But just imagine if it ended up in a bulk pack, the price should even be lower, the biggest cost of the kit is the packaging, when you eliminate that, the price goes down.

Why the price of other bulk packs are so high is only a guess. When both the Baby Beertha and Skywriter came out, the prices were unheard of.

At least the kids had the opportunity to build a rocket for a resonable price.

In my opinion, the whole educational line of Estes could be revamped and changed a bit, I had made suggestions, but, nothing every came from that.

For being one of the best selling kits, I guess Estes wants to make more money. The price has gone up here...$6.49 to 7.99. Guess it's still cheap for what you get

__________________
Don
NAR 53455
"Carpe Diem"

Yes, it's still a bargain compared to other kits. Compare that $8 cost to an Alpha, which is smaller and should cost less, but it costs about $3 more. Now go look at the MSRP of all the BT-50 sized bulk pack kits and you will see that the MSRP of the nice fat Baby Bertha is still right in there with the cost of any of the BT-50 size bulk pack kits. Estes (and all other manufacturers) need to sell their bulk pack kits at or very near cost in order to make it possible to get more kids involved with rocketry. I can buy 12 individual Baby Bertha kits from AC Supply and be within a few bucks of the Alpha, which is the biggest balsa finned bulk pack kit available from Estes. If packaging is the big cost factor, the Baby Bertha really proves that bulk pack kits are way over priced.

The problem with putting the Baby Bertha and Skywriter in bulk packs is RESISTANCE from within.

I was told that another "hot kit" was being planned and was going to go into a bulk pack with a student manual, has it happened yet.......NO !!!

Even with the great reviews, and school and club leaders asking for both of these kits to be placed into bulk pack, they simply won't do it.

A lot of great ideas they won't do for whatever reason.
Maybe the fact that the Red Max and the two Interceptor are doing so well, maybe they will listen.

Hopefully, what was planned will eventually go out, only time will tell.
And like I mentioned previously, I was shocked at the retail price of both the Baby Bertha and the Skywriter, at least your getting your moneys worth with these two.

Since the price of oil has gone up, I would assume that the price of plastic has gone up as well.

Also, it's hard to get balsa in China, or to even send it to China, probably another reason.

Let's face it, the prices automatically go up every year, just like anything else, but, still a great value though.

You nailed it, RD.

In the 1970 Estes catalog, a Big Bertha kit listed for $3.00. Today, the 2007 Estes catalog lists the Big Bertha for $18.99.

As I recall, Estes has some sort of formula it uses each year to raise the price on products. I think it's like 7% a year.

In thirty years, a Baby Bertha may sell for $20.

As Lee Piester once told me, the biggest mistake he made while running Centuri was not raising the prices often enough. Consumers may not like it but it's often necessary for a company to stay in business.

Bob

I can remember going back 43 years ago, a buck went along way, you could buy a kit for 75 cents, and you could buy individual motors for 25 cents.

Just look at the price of motors now, does it really cost that much to make???

Unfortunately, inflation has got us all, but, with the price of production in China, I really don't think that a raise in the prices are needed. Remember, years ago, kits were made in Penrose, then it was moved to Mexico, and now China.

body tubes have to be sent to China from Ohio, and then sent back as a packaged kit, doesn't go figure, but, the quality of tubing in China basically stinks, too bad, if kits are going to be made in China, Eluclid couldn't have a manufacturing facility in China. On the other hand, lets just leave it alone, better quality control having tubes made here.

I guess there is too many middle men involved in the process, why should a 25 cent tube eventually cost $5 to purchase, and why does it cost $10 for a launch rod, when you can get piano wire for $2 ??

Basically it boils down to expenses, plant facility, manufacturing cost (motors), wages, insurance, holidays, shipping costs, packaging, phones, computers, lights and the list goes on and on.

Well.....everone needs to tack on to the cost.....for example...I work in construction. A contractor is building a road for us. He does everything except asphalt...which he subcontracts out. He charges us $53 a ton for the asphalt. Well, we have another contract with the asphalt contractor and we get the asphalt for $34 a ton. So, the General contractor has marked up the asphalt nearly $20 a ton (assuming he get's it for the same cost as we do). What's in his mark-up? How much more does it cost to track the asphalt and bill it? Two thirds the cost of the asphalt? That makes it all profit for them. Just like the governments tax on gas.....it doesn't cost them anything to produce and distribute but they make more of a profit on a gallon of gas than the gas companies do......and Hillary want's a windfall profit tax on them.....how about giving us some of the governments profits.....Oh sorry, didn't mean to turn this into a political statement.

__________________
Don
NAR 53455
"Carpe Diem"

Well, Estes' prices haven't ALWAYS gone up every year - I have a catalog from 1973 which has a center pull-out section that proudly proclaims: "Attention Lower Prices"

And what I wouldn't give to have prices that cheap today. Some examples:

TK-1 Mosquito kit reduced from $.59 to $.49
K-25 Alpha reduced from $1.75 to $1.50
K-50 Interceptor reduced from $5.95 to $5.25
1/4A3-2T motors reduced from 4 for $1.20 to 4 for $99
A8-3 motors reduced from 3 for $1.20 to 3 for $1.00
"Mighty D Engines" (quote from catalog ) 3 D12-3 motors reduced from $2.50 to $2.25

Of course, what I wouldn't give for a time warp for some of the motors in that catalog:
1/2A3-0T, A3-6T, 1/2A6-0, 1/2A6-4, A5-4, B14-5, and so on. <sigh> I love perusing the old catalogs!

Greg

Those were the good old day weren't they.

And, I think that I have many of those motors that you mentioned.

How about the price of milk, bread, gas etc. If we could only turn back time, but, in the same breathe, wages would be much lower as well, you just can't win.