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Post by aussiedoctorwhofan on Jul 4, 2022 9:03:49 GMT
10th Doctor Classic Companions for me : Total items 1 AUS $44.22 Postage & Packing AUS $8.85 Per Order Charge AUS $8.85 Total AUS $61.92
Doctor Of War: Destiny Total items 1 AUS $35.38 Postage & Packing AUS $8.85 Per Order Charge AUS $8.85 Total AUS $53.08
Classic Doctors New Monsters 3 AUS $44.22 Total items 1 Postage & Packing AUS $10.62 Per Order Charge AUS $8.85 Total AUS $63.69
The Diary Of River Song 10 Total items 1 AUS $44.22 Postage & Packing AUS $10.62 Per Order Charge AUS $8.85 Total AUS $63.69
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Post by Whovitt on Jul 4, 2022 9:23:47 GMT
Could a fellow overseas customer please help me out by checking some CD shipping prices for me? (Being in Australia would probably help, but may not be essential. All prices stated below are in AUD$ and accurate to the nearest cent at time of posting) I'm currently looking at pre-ordering a few items for the next three months, but the shipping costs and per order charge seem to be a bit broken on the website at the moment. When I try to pre-order a three-disc release (i.e. Tenth Doctor Classic Companions or Doctor of War - Destiny), both shipping AND per order charge costs are listed as AU$8.85 (for a total of $17.70), which doesn't make sense for two reasons: 1) the shipping cost should appear as $5.30 (according to Big Finish's own statement re shipping costs); and 2) the per order charge should be $11.49 (also in BF's statement re shipping costs), both of which make up $16.49. As it stands, I'm currently being asked to pay an extra $1.21 for one of these box sets. I've also got a similar problem with four-disc box sets (i.e. Classic Doctors New Monsters 3, The Diary of River Song 10, and Benny New Adventures 7). Shipping is listed at $10.62 and the per order charge is still at $8.85, for a total of $19.47, which is $2.98 more than I'm supposed to be paying. Is this just some weird glitch I'm experiencing with the website, or are other people seeing this? If you are, please let me know and I'll send a e-mail to the sales team letting them know about the problem. Actually, if you do see an issue too, we should all send e-mails, as even though the per order charge is lower than it should be we're being overcharged on the shipping so much that we're being overcharged for postage/handling overall! They've Changed as of Moidnight UK Time it Seems www.bigfinish.com/pages/v/big-finish-shipping-ratesRegards mark687 I kid you not, they've literally only just updated that page, because it did not look like that when I made my post! And now I have to ask the question: *ahem* WHY WEREN'T WE GIVEN ANY WARNING THAT THIS WAS HAPPENING? ? ? ? ? We get a warning about a product price increase with over four months to spare, but this is dropped without any indication that prices are going up. And as if product price increases weren't bad enough, they've raised shipping prices by 66% (for me, at least)!!! Sure, they've brought down the per order charge from £6.50 to £5, but we only get charged that once. They're now going to be making WAY more money (and I'm going to have to spend WAY more) because the cost of shipping singular items has been raised. Sorry, but I'm actually mad about this. I'm sick of postage cost changes being swept under the carpet. Because they are, every. single. time. You know what? Maybe I will just go download only. At least if the prices are changed, I'll actually get some warning...
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Post by shallacatop on Jul 5, 2022 6:31:03 GMT
It’s definitely worth an email to them, Whovitt. The way Big Finish handle these things is appalling every single time; contacting them directly is the only thing that I can think would work. Maybe you won’t receive a detailed response, but it’s surely been sent to the right people if nothing else. I have my own views on overseas pricing and what should be done to address it, but it all comes back to the same thing where it’s dealt with in such a cack handed way and we’re expected to just pay the extra and not question it.
