Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 (edited) I think almost all of you are missing the point of the OP. He wasn't complaining about the cost now vs. 20 or however many years ago. He is talking about costs going up in recent months. As the other Canadian (imarriedawitch)(love that name!) mentioned, up there the newest AMT kits are now (doing quick math) about 40-50% higher than what the older kits are going for. Russ Edited June 17, 2014 by russosborne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helix Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 (edited) While businesses are in the business to make a profit, which is quite ok with me & most others, some businesses, such as my local HS, have taken profiteering & have turned it into... Greed. Just be glad none of you who love this hobby live down here in Australia. My LHS, located in Newcastle, NSW, is a down right rip off. In the 5.5yrs I've lived up here I've only bought 3 kits, out of necessity, because it's far cheaper to buy off the internet, be it from Japan/USA or Europe, even with shipping costs, as high as they are - especially the USA. ( No idea why ? Though ) Here's a few examples... Tamiya kits... La Ferrari, Aston Martin DB9, Nissan GTRs ( latest kits ) - $80-85au. The BRZ/FT86 - $50au. Most American kits.. $35-$45au. Revell Germany $40-50au. Alcad regular size bottles $13.99, large bottles $17.99. Tamiya spray cans $13-16.00. I only ever buy supplies from them & it's quite rare when I do. Mostly just Alcad paints/micro mark sanding clothes pack. To put it into perspective, I just purchased the Fujimi Lamborghini Veneno, Tamiya La Ferrari & a set of HD wheels + shipping for $109au, from HLJapan. Mind you the shipping cost $26au, more than the Veneno kit Greedy retailers/LHS are the major reason why the hobby is dying ( rapidly ) on this side of the pond. And I for one won't be shedding any tears when they are gone ( LH shops ) for good. Like i said... Be happy you ONLY pay what you do on your side of the pond. Couldn't agree more Cliff, Adelaide is the same, Revell, AMT etc, nothing under $40 and Tamiya, well like you said way too much .....In the end you just put up with it ! Edited June 17, 2014 by Helix Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinfan5 Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 I think almost all of you are missing the point of the OP. He wasn't complaining about the cost now vs. 20 or however many years ago. He is talking about costs going up in recent months. As the other Canadian (imarriedawitch)(love that name!) mentioned, up there the newest AMT kits are now (doing quick math) about 40-50% higher than what the older kits are going for. Russ If the prices are going up in Canada , then its a Canadian issue, I am sure there a number of reasons why the prices good be going up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazySpider Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 I think you should just stick with Revell. Most other companies seem to be 30-35$ range, while Revell sells cars of all years, 50-present for around $20 each. I will stick with Revell for a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 No politics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobthehobbyguy Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 I think oil is only part of the story not only is it used to manufacture but also it drives up the cost of shipping.. Licensing plays a factor. Fewer kits are being sold so the price goes up to make the same profit. In the case of round 2 they are trying to get back the cost of buying the company. Oil tends to get credit but it is a lot of factors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Fewer kits are being sold so the price goes up to make the same profit. There's your answer. The price of the raw materials, the price of manufacturing, the price of packaging and distribution have all gone up, just like the price of everything has gone up. But far fewer kits are being sold today than 20 years ago. To make up for that, they keep jacking up kit prices, IMO more than necessary to just cover inflation, but go get back some of that profit they lost when kit sales started to slide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Van Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 To be honest we should all be very thankful for what we are getting......FANTASTIC stuff......these guys paying the bills could make more money doing something a lot less stressful and easier....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunajammer Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 For the record... Now back to our regularly scheduled conversation about models. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brett Barrow Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Based on inflation, $25 today is the same as $20 in 2004, $15 in 1994, $10 in 1984, $5 in 1974 and $3.25 in 1964. Seems to me that model kit prices have pretty much just been keeping up with inflation for a while... What happens is they keep the prices constant for a few years, then they have to jump up a couple bucks to keep up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Based on inflation, $25 today is the same as $20 in 2004, $15 in 1994, $10 in 1984, $5 in 1974 and $3.25 in 1964. Your numbers are based on what? From what I found, a model that sold for $2 in 1968 (which they did), adjusted for inflation would sell for about $14 today. Seems to me that a $25-30 kit is way more than just keeping up with inflation... http://www.dollartimes.com/inflation/inflation.php?amount=2&year=1968 http://www.usinflationcalculator.com/ http://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Handley Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 (edited) So is $100/bbl oil and the related costs with that as well as all the extra licensing fees. Edited June 17, 2014 by Joe Handley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art Anderson Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Your numbers are based on what? From what I found, a model that sold for $2 in 1968 (which they did), adjusted for inflation would sell for about $14 today. Seems to me that a $25-30 kit is way more than just keeping up with inflation... http://www.dollartimes.com/inflation/inflation.php?amount=2&year=1968 http://www.usinflationcalculator.com/ http://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm Yeah, But anyone who truly stayed awake in Econ class would have learned that not everything is affected exactly equal by inflation. Art Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brett Barrow Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 (edited) Your numbers are based on what? From what I found, a model that sold for $2 in 1968 (which they did), adjusted for inflation would sell for about $14 today. Seems to me that a $25-30 kit is way more than just keeping up with inflation... http://www.dollartimes.com/inflation/inflation.php?amount=2&year=1968 http://www.usinflationcalculator.com/ http://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm Same sources you give, just started with today's ballpark figure of $25 retail and worked backwards. That's why I said "for a while". Sure, when you compare $1.49 kits from back when they were selling 10 times (or more) as they do now there's a difference. And 2014 kits tend to be a little more detailed than 1964 kits, so they probably cost a bit more to develop and produce. But since the 90's at least, I think they've stayed around the same price adjusted for inflation. I remember kits being between $10 and $15 when I was buying them in the 90's. When I started in the hobby business in 2001, I think $17.99 was what new Revell kits were retailing for. Given all the challenges facing the hobby I think they've done an admirable job keeping domestic car model kit prices in line with inflation. Furrin' kits on the other hand, especially armor and aircraft - yikes! Those things are off the chart! Edited June 17, 2014 by Brett Barrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Furrin' kits on the other hand, especially armor and aircraft - yikes! Those things are off the chart! I agree with you there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Yeah, But anyone who truly stayed awake in Econ class would have learned that not everything is affected exactly equal by inflation. Art Of course not. Some prices rise faster than inflation, some prices (like electronics in general) are actually cheaper today than they were twenty years ago (adjusted for inflation). But the overall blanket statement that model kits don't cost any more today than they did back in the day (again, adjusted for inflation), and that the prices have merely kept up with inflation, isn't true. The prices have outpaced inflation by a good bit. If the price of a $2 kit from 1968 (pretty much the price for most domestic kits back then–I remember because my weekly allowance was $2!) had merely kept up with inflation, the average kit today would sell for $14, not $25-30 or more. Brett's statement that the price of kits has mirrored the inflation rate since the nineties may be true, but overall, prices outpaced inflation somewhere between 1968-today, otherwise, like I said, a kit today would sell for about 14 bucks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Hall Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Bottom line, reality is complex. Things cost what they cost. Why, we don't necessarily know. That's just the way it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Bottom line, reality is complex. Things cost what they cost. Why, we don't necessarily know. That's just the way it is. Well, yeah... if you're going to be all "common-sensy" and succinct about it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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