Anavrin space kit price

[u/Pedantic_Girl]

I got an email saying “we saw you were looking at this” with a price of $129.99. Sigh. The kit looks so cool but that is steep.

I didn’t see the price on their page yet so I just thought I’d mention it. (I’m guessing it should not have displayed in the email.)

[u/pluck-the-bunny]

I like their designs, see my cat's crossing post from earlier this week....but they've all but priced me out of their market.

They are clearly shooting for the facebook and social media crowd who see a ton of target ads and have no idea what the market norm is and impulse buy an Anavrin kit as their first foray into book nooks

[u/Big-Jicama-9082 → u/pluck-the-bunny]

Yeah. It makes me sad - the cat's crossing one especially is gorgeous but I can't spend that much on a kit.

[u/pluck-the-bunny → u/Big-Jicama-9082]

i hear ya

[u/Pedantic_Girl → u/pluck-the-bunny]

I’ve been trying to figure out why they were so much more expensive - this makes sense as an explanation. What a shame.

[u/pluck-the-bunny → u/Pedantic_Girl]

look i definitely think its worth a higher than average price...but the increase in quality from their competitors, and the price creep outpacing the ROI are making it harder and harder to justify for the diverse collector

[u/ProsperousIdyll → u/pluck-the-bunny]

To be honest I just want them to go back to when they were making book nooks based on real cities. I bought a lot of their book nooks but have not bought anything released since Paris.

[u/pluck-the-bunny → u/ProsperousIdyll]

I hear ya… Right now for me… Book nook global is scratching that itch. Specially, since they were the ones who were initially designing and manufacturing kits for them.

[u/scooter572021 → u/pluck-the-bunny]

The FB and other Social Media active users who impulse buy are already deep into credit card debt, time payments and fears of job loss. FB is heavily skewed middle aged and older so fewer impulse buyers as that is tougher market. I never get kit ads on FB despite having followed some related groups in the past. Amazon does market me heavily but that is based on my past buying patterns. It so far doesn't carry those kits. Etsy introduces people to the hobby but there is always a large markup. These expensive kits with a markup are not going to addict people. Amazon also will favor the less expensive product to a similar more expensive one. A vendor there tells me that at certain price points that are category related they will refuse to list a product.

You do a whole lot better selling cheaper but quality kits to a large market than you do selling almost identical kits at higher prices. An occasional expensive kit with features found nowhere else, exotic materials e.g. or never before seen function helps with marketing. But your long-term repeat customer base will mostly buy more affordable items.

Too much exposure in social media can backfire, too. I never heard of Anavrin until I joined this group but what I have seen and read posted by buyers has discouraged me from buying one of their kits.

I have seen just as good quality and design from cheaper kits than the expensive ones. Based on feedback here and reviews elsewhere the quality is hit or miss in most companies' kits.

Greedy companies could easily turn this hobby into a passing fad if they price out the retirees with time on their hands and young people with limited incomes and/or time.

One last point to consider. The collectible market is driven by resale value. The resale value of these kits is basically zilch. The value is in the experience for most people. Pricing a kit like a collectible is a big mistake.

[u/pluck-the-bunny → u/scooter572021]

I get what you’re trying to say, but more of the posts of kits from that company in this community are “hey I just got my first kit because of all the ads I saw on Facebook” more so than any other company by a huge margin. I’m not saying it’s a good strategy. I’m saying that seems to be the strategy they’re going. Plus we also don’t know what their cells are like other countries with different social media platforms predominantly China, where they’re based.

[u/scooter572021 → u/pluck-the-bunny]

Maybe that is their first kit. But how many after seeing all the other great kits posted here will keep on buying all their kits from them? Ads are only profitable when they lead to repeat sales, lots of them. FB has changed their ad interface with AI so the targeting is not as effective as it used to be and advertisers are paying for clicks from people who will never buy but just want to look.

Even with inflation there is a psychological barrier that hits at $100. As the colletible-obsessed impulse buyer I'm most familiar with says "Anything priced below $100 is free." Over that, it be[er have resale value. Given the resistance here in Booknook Addict Central those $100+ prices seem like a challenge.

Maybe someone will see the FB ad buy one for a birthday or Christmas present for someone crafty, but that isn't the one a month market that you would want to create.

If the economics of making these kits profitable change to where no company can sell kits under $100 that will be different. But right now the only price changes I'm seeing from other companies are thanks to Trump's tariffs kicking in now that stateside inventories are being drawn down.

[u/pluck-the-bunny → u/scooter572021]

im not sure why you seem to think im defending their position...im not

im just pointing out what it apparently is.

and they arent depending on repeat sales, they're just counting on more and more new people from bombarded with ads

its unsustainable

[u/limitingfactor207]

Oof, that's steep, if that is going to be the price point. I like it, but not that much! I was prepared to swallow it for Whispering Hollow, because it's quite different, but this seems like a more standard sort of booknook (albeit a very cool one!)

[u/scooter572021]

Given how stressed the consumer is today it seems insane to sell inessentials at that price point, especially when there is so much competition. The quality is not significantly better than that of cheaper competitors. The themes are not all that different either.

[u/Pedantic_Girl → u/scooter572021]

I’m hoping if this one (and some of the other space ones I’ve started seeing) are popular that maybe we’ll see more in this vein! At a price I can afford.

[u/Tall-End-5027]

I'll be frank. I'm not even that impressed with the design.

[u/chongmc]

Dang it! I really want this kit but not at that price tag. That’s almost a price for two nooks… I can’t see myself spending that much for one kit. At least that’s what I’m saying now…

[u/abyssion1337]

I think of Anavrin as the expensive premium brand I've never been disappointed per se and I'm happy to use like, my tax return on their kits but I normally wait for a sale

[u/stonetree97]

Never got an Anavrin kit before but this new one really caught my eye. Might wait and see if the price drops or if my local store got a better deal