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Post by Whovitt on Jul 5, 2022 7:32:03 GMT
It’s definitely worth an email to them, Whovitt . The way Big Finish handle these things is appalling every single time; contacting them directly is the only thing that I can think would work. Maybe you won’t receive a detailed response, but it’s surely been sent to the right people if nothing else. I have my own views on overseas pricing and what should be done to address it, but it all comes back to the same thing where it’s dealt with in such a cack handed way and we’re expected to just pay the extra and not question it. I could e-mail them, but I can't imagine it'll be anything more than a waste of time. It'll just be one overseas customer complaining that the prices have gone up. They're not going to undo the changes, as they'll maintain that the new prices are the only way in which they can stay profitable. While it may feel like a huge slap in the face to overseas CD purchasers like myself, that won't change the truth of that statement to them. I guess I could ask for some explanations re the pricing (such as why pre-orders cost more than already released products - I've been stewing on this for nearly 24 hours and still haven't worked that one out), but there's never been changing BF's mind when it comes to shipping costs. I remember a lot was said when the last big change happened (around Sept '16, I think), but there was zero negotiation. There were even requests for multiple pre-orders to be held at the warehouse and sent as one bulk order at the end of the month to reduce shipping, but it was considered to be "too labour intensive" or some such. I just find it fascinating that they can announce a planned increase for download costs for overseas customers and get such a backlash they call the whole thing off, but don't even bother to warn the CD customers, who obviously pay considerably more as it is (because the shipping prices were already quite high). I mean, like I said, I *could* e-mail, and I may well do, but it really will make absolutely zero difference to anything if past experiences are anything to go by.
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Post by aussiedoctorwhofan on Jul 5, 2022 8:18:22 GMT
It’s definitely worth an email to them, Whovitt . The way Big Finish handle these things is appalling every single time; contacting them directly is the only thing that I can think would work. Maybe you won’t receive a detailed response, but it’s surely been sent to the right people if nothing else. I have my own views on overseas pricing and what should be done to address it, but it all comes back to the same thing where it’s dealt with in such a cack handed way and we’re expected to just pay the extra and not question it. I could e-mail them, but I can't imagine it'll be anything more than a waste of time. It'll just be one overseas customer complaining that the prices have gone up. They're not going to undo the changes, as they'll maintain that the new prices are the only way in which they can stay profitable. While it may feel like a huge slap in the face to overseas CD purchasers like myself, that won't change the truth of that statement to them. I guess I could ask for some explanations re the pricing (such as why pre-orders cost more than already released products - I've been stewing on this for nearly 24 hours and still haven't worked that one out), but there's never been changing BF's mind when it comes to shipping costs. I remember a lot was said when the last big change happened (around Sept '16, I think), but there was zero negotiation. There were even requests for multiple pre-orders to be held at the warehouse and sent as one bulk order at the end of the month to reduce shipping, but it was considered to be "too labour intensive" or some such. I just find it fascinating that they can announce a planned increase for download costs for overseas customers and get such a backlash they call the whole thing off, but don't even bother to warn the CD customers, who obviously pay considerably more as it is (because the shipping prices were already quite high). I mean, like I said, I *could* e-mail, and I may well do, but it really will make absolutely zero difference to anything if past experiences are anything to go by. The struggle is real.. I have a couple mates comparing "bundles" vs "ordering all box sets in a bundle as a separate entity in 1 order" - just trying to get more of a feel to what is happening/justifying the even further increase etc.
Would like a further explanation of the whole "customers are responsible for the payment of all customs charges due on deliveries outside the UK"..
Do we have to negotiate with them (customs) ? So it will be 3 separate charges instead of 2? Genuinely a bit concerned here. We are not an EU country.
Also I just noticed :
"A very small number of special items (eg limited edition vinyl) are subject to a one-off special fee. Any such charges will be clearly flagged in your basket before checkout." Interesting.
