Price increase

[bigP]

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Edited January 31, 2021 by bigP
Deleted

[Brit70053]

Yes, I recall that 'Black Wednesday' when interest rates increased every 2 minutes and colleagues descended into desperation as they calculated the impact of anything over 10% and realised that their mortgage payments would far exceed their monthly take home pay (circa £240 per month in my job at the time). Fortunately interest rates fell back to something more sensible equally quickly once the beleaguered chancellor gave up his fight against the 'money markets' who'd driven the pressure on the pound.

 

I think I'd just recently bought the A4 mentioned by Steve Lewis above, having had to decide between the new release at about £22 or 'Last year's model' @ £19 +. The difference, I was told

"Last years version has crew figures".

 

Prices today do look startling and it hasn't taken long for the psychological barrier of the £100 price for a model to shift to near £200. I think part of the problem is that it isn't possible to forget when you paid less than £20 for a model when today's version is costing near £200 - regardless of finesse or level of detail improvements.

 

I know, that was then, this is now and you pays your money (or not) and makes your choice.

 

Regards,

 

               John

[Stevelewis]

Black  Wednesday ....... I remember it  well  I was deep into Wales calling  on Pharmacies ( used  to  think of  it  as  the  railway  day!!)  I was  in  Aberystwyth  naturally  parked in  the  Stations( Std  & NG)  Car  Parks  I used to  walk to  the calls from  there!

I Kept  phoning   home  to see what  progress or  not  was being made on  the  news ( No Mobile in those days) and  my  wife   told me  that  15% Mortgage interest  rate was forecast,  later in the  day  the  UK government  opted  out  of  some  sort  of  financial arrangement with  the  EU  which allowed interest  rates to   stabilise  but  still high compared with  today

[Steamport Southport]

£99.99 on their site at the mo.

https://www.Hornby.com/uk-en/shop/locomotives/sentinel-4wdh-19.html

 

https://www.Hornby.com/uk-en/shop/locomotives/railroad-br-class-55-the-king-s-own-scottish-borderer.html

 

Yes. But that's not the price in the shops. The Sentinels are about £55 almost everywhere, some places are even cheaper for the older stock.

 

 

Do you go to a shop that sells Heinz baked beans for 19p or pay £1 for them, like they are in my local 7-11?

 

 

Do you pay full RRP for anything? I certainly don't.

 

 

 

Jason

[OOgaugeJaf]

Well I have just had a rake through the Hornby website and made a decision that I will not be buying a new Hornby Model again. I’m very fortunate that I have amassed a really large collection over the last 10 years or so. I tend to impulse buy for buying sake sometimes, but that is it for me. Standard Class 4 for £179.99. No thanks

[Stevelewis]

Well I have just had a rake through the Hornby website and made a decision that I will not be buying a new Hornby Model again. I’m very fortunate that I have amassed a really large collection over the last 10 years or so. I tend to impulse buy for buying sake sometimes, but that is it for me. Standard Class 4 for £179.99. No thanks

 

Sign  of  the  times  I  am afraid,  Exchange  rates, higher  Chinese  wages  etc  etc.  However  if  you think  these  prices  are  expensive  take  a look  at  the  prices  that modellers  of  European  railways  have  to pay  for  their  locos  etc.

[Stevelewis]

Well I have just had a rake through the Hornby website and made a decision that I will not be buying a new Hornby Model again. I’m very fortunate that I have amassed a really large collection over the last 10 years or so. I tend to impulse buy for buying sake sometimes, but that is it for me. Standard Class 4 for £179.99. No thanks

 

Take  a look  at  Track  Shack  website  Hornby  class 4  £138.50!  Post  Free

 

Buy  now  and   save! .

Edited November 22, 2017 by Stevelewis

[Classsix T]

Black Wednesday ....... I remember it well I was deep into Wales calling on Pharmacies ( used to think of it as the railway day!!) I was in Aberystwyth naturally parked in the Stations( Std & NG) Car Parks I used to walk to the calls from there!

I Kept phoning home to see what progress or not was being made on the news ( No Mobile in those days) and my wife told me that 15% Mortgage interest rate was forecast, later in the day the UK government opted out of some sort of financial arrangement with the EU which allowed interest rates to stabilise but still high compared with today

Norman Lamont and his refusal to join the European Monetary Union?

It has become known to me that fiscal policy broadly speaking comes down to Conservative = debt to the individual and Labour = debt to the nation. Both of which mean debit of the taxpayers natch!

 

C6T.

[adb968008]

Black Wednesday ....... I remember it well I was deep into Wales calling on Pharmacies ( used to think of it as the railway day!!) I was in Aberystwyth naturally parked in the Stations( Std & NG) Car Parks I used to walk to the calls from there!

