flatfish
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Posts: 158
May 26, 2019 3:17:27 GMT
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Post by flatfish on Jan 25, 2020 6:33:31 GMT
This question may have been asked but I was wondering why dies are so expensive. I’m a big fan of Tuesday Morning and when I see dies for $3 or $5 with the retail cost listed at $15, then I see almost the same die on the online stores selling for $25 to $30.
I’m not bashing any of the online store but if Tuesday morning can sell them that low and still make a profit, why do the other places sell them with such a high mark up? TM doesn’t buy knock offs either.
Any thoughts on this?
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Post by scrapaddict702 on Jan 25, 2020 7:58:00 GMT
This question may have been asked but I was wondering why dies are so expensive. I’m a big fan of Tuesday Morning and when I see dies for $3 or $5 with the retail cost listed at $15, then I see almost the same die on the online stores selling for $25 to $30. I’m not bashing any of the online store but if Tuesday morning can sell them that low and still make a profit, why do the other places sell them with such a high mark up? TM doesn’t buy knock offs either. Any thoughts on this? It is overstock product. Meaning it is meant to be cleared from the warehouse. The profit on the item was made when it was more expensive. If they only sold at TM there wouldn't be much of a profit margin, if any, when you consider the designers, manufacturers and all the hands it passed through from the brand to the discount store. |
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GiantsFan
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Post by GiantsFan on Jan 25, 2020 16:13:35 GMT
I, too, hate spending $25+ on a die set, after I've already spent $15+ on the stamp set. But for me it's less frustrating than fussy cutting or trying to get my PixScan mat to work (I've given up on that!) I agree with what scrapaddict702 said regarding TM products being overstocked items. I also recently read or watched on YT an article that Amazon returns are not restocked but sold in bulk lots to places like TM, Ross, Home Goods and those types of stores, for pennies on the dollar. That's why they can sell items so cheaply. But to your question of why are dies so expensive? It takes money to design the die, then a mold needs to be made, then the cost of the metal, and the melting/pouring process. Add to all that extraction, QC, packaging and the costs add up. All that is passed on to the customer, including a small profit. (Sorry, I have a manufacturing background) My biggest peeve is that I pay $25+ and still have to snip a set apart. But if the company did it it would add to the cost. |
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caangel
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Post by caangel on Jan 25, 2020 16:37:35 GMT
However AC and I think Echo Park too are now making items specific for TM. I know that there are 2 stamp sets for Shimelle's Head in the Clouds line that are exclusive to TM. And i think it was EP that has rereleased collection kits for older lines to sell at TM.
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Post by scrapaddict702 on Jan 25, 2020 17:17:07 GMT
However AC and I think Echo Park too are now making items specific for TM. I know that there are 2 stamp sets for Shimelle's Head in the Clouds line that are exclusive to TM. And i think it was EP that has rereleased collection kits for older lines to sell at TM. These are already designed items. For Echo Park it is just a matter of ordering more of an old design. For AC it a matter of reusing an image from another element and ordering in mass quantities from China. There isn't a ton of new design work that goes into it, it is primarily production costs and that is it. |
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FurryP
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Post by FurryP on Jan 25, 2020 17:19:03 GMT
But to your question of why are dies so expensive? It takes money to design the die, then a mold needs to be made, then the cost of the metal, and the melting/pouring process. Add to all that extraction, QC, packaging and the costs add up. All that is passed on to the customer, including a small profit. (Sorry, I have a manufacturing background) Somebody got a lot of money for this set: Wafer dies - Simon SaysI am flabbergasted!!  |
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Post by ameslou on Jan 25, 2020 17:24:23 GMT