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Post by Whovitt on Jul 5, 2022 9:25:30 GMT
I could e-mail them, but I can't imagine it'll be anything more than a waste of time. It'll just be one overseas customer complaining that the prices have gone up. They're not going to undo the changes, as they'll maintain that the new prices are the only way in which they can stay profitable. While it may feel like a huge slap in the face to overseas CD purchasers like myself, that won't change the truth of that statement to them. I guess I could ask for some explanations re the pricing (such as why pre-orders cost more than already released products - I've been stewing on this for nearly 24 hours and still haven't worked that one out), but there's never been changing BF's mind when it comes to shipping costs. I remember a lot was said when the last big change happened (around Sept '16, I think), but there was zero negotiation. There were even requests for multiple pre-orders to be held at the warehouse and sent as one bulk order at the end of the month to reduce shipping, but it was considered to be "too labour intensive" or some such. I just find it fascinating that they can announce a planned increase for download costs for overseas customers and get such a backlash they call the whole thing off, but don't even bother to warn the CD customers, who obviously pay considerably more as it is (because the shipping prices were already quite high). I mean, like I said, I *could* e-mail, and I may well do, but it really will make absolutely zero difference to anything if past experiences are anything to go by. The struggle is real.. I have a couple mates comparing "bundles" vs "ordering all box sets in a bundle as a separate entity in 1 order" - just trying to get more of a feel to what is happening/justifying the even further increase etc.
Would like a further explanation of the whole "customers are responsible for the payment of all customs charges due on deliveries outside the UK"..
Do we have to negotiate with them (customs) ? So it will be 3 separate charges instead of 2? Genuinely a bit concerned here. We are not an EU country.
Also I just noticed :
"A very small number of special items (eg limited edition vinyl) are subject to a one-off special fee. Any such charges will be clearly flagged in your basket before checkout." Interesting.
I've been advocating for a while that, depending on your purchasing habits, bundles are 100% NOT the way to go as an Australian CD purchaser (previous discussions on the forum suggest that the calculations don't seem to work for some other countries though, for reasons I don't understand). You can easily save money in the long run without them, PROVIDED you structure your purchasing appropriately (I'm happy to give a full breakdown of how if you're interested). I think the statement about customs charges has been there for a while. As I've never had any, I assume they're a thing for certain countries and not others, so my assumption extends to "it doesn't apply to Australians". I could be wrong though, as I have literally no actual data one way or the other. The one-off special shipping fee has existed since the last shipping rate overhaul (which I think was Sept '16). It just basically means that vinyls or limited edition packaging items (like The Light at the End, The Legacy of Time, Masterful, etc.) have a higher shipping price due to the unusual size/weight of the products.
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Post by aussiedoctorwhofan on Jul 5, 2022 9:31:14 GMT
The struggle is real.. I have a couple mates comparing "bundles" vs "ordering all box sets in a bundle as a separate entity in 1 order" - just trying to get more of a feel to what is happening/justifying the even further increase etc.
Would like a further explanation of the whole "customers are responsible for the payment of all customs charges due on deliveries outside the UK"..
Do we have to negotiate with them (customs) ? So it will be 3 separate charges instead of 2? Genuinely a bit concerned here. We are not an EU country.
Also I just noticed :
"A very small number of special items (eg limited edition vinyl) are subject to a one-off special fee. Any such charges will be clearly flagged in your basket before checkout." Interesting.
I've been advocating for a while that, depending on your purchasing habits, bundles are 100% NOT the way to go as an Australian CD purchaser (previous discussions on the forum suggest that the calculations don't seem to work for some other countries though, for reasons I don't understand). You can easily save money in the long run without them, PROVIDED you structure your purchasing appropriately (I'm happy to give a full breakdown of how if you're interested). I think the statement about customs charges has been there for a while. As I've never had any, I assume they're a thing for certain countries and not others, so my assumption extends to "it doesn't apply to Australians". I could be wrong though, as I have literally no actual data one way or the other. The one-off special shipping fee has existed since the last shipping rate overhaul (which I think was Sept '16). It just basically means that vinyls or limited edition packaging items (like The Light at the End, The Legacy of Time, Masterful, etc.) have a higher shipping price due to the unusual size/weight of the products. 1 thing I have noticed is the delivery with DHL - has been amazing, from 5 to 11 days. Now I know how all you UK purchasers feel normally from the get go with every release!