I Kept phoning home to see what progress or not was being made on the news ( No Mobile in those days) and my wife told me that 15% Mortgage interest rate was forecast, later in the day the UK government opted out of some sort of financial arrangement with the EU which allowed interest rates to stabilise but still high compared with today

Friday March 29th 2019 is Brexit day, 11pm selected, as this is after the US markets stop trading for the day, which means at 8am when the markets open.. is April fools day... Monday April 1st.

 

I just can’t help but think that’s going to be a dramatic weekend of last minute dealings.

Edited November 24, 2017 by adb968008

[John M Upton]

There was a rather good summary of that on Spitting Image that weekend.  John Major and the Cabinet are in the pub and Norman Lamont is on the one armed bandit.  He announces in that droll voice 'Oh look, I've just won 20p'.  John Major responds 'Oh, that's good.  How much did you put in?' to which Norman Lamont responds 'Two and half billion pounds...'

[adb968008]

There was a rather good summary of that on Spitting Image that weekend.  John Major and the Cabinet are in the pub and Norman Lamont is on the one armed bandit.  He announces in that droll voice 'Oh look, I've just won 20p'.  John Major responds 'Oh, that's good.  How much did you put in?' to which Norman Lamont responds 'Two and half billion pounds...'

A modern take on it was Newzoids ...

 

Where Corby. Looks at a £10 note and says.. oh look there’s a new £10 note, it’s worth £5.

[trevor7598]

Today's prices were brought home to me at Warley. Admittedly all my purchases were special commissions, as follows......

 

Kernow Gate set, TMC pack of three ale wagons, and a Warley mrc tank wagon. 

 

That's two coaches and four wagons............... a shade under £200.00.

[John M Upton]

Ouch...

[Robin Brasher]

I remember when the M7 first appeared, I got two for just over £120!  I refuse to pay more than £70 for one now.

I thought the M7 cost £2. 10s 9p when it first appeared. Not such an accurate model but it would pull 12 coaches on steel track and had a crew, firebox glow and an opening smokebox door. I think that most people that want an M7 have already got one so the new M7s will be chasing a diminishing market. Lovely locomotives.

[Georgeconna]

Today's prices were brought home to me at Warley. Admittedly all my purchases were special commissions, as follows......

 

Kernow Gate set, TMC pack of three ale wagons, and a Warley mrc tank wagon. 

 

That's two coaches and four wagons............... a shade under £200.00.

 

This seems to be becoming a Hobby now for Doctors and Solicitors I feel. On the other side the RC stuff has come down in price amazing from 10-15 years ago, Especially the ARTF stuff.

[Chamby]

I think the manufacturers and commissioners have realised that there are in fact four main types of model railway enthusiast, at least in the RTR arena. (So scratch/kitbuilding notably outside of RTR scope).

 

1). The kids who want toy trains

2). The ‘average enthusiast’ who looks for reasonable quality models at reasonable prices

3). The ‘affluent enthusiast’ who wants higher spec models and can afford the higher prices.

4). The collector.

 

It is the last two that are driving the current price hikes well above what you would expect to see simply due to exchange rates. Manufacturers know that by raising prices they can reduce the production run required to recover the tooling costs. Recently they have found out that if you don’t raise prices enough, supply outstrips demand and discounting inevitably follows... whereas raising prices even more with a smaller production run means that demand outstrips supply and prices can be maintained, or even raised further. Witness the last few of R3555 Sir William Stanier on sale at Rails for comfortably over £200 at Warley. This surely will be seen as a positive development by the collector - who are emerging as a significant driving force as production run volume declines.

 

I think this is why we have seen prices shoot up for the latest models, why Hornby are rethinking their discounting strategy, why production runs are getting smaller and why retailer commissions are becoming more popular. After a period in the doldrums, the market seems to have found a sweet spot, at least for the moment, for the more monied among us.

 

Longer term I hope they also find the right supply model to properly service the ‘average enthusiasts’ who have higher mortgage/rent and family commitments. Maybe the rising price of their premium products will finally give Hornby’s ‘Railroad’ range a clearer niche in the market too?

 

Phil.

Edited December 2, 2017 by Chamby

[Chamby]

£30K for a house,  Jebus!

 

We paid £9,750 for our first house in 1978... I was earning £3,200 a year at the time. That’s inflation for you.

 

In forty years time, modellers will probably be reminiscing about when they could buy a model railway locomotive for a mere £200!

[adb968008]

We paid £9,750 for our first house in 1978... I was earning £3,200 a year at the time. That’s inflation for you.

