PlaymoFriends

General => News => Topic started by: BlueWizard on July 02, 2022, 23:24:07

Title: Playmobil Canada's crazy price increases
Post by: BlueWizard on July 02, 2022, 23:24:07
Has anybody else had experiences with Playmobil prices going up and up every few months this year? I've been waiting for the Ayuma sets to go on sale on playmobil.ca (to make them more reasonably priced!) but instead of being on sale for Canada Day (July 1) they went up 10 to 15%!!!  :o Not only that, but for instance, set 70803 (2 fairies with snake and peacock) started out at C$25 but then in March went up to $29, then $30 then down to $28 and now yesterday up to $33. It all seems a bit crazy. 8} This seems to be the case for some other themes as well, like Dino Rise and Novelmore. I think I will have to hold off on buying anything for a while to see what happens. On top of that the availability appears to be hit and miss. Some sets (like the January release Playmo-Friends) are finally showing up in stock; so even if I was buying, many sets are just not in stock. The local shops have reduced their Playmobil sections and haven't ordered some themes. Very frustrating! Maybe if I pull out a few storage boxes of older Playmobil sets, I can pretend they are new sets! Some I haven't seen for a few years!  :lol:

Of course this is in addition to so many other things going up 10% or more.

David in Victoria, BC.
Title: Re: Playmobil Canada's crazy price increases
Post by: StJohn on July 03, 2022, 00:25:16
It is the same here in Germany. Playmobil.de has in recent days increased its web shop prices virtually across the board by 10% or more. They are now selling their stuff at higher prices than advertised in their print catalogue! I am not sure what this means: real higher prices due to increased costs, which will eventually also reach retailers and consumers, or some crazy pre-sale price hike to make some future sale more palatable to the company...
Title: Re: Playmobil Canada's crazy price increases
Post by: Pynedor on July 03, 2022, 11:07:45
Some of the prices have definitely been increased on the different sites. I think many of us have a sort of "per figure" cost that we calculate (at least for the smaller sets), and that might need to be increased soon too to be realistic. :(

On top of that the availability appears to be hit and miss. Some sets (like the January release Playmo-Friends) are finally showing up in stock; so even if I was buying, many sets are just not in stock. The local shops have reduced their Playmobil sections and haven't ordered some themes. Very frustrating!

I've noticed the same things. :(

Maybe if I pull out a few storage boxes of older Playmobil sets, I can pretend they are new sets! Some I haven't seen for a few years!  :lol:

That's a good idea! :lol:
Title: Re: Playmobil Canada's crazy price increases
Post by: BlueWizard on July 03, 2022, 22:18:34
I think many of us have a sort of "per figure" cost that we calculate (at least for the smaller sets), and that might need to be increased soon too to be realistic. :(

Yes, the per figure cost has really gone up... one figure can be a Fi?ure or a Playmo-Friend or a Special Plus or a small regular set or a starter set. So anywhere from $5 to over $20 in Canada. Ouch!
Title: Re: Playmobil Canada's crazy price increases
Post by: Eplay on July 04, 2022, 05:05:18
Some of the sets on playmobil.nl have also increased in price.
Title: Re: Playmobil Canada's crazy price increases
Post by: doug on July 04, 2022, 15:40:27
Blue,  I have not noticed the US site's prices fluctuating,  but the branded themes you cited already had ridiculously high prices here.  Maybe branding is giving the retailer an excuse to pump up prices.  I DO understand that, say,  Mr Spock and Scooby Doo cost more because of licensing fees.  I do NOT understand how that applies to Novelmore and Ayuma, which AFAIK are internal brands.


US site's  Ayauma 70802 has been (I think consistently) $16.  ...for a klicky and a bird.  Compare that to 70878, for which $6 gets you a klicky and a panther.  Maybe those  spindly teen bodies are harder to produce.... Maybe the Ayuma paint aps are more detailed...  but from my point of view, we are up-charged, quite a bit, for the Ayuma name.