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Post by coffeeaddict on Jul 5, 2022 11:55:00 GMT
It’s definitely worth an email to them, Whovitt . The way Big Finish handle these things is appalling every single time; contacting them directly is the only thing that I can think would work. Maybe you won’t receive a detailed response, but it’s surely been sent to the right people if nothing else. I have my own views on overseas pricing and what should be done to address it, but it all comes back to the same thing where it’s dealt with in such a cack handed way and we’re expected to just pay the extra and not question it. I could e-mail them, but I can't imagine it'll be anything more than a waste of time. It'll just be one overseas customer complaining that the prices have gone up. They're not going to undo the changes, as they'll maintain that the new prices are the only way in which they can stay profitable. While it may feel like a huge slap in the face to overseas CD purchasers like myself, that won't change the truth of that statement to them. I guess I could ask for some explanations re the pricing (such as why pre-orders cost more than already released products - I've been stewing on this for nearly 24 hours and still haven't worked that one out), but there's never been changing BF's mind when it comes to shipping costs. I remember a lot was said when the last big change happened (around Sept '16, I think), but there was zero negotiation. There were even requests for multiple pre-orders to be held at the warehouse and sent as one bulk order at the end of the month to reduce shipping, but it was considered to be "too labour intensive" or some such. I just find it fascinating that they can announce a planned increase for download costs for overseas customers and get such a backlash they call the whole thing off, but don't even bother to warn the CD customers, who obviously pay considerably more as it is (because the shipping prices were already quite high). I mean, like I said, I *could* e-mail, and I may well do, but it really will make absolutely zero difference to anything if past experiences are anything to go by. Honestly, the best way to get other international buyers to chime in would be to comment directly to their social media - problem there is not everyone will keep it as civil as they might in an email. I'm download only, so much of this doesn't have the same impact on me. I will say that I have bought less this year and with the exception of a few items announced for down the road I am leaning towards ordering very little. On a different note - I saw some comments on VAT. What gets hit with duties when coming into the country is based on the trade deal between the UK and your country. So, unless DHL screws something up when it reaches the country, you shouldn't have to pay any import fees on items which are covered in the trade deal - the most common is not knowing or paying attention to what is covered under the deal and charging you the VAT. DHL is notorious for trying to hit customers with hidden fees before releasing a package - they have tried that with me a few times (I'm in Canada), so watch them like a hawk. So, while it can be a very boring read, check the trade agreement with the UK as that will list what items are taxed and for how much, it will also outline any price thresholds which apply.
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Post by kipperserver on Jul 5, 2022 14:37:16 GMT
Wait! The last shiupping rate change was in 2016!??!!!? THat's SIX years ago. Of course pastage has gone up.
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Post by Whovitt on Jul 5, 2022 14:59:28 GMT
Wait! The last shiupping rate change was in 2016!??!!!? THat's SIX years ago. Of course pastage has gone up. I won't deny that there must have been at least a minor change in the cost of postage since 2016 because of, if absolutely nothing else, inflation. What I can't believe is that inflation has gone up by a rate of 66%, which is the increased amount that we're expected to pay. It mightn't sound like much to say, "There hasn't been a price rise in six years, so we're due a rise." But a rise of 66%? I wish I was exaggerating, but it's genuinely a 66% increase! Per item! There's no postage cap for outside-UK orders. The postage is now worth approximately 25% of the price of a 3-disc box set, excluding the per order charge. The problem isn't that there has been an increase; it's the size of the increase and the complete lack of warning that's the issue here.
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Post by mark687 on Jul 5, 2022 15:50:33 GMT
Trawling back through the Website there's been a Post Price every 4 years (so this one got delayed probably through COVID as was the pricing review between CD and DL) just back luck they've hit at the same time and [unlike other other times} we've not had a clear heads up this time on postage changes certainly, to organize purchasing strategy so we can we're always being cost-effective (more so the overseas buyers).
