Bachmann hike price's by 20%

[AndyGif]

Well i just read that Bachmann have announced they're hiking their prices by 20% from tomorrow 1/5/14, not sure if thats just for the OO boys, or all of us in the model railway diaspora.

Been mulling over for while now, if i should sell up recoup some of my investment and let the Mrs have the front room back.
I've lost the buzz I used to get from running trains, and doing anything with the layout.

[Newportnobby]

At our Meet Up last weekend, DJMDave alluded to this although he did not name Farish (he just said it wasn't Dapol )
That's just to show I was paying attention in class.
That's a shocking increase and I wonder how many pre-orders will be affected
I'm also sure it will have an adverse affect on the numbers entering N gauge modelling and Farish overall sales

[longbridge]

I wonder if it includes HO scale American, if so my mate will break down and cry.

[4x2]

That's a serious jump... I've got a feeling that they'll loose more than they'll gain.

My wallet can't handle that kind of hike, looks like buying new is no longer viable from Bachmann....

[gc4946]

The other model railway forum reported on Bachmann's trade presentation on why they've increased their prices. It affects all their production in China.
This is primarily due to increased labour costs, but also increased shipping costs. New price lists will be released in a week's time.

Three new tooling items in N will be announced this July.

I'll be even more cautious about what new releases I'll buy in future, no more buying stuff on a whim.

[Claude Dreyfus]

The other model railway forum reported on Bachmann's trade presentation on why they've increased their prices. It affects all their production in China.

That'll be rmweb then... I'm sure putting the link to the announcement will help reduce the necessity of paraphrasing...it won't blow this forum up! 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/85287-bachmann-why-price-increases-are-necessary/

[Karhedron]

Prices go up while my budget remains the same. Net result  = fewer models. 

Disappointing but not unexpected tha way inflation has been going. My suggestion is to get your pre-orders in now at the box shifter of your choice. A couple of the big ones offer a price promise so you can be sure it will stay at that price.

On a more positive note, looking forward to the 3 new toolings in July (although I hope they get a move-on with the Castle and Hawksworth coaches).

[AJB]

Karhedron,
I also have a Farish Castle on preorder (about 8 months now) so I echo your comments.
Alan

[Newportnobby]

Karhedron,
I also have a Farish Castle on preorder (about 8 months now) so I echo your comments.
Alan

That's at least 3 of us, then
I have far too much Farish stuff on pre order so will be looking closely at what can be chopped from the list

[Zunnan]

Its not exactly a surprise...These rises are periodic as labour , material and overheads increase and suppliers such as Bachmann ramp up the prices every few years playing catch up trying to balance the books. Add in a global recession, and the strongest economies are going to shrink slower and grow faster leading to sometimes quite poor exchange rates.

A portion of the rise is statutory wage increases (and stat health care contributions) imposed by Chinese government, as well as lease increases by same on factories and on what they produce, think of it as increased taxation on the factory...though that oversimplifies things considerably. Bachmann/Farish aren't the only ones who will be putting prices up in response to spiralling costs, its just that now is their time before the manufacturing costs bite them, just like Hornby had to do the same a few years ago for exactly the same reasons (before the Sanda Kan buyout), Bachmann had similar hikes a few years ago themselves. Dapol have probably done exactly the same thing in the past too, but with their irregular small batch production and processes split between China and Wales its harder to see. At least Bachmann have been up front and honest about it, and told it pretty much as it is. Rest assured, others will follow. And it'll happen again the next time Chinese costs rise close to the point at which a manufacturers margins wear thin. I use that term loosely, the Factory is the manufacturer, Bachmann/Farish/Dapol et al are merely customers of said facility; just so happens in BachFars case that the customer is a subsidiary of the factories owner.  I can guarantee that in a few years time Bachmann will have to hike their prices again. As will Dapol, as will Hornby, and every other labour intensive (read as minimal automation) production line. Even so, after the latest bout of wage rises its STILL cheaper to produce there than it is here by almost 63% (based on the costings we carried out for small volume productions on air pressure monitoring equipment, largely assembled by hand, which is very comparable to the current hand assembly of model railway equipment; and by small production runs I'm talking per 5000 units). To put that into perspective, if a made in China piece of kit that normally costs £100rrp were to be made in the EU, it would cost around £163 for the same item. The biggest advantage that I see currently to manufacture at home is a more stable exchange rate. If Bachmann (or Dapol, or Hornby) were to announce that they were moving production to the UK, but prices were rising by 63% as a result, I somehow doubt that ANYONE would be happy about it. Ok, Hornby have repatriated some manufacturing (paints and a few Airfix kits?)...but those few have been in largely automated lines requiring a minimal workforce, and the prices on those lines went up. There are a good few price hikes in it yet before its worth bringing manufacturing close to home, and I'll bet India, Africa or South America will see manufacturing move there as China begins to price itself out of the market, long before we see anything back in any worthwhile scale.