But to your question of why are dies so expensive? It takes money to design the die, then a mold needs to be made, then the cost of the metal, and the melting/pouring process. Add to all that extraction, QC, packaging and the costs add up. All that is passed on to the customer, including a small profit. (Sorry, I have a manufacturing background) Somebody got a lot of money for this set: Wafer dies - Simon SaysI am flabbergasted!! Zoinks!! That's just a collection of rectangles! |
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Post by hop2 on Jan 25, 2020 17:26:40 GMT
I, too, hate spending $25+ on a die set, after I've already spent $15+ on the stamp set. But for me it's less frustrating than fussy cutting or trying to get my PixScan mat to work (I've given up on that!) I agree with what scrapaddict702 said regarding TM products being overstocked items. I also recently read or watched on YT an article that Amazon returns are not restocked but sold in bulk lots to places like TM, Ross, Home Goods and those types of stores, for pennies on the dollar. That's why they can sell items so cheaply. But to your question of why are dies so expensive? It takes money to design the die, then a mold needs to be made, then the cost of the metal, and the melting/pouring process. Add to all that extraction, QC, packaging and the costs add up. All that is passed on to the customer, including a small profit. (Sorry, I have a manufacturing background) My biggest peeve is that I pay $25+ and still have to snip a set apart. But if the company did it it would add to the cost. Nah, not convinced Not when places like Gina Marie designs & coco&Reno can Provide dies ( usually cut apart no less ) for much less. |
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Deleted
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Apr 23, 2024 20:24:58 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2020 17:37:45 GMT
Zoinks!! That's just a collection of rectangles! It's ridiculous and why I refuse to buy expensive normal shapes and instead buy on amazon. Sorry, you didn't invent the rectangle, circle, oval, heart or star. |
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GiantsFan
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Post by GiantsFan on Jan 25, 2020 17:43:36 GMT
I'm not saying they're not overpriced. And of course you can disagree. I just gave reasons based on my prior experience in manufacturing.
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PaperAngel
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Jun 27, 2014 23:04:06 GMT
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Post by PaperAngel on Jan 25, 2020 17:44:59 GMT
...My biggest peeve is that I pay $25+ and still have to snip a set apart... Uncertain when this became the norm, but it irks me too! My solution is not to buy unsnipped dies at full price. The set must be deeply discounted for me to even consider them. |
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Post by 950nancy on Jan 25, 2020 17:45:17 GMT
This question may have been asked but I was wondering why dies are so expensive. I’m a big fan of Tuesday Morning and when I see dies for $3 or $5 with the retail cost listed at $15, then I see almost the same die on the online stores selling for $25 to $30. I’m not bashing any of the online store but if Tuesday morning can sell them that low and still make a profit, why do the other places sell them with such a high mark up? TM doesn’t buy knock offs either. Any thoughts on this? It is overstock product. Meaning it is meant to be cleared from the warehouse. The profit on the item was made when it was more expensive. If they only sold at TM there wouldn't be much of a profit margin, if any, when you consider the designers, manufacturers and all the hands it passed through from the brand to the discount store. TM also has products that are made especially for TM (as a second run) and they sell for much less too. They still make a good profit on the second run items. I know that the upfront costs are already taken care of, but the fact that they sell for a small fraction of the cost of the original makes me think that the upfront costs they claim are not as high as people claim they are. I have purchased a $4.99 die at TM that was $40 originally in several stores. |
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FurryP
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Post by FurryP on Jan 25, 2020 17:50:42 GMT
I'm not saying they're not overpriced. And of course you can disagree. I just gave reasons based on my prior experience in manufacturing. I am not picking on you GiantsFan. I just used your explanation to point out the ridiculousness of that particular set. Everything you said about the manufacturing part is true. |
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GiantsFan
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Post by GiantsFan on Jan 25, 2020 17:53:54 GMT
Also to add that you're paying for the name brand just as you would clothing or other items.
