Malebolgia Posted December 4, 2006 Report Share Posted December 4, 2006 Over the past four years that Privateer Press has produced miniatures, the price of our metal materials has nearly doubled, including a 50% increase in the last 12 months. While we diligently monitor the cost of the metal and price our new products appropriately, the miniatures we released in the first couple of years cost so much in metal that we can no longer afford to continue producing them at their original price. We’ve gone to great lengths to not raise prices. We have purchased more efficient equipment, bought metal in bulk, and continually train our staff in an effort to create a more efficient production process. With the drastic rise in tin prices over the last year, such efforts are simply not enough to keep producing products priced at 2003 prices. In order to continue the production of certain items we must adjust their MSRP to reflect the current materials prices, which constitutes the largest portion of their manufacturing cost. Below you can see a graph from the London Metal Exchange displaying the rise in tin prices since January of 2003. (http://www.lme.co.uk/) In 2003, the price of tin was $2.87 per pound. Our most recent order of metal cost $5.67 per pound, a 98% increase in four years. http://privateerpress.com/images/news/tin_prices.gif As of January 1, 2007, a significant number of the models found in the WARMACHINE: Prime and WARMACHINE: Escalation product releases, as well as a select few models post-dating Escalation, will receive an increase to their MSRP. No HORDES models will be adjusted. Here is a complete list of the affected models. We hope that the necessity of this adjustment is understandable and look forward to the continued support of the many WARMACHINE players, retailers, and distributors who have helped WARMACHINE grow over the past four years. You may send your questions and comments to frontdesk@privateerpress.com It sucks, but it is understandable. Now let's hope they won't increase their prices each year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vincegamer Posted December 4, 2006 Report Share Posted December 4, 2006 Nice of them to give a detailed explanation of why they did it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james sequeira Posted December 4, 2006 Report Share Posted December 4, 2006 At least they show a proper reason and arnt going up in 25% ever year lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LavronYor Posted December 5, 2006 Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 Do you think that if we start sending tin cans to them, it will help? Not to mention, that they are still making cool minis, as are some other companies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mclimbin Posted December 5, 2006 Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 (Being argumentative and hard headed) Wait, if tin is $5.67 a pound, and a standard mini weighs about two ounces...that's 70 cents for a standard mini. I guess those big warjacks weigh more than two ounces, but still. I know, I know, I'm being unfair. I'm also not completely serious. Not completely, anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duende Posted December 5, 2006 Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 (Being argumentative and hard headed) Wait, if tin is $5.67 a pound, and a standard mini weighs about two ounces...that's 70 cents for a standard mini. Well, there's also the cost of labor, packaging materials, shipping costs, the cost of the sculpt, getting masters painted for use in advertising, advertising costs, cost of maintaining any website, and I'm sure endless taxes, taxes, taxes.... But I'm still glad they explained it. Better than GW's "we're raising prices again. you can guess why." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supervike Posted December 5, 2006 Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 I thought their prices were high to begin with....Make no mistake, I do like some of the stuff, but IMHO, they are just as pricy as GW, but no one seems to complain about them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vincegamer Posted December 5, 2006 Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 Well, there's also the cost of labor, packaging materials, shipping costs, the cost of the sculpt, getting masters painted for use in advertising, advertising costs, cost of maintaining any website, and I'm sure endless taxes, taxes, taxes....Yes, but those things are not affected by the increase in the price of Tin. I think the argument is that the minis should only increase by the increased cost of the tin, which would be in fact less than 2 oz since they are not entirely tin, but let's say 2. Because tin at 70 cents is twice what it used to cost, then the cost of the average human sized mini should increase about 35 cents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duende Posted December 5, 2006 Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 Yes, but those things are not affected by the increase in the price of Tin. But they're all things that must be paid for with whatever monies the minis bring in. ... since they are not entirely tin, .... Pewter is 85-99% tin, so any substantial price increase in tin is a large part of the mini's maufacturing cost. Whee, debating! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vincegamer Posted December 5, 2006 Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 That's not debating. That's just throwing out facts. I don't know what the percentage is so I assumed it was 100, as I explained. Whee, arguing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duende Posted December 5, 2006 Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 Throwing out facts? What is debating if it's not weighing the importance and value of any such facts "thrown" out there? Are we supposed to talk about it all based on only suppositions? "They raised prices because they were jealous of GW hogging all the attention." (I know, that's silly) Well, I never took any debating courses in school so I could very well be full of sh--. So I bow to your knowledge, vince the Master-debator. And to vike, I think they're better priced than GW figures, but I haven't been to the store recently to compare. But the last time I saw a GW single figure I liked, I noticed the priceswas over $12! (one of the new wood elves, I think it was). I don't recall any PP figures of similiar size costing as much. I guess I need to go to the store again for "research". (or just to shop! ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malebolgia Posted December 5, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2006 PPs prices are comparable to GW prices, but one must not forget that you pay ~$100-$120 for an army. Compare that to the cost of a Warhammer of 40K army. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaric the Mad Posted December 6, 2006 Report Share Posted December 6, 2006 Prices of Privateer Press are disturbingly close to GW, you get no real savings at all. Where PP makes a smart move is the size of the armies-GW obviously is somewhat reacting (the lil skirmish rules in the rulebook) but PP did it first-and better. Its great to see why prices are going up. I like that-shows a certain respect for the consumer that GW needs to rediscover(and lower the costs of platics lol) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vincegamer Posted December 6, 2006 Report Share Posted December 6, 2006 The real reason prices go up: we're not making enough profit. That's the real reason for everyone. Nothing wrong with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duende Posted December 6, 2006 Report Share Posted December 6, 2006 Well, at least PP were very apoligetic about it and explained that they couldn't cut any more expenditures. GW just raises 'em and that's that. Presentation is everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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