BTW
40+ Hour after the Postage Prices change still no BF Official comment about it on their Social Media or Website News Piece
Regards
mark687
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Post by Digi on Jul 5, 2022 16:12:23 GMT
Wait! The last shiupping rate change was in 2016!??!!!? THat's SIX years ago. Of course pastage has gone up. I won't deny that there must have been at least a minor change in the cost of postage since 2016 because of, if absolutely nothing else, inflation. What I can't believe is that inflation has gone up by a rate of 66%, which is the increased amount that we're expected to pay. It mightn't sound like much to say, "There hasn't been a price rise in six years, so we're due a rise." But a rise of 66%? I wish I was exaggerating, but it's genuinely a 66% increase! Per item! There's no postage cap for outside-UK orders. The postage is now worth approximately 25% of the price of a 3-disc box set, excluding the per order charge. The problem isn't that there has been an increase; it's the size of the increase and the complete lack of warning that's the issue here. I can't help but wonder if changes of this nature are intentionally designed push people away from physical media and toward digital-only. The cost of jewel cases, production of cover inserts, and production of discs for thousands of copies for every release can't be cheap on its own (especially as it appears it used to be on an ongoing basis), but the cost of physical skyrockets when you also factor in that it requires paying salaries of warehouse and logistics people, the cost of renting and maintaining the warehouse itself, and so on. Suppose you've got just 3 people working the warehouse, being paid a combined £100,000 in annual salary -- 33 each, give or take. At £16.99 per box set (using "Sullivan and Cross" as my reference point). You'd have to move nearly 6000 units a year, every year, just to cover the salaries of those three warehouse people, to say nothing of all the other physical-related costs and before we even talk about production costs, actors, writers, office work, Jason wanting to make a profit, etc. I can very, very easily imagine someone at Big Finish saying to Jason: 'look, boss, nobody makes discmans anymore, laptops don't come with optical drives anymore, cars often don't have disc drives anymore--heck, people don't even buy music CDs anymore, it's all Spotify and iTunes and it has been for a long time. We're spending a fortune on supporting what's effectively a dead market. You know that we're perpetually thinly spread financially, so we should be making moves to close this overly expensive/minimal ROI part of the business and redirect those funds to where they'll be more effectively spent. Here's how we start encouraging that...'
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Post by mark687 on Jul 5, 2022 16:27:37 GMT
Wait! The last shiupping rate change was in 2016!??!!!? THat's SIX years ago. Of course pastage has gone up. I won't deny that there must have been at least a minor change in the cost of postage since 2016 because of, if absolutely nothing else, inflation. What I can't believe is that inflation has gone up by a rate of 66%, which is the increased amount that we're expected to pay. It mightn't sound like much to say, "There hasn't been a price rise in six years, so we're due a rise." But a rise of 66%? I wish I was exaggerating, but it's genuinely a 66% increase! Per item! There's no postage cap for outside-UK orders. The postage is now worth approximately 25% of the price of a 3-disc box set, excluding the per order charge. The problem isn't that there has been an increase; it's the size of the increase and the complete lack of warning that's the issue here. The thing that's making akwared is the per Order charge overseas currency converted to UK Initial Pre Prices + Postage for overseas still = the same as UK pre order Prices. I can't see room for the intial price adjustments due November. Regards mark687
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Post by tuigirl on Jul 5, 2022 17:48:12 GMT
While I like physical product, I neither have the space at home nor the nerves to actually deal with this lukewarm male cattle poo.
So download only it is.
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Post by cwm on Jul 5, 2022 18:38:40 GMT
I agree BF could have dealt with this better, but Brexit was always going to lead to this. There are a lot of British companies who can't post overseas *at all* any more because of the costs.
