gunrunnerjohn posted:Ray Lombardo posted:Given the outcry that accompanies that decision, I would think Scott could charge 2x the price of ERR and people would pay. Apparently not.
Come on Ray, maybe we should be reasonable. One of the reasons for the popularity of the ERR products was a cost effective Lionel command upgrade path. If they doubled the price of the products, it's not so cost effective anymore. At $400 for the parts for an upgrade, suddenly it's not so attractive. I think for the most part that Scott's prices are in line, I didn't really expect no price increase with the transition.
I understand your point . It's just crazy to me that people were so incensed at Lionel discontinuing this line, and then when Scott picks it up and has to charge more to make it economically viable, people start to whine. The reality is that I love the ERR stuff too, but these companies exist to make a profit, not to stay busy for the sake of staying busy, and the costs here have gone up. Everything gets more expensive over time and the cost effectiveness of upgrading locomotives to command control is no longer as appealing as it once was because it is (probably) a lot cheaper to mass produce them in that configuration in the first instance. So the reality here, and it is the same one Lionel looked at when they looked at the economics of this business line prior to disposing of it, is that either people need to pay more or the line will be shut down. The alternative is to ask Scott or Lionel to take money away from more productive uses to subsidize hobbyists who want to upgrade trains. That's not the way business works, as you know.
"After all, we are not communists." ;-)