 Or take the BEAUTIFUL 9893 3-viking set, which is $8 here, and use Pynedor's price-per-klicky to compare to the 70672 Novelmore 3-pack of soldiers, which is $12.   I do not know what the extra 50% is for, except for a blister pack and eye strain.

Have you noticed the un-branded items fluctuating on the Canadian site too?  If it is just the branded items, I am sorry to hear that your Ayuma tax has gone up.  :/
Title: Re: Playmobil Canada's crazy price increases
Post by: Rasputin on July 05, 2022, 20:10:50
US prices are increasing but on seemingly random items . It’s not across the board but here and there

Prices will continue to go up  ::)

That’s what you get when you voluntarily raise oil prices 

Absolutely predictable  8}
Title: Re: Playmobil Canada's crazy price increases
Post by: Redmao on July 05, 2022, 21:42:09
I noticed that both the James Bond and A Team sets have gone up $15.
Title: Re: Playmobil Canada's crazy price increases
Post by: BlueWizard on July 06, 2022, 04:15:07
Have you noticed the un-branded items fluctuating on the Canadian site too?  If it is just the branded items, I am sorry to hear that your Ayuma tax has gone up.  :/
Yes there definitely is an Ayuma tax here (plus the Canada tax - for not being a major market, I presume!). Even the Novelmore prices weren't too bad until very recently. While the Ayuma sets were going up every few months, the Novelmore sets remained stable. But now (for example) set 70749 (the flying wizard) which was C$17 since it was released (last year?) has risen to C$20 this month (about 18% increase). I haven't really been checking on the branded sets' prices as I haven't been too interested in any yet - or they are way beyond what I will spend on Playmobil... Star Trek Enterprise is C$700.  I don't know if the Asterix sets are premium priced but at least they look to be available in Canada soon!

David
Title: Re: Playmobil Canada's crazy price increases
Post by: playmovictorian on July 06, 2022, 05:59:46
I am sorry to see that everything is getting more expensive across the board, including Playmobil  :(
Title: Re: Playmobil Canada's crazy price increases
Post by: Pynedor on July 06, 2022, 23:45:20
Maybe branding is giving the retailer an excuse to pump up prices.  I DO understand that, say,  Mr Spock and Scooby Doo cost more because of licensing fees.  I do NOT understand how that applies to Novelmore and Ayuma, which AFAIK are internal brands.

One of the reasons for this could be that they are trying to offset some increased costs of launching these themes with the (likely expensive to produce) series.

Or take the BEAUTIFUL 9893 3-viking set, which is $8 here, and use Pynedor's price-per-klicky to compare to the 70672 Novelmore 3-pack of soldiers, which is $12.   I do not know what the extra 50% is for, except for a blister pack and eye strain.

Unfortunately, I fear that all of the stock of older sets like those Vikings that still have lower prices will eventually be sold, and those prices will not return with any of the newer sets. :(
Title: Re: Playmobil Canada's crazy price increases
Post by: Oliver on July 07, 2022, 09:22:29
I don't really think their needs to be any logical reason for the prices, other than 'what they think they can get away with'. That's capitalism!
Title: Re: Playmobil Canada's crazy price increases
Post by: BlueWizard on July 09, 2022, 19:14:43
I don't really think their needs to be any logical reason for the prices, other than 'what they think they can get away with'. That's capitalism!

Exactly!  :lol:
Title: Re: Playmobil Canada's crazy price increases
Post by: gloobey on July 15, 2022, 03:34:41
I can't speak for Canada, but I do know that my prices have increased in the US. I have been a Playmobil dealer for 11 years, and this year has seen more increases than I have ever seen. I can also say that it isn't just Playmobil. Every vendor I have has increased their prices in some way. Freight terms and freight costs are all over the place too. It's been difficult to balance customer expectations with my costs.
Title: Re: Playmobil Canada's crazy price increases
Post by: BlueWizard on July 21, 2022, 20:35:23
Actually I am relying on the local retailers now and forgoing ordering from the PM website. Some of the sets have gone up (on the PM website) since the retailers set their prices... so it's now 10 to 20% cheaper to buy local (for some sets - if they can get the stock in)!

David