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Post by Audio Watchdog on Jul 5, 2022 18:47:15 GMT
I won't deny that there must have been at least a minor change in the cost of postage since 2016 because of, if absolutely nothing else, inflation. What I can't believe is that inflation has gone up by a rate of 66%, which is the increased amount that we're expected to pay. It mightn't sound like much to say, "There hasn't been a price rise in six years, so we're due a rise." But a rise of 66%? I wish I was exaggerating, but it's genuinely a 66% increase! Per item! There's no postage cap for outside-UK orders. The postage is now worth approximately 25% of the price of a 3-disc box set, excluding the per order charge. The problem isn't that there has been an increase; it's the size of the increase and the complete lack of warning that's the issue here. I can't help but wonder if changes of this nature are intentionally designed push people away from physical media and toward digital-only. The cost of jewel cases, production of cover inserts, and production of discs for thousands of copies for every release can't be cheap on its own (especially as it appears it used to be on an ongoing basis), but the cost of physical skyrockets when you also factor in that it requires paying salaries of warehouse and logistics people, the cost of renting and maintaining the warehouse itself, and so on. Suppose you've got just 3 people working the warehouse, being paid a combined £100,000 in annual salary -- 33 each, give or take. At £16.99 per box set (using "Sullivan and Cross" as my reference point). You'd have to move nearly 6000 units a year, every year, just to cover the salaries of those three warehouse people, to say nothing of all the other physical-related costs and before we even talk about production costs, actors, writers, office work, Jason wanting to make a profit, etc. I can very, very easily imagine someone at Big Finish saying to Jason: 'look, boss, nobody makes discmans anymore, laptops don't come with optical drives anymore, cars often don't have disc drives anymore--heck, people don't even buy music CDs anymore, it's all Spotify and iTunes and it has been for a long time. We're spending a fortune on supporting what's effectively a dead market. You know that we're perpetually thinly spread financially, so we should be making moves to close this overly expensive/minimal ROI part of the business and redirect those funds to where they'll be more effectively spent. Here's how we start encouraging that...' I think there is probably a lot of truth in this. They would be insane to admit it publicly but yeah. I don’t think CDs are quite as dead as a lot of people do but sales have certainly seen better days. My epiphany was a couple of years ago when I placed an order and I was surprised by how inexpensive it was. I of course purchased a download by mistake. So i spent an hour comparing an average quarterly order and the difference in price was significant. Then there is the storage issue and I can afford to buy more and try out different ranges.
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Post by shallacatop on Jul 5, 2022 19:43:52 GMT
I’m not so sure if it’s intentional or not. The rise in postage costs doesn’t make it any easier for overseas fans to buy physical. And I don’t doubt that CD sales aren’t what they were; Nick mentions it in Vortex regularly enough. I feel that they could do much more to turn people away from CDs if that was the intention.
Certainly in the UK the price difference between the CDs and downloads isn’t massive, to the point where if you were a DL customer you might as well buy the CD and whack it on eBay and make up to 75% back. And the postage is free for pre-orders and not massive even when ordering already released products. You’d imagine they’d target that first if they were wanting to dissuade CD purchases, when the overseas market for CDs will presumably be substantially lower.
I think Big Finish have a lot of issues with the whole pricing affair and I can’t believe they’ve buried yet another piece of bad news. However I don’t think this is a decision to reduce CD purchases. I find it likelier it’s another ham fisted and sweeping act to try and cover up some identified loss of revenue.
A 66% rise is crazy and Brexit isn’t the sole excuse (it’s not come out of nowhere), nor is the rising cost of production (we’re talking shipping).
