@RadioRon posted:I get you.... but that wasn't an issue when Lionel ran its Railroader Club by itself but managed to offer such items at a price in line with, say, the cataloged Christmas car issued at the same time. See my price comparison in the initial post.
Understood, but my hunch is that back then Lionel was able to keep those prices in check by at least partially subsidizing the program (probably, as you suggested, to attract and keep "newbie" families interested in the hobby) and my feeling is that is no longer the case.
In this current economy, where costs are rising and profit margins are generally tight, my guess is that Lionel is no longer willing to subsidize the program either at all or at least to the same extent they may have been doing it in the past and the program must become predominantly self-sufficient and, hence, the higher prices.
Just my $ 0.02.
