Boy what happen the the prices of N scale. Last year I purchased a caboose for $21 this year it's $35. Don
Cabooses starting at $12.99 from a TrainBoard advertiser: https://www.trainworld.com/search/i...category=45&byscale=31&road_name=&electronics
Oh good. Another discussion about prices. Maybe this one will find the definitive answer we've sought for for so long now. Oh look, I've finished my coffee. I'm going to go work on a couple of locomotive shells. I hope I didn't break your Sarcas-O-Meters this morning. Peace out.
Yes, prices are (still) out of hand. MFRs are going to charge whatever the market will bare, and its been baring price increases (but I think its got to be just about maxed out now). Ever since everything became limited run (remember when Atlas had a line up of cars that were always available?). Now if a car comes out that you want, you can't wait or they will be gone (still kicking myself over the Atlas SP 'daylight' TOFC flats...gone the same week they came out). We put up with it so they continue the trend, but I hope this is coming to an end. Hey Atlas: $32 for a PS-1 brown boxcar with white printing (Up from $28 for the previous run)?!! Yes, it's out of hand but yes, they keep selling out. Who's the fool, the MFRs or us? BTW, the sarcasm from other posters comes from the dead horse that has been thoroughly beaten...
While I can understand the OP's frustrations, subsequent responses, for the most part, are not helping him. Try doing as has Point353, by aiding in the OP's shopping. Belief systems, such as "whatever the market can bear", historically can and do backfire in the faces of those selling/marketing. Meanwhile, we can only shop wisely and spend money frugally, or not at all. Admins are watching this topic.
Echoing Ken -- just remember, deceased equines (unlike deceased Norwegian Blues, which have beautiful plumage) tend to end up stinking.
Manufacturers must make a profit to stay in business. In order to make that profit, they must sell the all product they manufacture. By restricting the quantity produced, they reduce the risk involved in a production run, but increase the tooling costs per item produced, and therefore increase the price per item. This in turn reduces the number of potential customers, and puts pressure on the size of the run. The net result is that they have priced me out of the market. I am going to continue to be a model railroader, but only buying used items at train shows, or scratch building. Our beloved trains have zero intrinsic value, and the perceived value is a function of demand. Has anybody priced a Beany Baby lately?
^^ this. I also expect a drastic drop in prices over the next ten years. Not on new releases, but on new older items that have sat unused in many modelers' accumulations. As an example, I have bought very few new MT releases over the past five years. Mostly heavyweight passenger cars, but likely less than ten of those total. OTOH, I've bought quite a few new MTs on the nscaleyardsale list. Most of the time, there are just listings of somebody selling off a few surplus cars. Those often aren't much of a "deal." Occasionally, a large accumulator will decide to liquidate, and will compile a large listing of "new" cars at great prices. Two years ago I bought 25 cars from such a person in two batches. He had everything priced at exactly $10 and they were absolutey mint, unused. Many were older releases that I had been interested in for years. The only exceptions were three TOFC and autoracks that he priced at $15. I think we're going to see a lot more of this as we get older and start thinning our households of everything. I would also expect to see more shops offering consignment arrangements to heirs. Just send us everything and we'll sell what is in demand and return the rest (or offer you a lump sum lowball, but fair, price). I believe that ultimately the Beany Baby comparison will become more and more valid. I believe it has already happened in Standard gauge and will very soon happen in Lionel O. Talk about your accumulators..... I'll still buy every new passenger release Kato comes up with, but Kato prices really haven't gone up much over the years. This is likely because they don't produce much, but what they do produce sells to a broad worldwide market.
The price of everything is going up, not just N scale. We have a choice to buy or not to buy, and with the continuing flood of new products and companies joining the N scale party, I'm guessing we're buying lots of trains.
I was about to say the same thing. My solution to high prices has been to stop buying the amounts that I used to. I don’t have the money that I used to have and I have enough stuff to last the rest of my years.
I remember when I could buy a Kadee/Micro-Trains 40' boxcar in 1989 for $8.99...today the same car is about $24.30....considering that minimum wage has gone up about 300% since then.....it's about the same price.
Federal Minimum wage in 1989 was $3.35/hr. Today it is $7.25/hr. That is only 216%. Using this standard your MT car should be only $19.46. The annual inflation rate from 1989 to 2018 was 2.5%. The 1989 wage of $3.35 has the buying power of $6.85 in 2018. https://www.dollartimes.com/inflation/items/1989-united-states-minimum-wage https://www.thebalance.com/2017-federal-state-minimum-wage-rates-2061043
Wise words. OTOH if I could find an MStL caboose or three who knows how much I'd pay. OTOOH, I have acceptable decals and undecorated waycars so maybe someday the two will meet over some creative enthusiasm.
A little perspective here. Everything is relative. In 1989, I was in HO scale. I had an occasional closet wandering eye towards N scale, but balked at the toy-like rolling stock with the truck-mounted couplers, pizza cutter wheels and too-high ride height. And those awful rapido couplers!!! Yech!!! $9 for a boxcar was costly for someone who could get an HO Athearn Blue Box for less than half the price. Today, HO scale, in many cases, is more expensive than N! Consider: ScaleTrains GTEL Big Blow Turbine Locomotive: HO Scale: $774.99 N Scale: $439.99 Atlas Articulated Auto Carrier: HO Scale MSRP: $99.95 N Scale MSRP: $64.95
Keep in mind that different states have different minimum wages, here in Arizona the minimum wage is of $10.50.
But one thing you are missing is the fact that if you adjust today's minimum wage to inflation, it is actually worth less than it was 50 years ago. For example, reports that I've read from economic articles and talks give the example of the minimum wage in 1968 was worth around $10.90 in 2015 dollars. The CPI, or consumer price index what I think we all should be watching. Last year alone it went up 2.5%, the largest increase since 2012. And when folks are spending more to just live, the amount of discretionary income is less. Non-essential items demand goes down. You know the rest from here.
