Raleigh, NC
One of our local dealers is saying that Stern will be raising the price of all Pro's by $100 in August. Anyone know if fact or fiction?
(Topic ID: 94695)
I read that as well, but I assume we read it in the same place.
And what about this new Stern policy where dealers can't send price quotes by email any more? Apparently, that just leaves phone calls and smoke signals.
from our dist........ from Stern
Due to the engineering and material costs of bringing Iron Man to our current Pro standards, and the costs associated with a small production run, we are pricing the Vault Edition at a slightly higher price. The price will increase after August 15th .
why not. If people still line up for them, they might as well milk the cow as much as they can. Only time you will see prices go down on NIB, is when you guys stop buying.
Quoted from stevevt:And what about this new Stern policy where dealers can't send price quotes by email any more? Apparently, that just leaves phone calls and smoke signals.
Yeah, WTF? I hate picking up the phone, I do everything I possibly can over email.
Quoted from Aurich:Yeah, WTF? I hate picking up the phone, I do everything I possibly can over email.
I forgot to mention faxes, telegrams, and ol' reliable telegraphs.
Quoted from tb0ne:One of our local dealers is saying that Stern will be raising the price of all Pro's by $100 in August. Anyone know if fact or fiction?
I'm very surprised it's only by $100 seeing that just announced titles still sell out to the distributors almost instantly.
Quoted from stevevt:I read that as well, but I assume we read it in the same place.
And what about this new Stern policy where dealers can't send price quotes by email any more? Apparently, that just leaves phone calls and smoke signals.
Sounds like he's been hanging out with JPop too much 
$100 is a drop in the bucket. That can easily enter the picture anywhere between production and the distribution as a simple fluctuation in the cost of doing business.
$1000 would be more newsworthy.
Quoted from ForceFlow:$100 is a drop in the bucket. That can easily enter the picture anywhere between production and the distribution as a simple fluctuation in the cost of doing business.
$1000 would be more newsworthy.
Sure a drop in the bucket now but if they do price increases a quickly/often as they did for LE and Premiums it will be a lot of drops filling the bucket enough for it to be concerning. I hope they don't go that route.
Quoted from stevevt:I forgot to mention faxes, telegrams, and ol' reliable telegraphs.
... ---... ...---... 
. My morse code is a little rusty.
the prices have been going up since they started making games.
i believe (i don't have the invoice in front of me), but the original run of Iron Man in 2010 was around $3800, now MSRP is $5500.
Simple supply/demand and the cost of building has gone up.
Quoted from CaptainNeo:why not. If people still line up for them, they might as well milk the cow as much as they can. Only time you will see prices go down on NIB, is when you guys stop buying.
Dead nuts on. I am constantly trumpeting this as well, STOP BUYING EVERY NIB SIGHT UNSEEN. If it is a dream theme or you played it and fell in love, I get it. Just don't be that asshole, "you know who you are", that flaps his lips about "never again until they ship with finished code", and then run out and get the next 3 titles sight unseen.
Yes Price increases are coming. Normally we see them once a year.
Yes Stern no longer allows prices to be sent via email, text, pm or other written media if below there Minimum Advertised price
Can Still use the Discount codes on our website or call. That's the only way you can get the best pricing
JJ
New Westminster, BC
Quoted from TheLaw:Pro Prices are already well above 5. We're of course talking MSRP here.
Man..... glad I don't know what it's like 
.
Sydney, Oz
Quoted from vex:well i guess we can expect price increases from the other "competitors" as well then. it's a race to the stars folks!
i would have increased the price of the pro by 500$ to be 5x more competitive then the competition.
Stern has no competition when it comes to their pro prices.
Quoted from TimeBandit:Since when doesn't the price of everything go up forever?
Since I decided to have pinball as a hobby
Quoted from NPO:Man..... glad I don't know what it's like
Just like everything else there is the MSRP, and then the price you actually pay to buy something. IM-1 I very often here was $3800 in 2010. So the actual MSRP was probably higher. Although that's just a guess.
Quoted from TheLaw:Just like everything else there is the MSRP, and then the price you actually pay to buy something. IM-1 I very often here was $3800 in 2010. So the actual MSRP was probably higher. Although that's just a guess.
So, what is the price of IM if you want the re-release NIB (I'm not buying one - just curious) ?
Quoted from NPO:So, what is the price of IM if you want the re-release NIB (I'm not buying one - just curious) ?
5499 MSRP...$105 over Metallica.
http://sternpinball.com/games/iron-man/pro
How about 3 legs, two in the front, one in the back?
You can buy the aftermarket kit if you want the upgrade to 4 or buy the LE.
Quoted from pinball_erie:Dead nuts on. I am constantly trumpeting this as well, STOP BUYING EVERY NIB SIGHT UNSEEN. If it is a dream theme or you played it and fell in love, I get it. Just don't be that asshole, "you know who you are", that flaps his lips about "never again until they ship with finished code", and then run out and get the next 3 titles sight unseen.
Unless it's TWD. There. I fixed it for ya. 
Quoted from Kiwipinhead:Due to the engineering and material costs of bringing Iron Man to our current Pro standards, and the costs associated with a small production run, we are pricing the Vault Edition at a slightly higher price. The price will increase after August 15th .
There you have it a "small production run". Remember the economics of scale, smaller run means cost increase. $100 aint bad, $500 to much, $1000 forget it.
Don't get me started on map policies.
I would love to see a copy of Stern's map policy.
If I email distributor or delaer X for a price on a NIB Stern, I don't see how that is advertising by.
That is a direct contact, same as a phone call or being face to face or video chat or instant messaging.
I am seeing many Map policies going over the edge.
I bet you guys spend $150 on Starbucks, strippers or Target in an average month. It's not the end of the world.
