N
NP2626
Guest
How is it that an Rapido HO EMD SW1200 can cost $225.00 for DC operation, when 25 years ago an Athearn model of the same locomotive only cost around $20.00-$25.00? If I take my Inflation Calculator and use 1994 prices and a cost of $20.00, the inflated price for 2018 is only $32.95. If I use $25.00, the inflated price would be $41.19.
I understand that a Rapido loco and an Athearn Blue Box loco are not the same loco, so lets look at how many times $25.00 goes into $225.00 and that is 9 times. Is the Rapido Loco 9 times better than the Athearn Blue Box Loco? Yes, the Blue Box Loco had some minor assembly that the modeler had to perform, so should have been cheaper. Yes, Athearn had many years to amortize the cost of the tooling for their SW1200, so that should have made their price less, also. I have left the $110.00 extra, off the price for Rapido's Sound DCC Decoder because Sound and DCC where generally not available back in 1995.
Look, I'm not saying we should boycott today's manufacturer's products because they are charging excessive prices. I am saying we should be mindful of this fact and not be afraid to ask why the high prices! These higher prices are not all simply due to inflation!
I understand that a Rapido loco and an Athearn Blue Box loco are not the same loco, so lets look at how many times $25.00 goes into $225.00 and that is 9 times. Is the Rapido Loco 9 times better than the Athearn Blue Box Loco? Yes, the Blue Box Loco had some minor assembly that the modeler had to perform, so should have been cheaper. Yes, Athearn had many years to amortize the cost of the tooling for their SW1200, so that should have made their price less, also. I have left the $110.00 extra, off the price for Rapido's Sound DCC Decoder because Sound and DCC where generally not available back in 1995.
Look, I'm not saying we should boycott today's manufacturer's products because they are charging excessive prices. I am saying we should be mindful of this fact and not be afraid to ask why the high prices! These higher prices are not all simply due to inflation!