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GiantsFan
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Post by GiantsFan on Jan 25, 2020 17:58:18 GMT
I'm not saying they're not overpriced. And of course you can disagree. I just gave reasons based on my prior experience in manufacturing. I am not picking on you GiantsFan. I just used your explanation to point out the ridiculousness of that particular set. Everything you said about the manufacturing part is true. Thanks. I didn't feel like you were picking on me. And I do believe the costs are getting ridiculous. Especially on standard shapes. |
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Post by hop2 on Jan 25, 2020 18:03:27 GMT
...My biggest peeve is that I pay $25+ and still have to snip a set apart... Uncertain when this became the norm, but it irks me too! My solution is not to buy unsnipped dies at full price. The set must be deeply discounted for me to even consider them. Ditto |
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Post by hop2 on Jan 25, 2020 18:11:31 GMT
I'm not saying they're not overpriced. And of course you can disagree. I just gave reasons based on my prior experience in manufacturing. I am also not picking on you, I agree that paying the designer is part of the cost, which is why I try very hard to only buy on Ali Ex or amazon if it a designers own shop. But I can’t buy into the $30 & $40 die sets when I can get an intricate set of 10-15 dies all snipped and finished and ready to use for $19.99 plus shipping. The over inflated prices are just bogus & I highly doubt that most of the designers are the ones making the extra profit from the over inflated prices |
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Post by scrapaddict702 on Jan 25, 2020 18:48:58 GMT
It is overstock product. Meaning it is meant to be cleared from the warehouse. The profit on the item was made when it was more expensive. If they only sold at TM there wouldn't be much of a profit margin, if any, when you consider the designers, manufacturers and all the hands it passed through from the brand to the discount store. TM also has products that are made especially for TM (as a second run) and they sell for much less too. They still make a good profit on the second run items. I know that the upfront costs are already taken care of, but the fact that they sell for a small fraction of the cost of the original makes me think that the upfront costs they claim are not as high as people claim they are. I have purchased a $4.99 die at TM that was $40 originally in several stores. Yep. I'm very aware of that. I've discussed it a bit with Madison from Echo Park. He seemed a bit perturbed that the buyer for TM is now asking other suppliers for special products because EP had been the only company doing it. Like Echo Park wasn't special anymore, lol. The buyer for TM used to work in a similar capacity for Michael's...she's doing a heckuva job for TM, that's for sure. I still think most products are overstock. I'll see a huge blowout sale from Spellbinders and then the same products will start to show up at TM. The special pieces I know of from Echo Park are the paper packs (and pads) as well as the exclusive chipboards that are reproductions of 12x12 sticker sheets. The special pieces I know of from AC are the new stamps and the holiday tag and ephemera bits that we saw from Crate Paper over the holidays. I have a suspicion (due to the generic woodgrain backing paper that isn't the same as the original) that a lot of the stamps from Echo Park at TM are reorders just for TM and that some products from AC might be reorders as well...like the flooding of Maggie Holmes. A friend of mine says some of the pieces she got (that doubled her stash from the original release) had different years on the backs than what she had in her stash. It wouldn't shock me that along with the brand new stamp sets, AC produced more of the original line to send to TM, but I've also been to their warehouse sales and the amount of overstock product they carried in just that shop (which I'm sure was just a small fraction of their overall inventory) was astounding. AC has discontinued their warehouse sales, too, I think...it seems they are in favor of just shipping the extras to TM. TM used to only get the highly coveted pieces (like the ephemera and other embellishments) but now they are getting the whole shebang.
I don't know, a lot of it speculation on my part, but I do still think that the majority of what we see at TM is overstock product. It is definitely smart of scrappy companies AND TM to try and get more product, even if it means getting special stuff from the companies themselves. TM used to be my little secret and now it's a widely popular source for many crafters. 80%+ of my overall scrappy purchases are from TM now. I consider them my LSS. Great product for great prices, even if the prices keep creeping upwards.
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PaperAngel
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Post by PaperAngel on Jan 25, 2020 20:12:18 GMT
scrapaddict702 : Do you often find EP/CB stamps at TM? I've only seen one each of two EP stamp sets there. Perhaps stores in our area don't get those SKUs or they sell fast. As an aside: Have you ever seen EP/CB stencils &/or dies at TM? Does TM always have EP/CB products, or does TM only get a few shipments per year? TFS.
