Axminster Price Hike

[matt]

and most of Axminster product are imported.

Most products in the UK are imported...

I do blame Axminster for failing to mitigate the fallout of having an online ordering system, combined with a free P&P threshold, combined with discounts on products that ended at the same time as the prices went up.

They failed miserably in my opinion in a commercial sense. Everyone could have been a winner if they'd been a bit more savvy. I'd have placed my order before the prices went up. Now I'm not placing an order at all. Not because I have an axe to grind but because I can't justify the extra cost.

I don't have a problem with the price increases as such, it's the poor implementation that has done me a disservice (and Axminster).

 

[Jake]

Don't blame Axminster - blame the government and the bankers.

For artificially inflating the price of sterling for many years, and leading us into complacent indulgence?

 

[ike]

So when the pound recovers then prices will come down is what Axminster are saying.....will they hell!

I would suspect they will hedge by maintaining catalogue prices, but introduce more special offers and discounts. Comparing Axminsters business model to that of car companies is like comparing apples and oranges. It is well known the car manuafacturers can sell new cars at a loss, yet make their profit from related financing and servicing.

We happily accepted years of steady price deflation of tools and equipment, and Axminster stayed competitive. Even after the sharp upward corrections in price, I wouldn't mind betting that tools are still more affordable comparing with average income, than they have ever been.

I didn't read anything into Ian Styles explanation - it seemed perfectly reasonable given the upheavals in global currency exchange and trade in general, but the circumstances are mostly beyond their control!

Ike

 

[Chris Knight]

I reckon if you want something, buy it now. In a few months, with interest rates at zero, and with so-called Quantitative Easing, our pound will be close to parity with the dollar, certainly well below the Euro.

 

[joesoap]

Oh well Axminster, have just lost my business for the LN Dovetail saw I was about to buy. Well, somebody buying me for my
Birthday at the end of the month. Classic Hand Tools here we come... Now £15 cheaper than Axminster including delivery..

Was about to buy a Clifton No. 7 too. May as well get that from Classic Hand Tools at the same time instead of ordering from
Axminster. Thought it was the same price, but maybe Axminster are atill charging 17.5% VAT on it ? CHT amend the VAT
to 15% at checkout making it cheaper than Axminster. As Waka said, "vote with your feet" and that's exactly what I'm doing.

Does anybody know if Axminster adjusted their prices for the VAT decrease ?
Yes 15% which is standard at the moment but not by choice , compulsory just now . As I've been looking around for a table saw they're all much the same . I missed out on the Bosch GTS 10 @ £399,95 losing out by £167 but then was down to me leaving it too late I suppose . S**T .

Ooo, can't want till the end of the month to open my prezzies.

Cheers,
Sam

 

[eggflan]

Wow , they are some mighty price hikes :shock:

I have been putting a little cash to one side planning on getting the TS200 saw from them , i was going to buy this model due to the recomendations that you kind people have put forward 8)

Now im not saying i wont buy it but im going to have a good look around today and try to find a similar saw for less money , i agree with some others on here and i vote with my feet and my purse strings :wink:

I do get a little fed up when browsing UKW sometimes when every subject seems to be about Axminster , this can be a good thing because it shows others are happy with the goods they have bought from them but it seems that people belive they are the only outlet for workshop tools :roll:

Prices go up all the time but these are huge rises that stick in the throat of the customer , i wonder if users will be so keen to help sell the Axminster range after these increases .

Im willing to bet that a large proportion of Axminsters business comes from forums like this one , the internet can be a powerfull advertising tool but if you upset your customers then they can use the same internet to tell people to go and shop elsewhere , maybe the price hike is to cover the cost of the new store , things cant be that hard if they are opening new branches :roll:

 

[Noel]

So when the pound recovers then prices will come down is what Axminster are saying.....will they hell!

I would suspect they will hedge by maintaining catalogue prices, but introduce more special offers and discounts. Comparing Axminsters business model to that of car companies is like comparing apples and oranges. It is well known the car manuafacturers can sell new cars at a loss, yet make their profit from related financing and servicing.

We happily accepted years of steady price deflation of tools and equipment, and Axminster stayed competitive. Even after the sharp upward corrections in price, I wouldn't mind betting that tools are still more affordable comparing with average income, than they have ever been.



I didn't read anything into Ian Styles explanation - it seemed perfectly reasonable given the upheavals in global currency exchange and trade in general, but the circumstances are mostly beyond their control!

Ike

Agree, Ian Styles explanation is perfectly reasonably.

Ref the car industry. Not quite true. Car manufacturers do not benefit from financing (the finance company and the dealer benefit) and the dealership benefits from servicing. In the trade it is generally believed that 50% of list is the cost price threshold to the manufacturer. Certainly there are sometimes instances where old or slow stock is off-loaded at below 50% of list.

