have PNSO prices become too high?

[sauroid]

@acro-man im not sure if i got it right, but youre saying that the Carcharodontosaurus and Yutyrannus will NEVER be available to international buyers, just for the local mainland Chinese market?

[Concavenator]

@Bread @sauroid
I don't think that's the case. The Carcharodontosaurus is already available for preorder on Dan's Dinosaurs, and I believe Everything Dinosaur also has a waitlist for it. ED themselves confirmed both of these will be available from them in the summer. There's a waitlist for the Yutyrannus also from Everything Dinosaur, in fact, I joined that list.

[ceratopsian]

I take the view that whether they are a lot cheaper in China is irrelevant to me.  I don't live in China.  I know that if I import goods into the UK, I must pay shipping, VAT at 20% (including on the postage), plus a hefty customs handling fee if it wasn't taxed at source.  I don't get a wonderful exchange rate if I use PayPal.  Yes, I could look on eBay or AliExpress.  But a parcel I ordered from China back in February via eBay hasn't turned up and I doubt it will now, as it's been stationary for two months. The seller has not responded to messages and I guess I'll have to open a complaint in due course.  (It was something not available here in the UK.)  I'd rather pay more and buy from a local seller (where that option is possible).  S/he will have to add to the factory unit cost all the costs of container shipping (which have risen massively over the last few months, partly Covid related), taxes, inspection costs, warehouse delivery, and possibly agents etc - and of course they need to pay their own salaries, rent, and make a fair profit.  But if something goes wrong, I know it will be a lot easier to get it put right than buying from AliExpress etc.

While the paint jobs on PNSO aren't always perfect, for me they are superior to Safari and CollectA (though of course CollectA models are generally very cheap - Safari not so much and these days with sloppy paintwork).

[sauroid]

ah okay thanks @Concavenator

[Dinoguy2]

@acro-man im not sure if i got it right, but youre saying that the Carcharodontosaurus and Yutyrannus will NEVER be available to international buyers, just for the local mainland Chinese market?

Nah, just because they were kickstarted doesn't mean they're only available that way. BotM are Kickstarter campaigns but once they get funded, they're sold normally to everybody through the web site. I don't think there will be a problem with availability, but I DO think I'll be waiting until I see them for normal prices on Amazon. It seems like if you buy these right when they come out, you're either paying double, or you're waiting half a year for them to arrive from Ali. I'd rather wait half a year and buy them on Prime and not have to worry about it.

[SRF]

Yesterday I've posted in the PNSO 2021 topic that the Pachycephalosaurus may be a bit too expensive for its size. But I have to say, I really like it more than the Safari Pachycephalosaurus for which I actually paid more, buying it here in the Netherlands.

If I compare the prices of PNSO figures on AliExpress and even Amazon to what some European resellers are charging for other brands like Safari, it really isn't that bad for me. Only that advantage will at least partially dissapear with the new taxes from July 1st. But that's something PNSO can't be hold accountable for of course.

All in all, the new wave of PNSO is what has started me collecting dinosaur models again in the first place and what has drawn me to this forum as well. So I can't say I'm not pleased with PNSO's offerings from the past six months or so, including their prices.

I take the view that whether they are a lot cheaper in China is irrelevant to me.  I don't live in China.  I know that if I import goods into the UK, I must pay shipping, VAT at 20% (including on the postage), plus a hefty customs handling fee if it wasn't taxed at source.  I don't get a wonderful exchange rate if I use PayPal.  Yes, I could look on eBay or AliExpress.  But a parcel I ordered from China back in February via eBay hasn't turned up and I doubt it will now, as it's been stationary for two months. The seller has not responded to messages and I guess I'll have to open a complaint in due course.  (It was something not available here in the UK.)  I'd rather pay more and buy from a local seller (where that option is possible).  S/he will have to add to the factory unit cost all the costs of container shipping (which have risen massively over the last few months, partly Covid related), taxes, inspection costs, warehouse delivery, and possibly agents etc - and of course they need to pay their own salaries, rent, and make a fair profit.  But if something goes wrong, I know it will be a lot easier to get it put right than buying from AliExpress etc.

