Sig C/L Prices

Maybe it is my imagination but do the prices on the Sig C/L prices seem outa wack direct from Sig? $65 for a Chipmunk seems lower then normal. Brodak lists it for $97

http://www.sigmfg.com/cgi-bin/dpsmart.exe/MainMenuFV4.html?E+Sig

Sig lowered their prices recently, so I suppose dealers are caught with stock they bought at old prices. Hopefully Sig will compensate them somehow so they aren't stuck.

Maybe they're clearing out the stocks of old die-crushed kits, while getting ready to introduce new laser cut kits?!!!! Probably wishful thinking, but wouldn't that be great? Steve

Steve Helmick
Renton, Washington
USA

>Maybe they're clearing out the stocks of old die-crushed
>kits, while getting ready to introduce new laser cut kits?!!!!
>Probably wishful thinking, but wouldn't that be great?
>Steve
>
>Steve Helmick
>Renton, Washington
>USA
Something else to think about. If they are like other large retailers and manufacturers and the price is lowered it could mean the end is near.
Whenever Tower lowered their prices it was an indication that the item was headed for oblivion. The Tower 40 went on sale for $39.95. having had previous experience with Tower I bought a half dozen. They were out of stock and production the next month.
Dennis

I remember when the Tower 40 went on sale. I bought a bunch and then used the free shipping and $25 off coupon. My final price was in the low $30 range. E-bayed the carb and mufflers for about ten bucks each. One sweet running engine. I had one modified by Tom Dixon "Right Stuff" package but yet to try it.

Someone mentioned these new prices a few months back. Periodically there are rumors of Sig discontinuing all control line kits. Don't make many now. Although a few are admittedly classics. For years my LHS has stocked these kits for around those prices. Other kits by other manufacturers are way more advanced. Better flyers. Usually lighter wood as well. Nevertheless, I'm finishing a modified Twister at the moment. I just started to fly a Primary Force given to me. Neat. Also, have a Primary Force short kit from Mike Pratt. My next project. Hard to see why the PF ARF costs $25 or $30 above the street price of an ARF Cardinal or Brodak P40. Even an ARF Vector 40 is nearly $25 cheaper. Twisters used to dominate Intermediate and Beginner. Even some in Advanced. No more.

FWIW, I ordered a Banshee kit from LHS some time ago. When it didn't show up when expected, I was told it was on "back order." I asked if it had been discontinued, was told no, Sig rep would have told LHS if it was no longer available. I'm hoping the lower price just means they're clearing out old inventory to make way for new laser cut kits. Come to think of it, the last Skyray 35 kit I bought had some laser cut parts in it. Hope they (Banshee, Skyray, Twister) aren't going away... I like the way my Skyray 35 flies, much prefer it to my Primary Force ARF.

cheers,
Ken

Last fall I was talking to one of the guys from Sig at our contest. He said they had 2-3 arf control line planes "in the pipe". I dont think Sig is going away any time soon. Oh and I just got an email about helping out at the Sig CL contest less than a month ago.
Bob Furr

"See ya in the circle!"

I wish they would laser cut the Akrobat kit offer it it again.

Just dreaming aloud, sorry.

I just placed a order with Sig, and when I got to checking I think most everything I bought from them was less than I could buy it from other places that carried their same products. they say they give no discounts buy from your LHS, but seemed like I got a better deal, the Akromaster was only 23.99 I think, could not pass one of those up even though I have a few of them already. Don't know why this is but that is the one reason I ordered from them directly.

Folks (retailers selling SIG kits) don't keep their websites up to date. The place in PA is one of the slowest to show their own new products on their own website. I can't say I understand it, but it's the way it is. Normally, manufacturers will not sell at a discount, because their dealers would raise he!! with them. In this case, it looks like there's just a price reduction. I can't see any reason for that, unless they are going to upgrade or discontinue. They did discontinue the Magnum a few years ago. I doubt if the Super Chip sells all that well, FWIW. [photo not recovered: sipcof.gif] Steve


