Thread: Prices for German razors have gone through the roof

Yeah... Kees is right. You have to compare relative prices, how much a razor costs compared to say, a gallon of milk. I"'m betting if you convert it, everything in Europe is more expensive, But if you convert pay, everyone gets paid more by a bit. And this is a fashion/luxury thing. Just cus everyone wants a German sports car, and they are in production, doesn't mean the price drops.

Dollar exchange rate factors for sure, but there is much less on the market over here..

Originally Posted by 0livia

Dollar exchange rate factors for sure, but there is much less on the market over here..

However, the occasional good deal on a no-name Solingen vintage can be made. But the market for good brand names has dried up, and prices are at least as silly as those in the US.

In addition to the Euro. vs. US$

It is also the classic demand vs. supply theory. The demand for straight razors are going up as more people are shaving straight and collecting – then the prises will rise as the supply isn’t keeping up.

Well I mean, as I said before there is a high demand for sports cars, but they control the supply to capitalise off of it, what they are now selling is not a product but a status symbol, like designer clothes or jewelry. They will probably try to get it to be like "You shave with that crappy mass manufactured American POS (sorry Americans), I shave with my precision engineered, ultra lush, super expensive elite German slice of heaven" Whether the actual quality is any different is up for debate, but that is how cars went... Ford was always the cheap workhorse thing that people would buy but no one wanted, when compared to say, a BMW or Mercedes. I mean, to some extend we already see this. Vintage American razors are selling much cheaper than vintage Solingens. And to quote the ShamWOW commercial: "Plus it's made in Germany! Germans make good stuff right?"
What it comes down to is not supply, but demand due to the status symbol.

Originally Posted by khaos

Well I mean, as I said before there is a high demand for sports cars, but they control the supply to capitalise off of it, what they are now selling is not a product but a status symbol, like designer clothes or jewelry. They will probably try to get it to be like "You shave with that crappy mass manufactured American POS (sorry Americans), I shave with my precision engineered, ultra lush, super expensive elite German slice of heaven" Whether the actual quality is any different is up for debate, but that is how cars went... Ford was always the cheap workhorse thing that people would buy but no one wanted, when compared to say, a BMW or Mercedes. I mean, to some extend we already see this. Vintage American razors are selling much cheaper than vintage Solingens. And to quote the ShamWOW commercial: "Plus it's made in Germany! Germans make good stuff right?"
What it comes down to is not supply, but demand due to the status symbol.

I tend to agree with you... Dubl Duck razors.

The evidence is there as you look at SRP classifieds and there isn't much offered and when there is, there are several interested buyers on decent conditioned DOVO's and TI's.

Straight Shaving is on the rise as many others want to break free of the silly multi-blade offerings on the Market.

Pabster

Originally Posted by Pabster

The evidence is there as you look at SRP classifieds and there isn't much offered and when there is, there are several interested buyers on decent conditioned DOVO's and TI's.

Actually at one point I listed two razors at exactly the same price. Both were german, one was new Dovo, the other was a hard to find Puma. The Dovo sold within hours, the Puma took several weeks even though it is far far superior razor and a lot harder to find, but it was only shiny, not new looking, plus there isn't a constant supply of them at $1000.
I'd bet money that if somebody offers his used new production Boker (they are available for around $800) in the $200-$300 price range, there wouldn't be a shortage of buyers. But it would be hard to sell a really nice old Boker for that much, even if that one shaves and look better.
It's all about perceived value.

And yes I've seen the dovo and ti increase their prices significantly over the last few years, and from what I hear they were even a lot cheaper few years earlier.
One or two razors is more than enough for shaving, it's people like us who want tens or hundreds (sometimes thousands) of them who have a problem

Originally Posted by gugi

I'd bet money that if somebody offers his used new production Boker (they are available for around $800) in the $200-$300 price range, there wouldn't be a shortage of buyers. But it would be hard to sell a really nice old Boker for that much, even if that one shaves and look better.
It's all about perceived value.

Bokers have caught my interest and I think I saw some New Bokers being sold on line at knifecenter.com in the $260.00 range and I am curious to how they compare to the older Bokers and how these new offerings will effect the secondary market.

Pabster

Originally Posted by zib

So, you foresee the prices going up in the US as well? Because Dovo is one of the most affordable razors on the market today, I think that's one of the reasons for it's popularity. They are excellent shavers, and lookers, but rising prices isn't going to help sell them, that for sure....I did not buy the BL, I bought a Dovo Bismarck, which is a nice looking razor, and a bit less pricey...I have never heard about scale warping in Dovo until now....

I have a Dovo Special Imitation tortoise that is 3 months old, or I got it from SRD 3 months ago, with a warped scale. It has just recently warped. Don at SRD said this was the first he has heard of the new Dovos warping, but I assure you it is warped.