While the paint jobs on PNSO aren't always perfect, for me they are superior to Safari and CollectA (though of course CollectA models are generally very cheap - Safari not so much and these days with sloppy paintwork).

There are sellers on AliExpress who actually are easy to get in touch with and give customer service to some degree. For example: when I received my Qianzhousaurus the plastic stand was missing, even though I ordered it with the retail box. When I reached out to them they responded fairly quick. With my next order they would send me an extra stand and so they did. I even received a message stating that I should open the box my next order was sent in carefully, since the extra stand was attached to the outside of the retailbox of my Carnotaurus.

[SidB]

@SKF, you're not alone in getting good communications and service from an Aliexpress seller. When Canada Post butchered an order from The Model Toy Centre , the seller solved the issue and settled the matter to my satisfaction, keeping me in the loop along the way.

That said, i do hope that prices for the medium-sized line don't escalate too much higher in the near future, anyways.

[Lanthanotus]

I think prices are fair for the product offered.

QFE

[sauroid]

D @Dinoguy2 yes thats exactly what im going to do, will just patiently wait for some months (maybe even til before the end of the year) and wait for the price to go down and "normalize".

[Halichoeres]

The prices on initial release are probably just as high as they think they can get away with, knowing that plenty of people will shell out to be among the first to own them.

Edited to add: most of us have gotten used to artificially low prices for consumer goods in any event, as they enjoy subsidies at various points in their production.

[Shonisaurus]

I understand that the prices are fair, they are museum figures, collectibles, not just fun toys for children, although PNSO has them intended as educational toys. It would be strange if the prices of that company were cheaper, sincerely it has me totally astonished that, for example, Eofauna figures of equal quality comparatively speaking are marketed at such low prices.

I think we have to get used to those prices and have to prioritize other expenses such as business meals, or do other types of compulsive purchases. Honestly, I have not bought them for months, but I understand that due to the quality of the product, the paint and that in the future they may come with bases that are at prices that seem abusive to us but that are not since they are very well finished scientific figures, worthy of figures in paleontology museums along with the skeleton or remains of the real dinosaur and I understand that I am not exaggerating. They will have their faults but these are toys for adults like me like GR Toys, Rebor, Nanmu or W-Dragon to give several examples. They are very high quality figures, the price is just what happens that one cannot buy all these collections because they would be irretrievably ruined, even if they earn extratospheric salaries.

My opinion, watch or hope that some day some PNSO figures are on sale and take the opportunity to buy these figures, there is no other choice.

[SidB]

There really is somewhat of an equalizer for the increasing costs of theses PNSO figures, and that's shipping. When I order from China, I'm paying $2.99 or NOTHING, and that's a far cry from the 15-20 or so USD from other sources. British and French post is now painful, only German rates for Canada (usually 6-7 USD) are still great. So I'm getting all my PNSO from oriental sources, unless Dan has a special on, which sometimes happens.

[vampiredesign]

I understand everyone's mood very much. Some other channels of domestic purchase will also have all kinds of promotional discounts, as well as a lot of gifts. Similarly, the price we buy other brands is also very expensive. 

[Shonisaurus]

I sincerely would like the PNSO figures to be sold in Europe and if it could be in Spain. The price even on Aliexpress is very high with the danger of painful customs fees imposed on you, I honestly like everythingdinosaur store and understand that MIke and Sue are the best sellers in the world and the most empathetic. I will never forget what they did for me with Rebor's titanoboa and I am eternally grateful to them, but everythingdinosaur figures are sold in pounds, taking into account that yes or yes always the pound is a strong currency and superior to its counterpart the euro It would be quite expensive to buy PNSO figures in that store.

The interesting thing would be a local online store in each respective nation, which would sell these figures without shipping costs and without abusive prices.