Steve Helmick
Renton, Washington
USA

>Folks (retailers selling SIG kits) don't keep their websites
>up to date. The place in PA is one of the slowest to show
>their own new products on their own website. I can't say I
>understand it, but it's the way it is. Normally, manufacturers
>will not sell at a discount, because their dealers would raise
>he!! with them. In this case, it looks like there's just a
>price reduction. I can't see any reason for that, unless they
>are going to upgrade or discontinue. They did discontinue the
>Magnum a few years ago. I doubt if the Super Chip sells all
>that well, FWIW. [photo not recovered: sipcof.gif] Steve
>
>
>Steve Helmick
>Renton, Washington
>USA


Steve,
You have never heard of Great planes and Tower Hobbies. Between the 2 of them they caused more hobby shops to close in the 80's the the current invasion of arfs. They would offer phone deals and flyer sales cheaper then the dealer could get them. Yes sir they really had integraty. I remember their only appearance at the WRAMS show. Nice looking girls but the reps were almost lynched by the hobby shop owners there. Security had to handle some of them. They are still responsible for almost no profit margin in carrying their stuff.
Oh and for awhile it was if it wasn't in the Tower cataloge you almost couldn't sell your stuff. Now you know what started the decline of kit manufacturers.
There are more manufacturers selling kits directly then ever bothering to associate with the Tower/Horizon complex. It's the path to ruination.
Dennis

>>Folks (retailers selling SIG kits) don't keep their
>websites
>>up to date. The place in PA is one of the slowest to show
>>their own new products on their own website. I can't say
>I
>>understand it, but it's the way it is. Normally,
>manufacturers
>>will not sell at a discount, because their dealers would
>raise
>>he!! with them. In this case, it looks like there's just
>a
>>price reduction. I can't see any reason for that, unless
>they
>>are going to upgrade or discontinue. They did discontinue
>the
>>Magnum a few years ago. I doubt if the Super Chip sells
>all
>>that well, FWIW. [photo not recovered: sipcof.gif] Steve
>>
>>
>>Steve Helmick
>>Renton, Washington
>>USA
>
>
>Steve,
>You have never heard of Great planes and Tower Hobbies.
>Between the 2 of them they caused more hobby shops to close in
>the 80's the the current invasion of arfs. They would offer
>phone deals and flyer sales cheaper then the dealer could get
>them. Yes sir they really had integraty. I remember their only
>appearance at the WRAMS show. Nice looking girls but the reps
>were almost lynched by the hobby shop owners there. Security
>had to handle some of them. They are still responsible for
>almost no profit margin in carrying their stuff.
>Oh and for awhile it was if it wasn't in the Tower cataloge
>you almost couldn't sell your stuff. Now you know what started
>the decline of kit manufacturers.
>There are more manufacturers selling kits directly then ever
>bothering to associate with the Tower/Horizon complex. It's
>the path to ruination.
>Dennis

Two different subjects. What's the link between the two? SIG doesn't discount, Brodak doesn't discount, so that their dealers can get a fair price and afford to stock something (anything). The dealers that have SIG stuff in stock have to sell it for more than they paid for it, right? Just because SIG dropped the price on a few kits doesn't mean that the dealers can immediately follow suit. When the price goes up, the dealer has to raise their price immediately, so he can replace what he sold. Economics 101, I think it was. Steve

Steve Helmick
Renton, Washington
USA

check sig buster and shoestring brodack wants 34.49 and sig 22.99

Maybe SIG is just getting into the reality of modern retailing.

In the past, manufacturers sold to distributors who sold to retailers who sold to the public. Today, at least one and sometimes both of the middlemen are cut out. That leaves a lot of room for discounting when they switch to factory-direct over the net.

I brought this up before:

Our LHS in Michigan routinely gave about $5 off on SIG fuel.
Yet when I went to the contest in Iowa, they wanted full retail price at the home of Sig, despite the saving on shipping and middle men.
The explanation was "being fair to our dealers". Maybe they figured out that they were the only one left charging retail.
------------------------------------

A teacher in some econ course I took defined a retail price tag as "a blank piece of paper where the owner the writes his wildest fantasy of what his thing is worth."

I Believe it is the simple rule of economics in play but could be wrong. looks like the end of the kits and ARFs will be the rule. After all there is money to be made in the ARFs. Top Flite is no longer supplying C/L Kits but ARFs only. Brodak is now supplying many different ARFs.

Maybe Mike Pratt or Mike Gretz could give us some inside info