Masterline RS-11 for $90.00 street, highway robbery if you ask me. I sure hope that the new sources of manufacturing brings the prices back into the relm of reality for Atlas. How old and how long have they made this engine.....9/05 and before......I don't mind spending $90 on an engine but it has got to a little more than this engine.
I do not know if any one has noticed how the price on rolling stock has gone up in price in the last 18 months but I have and locos have for the most part stayed about were they have been for the last 3 years or so both retail and on the auction sites. I am thinking that we will start to see an increase in loco prices before long if not now. Has any one else noticed this???
They're already rising. About twice a year it seems another $15 gets tacked on. You may as well buy now, 'cause that RS-11 and all other locos will all be over $100 street by this time next year I'm thinking. Jim
I have seen the MT's cars go up over the last year or so and now it is hard to find any that are under $16.00 or so and the LHS that was always selling all MT's at $10.00 are no longer doing that, now we pay $12.00 or so depending and even the new old stock is being sold at prices above their original sticker. Some say the increase is due to the cost of crude oil as that is were the plastic comes from, however I do not buy that as I am working a t a company that makes plastic injection molding pellets from a byproduct left over from the ethanol production process and that has stayed at its current price for 3 years even though some of the input costs have risen slightly. Labor is always increasing as well as some other costs of doing business, but the increases that we are seeing do not seem to be in line with other plastic items. Just my thoughts.
Which always makes me ask how anyone who claims the price of plastic has increased can justify OLD stock rising in price ! The damn things where made at the plastic price at the time and sold to LHS at a set price at the time. How the heck does the plastic prices NOW translate to gouging prices on previous stock to todays prices ??/!!! OHhhhhhhhhhhhh I am sure someone will chime in and try to explain it away...probably one of those who raises prices on ALL their items...claiming some justification...and expecting we will all just believe them....just because. :angry:
Raw materials have had a steady price increase for several years now! Not just plastic, the last time I checked a N scale loco isn't all plastic. IMO we should all be happy that Atlas makes N scale locos, without them how many different models would we have? A hobby shop pays taxes on there inventory, if an item is in stock for several years then they can loose some money if sold for the old price. This is probably why some shops increase the price of an item.
Well there is or was the Lifelike version of the RS-11, in fact one is on EBay for $10. In fact with both Atlas and Lifelike having released a RS-11 there would seem to be a slight surplus somewhere I would think. Maybe just not in the roadame somebody would want. Not sure if the LL release shares the mechanism of the GP20 on the later 2nd release but if it does probably not a bad loco.
Life Like (Hobbycraft) made the RS10 and RS18. I believe the mechanism is the same as the Atlas RS11 though. They (the Hobbycraft units) are superb much like the Atlas units.
There is a LHS here in the Seattle area that has a 1st generation Life Like GP 18 with the spring driveshaft sitting in their case for $80! YIKES!!!!!! When I ask why so expensive? Get this. Their answer. Well that is what the price of a new Life Like locomotive is and this is new so that is why it is $80! This same shop has Atlas GP 7/9 in the case that are NOT the new DCC mechanism that are marked around $95 each. Again I ask why? They explained that Atlas bumped the prices up on all stock so they had to adjust their prices accordingly too.
From the retail mind, their thought is when they sale their current stock, they will have to buy the new stock, which costs X amount more. However, brick and mortar stores that ask MSRP usually don't stay in business long as internet retailers can get it to you cheaper, shipping included. One of our local hobby stores is like that. They say they don't order more because people no one buys what they have. I've tried to explain the internet thing, and of course they have overhead to meet. But 50, 40 or even 20% profit of 0 sales =$0. They've been at that location for years and own the building, but i think they are ready to retire at any rate being in their 70s. Couple that with poor selection and business is limited to immediate needs, particularly scratch building supplies. Some local hobby stores get the idea though. Many are darn close to online retailers and come out ahead when considering shipping.