[Psittacoraptor]

As a new collector, I'd like to add my two cents. Personally I'd rather pay more and get higher quality. I look at Schleich and Collecta and yes their stuff is cheaper - but it also looks a lot cheaper than PNSO. I only care about models that look like animals and not like toys, and there aren't many options for that when it comes to dinosaur models. There is the cheap stuff like Collecta, and while they look good for the price, they still look like toys (because they are, duh, I understand), then there's PNSO and Vitae who are more expensive but produce dinosaurs that look more like collectibles than toys, and on the high end there are expensive resin models. For me, the middle ground is the best option. I'm hoping GR Toys will stay around and offer competition for PNSO because Vitae doesn't seem to be making new models. Sadly, W-Dragon is lost to scientific dinosaur collectors now that they have the JP license. I really love their Giraffatitan but it's probably the last of its kind. This was also a pricier model but I compared all the sauropods on the market, and it was the only one that looked "life-like" to me, so I happily paid the price and I think it's a case of "you get what you pay for".

What I will say about PNSO's pricing is that at times it seems somewhat arbitrary. The Pachycephalosaurus does seem overpriced for such a small model. The Yutyrannus and Tarbosaurus are nearly identical in price, despite the latter being much bigger. The Parasaurolophus is perhaps their best model, in my opinion. Prize vs size & quality ratio, paint application, faithfulness to the prototype, it's all there. Then there's the new Stegosaurus and you wonder how that is twice the price of the Parasaurolophus.

[SRF]

@Psittacoraptor you're absolutely right about that comparison between the Parasaurolophus and the Stegosaurus. I don't feel PNSO's prices are too high in general, but releasing models in the Museum Line gives PNSO somehow a free pass to raise the prices way too high.

Another example is their new Tarbosaurus which is of course a little bit smaller than Winter Wilson, but also only just over half the price. At the time I didn't feel I paid too much for Winter Wilson, but it's definitely not worth double the price of the Tarbosaurus of course.

But for the Stegosaurus it's even worse. When I ordered the Yutyrannus and Tarbosaurus last week, I've paid about the same as the price of the Stegosaurus. That's two highly detailed figures of well known theropods with articulated jaws (which I always felt would make a figure a little bit more expensive). I just look at it this way: compared to the Stegosaurus, that's an insanely good deal. 

[sauroid]

i got my Winter Wilson for a little less than $65. how much did y'all get yours?

[Kapitaenosavrvs]

Of course i would love to see them cheaper, but i have to say, that the Prices feel fair to me. The Museeum line is more expensive. Yes. Imported Figures are more expensive on Amazon or ED. But this has a Reason. Tax, work, organisation and so on. Everyone is free to decide if they want to buy or if it is too expensive. But as said before: Safari, Papo, and even a few Deluxe Figures from CollectA are the same sometimes. Or similar. Sometimes even way more Expensive for way less. But Paintwise and Detailwise and posewise: To me there is hardly any competition right now. That does not mean other Brands are bad now. Of course not.

It is just, that i do not see an overpricing when ordering them from AE.

For Example: The PNSO Torvosaurus is 29 Euros without shipping costs from AE to Germany. The CollectA Torvosaurus is the same. plus 5 Euros shipping. And the CollectA Torvosaurus is a great Figure. But the Detail and Paint on PNSOs is ... way better. To me.

I will ALWAYS prefer a Paintjob, that is less complex on first sight(!), but is done good. And with a good colour gradient. Detailwork. A look as if the Animal was alive. But a "complex" Paintscheme that has non matching colours and sloppy details is way more offputting for me. (I really do not like most of Safaris and CollectAs Paintjobs)

Reading my own post, i could think of a PNSO Fanboy, but this is absolutely not the case. I do not like everything about all PNSO Releases. That does not work this way. But to me, something really special happend with all these Figures here.

Wilson is bigger and more massive, has a simple looking but well done Paintjob. This takes time to paint. This costs.
The Stego seems to be really expensive, but i guess they have their Reasons. Then again, it is two Figures. The Pachycephalo is really small aswell. Feels too expensive for me, but Size isn't anything. This would be the least well done from the new releases to me.

But i think it is absolutely okay to think that they are too expensive. I just see it differently.

Have a nice Week.

I kind of see it like @Psittacoraptor, when it comes to what i want from a Figure.

[GojiraGuy1954]

Yes.

[Syndicate Bias]

Yes they have for the quality they bring they lack the paint application.

Papo had it better although PNSO brings more educational content in their boxes plue booklets and a poster in them. Their theropods have stands and better poses but all PNSO truly lacks is size and paint app for the most part.