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scrapnnana
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Post by scrapnnana on Jan 25, 2020 20:37:47 GMT
I know that sometimes it has to do with manufacturing and other costs, but in some cases, it may be because some people will actually pay it.
The Birch Press layered card die sets are an example. Despite the high price tag, those things were flying off the shelves at Convention when they were new. I gagged at the price, then went home and bought some layered cutting files from the Silhouette store. With my subscription, the layered cutting files cost me an average of 11 cents for each card design. Granted, Birch Press has some nicer designs, but I’m not willing to pay $78 for a set to make one card design. Some gals were, though.
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Post by scrapaddict702 on Jan 25, 2020 21:24:54 GMT
scrapaddict702 : Do you often find EP/CB stamps at TM? I've only seen one each of two EP stamp sets there. Perhaps stores in our area don't get those SKUs or they sell fast. As an aside: Have you ever seen EP/CB stencils &/or dies at TM? Does TM always have EP/CB products, or does TM only get a few shipments per year? TFS. I've only seen the stencils and dies on discount from Peachy Cheap or scrapbooking for less. The expo has the dies but not the stencils. Never at TM. There is a discount section on EP's retail site as well that is mostly stamps and dies, but I don't know about stencils. I've always thought it was strange that stencils never end up at TM. That might be my question for him this year if I go to the Pomona Expo. TM gets paper packs and ephemera from EP/CB regularly, not on any set schedule, but they get a lot of it. I find that a lot o fit overlaps with Expo offerings (and made a point to check at the Expo and sure enough, a lot of the items for sale there have the TM after the item number which indicates it was an item produced for Tuesday Morning...the ones at Hobby Lobby usually have an HL at the end).
The stamps from EP seem to show up as a batch item rather than with collections, which is another reason why I think they're a requested item rather than overstock. I had a conversation with Madison about them at the Pomona Expo last year and made mention of wishing they'd send more to TM because they hadn't shown up again since I learned they were photopolymer (they used to label them as acrylic, so I wouldn't buy them...I now sniff stamps to check for myself because of the labeling issue with older EP stamps, lol...they do label them properly now) and he said they had just sent them a bunch. They showed up at my stores a couple of weeks later. The ones that showed up last year were the first time in 2 (maybe more) years, which is why I had asked. I am hoping that they'll be a regular production item with how popular TM is becoming. My stores only received a couple per store as well.
Sorry if that was rambly. I have no inside knowledge, but I do try to keep up with what goes on there and it just so happens that Madison is open to conversing a bit at the expos.  |
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Post by Margie on Jan 25, 2020 21:48:37 GMT
That might be my question for him this year if I go to the Pomona Expo. Is that at Fairplex in Pomona CA? If so, when will that be? |
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Post by scrapaddict702 on Jan 25, 2020 22:23:38 GMT
Is that at Fairplex in Pomona CA? If so, when will that be? Yeah. They've knocked a day off of it (it used to be the only one with 3 days) and is the first Friday and Saturday in April this year. |
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Post by 950nancy on Jan 25, 2020 22:35:31 GMT
TM also has products that are made especially for TM (as a second run) and they sell for much less too. They still make a good profit on the second run items. I know that the upfront costs are already taken care of, but the fact that they sell for a small fraction of the cost of the original makes me think that the upfront costs they claim are not as high as people claim they are. I have purchased a $4.99 die at TM that was $40 originally in several stores. Yep. I'm very aware of that. I've discussed it a bit with Madison from Echo Park. He seemed a bit perturbed that the buyer for TM is now asking other suppliers for special products because EP had been the only company doing it. Like Echo Park wasn't special anymore, lol. The buyer for TM used to work in a similar capacity for Michael's...she's doing a heckuva job for TM, that's for sure. I still think most products are overstock. I'll see a huge blowout sale from Spellbinders and then the same products will start to show up at TM. The special pieces I know of from Echo Park are the paper packs (and pads) as well as the exclusive chipboards that are reproductions of 12x12 sticker sheets. The special pieces I know of from AC are the new stamps and the holiday tag and ephemera bits that we saw from Crate Paper over the holidays. I have a suspicion (due to the generic woodgrain backing paper that isn't the same as the original) that a lot of the stamps from Echo Park at TM are reorders just for TM and that some products from AC might be reorders as well...like the flooding of Maggie Holmes. A friend of mine says some of the pieces she got (that doubled her stash from the original release) had different years on the backs than what she had in her stash. It wouldn't shock me that along with the brand new stamp sets, AC produced more of the original line to send to TM, but I've also been to their warehouse sales and the amount of overstock product they carried in just that shop (which I'm sure was just a small fraction of their overall inventory) was astounding. AC has discontinued their warehouse sales, too, I think...it seems they are in favor of just shipping the extras to TM. TM used to only get the highly coveted pieces (like the ephemera and other embellishments) but now they are getting the whole shebang.
