Price hikes

By UnfairBanana, in X-Wing

We all noticed it when the Decimator came along with it's $40 price tag. Now we have a small ship at $20. Is it just me or is this hobby starting to get more expensive?

Also, someone explain to me WHY it costs more. I get that yes, the Decimator is pretty big and it's a lot of plastic. Took that one with a grain of salt. But this thing isn't that big. Don't try saying that it's "so much more plastic" than everything else. That can't be right.

Edit: Alright, lemme clarify. Let's get some speculation as to why, as opposed to the "this sucks" or "deal with it" comments.

Edited by UnfairBanana

The viper will be the largest small stand ship, and for the most wanted, you get 3 ships.. makes sense really

I noticed that as well, but are you saying that it is coming in a pack with other ships?

It is most definitely larger and uses more plastic than the other small based ships, whether you think that is right or not.

There is no "price increase". The Star Viper is $20. That's its price point. The other ships are not increasing. The M3-A is listed as $14.95.

The Star Viper simply has a night price point than the other small based ships, the same as the Decimator has a higher price point than the previously released large ships.

There is no conspiracy here and FFG never said every small ship would be $14.95. That's just your expectation and is shown to not be correct.

Buy it, or don't. But don't act like FFG is screwing you because they aren't.

Jim

One cannot complain about unfair pricing unless they can front receipts for 20 years of torture and abuse via Games Workshop purchases.

Also, the price of plastic like that is incredibly cheap. Incredibly. Like, the increase of cost from the Decimator to the Xwing is perhaps only 2 cents.

Labor of painting and cost of packaging volume taken up has more to do with the cost I feel. Still, I bet its not as much as the price tag. They're just trying to gouge us with the already naive concept that a bigger piece of plastic costs a lot more.

I'm gunna say that inflation had to push it up at some point. I just assume that its just this. Still nowhere near as bad as other games ( yer I'm looking at you GW )

For the Most Wanted pack sure. Three ships for 45 is fine, and expected.

But why is another small ship getting bumped up? Saying it costs more because it does isn't really productive towards the thread. Speculate. Contribute. Don't just be a jerk.

It's not "bigger," it's "taller." It's also rather flat. It isn't much bigger than a B-wing.

Spaceman: if it were inflation, why not the rest of the ships? Wouldn't make a whole lotta sense for one ship to inflate even before launch.

Edited by UnfairBanana

For the Most Wanted pack sure. Three ships for 45 is fine, and expected.

But why is another small ship getting bumped up? Saying it costs more because it does isn't really productive towards the thread. Speculate. Contribute. Don't just be a jerk.

It's not "bigger," it's "taller." It's also rather flat. It isn't much bigger than a B-wing.

Spaceman: if it were inflation, why not the rest of the ships? Wouldn't make a whole lotta sense for one ship to inflate even before launch.

Edited by Spaceman91

I'm gunna say that inflation had to push it up at some point. I just assume that its just this. Still nowhere near as bad as other games ( yer I'm looking at you GW )

But it isn't an across the board price hike on small ships. The M3-A is stil shown as $14.95. ONLY the Star Viper has the increase. So it's either because it's bigger, uses more plastic, takes more labor to assemble and paint, uses a slightly larger package, etc. Whatever the reason, it's pretty clear that it is not FFG just trying to screw people (which is what the OP comes across as implying). Just like none of the large ships have gone up except the Decimator. If there was an across the board hike, the Outrider would be $40 as well and it isn't.

Jim

If they were going to price hike they'd do it like GW and make every ship in wave six more expensive, this clearly isn't the case, though it's a small base it's probably going to need different packaging.

When every release prices jump up then you have my permission to cry, for one ship it's a non issue.

I doubt any of us really understand the economics of it. Yeah, maybe they see a chance of making a few more bucks but I doubt it.

I expect the Viper to come on a different package than the regular fighters, that's why. Same reason Decimator costs 40, and i expect the 2Z + 1Y be the same size as the decimator package.

Hmmmm $20 for a single miniature that is probably 1/4-1/3 your entire force......yeah still cheaper than Games Workshop. Go cry about prices elsewhere.

It's not "bigger," it's "taller." It's also rather flat. It isn't much bigger than a B-wing.

I suspect when you see it next to a B-Wing you'll see the difference. It's significantly larger than a B-Wing.

I guess someone calculated (through "smart" math from an economics class) that there will be less demand of the Star Viper than of other ships before, so wtih a smaller sales prediction they put the price up to the "optimal" point where a price increase won't damage the predicted sales too much, but still makes up for the units they will sell less due to the predicted lower demand - this will even out the cost-gains calculation and at the very least turn the release of the Star Viper into a black zero

... or something else...

Edited by 0rph3u5

Nah, it's probably larger than it works.

Although it's hard to tell and I fully admit I could be wrong but it looks like it's bigger lying down than the blister pack could hold, which means unique packaging which in turn means it's more expensive to produce.

I guess someone calculated (through "smart" math from an economics class) that there will be less demand of the Star Viper than of other ships before, so wtih a smaller sales prediction they put the price up to the "optimal" point where a price increase won't damage the predicted sales too much, but still makes up for the units they will sell less due to the predicted lower demand - this will even out the cost-gains calculation and at the very least turn the release of the Star Viper into a black zero

... or something else...

Something else is probably right. Except if they hired some kind of expert who worked for GW.

Could be related to the effort needed to paint it.

I agree that the size shouldn't really factor in in terms of raw materials (i.e. using more plastic), but the time length and or number of hand painting steps required might be a big factor in final price.

It's big enough to need a larger package. So more shipping costs to cover, and less per pallet, etc.

I still think it's probably because the cheapest pilot is over 25 points so you can only put 3 in 100 points.

E-wings

Phantom

Defender

I still think it's probably because the cheapest pilot is over 25 points so you can only put 3 in 100 points.

Edit, ninja'd. Phantom is exactly so you could run 4 of em. Not that you should.

Edited by UnfairBanana

It is basic common sense...The bigger miniatures have larger and more intricate packaging ; unlike the traditional blister packs...

I still think it's probably because the cheapest pilot is over 25 points so you can only put 3 in 100 points.

Then why aren't the TIE Defender and the E-Wing priced at $20? Your theory makes no logical sense.

Edit: Dammit, double ninja'd!

Jim

Edited by Emrico