Signals Branch Pricing Update

Well, after waiting for a couple of weeks on tenterhooks it seems that about 95% of my signals and other items on my Signals Branch Shapeways shop are cheaper!

We were away on holidays in our caravan when the pricing was updated by Shapeways (see previous post) so I wasn't able to have a really close look until we returned. I spent all last week going through things item by item and re-drawing several to reduce the price.

Several items went up but even those mostly weren't too bad. The largest price hike was US$30 for the set of 18 Werris Creek Station Awning Posts and Brackets in Frosted Ultra Detail. The pricing change as outlined last post related to Shapeways pricing in the waxy support material used in the FUD printing process to support any cantilevered parts. Of course the posts with brackets look like palm trees so a lot of support material would be used from the printer base upwards to the brackets, etc.

The answer was to turn them upside down and remove the supporting sprues on the bases of the posts, unfortunately, while the price dropped it was still too expensive. Strangely by doing the same to the set of 6 posts and brackets that are also available they worked out very well and as a result I have removed the set of 18 from sale as 3 lots of 6 works out only about US$5 more than the original price of the set of 18.

I hope all that makes sense and I give this information here to show some of the re-adjusting caused by the re-pricing. Incidentally, I had actually sold two lots of the 18 posts and brackets prior to the re-pricing which was nice as I wasn't sure if the Werris Creek bits would hold too much interest.

Also re-priced was the Precious Metals of which Raw Brass is a part. I was quite worried by this and had calculated that the two brass signals I had just added to the shop would go up by AU$7 - AU$8.

It seems however that I got the calculation wrong as the signals have dropped.

On the Signals Branch shop the 23' timber post signal and details bits was US$49.95 and is now US$44.50 while the 23' steel round post signal and parts was US$45.95 and is now US$39.95.

At the current exchange rate the two signals with the White Strong and Flexible (WSF) base mechanisms and FUD ladders work out at AU$79.50 for the 23' timber signal and AU$73.40 for the 23' steel signal (less brass).

There is always a 'fly in the ointment' though'.

Although not on the shop as yet, the Werris Creek platform starter bracket signal Raw Brass printing price went up by US$11.00!

If I can, some careful design investigation to try to keep the price down will be required for the other steel bracket signals.

The brass C32 tall 1907 sand boxes went down in price by US$4.95.

The brass counterweight levers and bracket signal bell cranks also dropped.

I have to stop here as there are too many to list, so go and have a look at the new prices.

Of course I have stated the US$ prices here mostly as the designers only get to work in US$ and the AU$ price varies with the conversion rate.

Incidentally, Shapeways only adjust the conversion rate once a month but I don't know when.