First, yes, I did a search to read up on this topic before posting.
Here is a pull-quote from the May update:
"So we’ve talked through the tradeoffs. We could raise prices, which means we could keep products in stock by paying suppliers more. We could keep prices low, which means we’d regularly run out.
We decided to do both.
We’re going to increase the price of all of our materials significantly, to ensure that we can keep them in stock.
At the same time, we’re going to look for opportunities to buy discounted orders in bulk - and pass the discounts we negotiate on to you.
So you’ll see prices for most things go way up, but we will start having monthly sale prices where we’ll sell selected products at the lowest price we can.
By raising the prices to match our new costs, we can bid more aggressively for the highest grades of lumber, leather, and other products in the now-fiercely competitive markets. Proofgrade will remain the best-possible quality. No compromises or corner cutting (unless you are the one doing the cutting!). You’ll always find your material in stock.
This way, the Proofgrade you know and love will remain the same beautiful, consistent, and convenient material for all of your future prints - and we can offer you the best prices we can find, when we find them."
This ONLY talks about the cost of proofgrad materials, not the fact that shipping is now the insane flat price of $25.
Everytime I go to order PG materials, I feel like I’m getting kicked in the stomach with how much the materials cost AND how much shipping costs. I thought shipping prices were annoying before, but now that’s it is $25 I won’t ever be able to afford that price hike.
Also, to reiterate
“We could raise prices, which means we could keep products in stock by paying suppliers more. We could keep prices low, which means we’d regularly run out. We decided to do both.”
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. You stated matter-of-factly you’re going to up the price and keep stock low… The “discounts” you’re passing along to us are negated by the shipping cost. Point blank and end of story. I don’t see the advantage in using PG materials when the cost is exorbitant like this. I was going to order 4 pieces of hardwood that is on sale now (because I do not want to pay $11 for a 6x12" scrap piece of wood), it would be $23. SHIPPING COST MORE. I was going to be charged over $50 for 4 small pieces of wood.
How? How can you honestly charge $25 for 4 small pieces of wood and pretend ‘we are making the best choices for you.’?
As it stands, I’ll never buy any Proof Grade material because the costs are not completely reflected in the purchased product. (I was not wow’d enough by the sample pack included with my Pro.) I’ll be venturing into the talks with a local lumber yard and finding masking materials elsewhere for commissions. I could not even begin to present that cost to the client as part of their invoice breakdown.
Please reconsider your shipping policy.
