No! No! charge me more please.....

[Plastic Thunder]

So I was at PIA as I am every week some times 4 times a week. I did note the fine folks over at Discraft appear to have no shame about what they think the new signature appear to be worth these days. Last year's Mcbeth 4X Force was 15.99, this years 5X is a 19.99 disc. The plastic was the same clear red, at the same store, on the same rack, but the 4 dollar stamp made all the difference apparently. Well, I didn't buy any, in fact no Discraft went with me. I did load up on 12 other discs, well because I can't stop buying discs and they were pretty......

Hey Discraft, I am moving on to the next company.

P.S. Also, Paige's, new putter has not won anything yet, 20 bucks out of line. The Luna did not start that high and it has now actually done something. Now the Luna price moved to 19.99 and I have moved on. I did throw the Luna, gave them away after a few months. Nice disc, just not what I need anymore. Using a Chief, no glide and flies like a brick, 10.99.

And for those of you who think I am cheap, trust me, money is not one of my problems.

 

[Aylien]

They are going to charge what people will pay. I personally will spend a little more on a disk I know I can throw well, if I can't, I don't spend the extra money for sig series.

 

[JC17393]

The difference in price between the 4x stamp and the 5x stamp is entirely up to the local store (wholesale price from Discraft is exactly the same either way). They're probably discounting the 4x because they have the new 5x stamp.

And I don't know where you shopped, but proto Lunas, first run Lunas and stock-run Lunas have consistently retailed at $19.99 since they debuted (again, wholesale price hasn't changed). So the Fierce being priced similarly is no surprise at all.

But hey, rant on. :\

 

[Casey 1988]

I actually think it is in the trade stuff with the oil price going up thanks in part to our latest president. I think Discraft wants to sell the disc at $15.99-$17.99 via retailers but the price has gone up on the Oil so the disc has to cost more. Also the pay of Page might be the other factor, now with two really high payed pro players both Paul McBeth and Page Pierce the company had to raise disc prices.

 

[discerdoo]

Careful, you might be accused of being grumpy. I share your sentiments, my Discraft enthusiasm wanes further with each money grab they throw out there. Alas, the recent converts seem to snatch up anything with McBeth's name on it.

I have a pretty good supply of pre-McBeth molds that I throw, and none of my Zones are domey.

 

[Golden Tuna]

Hey Discraft, I am moving on to the next company.

The scenario you are describing is known as the innovation adoption life cycle or product adoption curve.

Early adopters and early majority always pay more to "have it now". The late majority - the folks who come to the party in the next 6-18 months will be the late majority and will probably find these for more reasonable prices, but couldn't claim early adoption.

Its rooted in supply and demand. When a new disc is released, demand is high and supply is low, so they can charge what they want and folks will pay it. Once the market is saturated, the price goes down, along with demand...

So, I guess that's what you get for having to have it now.:\

 

[BogeyNoMore]

Pay $$ for Discraft? I just spot on Toboggan for USADGC for a while and grab all the misprints I want.
DGPT for DGLO is just bonus plastic.

 

[R-Ogre]

You know what's great?

There's still plenty of stock run versions of those same molds for sale.

If enough people don't buy the hype, they'll either cut the price or make less of them. And if enough people do, then who cares?

 

[disco40]

Gotta admit, being new to DG I've found most of the complaints about disc prices to be ridiculous. Probably because I'm maximally out of touch with the sport's roots and stuff. I can buy and fill a bag for well under $200 that will perform far better than I can. When I compare that to the start-up and maintenance costs of other activities, and taking into account that most of the courses we play are free, the complaints are out of scale.

Maybe if I had started playing back in the day of (insert arbitrary golden age), I would feel some pain for what I have lost, that the sport has grown too far out of its grassroots and begun taking on the ugly characteristics of capitalism. Still, seems overblown.

I'm perfectly okay with there existing some superficially premium versions of discs at premium prices (and paying those prices because they are still pretty cheap). They don't fly better, so you're not buying better equipment than people with four fewer dollars to spend.

This is also just how marketing works, and DG is pretty basic at that. It costs more to get bigger endorsements and to promote and place the associated products, so at this basic level it's like shouting at the tides. Things can get more complex and scummy, but we aren't there yet.

 

[SonicGuy]

So I was at PIA as I am every week some times 4 times a week. I did note the fine folks over at Discraft appear to have no shame about what they think the new signature appear to be worth these days. Last year's Mcbeth 4X Force was 15.99, this years 5X is a 19.99 disc. The plastic was the same clear red, at the same store, on the same rack, but the 4 dollar stamp made all the difference apparently. Well, I didn't buy any, in fact no Discraft went with me. I did load up on 12 other discs, well because I can't stop buying discs and they were pretty......