They are raising prices to cover their latest innovations. To go along with recent improvements to the lockdown bar and backbox mechanisms, the main cab will now be equipped with folding legs.
Quoted from pinball_erie:Dead nuts on. I am constantly trumpeting this as well, STOP BUYING EVERY NIB SIGHT UNSEEN. If it is a dream theme or you played it and fell in love, I get it. Just don't be that asshole, "you know who you are", that flaps his lips about "never again until they ship with finished code", and then run out and get the next 3 titles sight unseen.
Who buys every new Stern sight unseen? If someone is doing this, more power to them for being able to afford it. It's people like this that could keep Stern's doors open. I've bought 2 Stern's sight unseen(AC/DC LE & Metallica LE)& was the best move I've ever done. Will do it again if another music theme pops up. As a matter of fact, I've already got a pre order on the next music pin if/when it happens. Keep it up Stern, you've given me nothing but good the past few years!
2014-06-18-22-04-57.pngQuoted from o-din:They are raising prices to cover their latest innovations. To go along with recent improvements to the lockdown bar and backbox mechanisms, the main cab will now be equipped with folding legs.
haha
Quoted from Breadfan:Who buys every new Stern sight unseen? If someone is doing this, more power to them for being able to afford it. It's people like this that could keep Stern's doors open. I've bought 2 Stern's sight unseen(AC/DC LE & Metallica LE)& was the best move I've ever done. Will do it again if another music theme pops up. As a matter of fact, I've already got a pre order on the next music pin if/when it happens. Keep it up Stern, you've given me nothing but good the past few years!
2014-06-18-22-04-57.png 2.0 MB
it's going to be a Madonna pin.
Quoted from Breadfan:Who buys every new Stern sight unseen? If someone is doing this, more power to them for being able to afford it. It's people like this that could keep Stern's doors open. I've bought 2 Stern's sight unseen(AC/DC LE & Metallica LE)& was the best move I've ever done. Will do it again if another music theme pops up. As a matter of fact, I've already got a pre order on the next music pin if/when it happens. Keep it up Stern, you've given me nothing but good the past few years!
2014-06-18-22-04-57.png 2.0 MB
You obviously missed the part where I said. "then bitches about unfinished code". I am in agreement with you, more power to whoever can swing every NIB. I just don't want to hear whining about the code and do it again,again, and again.
Quoted from Breadfan:I've already got a pre order on the next music pin if/when it happens. Keep it up Stern, you've given me nothing but good the past few years!
Why wait? Get The Rolling Stones .
I assume this new policy is so you can't send out 10 quick emails to distributors and pick the best price? Instead you have to spend 2 hours calling distributors and listening to a sales pitch over the phone.
Massive waste of the end customer's time, and a step backwards as well.
Quoted from tb0ne:I assume this new policy is so you can't send out 10 quick emails to distributors and pick the best price? Instead you have to spend 2 hours calling distributors and listening to a sales pitch over the phone.
Massive waste of the end customer's time, and a step backwards as well.
A buyer can just vote with his or her wallet and stop playing the game if it has become too stupid. They make the rules, the buyer (hopefully ) does not have a gun pointed at their head making them play.
Every time I think I have seen everything in terms of price hikes coupled with cost cutting... they manage to one up themselves. Good for them, but at some point something's gotta give.
I get that Stern wants to try to make it fair for all distributors, but with the drop-ship model it just doesn't matter. It should be no different than shopping around online for a TV. The local distributors need to earn business by adding value in home delivery, installation, etc. I would gladly pay extra to go with someone local who would at least make sure the game gets to my door un-damaged, but I'm not going to pay the extra 300-400 dollars that the distributors in my area seem to want.
For what distributors need to go through with freight companies, damaged shipments, etc, the margins that Stern gives them are way too thin. I think since the margins are so thin, Stern feels the need to protect their distributors.
IMO it makes no sense to make things harder on the consumer in order to protect your distributors. The model is screwed up.
Trent / TILT has always seemed to have pretty low prices compared to some of the things I read here on how much people pay for NIB's. I seem to think that prices I saw on here for NIB's were $200-400 higher than what I know a buddy of mine got one for at the time NIB. That being said I know he's also the biggest or one of the biggest dealers also... hence likely to offer better per unit prices.
Oh.. and any increase sucks.
I would have thought: "Due to the fact we didn't need to design, program, test, white wood, or otherwise have to develop this machine from scratch, we are going to reduce the price by $800. Future models will increase by $100."
Lol. J/K. I didn't really think that.
Prices will go up, as does inflation, it is inevitable. I'm seeing a lot of people trying to beat down prices assuming the inevitability of cheaper remakes of every game on the market... but reality says most games will not be remade, and will probably be at best, the same price as you can get them today, and will only be available years down the road. HUO SM today = IM vault edition, HUO LOTR only a few $hundred more than the NIB IM. Don't forget NIB IM could be had all day for vault edition pricing less than 2 years ago, yet somehow today's edition is a super-spectacular deal?!
I'll give a pass on the bubble-prone A-listers like MM, BBB, CC, MB, but beyond that, in the rare case a remake happens, NIB pricing is generally going to be higher than today's secondary market pricing, as long as buyers are out there.
Quoted from NPO:Why wait? Get The Rolling Stones
Because I hate the stones,& would never let that pin in my front door!
With new pin prices going through the roof in the last two years I'm pretty surprised so many are trying to justify or encourage it. $8,000-10,000 is a crazy price for a new pin and not justified by what's out there so far IMO. If Stern tries to charge near $8K for an LE models in the future like with ST initially the Pro models should not sky rocket in price. IMO the Pro model and their price point is pretty important in keeping the pinball resurgence alive. My XM Pro was $4200 Pros are now $4500-4600 and scheduled to go up again.
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