It’s been 8 years (2017) since I started this adventure of providing alternate counters for ASL. I’ve also managed to branch out into scenarios, boards, and most recently HASL maps. It’s been fun, and challenging at times (which can be fun, too).
From the beginning, I’ve relied on St. Jacobs Printery Ltd for all my printing needs, and they found a company in Waterloo to do the mounting on cardboard and die-cutting the counters. Based on those earlier quotes, I calculated that I could cover hard costs (i.e. not my time and effort) and have some profit for future orders with a price point of U$11 per full sheet. And that was enough in the early years to carry me through the losses of the covid years and still have cash in the bank today! Hurra!
Coming out of covid, I began to notice quality control issues with the die-cutting. Unable to get a satisfactory resolution from the die-cutter, we dropped that company, and the Printery found another company down Scarborough way to do the mounting and die-cutting – and they are excellent! I’m very pleased that I can still call this a Made in/Fait au Canada operation. Only two products aren’t sourced from the Great White North: the MausMouse (China) and the MapPad (USA). Together with my febrile... er... fertile imagination, everything else is local stuff.
Last year I placed my first order (small-medium-ish) with the new die-cutter, and the pricing seemed a bit higher, but still reasonable given the times we be living in. Honestly, I’ve had other distractions this past year and a half, so I wasn’t really paying attention. Last month I placed my second order, which was a bit larger (new-ish stuff plus re-stocking depleted or damaged stuff). I hadn’t bothered to get a quote beforehand as I was in a hurry and was willing to live with the consequences.
At the beginning of the month the order came in and I’ve been sorting and collating since. Earlier this week the bill came in...
I ran the numbers. And checked them twice. And I’ve been letting the result sink in.
The most reasonable thing to do going forward is to...
LOWER. MY. PRICES.
To be clear, this only applies to countersheets. Pricing for other products remains the same.
This isn’t a sale or a promo. No coupons, passwords, codes, or secret handshakes required. If you choose to indulge in interpretive dance while placing an order, well... that’s on you. Far be it for me to criticize your predilections.
I’ll post again when I’ve got everything squared away with the Store.