I don't know, a lot of it speculation on my part, but I do still think that the majority of what we see at TM is overstock product. It is definitely smart of scrappy companies AND TM to try and get more product, even if it means getting special stuff from the companies themselves. TM used to be my little secret and now it's a widely popular source for many crafters. 80%+ of my overall scrappy purchases are from TM now. I consider them my LSS. Great product for great prices, even if the prices keep creeping upwards.
I always check the dates on the packages if possible. Some match my products in my personal stash and some are more recent in years. Last year there was a scramble for several products like Merry Days (originally out several years ago now marked 2019) and Snow and Cocoa (out in 2016 was marked 2017). I found it interesting that all of a sudden Merry Days came out in full force with several pad sizes, multiple kinds of washi and tons of embellishments. I always wonder if companies read/get info from sources about what is popular and just reprint due to popularity at TM. |
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Post by Margie on Jan 25, 2020 23:21:00 GMT
Thanks Scrapaddict7702! That's not too far from me, so I'll definitely check it out!
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Deleted
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Apr 23, 2024 20:24:58 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2020 23:38:38 GMT
...My biggest peeve is that I pay $25+ and still have to snip a set apart... Uncertain when this became the norm, but it irks me too! My solution is not to buy unsnipped dies at full price. The set must be deeply discounted for me to even consider them. Same! Finish the manufacturing process and that includes finishing your product. Esp. for those prices! The $4/dies I buy on amazon come separated and sanded to a nice finish. |
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azcrafty
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,757
Jun 28, 2019 20:24:21 GMT
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Post by azcrafty on Jan 26, 2020 1:40:44 GMT
I found wholesalecraftingsupplies.com/ by accident and the few dies and stamps I ordered I'm very happy with. I'm planning to order more basic and fun dies. They are only $10 a set. I wonder how this company do it so cheap. I have $200 worth of stuff in my basket 🤣😂. This year I will try to buy from smaller companies. And as for prices being high,as long we as costumers buying it ,we are not sending the right message. |
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Post by hop2 on Jan 26, 2020 2:34:08 GMT
I found wholesalecraftingsupplies.com/ by accident and the few dies and stamps I ordered I'm very happy with. I'm planning to order more basic and fun dies. They are only $10 a set. I wonder how this company do it so cheap. I have $200 worth of stuff in my basket 🤣😂. This year I will try to buy from smaller companies. And as for prices being high,as long we as costumers buying it ,we are not sending the right message. There are several companies that sell at $10-12 a set they are usually designer ‘direct’ meaning the designer seems to get a higher chunk of a smaller pie. I have been very happy with my dies from Gina Marie Designs & from Coco & Reno and my wallet has been happy with them too.i hope the designers are satisfied with their part of it. |
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Post by mamakoala on Jan 26, 2020 13:20:55 GMT
I do have a fair amount of dies but I have found I actually enjoy fussy cutting. I stamp a bunch of images then bring them to the couch to color and dusty cut while watching Ballers. The cost is too much for me, overall.
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