They changed their name but not their ridiculous lead times...not shipping until november kiss my butt. They know they can sell every one they make so why not just make a run and have them in stock like they did before. I refuse to pay up front for their production runs, its not supposed to really be a crowdfunding site anymore right? That was part of the reason for the stupid name change right? Also the drop logo in the unit looks like crap.
Well... I am not a fan of the wait times either. Sometimes I don’t buy because of the lead times, other times I buy despite the lead times. What I don’t get is why anyone would get so worked up over it? It’s not like you are waiting months for life saving medicine. It’s just an amp. Buy it. Don’t buy it. Getting mad won’t change anything.
Hey, I've always been critical of Massdrop/Drop and I don't like their business practices even if I like their products. I'm just saying that this isn't all that egregious. They usually offer products at a lower introductory price so even if they didn't mention it this time, I don't think going up by $50 is a complete spit on our faces.
We shouldn't be paying for this months ahead of time so that's messed up on their part. They shouldn't be throwing their new logo on items after they said specifically that they wouldn't do that to any pre-existing products so that's garbage too. And I think all this nonsense with the "limited runs" is just to push sales and allow them to scare people into buying further and further into the future. Trust me, I can keep going with my issues with Drop.
I'm just saying that to me *personally*, the $50 increase doesn't seem egregious. That bit, in a vacuum, seems like a price fluctuation. It was unnecessary and definitely shows their money grabbing side but it's modest enough that I won't see it as a slap in the face like the other things I mentioned.
Upset about lead times? Don’t buy it.
Don’t like paying long in advance for the product? Don’t buy it.
Upset about the Drop logo being added? Don’t buy it.
Limited runs are a ploy on their part? What’s your proof? If it was to create hype... doubtless the limited availability has created hype. But the 789 got largely rave reviews from the very beginning before the trickle of manufacturing batches, and by now my guess is that if they had secured sufficient components and manufacturing capacity from the very beginning they would have sold many more units... while you postulate it was a ploy on their part, I postulate it was an error on their part.
As to the $50 increase, there could be many reasons for the price increase.
- It could be that their costs have increased and they are trying to cover those costs (by the way that could be costs of this amp, or costs elsewhere in their portfolio and they are covering those costs with this product).
- Or it could be that by charging higher cost they can pay more to the component suppliers to secure scarce parts, or to pay more to the contract manufacturers that they use to secure additional capacity on those manufacturing lines in order to make these in batches of thousands and not just hundreds (like, apparently, is now the case).
- It could also be that someone at (Mass)Drop dusted off one of their old Freshman Econ 101 textbooks and realized that when demand outstrips supply, the smart business increases their prices to bring supply and demand into balance and ***eeeek*** make more profit. This is a business, not a non-profit service set up to keep all of us happy. They just need to keep enough of us happy (and paying), and at least with the 789 they seem to be successful, despite some gnashing of teeth.
I am not trying to start any flames here. It just seems to me that purchasing decisions are complex combinations of many factors on consumer’s part, and prices and schedules are complex decisions on seller’s part.
Buy. Don’t buy. It’s your choice! But to moan about it seems a waste of time (though maybe it’s therapeutic).