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Post by Audio Watchdog on Jul 5, 2022 21:29:54 GMT
I’m not so sure if it’s intentional or not. The rise in postage costs doesn’t make it any easier for overseas fans to buy physical. And I don’t doubt that CD sales aren’t what they were; Nick mentions it in Vortex regularly enough. I feel that they could do much more to turn people away from CDs if that was the intention. Certainly in the UK the price difference between the CDs and downloads isn’t massive, to the point where if you were a DL customer you might as well buy the CD and whack it on eBay and make up to 75% back. And the postage is free for pre-orders and not massive even when ordering already released products. You’d imagine they’d target that first if they were wanting to dissuade CD purchases, when the overseas market for CDs will presumably be substantially lower. I think Big Finish have a lot of issues with the whole pricing affair and I can’t believe they’ve buried yet another piece of bad news. However I don’t think this is a decision to reduce CD purchases. I find it likelier it’s another ham fisted and sweeping act to try and cover up some identified loss of revenue. A 66% rise is crazy and Brexit isn’t the sole excuse (it’s not come out of nowhere), nor is the rising cost of production (we’re talking shipping). I think most of us can agree that when it comes to the business end of things, BF does a lot of short-sighted, ill-conceived, bone-headed and poorly executed maneuvers that leave a lot of us scratching our heads. So who really knows what they are thinking when they make pricing related moves? Making a hard move towards digital only makes a lot of sense for a small/medium sized company like BF. With oil prices on the rise with no end in sight, unless they have long term supply contracts in place, their costs on CDs have sky-rocketed. And yes I know CDs aren’t expensive to manufacture but for a company that would seem to run pretty tight margins, even a 2 or 3 cent increase adds up. Plus the cost of a warehouse, utilities for said warehouse, staff for the warehouse…all of these things are eating away at the margins. I don’t think CDs are going away tomorrow or next year but I would be shocked if they don’t have some kind of schedule in place for when they get out of the business of selling CDs. I would not be shocked if a deal isn’t struck to have a third party produce & sell popular BF ranges or releases while BF transitions to a digital only company. I could of course be totally wrong.
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Post by shallacatop on Jul 5, 2022 21:35:02 GMT
I’m not so sure if it’s intentional or not. The rise in postage costs doesn’t make it any easier for overseas fans to buy physical. And I don’t doubt that CD sales aren’t what they were; Nick mentions it in Vortex regularly enough. I feel that they could do much more to turn people away from CDs if that was the intention. Certainly in the UK the price difference between the CDs and downloads isn’t massive, to the point where if you were a DL customer you might as well buy the CD and whack it on eBay and make up to 75% back. And the postage is free for pre-orders and not massive even when ordering already released products. You’d imagine they’d target that first if they were wanting to dissuade CD purchases, when the overseas market for CDs will presumably be substantially lower. I think Big Finish have a lot of issues with the whole pricing affair and I can’t believe they’ve buried yet another piece of bad news. However I don’t think this is a decision to reduce CD purchases. I find it likelier it’s another ham fisted and sweeping act to try and cover up some identified loss of revenue. A 66% rise is crazy and Brexit isn’t the sole excuse (it’s not come out of nowhere), nor is the rising cost of production (we’re talking shipping). I think most of us can agree that when it comes to the business end of things, BF does a lot of short-sighted, ill-conceived and bone-headed maneuvers that leave a lot of us scratching our heads. So who really knows what they are thinking when they make pricing related moves? Making a hard move towards digital only makes a lot of sense for a small/medium sized company like BF. With oil prices on the rise with no end in sight, unless they have long term supply contracts in place, their costs on CDs have sky-rocketed. And yes I know CDs aren’t expensive to manufacture but for a company that would seem to run pretty tight margins, even a 2 or 3 cent increase adds up. Plus the cost of a warehouse, utilities for said warehouse, staff for the warehouse…all of these things are eating away at the margins. I don’t think CDs are going away tomorrow or next year but I would be shocked if they don’t have some kind of schedule in place for when they get out of the business of selling CDs. I would not be shocked if a deal isn’t struck to have a third party produce & sell popular BF ranges or releases while BF transitions to a digital only company. I could of course be totally wrong. I don’t disagree with anything you’re saying. I think they’re all great points. I just don’t think that the sudden rise in the overseas shipping is intentionally designed to move away from CDs. If they were to do that there are much better and more targeted methods. As you say, though, it’s really hard to tell with Big Finish!
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Post by kipperserver on Jul 5, 2022 22:19:53 GMT
I think it far more likely that someone in the office has saidf "Hey boss, you know the price DHL chartges us has sky rocketed these past couple of yhears, and we haven't increased the cost to the customer? How about we stop making a loss on it?"
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