Quoted from wolverinetuner:As of 5/10/2021, a currently hot thread in which the OP makes a case for the reasonableness of Stern’s price increases:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/stern-pricing-criticism-isnt-justified-based-on-the-msrp-history#post-6272026
I’m that OP, and wanted a Stern-specific address of the topic in that section (to avoid discussion about the latest JJPs and CGCs, partially). I contend that Stern cleaning up their distributor and dealer lineup by standardizing pricing and establishing a MAP (minimum advertised price) is not only a common industry practice, but a good policy overall for both sellers and buyers for many reasons. The only ones upset with this are those who became accustomed to “good ol’ days, good ol’ boy” deep discounts that have now gone away.
And most of the criticism I’ve seen is those whining about the manufacturers and hating the current record growth pattern in the hobby, also ignoring supply and demand realities, etc. Stern has held the line on MSRP while raising minimums and lowering margins that have been too-often given away to consumers for competition between dealers and regions. The changes are nothing new to business practices, and actually help resale values, etc.