Prices on Asian built drums going up?

T_Weaves

Silver Member
I'm always poking around on ebay/reverb and I've noticed that prices of some of the kits produced in Asia seem to be heading upwards. Mapex Saturn Exotics for example used to be about $1499 for a 2 up 1 dn. Now they're showing up at $1749. The two up two down used to be about $1949. Now $2199. Anybody else noticed a bit of price creep? How 'bout Yamaha now that all there stuff, save for the PHX, is made in China?
 
Might have something to do with all these import tarrifs/sanction crap going on right now. I know it effects us at work with the wood we get from overseas.
 
Everything goes up in price. I'm surprised anyone has held price increases down as much as we've seen so far, but Mapex did a little sleight of hand to keep their prices steady for as long as they did.

Mapex originally kept Saturn IV/V in line with III by simplifying the hardware and reducing finish options. Then they offered a wrapped option to replace their non-exotic lacquer options.

Short of offering a concert tom version, I'm not sure there is much more they can delete or simplify and still maintain that Saturn are a top line set of drums.
 
Don't be a drummer in the UK, our currency has been seriously devalued by "Quantitive Easing" so the exchange rate with everyone has took a real hammering.

Be glad all your breakables are usually homegrown.

The plus side for us is that Paiste/Meinl/Turkish cymbals are a bit cheaper. That's about it :)
 
Companies hedging against a possible tariff crapfest is maybe one driver, but the biggest one is the change in China's economic landscape - most specifically, it's transition from the western world's sweatshop to one of significant domestic consumption. Instead of making everyone else's stuff, China now has a sizeable affluent domestic consumer base. Their "middle class" now approaches the entire population size of the USA, & with circa 10% annual compound growth, will overtake very soon. Bottom line, China doesn't need to compete at the bottom feeder supply level anymore.

Of course, the relentless western corporate chase to the bottom will continue, just shift to another country / continent.

Don't be a drummer in the UK, our currency has been seriously devalued by "Quantitive Easing" so the exchange rate with everyone has took a real hammering.
Gifting free money to the banks (counterfeiting by any other measure), is certainly one driver, but the biggest one is uncertainty due to the woeful mess the UK government is making of outlining the UK's future trading landscape. A classic case of blind ideology over basic economic common sense - regrettably, happening in many countries currently. Expect much more volatility in the next 12 - 24 months, with profound adverse affects on local pricing / business viability.
 
Gifting free money to the banks (counterfeiting by any other measure), is certainly one driver, but the biggest one is uncertainty due to the woeful mess the UK government is making of outlining the UK's future trading landscape. A classic case of blind ideology over basic economic common sense - regrettably, happening in many countries currently. Expect much more volatility in the next 12 - 24 months, with profound adverse affects on local pricing / business viability.

Oh man the dreaded B word. Really driven home how incompetent our government is. Sadly I can't see it changing regardless of who gets in. Nests don't feather themselves!

The current shower couldn't run a bath.

Anyways enough of politics, it divides more than unites...any more Eagle owl sightings? Have you gone full Bill Oddie yet?
 
Price of just about anything quality out of China has been on the rise for years. It has also been the case with the non Chinese made stuff. In 2010 I bought a mountain bike for $3k, which to me was an insanely high price, but it’s what I did every week, so I paid to play. Today, that same bike is $7k! Drums seem really cheap by comparison and last way longer.
 
I saw that eagle owl pic- it reminds me of our Great horned owl but much much larger. I’d like to hear it’s call- I’m an owl fanatic. Got hooked on listening to them going duck and deer hunting hearing them in early hours of morning. They can make racket.
LOL welcome to our world Andy- the last two and present “regimes” have been ideological rather than reason or logic and we continue said path. Likely the reason so few voters identify with either of our political parties now - so the majority of Americans aren’t crazy just have no voice. The two parties are too busy in a political arms race trying to destroy each other to even notice. The wheels go round and round. Sorry your country has been infected with the lunacy.
 
I already own 5 kits and am building a 6th. I have 4 full sets of hardware and 60+ cymbals. So I'm in no rush to buy anything. When prices go up, it means I wait a bit longer to buy. Wait for closeout pricing. Wait for big coupon deals. Search Craigslist, GC used, eBay, Reverb, etc for good deals on lightly used or like new stuff.

If there is something you really want, save up for it and buy it when you are ready. Prices always go up. Thats just the way the world turns.
 
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