Hey Discraft, I am moving on to the next company.

P.S. Also, Paige's, new putter has not won anything yet, 20 bucks out of line. The Luna did not start that high and it has now actually done something. Now the Luna price moved to 19.99 and I have moved on. I did throw the Luna, gave them away after a few months. Nice disc, just not what I need anymore. Using a Chief, no glide and flies like a brick, 10.99.

And for those of you who think I am cheap, trust me, money is not one of my problems.

I wouldn't shop at PIA if you want good prices. I always feel like I am buying a bootleg out of a NYC back alley. Really that business is the sux.

 

[Cap Tan]

The scenario you are describing is known as the innovation adoption life cycle or product adoption curve.

Early adopters and early majority always pay more to "have it now". The late majority - the folks who come to the party in the next 6-18 months will be the late majority and will probably find these for more reasonable prices, but couldn't claim early adoption.

Its rooted in supply and demand. When a new disc is released, demand is high and supply is low, so they can charge what they want and folks will pay it. Once the market is saturated, the price goes down, along with demand...

So, I guess that's what you get for having to have it now.:\

I was going to say something similar. I'm new to disc golf but not economics. If something is overpriced, no one will buy it. Prices will come down or the item will go away. If no one ever bought discs that cost over $20, we'd never see them priced that high. However, companies don't always know where that magic price point. Better to start it out a little high and drop it as needed that start low and raise prices. That never goes well.

 

[Cgkdisc]

For those who have been around a while, it's a bit like buying items from the Franklin Mint on the possibility they will have future collectible value.

 

[etdefender19]

I wouldn't shop at PIA if you want good prices. I always feel like I am buying a bootleg out of a NYC back alley. Really that business is the sux.

Now that OTB's brick-and-mortar location is in the same town as the nearest PIAS to me (and, helpfully, in the same town where I work), I literally never set foot in PIAS unless I lose a disc at the nearby course (as that's where the lost-and-founds end up). Small sample size, but the couple PIAS I've been to looking for discs seem to run high for their prices and don't have that great of a selection. Very spoiled having OTB nearby though

 

[Moose33]

Power to them if they can get it, I'll keep throwing my unfashionable Westside plastic that is 13.99 full price online.

 

[ray1970]

Three or four dollars is chump change. You probably can't get a happy meal at McDonald's for that kind of money.

I happily pay a few extra bucks for a cool stamp or cool plastics.

Hell, it's cheaper for me to buy three $20 discs than to gas my truck up these days.

But, to each their own. I get that the cool stamp has zero effect on the way the disc flies.

 

[etdefender19]

I get that the cool stamp has zero effect on the way the disc flies.

Wait...what???

 

[Lazerface]

Am I wrong in saying these are "tour series/fundraiser" discs and the equivalent product with Innova would be $25? I guess Paul's are an actual product line partnership, but either way. If you want to pay standard retail of the same discs you just get stock stamps with less cool plastic. Same as every other company right?

 

[Hampstead]

The difference in price between the 4x stamp and the 5x stamp is entirely up to the local store (wholesale price from Discraft is exactly the same either way). They're probably discounting the 4x because they have the new 5x stamp.

And I don't know where you shopped, but proto Lunas, first run Lunas and stock-run Lunas have consistently retailed at $19.99 since they debuted (again, wholesale price hasn't changed). So the Fierce being priced similarly is no surprise at all.

But hey, rant on. :\

Discraft is charging dealers $10 per 5X disc, so probably not a lot of price variation unless a retailer wants to make less than normal profit.

 

[Titan037]

Funny thing about pricing at PIA. It was set by PIA. Discraft has a suggested retail price but the store doesn't have to follow it to a T. The 4x discs from last year had a suggested retail of 19.99 the reason why that is, is because just like every other sponsored player that has a signature disc from every other manufacturer, a portion of the sale goes back to them. In the case of the 4x discs, Paul's line up, and paiges lineup, they get quite a bit more vs other tour series because those are their discs.

As others have said there are stock versions of those same discs minus the fierce. But the fierce is also a prototype, and just like the proto lunas, those are 19.99. Even when it becomes stock, it will still probably be 19.99. There are many store who usually have discs cheaper than the usual 19.99. Infinite is one of those stores. PIA is not strictly a disc golf store. They will charge whatever it takes to make carrying disc golf equipment profitable. This is in no way the fault of the manufacturer, all they do is make the discs and make a suggested retail price.

 

[Noseph]

I don't normally hit up PIAS unless I'm traveling for work so that's only a couple of times a year. It's always fun to see what I can find in their used bins. I don't normally buy discs for the stamp, I'm more about buying a disc with just the right characteristics flat or domey; enough depending on mold. That being said, I'll pay the premium if the stamped/tour series disc feels better in my hand.