The shops sell things at the price of the replacement cost to restock the item. Same thing happens with gas. As soon as the truck shows up with the next load the whole tank is now priced at what it will cost per gallon to refill the underground tank. If a hobbyshop sold the item for the old price, it would not have enough cash on hand to buy new stock at the new higher price. A product costs me 8 dollars and I sell it for 10 to cover my overhead and pay myself something for all the work that I do. There is a price increase of my cost to $10. If I then sell the old product at my original price of $10 and pay the store rent, the employee I have and insurance, etc, etc, pay myself 15 or 20 cents to pay my rent at home, I now only have $8 with which to buy new stock to have something to continue the business. The new stuff is $10. I cant afford it. I go out of business. Now the hobbyshop that has the ancient LL GP18 in the case for $80 is where a shop owner has to make a call and dump something for what they can get for it, take the loss and then reinvest the money that is left in something less expensive that will sell quicker. Maybe dump the engine and replace it with 2 or 3 FVM cars in a locally popular roadname that might sell faster. Put an extra 1 or 2% on them to try and build back up to the money needed to get another loco to replace the one you lost your butt on. But do that too many times and you will find your shelves bare because you cannot afford inventory. All it takes is a few poorly made(the announcement looks good, but mechanism turns out to be crap) or timed(bought supply of x from tried and true manufacturer, and then new upstart reinvents wheel with exact same model and roadnames and u are stuck with decent models that no one wants at that price) choices in inventory(that may not be anything you did) and you could be way in the hole for years. Ryan
Wow, we have a lot of future hobbyshop owners among us that's for sure. Somewhere we need to have a Time Value of Money and Cost of Goods Sold clinic....holy cow. And wait, you mean there's not a speculator's market for model railroad chemicals and materials used in production? Why they didn't buy up enough 30 years ago to keep the prices flat is downright negligent. And yet the CEO's of model railroad companies still accept their US$10Million bonuses....for shame. Anyway, it's the age old complaint of prices in model railroading. Prices which, by the way, have never kept up with inflation. They are starting to finally get close, yet even despite STILL being effectively "cheaper" than they were 60-70 years ago, we still complain. Nobody ever promised model railroading was a cheap hobby. I've been in the hobby for most of my life, and I've never seen that anywhere. No personal finance book or adviser will ever include a hobby as a way to live a frugal life, unless it's something like sewing or gardening where you get a tangible return. In fact, of any of the verbage I've come across that I associate with it, it's "a rich man's hobby". Yes, you CAN be frugal and find ways to stretch your dollar, and heck I would even argue the intangible benefits of reduced stress as a bona-fide way to save money with the cost of healthcare these days. But cheap? Not now, not ever. I think the constant complaining about the costs of a hobby reduce it's enjoyment. (and stress reducing benefits!!!) Life is too short...enjoy what you have, buy one or two fewer than you normally would, whatever. You'll still have trains to play with. ;-)
Was this a DCC equipped unit? I got a GP9 recently that was $90, but that was DCC equipped, decoders add to the cost that most people forget about.
See...this is where we disagree. If you bought it for $8.00 2 years ago and it was priced for $10.00 on the shelf then you would have made $2.00. Fast forward to today...you still only have $8.00 inveted in the item...if you still sell it at $10.00...you still make $2.00 on the thing ! There is NO price increase to you on the old item...only the NEW one. You buy new stuff at $10.00 and price it at $16.00....you make $6.00 on it no matter when you sell it (now or later). Increasing the price on old stock to new stock price is nothing but pure greed and gouging !! If a bussiness isnt doing enough bussiness to replinish supplies its because they are screwin the customers over...and no one is coming back. If you sell enough of any item you make enough to replace any item and pay all your expenses. It's when the customer knows he is being bent over the train rack...and leaves the store empty handed that the store loses money...and will go out of bussiness. The LHS owners and ETailers who believe all modelers are stupid and will pay any price they slap on an item are the ones that will end up belly up.
I couldn't agree more! The LL GP 18 I was referring to in my earlier post, when new (15 years ago) I want to say sold for $25 at most. This hobby owner is looking at nothing more than lining their pockets. Simple as that! I know one sucker that wont be buying that unit.
Whoa, I think I need more coffee...George and I actually agree on something! (well, and most of the rest of the business community...but I digress)