[longbridge]

It wont worry me to much because I always buy second hand but the hobby is expensive enough as it is, with utility costs going going through the roof and everyday essentials costing an arm and a leg many modellers may have to stop buying new.

After reading the full RMWeb thread it came through load and clear that super detail locos are another thing that has pushed prices up, it might be time to go back to the old Lima. Minitrix and GF moulds to save a quid.

[NeMo]

After reading the full RMWeb thread it came through load and clear that super detail locos are another thing that has pushed prices up, it might be time to go back to the old Lima. Minitrix and GF moulds to save a quid.

It's not necessarily a question of going backwards, if the models Union Mills make can satisfy your needs. For sure they're compromised in terms of detail, but they're rock-solid in terms of mechanics, and of the handful of steam engines I have, my Union Mills one is the only one I don't worry about breaking! By contrast Farish and Dapol tender engines especially look amazing but are really delicate, with all sorts of bits threatening to fall off at the slightest abuse.

On the other hand, as others have said, maybe we're going to have to settle for buying one really nice locomotive versus two compromised ones from Dapol or Farish. Both companies have at times done amazing jobs (as with the Dapol 'Western') but they've also released a few premium-priced models with inexplicable flaws (like the Farish Cl. 24). Perhaps both will have to work harder to ensure their models look and run amazingly well if they're going to sell them in the volumes they want.

Cheers, NeMo

[silly moo]

Our currency exchange rate has got worse so it's a double whammy for me  but it will never put me off the hobby, I'll just appreciate what I already have and think very carefully about future purchases. And keep an eye out for second hand bargains.

I won't stop buying, I'll just buy less. I'm fortunate that I already have most of what I need, I don't envy new railway modellers with lots to buy.

If I had any spare cash at the moment I'd be looking to buy stock that's in the shops now before the 20% increase.

Regards

Veronica.

[Caz]

Just hope they don't do what they did last time, the model numbers were cancelled and then reappeared later under new numbers so any pre-orders weren't valid.  Had this with some Dapol stuff and both companies I had pre-orders with cancelled the orders as items no longer available and lo and behold, a couple months later they re-appeared with new coding.   

[Roy L S]

Prices go up while my budget remains the same. Net result  = fewer models. 

Disappointing but not unexpected tha way inflation has been going. My suggestion is to get your pre-orders in now at the box shifter of your choice. A couple of the big ones offer a price promise so you can be sure it will stay at that price.

On a more positive note, looking forward to the 3 new toolings in July (although I hope they get a move-on with the Castle and Hawksworth coaches).

This has prompted me to pre-order a new 4F 0-6-0 tender loco from that place in Liverpool. I had been meaning to for a while.

The price hike comes as no real surprise but for me the size of it in one "hit" does although DJM Dave did hint that it was coming (albeit no manufacturer  name was given).

Will it impact my buying habits? Well yes, in reality what it means is that where I might have bought five items now I will buy four more selectively with less purchases on a "whim".

Roy