 

[woodbloke]

We're four pages into this thread and as yet there's no direct comment from Axminster... :-k - Rob

 

[Karl]

We're four pages into this thread and as yet there's no direct comment from Axminster... :-k - Rob

If memory serves correct, there wasn't last time it was discussed either (after last years price rises). I raised the point at the time, pondering whether APTC would comment.

Cheers

Karl

 

[neilyweely]

We're four pages into this thread and as yet there's no direct comment from Axminster... - Rob

Spot on. No comment is no longer a defence, as it infers guilt. :lol:
I suppose they will make their excuses soon enough. They haven't even bothered sending me their new catalogue!

Neil

 

[LarryS.]

We're four pages into this thread and as yet there's no direct comment from Axminster... :-k - Rob

If I was them I wouldn't respond either, just adds fuel to the fire. Seems Ian Styles has already put their point across, lots of people aren't happy with it - so there we are.

Time to get back to woodwork.

 

[frugal]

Ref the car industry. Not quite true. Car manufacturers do not benefit from financing (the finance company and the dealer benefit) and the dealership benefits from servicing. In the trade it is generally believed that 50% of list is the cost price threshold to the manufacturer. Certainly there are sometimes instances where old or slow stock is off-loaded at below 50% of list.

True the finance company and the dealer benefit, but most car finance companies are owned and operated by the car manufacturer, so the organisation as a whole benefits. Ford, Vauxhal, BMW, Audi all run their own finance schemes (often in conjunction with banks or other financial establishments). I am sure I read somewhere that Ford make more money from financing than they do from sales or service.

Car dealerships are strange beasts as the Sales, Service and Parts departments are all in direct competition with each other to meet financial targets. If the service department want a cuortsy car then they have to buy it at list from the Sales department, the Sales department will need to pay the service department going rates for any warantee work and the service department will need to buy parts from the parts department at list price.

 

[woodbloke]

An Axminster member is online as I submit this :wink: - Rob

 

[Karl]

You must have scared him off Rob - 'cos he's not there any more! :lol:

Cheers

Karl

 

[track821ok]

Sheppach had a new catalogue out late last year and my local dealer told me all prices in there were inc vat (strange that nowhere in the catalogue it mentioned inc or exc) - I went back in the other week and there was a great big 'all pricing is exc vat' sticker' on the front

that's a 15% increase!

seems Axminster aren't the only ones needing to increase their pricing....

 

[head clansman]

hI all


well come on axminster, were are you , why not answer a few questions from your critics , your customers your own staff , from what i've seen on this thread alone a lot of dissatisfied people all now looking else where to spend there money myself amongst them do some quick maths how much have you lost so far, how much could you be losing in the future , remember customers lost now is orders lost in the future how long can you go on doing that.? if customers go else where and gets a satisfactory service it could mean a lost customer for ever. hc

 

[LarryS.]

hI all


well come on axminster, were are you , why not answer a few questions from your critics , your customers your own staff , from what i've seen on this thread alone a lot of dissatisfied people all now looking else where to spend there money myself amongst them do some quick maths how much have you lost so far, how much could you be losing in the future , remember customers lost now is orders lost in the future how long can you go on doing that.? if customers go else where and gets a satisfactory service it could mean a lost customer for ever. hc

just to repeat myself 'Seems Ian Styles has already put their point across'.

If you don't like their prices go elsewhere.

 

[matt]

I think Axminster have responded... Nobody else receive today's email?

The only response Axminster could viably add to placate us is some sort of concession. Sure, we've seen an email from Ian Styles and some remain unhappy with that as a reason for the increase. Others (inc myself) are unhappy for slightly different reasons and I too have had a response from Axminster - a response that did not make me happy.

I think it's too far down the line for Axminster to salvage the situation by responding directly to their critics. It would appear as though they are pandering and it sets a precedent. What they are doing (ref the email) is using the extra margin being made across the range, to support footfall by discounting specific products.

Not seen anything yet that has tempted me but I'm sure many of their critics would find it hard to resist the CMT router bits if they were in the market for such items...

 

[head clansman]

Hi al

paulr says

If you don't like their prices go elsewhere.

paulr i thought that was what this thread was about, most don't like there price increases , thats why so many are complaining and are already stating there are and myself going else where you know the more that leave and go else where the more the prices will go up to those who remain until not enough customers are left to keep them going.hc

 

[track821ok]

paulr i thought that was what this thread was about, most don't like there price increases , thats why so many are complaining and are already stating there are and myself going else where you know the more that leave and go else where the more the prices will go up to those who remain until not enough customers are left to keep them going.hc

welcome to the real world of devalued sterling

do you really believe they do not understand the market and don't want to maximise sales in this current economical climate?

as said earlier - Sheppach went up 15%

I believe your fury over paying £12 more on a £120 order is better directed at the imbecile bankers who put the UK into this mess.