We thought we would give a heads up on some upcoming price increases and changes effective in 2011.
Higher labor and manufacturing costs have resulted in several manufacturers raising their wholesale/MSRP pricing. Additionally, UPS and the USPS have their annual price increase on all shipments effective Jan. 1. Forewarned is forearmed – if you have been planning on buying, this next week may be the time to still save money.
Advanced Elements
Advanced Elements will be increasing the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) on their kayak line from 5-10%, with the exception of the newly released Hula SUP. Accessories will be staying the same with the exception of the Rapidup sail; the new MSRP will be increasing 25% to $99.99. New kayak prices are as follows:
Firefly AE1020 229.99
Lagoon AE1031 339.99
Lagoon2 AE1033 469.99
Sport AE1017 419.99
AdvancedFrame AE1012 469.99
Expedition AE1009 629.99
Convertible AE1007 699.99
StraitEdge AE1006 599.99
StraitEdge2 AE1014 849.99
StraitEdge Canoe AE1008 569.99
AirFusion AE1040 849.99
Hula AE1010 799.99
Airis Inflatables
To-date we expect pricing increases, but these have not been announced.
Bic Sports
Bic will also be increasing the prices on some of their inflatable kayaks. The Yakkair Lite series will be remaining the same, while the standard hi-pressure Yakkair line will be increasing 10-12%. Accessories will be staying the same. New kayak MSRP prices:
Yakkair Lite Y1002 649.95
Yakkair Y1000 899.95
Yakkair2 Lite Y1003 799.95
Yakkair2 Y1001 1099.95
Cannon Paddles
As a US-based, family-owned company, it is remarkable that Cannon has managed to maintain their prices over the past couple of years. We have not heard of any pricing increases for 2011 to date.
Conquest/Solution for Sports
The Conquest Dyad will be increasing roughly 10% to a new MSRP of $549.
Maxxon Inflatables
There has been no announcement on pricing increases on the Maxxon line.
MTI Adventurewear
The MTI PFD line appears to be maintaining their pricing level. This year, MTI is coming out with many new products while retiring some old standards – we will be highlighting them in the next month.
Sevylor/Coleman/Stearns
As previously mentioned, Coleman bought out the Sevylor/Stearns line and has consolidated all inflatables under the Sevylor name. In November we announced the new lineup and pricing for 2011 – since then, there has been an additional 5% increase. New MSRP pricing:
3406 Sit On Top Uncovered 2 – $146.99
3419 Pointer 1 – $395.99
3630 Rio Hunt Fish Canoe – $385.99
3631 Colorado Hunt Fish Canoe – $468.99
6972 K5 Quik Pak – $312.99
6973 K3 Quik Pak – $208.99
6974 Sit on Top Uncoverd 1 – $135.99
5995 Fastback – $343.99
3420 Samoa SUP – $832.99
Windpaddle
Windpaddle is one of the few manufacturers to actually have a pricing decrease – slight, but still a decrease. The Adventure sail went from $175 to $169.95 while the Cruiser went from $225 to $219.95. Additionally, Windpaddle came out with their new value sail, the Scout, at $139.95.
Shipping Costs:
UPS is announcing a roughly 5% increase in domestic and international shipping fees. But … they are also instituting more stringent dimensional weight fees. What does this mean? Large, lightweight items will cost much more to ship than the actual weight. For international purchases, this will factor out to roughly a 5-10% increase in shipping costs, dependent on size and weight.
The increases to USPS pricing domestically are fairly minimal. In fact, dependent on location, some international pricing is actually going down a few percent.