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Post by zscalehobo on May 10, 2023 6:18:33 GMT -5
Marklin announced their 2023 summer new items today. Included is an Amtrak E8 locomotive collaboration with AZL, item 88625. Full list of new items for Z scale: zscalehobo.com/marklin/marklin_numbers.html#summer-new-2023Snapshot of my index page at z.scale.hobo website ... (testing using IMGUR for image hosting)  |
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Post by cwrr on May 10, 2023 9:09:45 GMT -5
Nice, but the Marklin versions are always about $100 more than the AZL versions, weird!  |
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Post by zscalehobo on May 10, 2023 9:55:55 GMT -5
It's $80 difference in this case. I'm in the $160 range for an E8 presently and this one is starting out at $239.99 and likely increases a bit closer to release due to early-bird pre-order discounts for dealers.
I'm not qualified to guess precisely why the prices are so different, but I might say these are factors in that $80:
1. Corporate burden - executives salaries, inventory, etc. AZL is, for the most part, a generous "non-profit" run by two passionate and kind z scalers. Marklin is a full-blown massive company with a CEO/executive burden that is significant. If you've worked in a corporation and a little on the finance side, you'll know what "corporate burden" means.
2. Packaging is totally different from AZL's
3. Different coupling system needed to be implemented.
4. Massive spares support for several years for each release with very low-cost spares availability and dealer cost structure on said spares.
5. INSTRUCTION SHEET with a schematic diagram of the locomotive and list of spare parts.
6. Quantity ordered could lead to lower cost - AZL orders at least 10 roads of each release, Marklin only orders 1 or 2 roads of each locomotive type.
Welp, I think that covers it and explains the "weirdness" - but likely I missed some other reasons. Sorry about it!
But for instance, you cannot get any more AZL Alco PA1's in UP livery right now - they're sold out. Marklin's 88619 Union Pacific PA1 is still available, yes, for a bit more. But it's available still.
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einot
Engineer
Posts: 104
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Post by einot on May 10, 2023 12:58:51 GMT -5
Also here in Europe we pay value added tax which is around 24%. It’ll be added to those prices mentioned above. 😬😅
-Eino
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Post by zscalehobo on May 10, 2023 15:01:26 GMT -5
Hi Eino: That's not correct actually. The MSRP for 88625 at Marklin's website is 259 EURO including the VAT.
snipped from the new product page for the Marklin 88625: "€259.00 RRP, incl. VAT" (around $284 MSRP at today's exchange rate)
So, you can see that even at my "massively inflated price above AZL" (lol) I'm already much lower than the standard MSRP in Euros pricing. If you're talking about an import duty, then YES - Scandinavia has some crazy customs fees on shipments headed INTO the countries over there. I'd say the customs & duties into Scandinavian countries is even worse than the customs & duties fees going into the UK.
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einot
Engineer
Posts: 104
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Post by einot on May 11, 2023 0:34:19 GMT -5
Ah, ok. I did not do a price comparison. In European Union all prices are always presented with taxes included.
Scandinavia follows the EU import regulations, which are crazy. The craziest part is that it applies to 2nd hand stuff also, but more insane is that it applies to items bought from individual persons also, not just businesses…
So if your price is about the same than the European taxes included price, we end up paying huge overprice when importing outside EU.
-Eino
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Post by zscalehobo on May 11, 2023 14:31:49 GMT -5
Ah, ok. I did not do a price comparison. So if your price is about the same than the European taxes included price, we end up paying huge overprice when importing outside EU. -Eino wait, what? My price is well below the Euro with tax price ... $239 vs $284. Whatever - you're talking with a US-based Marklin dealer about shipping items back into Europe, so it doesn't really make much sense here. Sorry about the taxes. Be well! |
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einot
Engineer
Posts: 104
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Post by einot on May 11, 2023 14:43:50 GMT -5
Ah, ok. I did not do a price comparison. So if your price is about the same than the European taxes included price, we end up paying huge overprice when importing outside EU. -Eino wait, what? My price is well below the Euro with tax price ... $239 vs $284. Whatever - you're talking with a US-based Marklin dealer about shipping items back into Europe, so it doesn't really make much sense here. Sorry about the taxes. Be well! Ah, oh no, I mean in general. Sorry for being unclear. My point is that EU regulations tax the life out of consumers. I was not taking a stand on your prices, but they are really good! I don’t speak english natively, so it’s easy to be missunderstood. -Eino |
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matt
New Member
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Post by matt on May 11, 2023 15:28:36 GMT -5
The E8 will be available for around 210€. All Märklin products are much cheaper in Germany as the price märklin calls.
Greetings
Mattias
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Post by zscalehobo on May 11, 2023 16:16:46 GMT -5
I don’t speak english natively, so it’s easy to be missunderstood. -Eino Sinun englantisi on erittäin hyvää ... your English is really great - much better than my Google Translate Finnish!  Thanks, Eino! Greetings from California! |
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einot
Engineer
Posts: 104
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Post by einot on May 12, 2023 3:27:32 GMT -5
I don’t speak english natively, so it’s easy to be missunderstood. -Eino Sinun englantisi on erittäin hyvää ... your English is really great - much better than my Google Translate Finnish! Thanks, Eino! Greetings from California! Thanks man, wish I was in California! Sorry for the off topic guys. -Eino |
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Thanks, Eino! 