In forty years time, modellers will probably be reminiscing about when they could buy a model railway locomotive for a mere £200!

It’s only 25 years ago, everyone virtually boycotted Lima after the £19.99 sale ended and 37069 in Dutch appeared with a £39.99 price tag.

[159220]

Doctors (Junior c. 26 k  to GP c. 103 k) and Solicitors (c. 35 k)..

 

Hmm. A point. Solicitors do not earn much these days, diluted by years of every careers advisor telling young people to read law. 

 

Let me swap that for you. You mean it is becoming a hobby for Plumbers (c. 32 k) and Train Drivers (c. 63 k). I am surprised by the national average for plumbing, as the ones I know earn over 50 k. Hmm.

 

Main point, what does professional training have to do with model trains? A hobby is a hobby for anyone who has the time to enjoy an activity. 

Edited December 2, 2017 by 159220

[adb968008]

Hmm. A point. Solicitors do not earn much these days, diluted by years of every careers advisor telling young people to read law.

 

Let me swap that for you. You mean it is becoming a hobby for Plumbers (c. 32 k) and Train Drivers (c. 63 k). I am surprised by the national average for plumbing, as the ones I know earn over 50 k. Hmm.

 

Main point, what does professional training have to do with model trains? A hobby is a hobby for anyone who has the time to enjoy an activity.

 

Hmm.. cynical crystal time...

 

The magic ball says 2020 vision ..it’s turned ying...

Corbyns in, Brexits hard.

 

Everyone in the UK takes home £100k per year, regardless how much you earn, however there’s nothing to buy, the shops are shut and we barter trains for sausages on the black market, burning piles of money to keep warm.

 

However one must not look negatively on the future on yang side of the crystal ball..

Boris is in, Brexits soft..

 

Everyone in the UK takes home minimum £1mn per year, were over flowing with shops, trains are coming out of our ears, let them eat steak, will light cigars with money because we can.

 

 

I put my crystal ball back in the box and sent it back for a refund., it’s obviously faulty.

Edited December 2, 2017 by adb968008

[159220]

Hmm.. cynical crystal time...

 

 

 

Nah, the robots are coming! And I am not joking. We shall need to support the millions who's jobs are replaced by AI/robots some how. Best thing, AI robots can replace everything from surgeons to taxi drivers.

[royaloak]

Hmm. A point. Solicitors do not earn much these days, diluted by years of every careers advisor telling young people to read law. 

 

Let me swap that for you. You mean it is becoming a hobby Train Drivers (c. 63 k).  

You need to add  'Virgin' or  'Eurostar' before the word 'Train' because they are the only ones on c £63k a year, but lets just use the highest paid drivers as an example while castigating somebody else for doing exactly the same for Solicitors.

 

Signed an Inter City train driver who earns nowhere near £63k a year despite working several rest days a year!

 

Edit-

Thank for the supportive but I am more than happy with my lot, I do a job I enjoy and get well paid for doing it, yes there are those who get paid more for doing the same job but there are many who get paid a lot less, and any way you try and wrap it up we are in a comfortable position.

 

Of course there are many many more people who work a lot harder for a lot less money.

 

Now if only I could convince the other half that buying the latest whizz bang model was as important as I know it is.

Edited December 2, 2017 by royaloak

[adb968008]

Nah, the robots are coming! And I am not joking. We shall need to support the millions who's jobs are replaced by AI/robots some how. Best thing, AI robots can replace everything from surgeons to taxi drivers.

Trouble is it’s false economy... if everything goes AI, no one has income, so no one can spend so those AI robots become idle.

As long as someone will work for a dollar a day robots won’t take over the world.

 

I sell quite expensive IT software worldwide, the further away from the US you go, the harder the sell.. it’s impossible in China, one guy said to me, for the price of your software, I can hire 30 Chinese guys for 10 years to manually do the same job.

 

Another example was a visit to a factory making Chinese dumplings (dim sum), he said they makes tens of thousands every day. As I went behind the scenes expecting to see machinery all I saw was hundreds of people rolling dough, filling the past shells and squeezing then, before putting them manually in bags.

Edited December 2, 2017 by adb968008

[jjb1970]

Chinese companies are investing in automated processes as they are no longer that cheap, with countries like Vietnam attracting inward investment as a lower cost alternative. China is well on the way down the same path trod by Japan in the 50's and 60's and South Korea in the 80's and 90's. There are obviously plenty of low tech labour intensive industries in China but there are still processes in any country that remain cheaper to do with plenty of cheap bodies.

[Ron Ron Ron]

The robots will be taking over.

 

The queue for early entry to Warley, 2050.........