I have been wrestling with the problem of price increases on virtually everything involved in manufacturing and shipping racks for the last month or two. The situation is the same as everywhere else, petroleum prices have risen so plastics, transportation, etc. have gone right up with them. The last increase I made was about 18 months ago and over the last 12 months every component, shipping of the components and the shipping to the end user has risen just shy of 20%. It has happened in steps, most of the plastic increases have been 5% to 8% at a time spaced out a couple of months apart so I have held the prices and eaten the increases along the way to see when things stabilized and what was required. I have also increased my purchasing to leverage better pricing discounts on materials wherever possible to help offset this.
The last increase was in polypropylene, the plastic used to make the Iris tubs and it was 17% on September 1st. We have now exhausted our supply that was on hand and have had to order more in at the new pricing. With this the increases in cost have now become about unbearable so something had to change. Based on this I have upped the pricing on most of the racks by approximately 15% or right around $30. Looking around, it would seem I am still very competitive on pricing even before you consider the benefits of pre assembly and included tubs and it is my goal to stay that way.
One idea I have been toying with quite seriously is moving to a flat shipping scenario like most of the others out there building racks. The “some assembly required” idea has a lot of attractive elements to it. It reduces the cost of shipping some and also reduces the labor on my end some as well. I have drawn up CAD files for several of the racks I offer and prototyped a few. Looks pretty nice BUT after weighing out what I THINK that a lot of the customer base that I have likes – the tubs, heat and assembly included I have opted to go this route. The assembly alternative and still including the tubs would yield about a $15-$20 increase and it is my feeling that the extra $10 dollars is worth the trouble.
It has been my goal to offer the reptile community good service and good, solid products and fast turnaround time at affordable prices from the beginning and I will continue to do my best to do so. I welcome some feedback on the “ship flat” idea and whether you, the customer, would prefer that and the savings that comes with it or continue on with the existing line. Send me your thought to sales@reptilebasics.com