[Harp-L] RE: Hohner Price Increase

[Paul Routledge <paulandrewroutledge@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

These price increases are not just unique to Hohner. Fender have also  
been raising there prices considerably over the years couple of years.  
They have raised them at least three times that I'm aware of.

Both of these companies are having more components produced in the far  
East than ever before and at a far cheaper rate than they could have  
them produced in the West. The simple fact is that the major  
shareholders of these companies demand that their profit margin  
increases year on year. If this means that they exorbitantly raise  
their prices to customers, then they see no problem with that.

Of course in the long run this greed is self defeating. Customers will  
stop buying those products and go for cheaper options, or they will  
learn to repair there own products (as many of us do) so that they  
have no need to buy on such a regular basis.

Either way this level of greed will probably be the death of these  
companies in the end. The major shareholders of course won't lose  
sleep over that, as they are only interested in how much money they  
are making today and not in the longevity of the business.

When that happens we will all eventually end up playing harmonicas  
made in the Far East in the same way we use television sets, washers,  
microwaves made there.

Just my opinion.

Paul