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Will cause a serge in other coloring mediums? I don't have Copics so this price increase wasn't a huge deal to me..but it did deter me from buying( and yes, I lust after them and Touch markers both)..
I seems like there is a rise in Colored Pencil and Water Colors alike. Just wondering if you think this is due to the price increase or people just broadening their ablitities?
That's an interesting thought! It might, and we are seeing a lot more alternatives to Copics on the market now and soon to be.
That being said, I have almost all of the Copic colors, so it won't deter me...I have to finish out my collection...less than 30 to go! (when I think about the money over the years...yikes!)
Nancy
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I still love my copics, I love coloring, will always find a way. I have been using my other mediums- as They have been ignored and need to be used. ( I bought them after all)
I just may have to get creative with how I add them to my collection. I think the economy (Yen vs. $) has a lot to do with it. My DH works for a Japanese company and there are colleagues of his going over to Japan all the time. I am just waiting for a particularly kind and patient coworker to need to go so I can send my Copic wish list in hand in case they are cheaper directly from a Japanese source. Would that be asking too much????
I think that some people will look for alternate mediums. Many will stick with what is popular, no matter how costly they get. After all, we pay $100 for metal and plastic hand-cranked machines (die cutting machine) and $20 for low profile cookie-cutters (die).
The majority of my Copics cost me less than $4 each, and I thought that was outrageous. The price increase will make me think twice about whether I really need a new shade or blending group. But I have to admit that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my Copics!
I don't know if others will switch to other coloring mediums, but I won't.
I tried a few colored pencils with Gamsol and didn't like the way they looked. I tried water based markers to color images and again I didn't like the way they looked. I like them when they are applied directly to rubber, but not for coloring images .
I tried Copics and fell in love with them.
Some of my dissatisfaction with the other mediums may be my lack of art experience .
I have the Copic colors I want and will give careful consideration before I buy more. Even with a discount , $5.24 for one maker is getting very expensive . I don't need every shade of blue or green under the sun. Some shades are so close to others that I can barely see the difference
I tried water coloring with Distress inks and I did like how that looked. So I will try doing more of that .
__________________ "I have not failed . I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work" --Thomas A. Edison
If I hadn't started collecting Copic markers several years back and hadn't amassed a good collection of markers, refills, and invested in the Copic airbrush system, I'd definitely be looking into the other options for alcohol markers.
But since I have them and love them, I'll keep adding to my collection of markers and refills and will likely ignore the other new, cheaper brands for now.
I do like my watercolor, Inktense, Prismacolor, and pastel pencils and will continue to use them when I'm in the mood.
The reason (as I understand it) for the price increase of Copics has to do with the fall of the value of the American dollar as compared with the Japanese yen. So if that is true, then we could expect other items that are manufactured in Japan to rise in price but there is no reason for other items to increase. Make sense?
Sketch on oozak.com went from $4.47 to $5.24 each.
I won't be switching to anything else, as I have most of the colors and reinkers I need. At this point, I want a few more earth colors.
And I'm wondering when and if the value of the US dollar goes back up, will the price decrease? Not likely...
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I don't think it will make people switch, but it will definitely keep would be new users from buying in. Like me I love the look of the Copics, I could buy them if I wanted to, but I think the price is just ridiculous.
They are getting some competition from the rest of the craft world now, so we will see what happens.
The reason (as I understand it) for the price increase of Copics has to do with the fall of the value of the American dollar as compared with the Japanese yen. So if that is true, then we could expect other items that are manufactured in Japan to rise in price but there is no reason for other items to increase. Make sense?
Well not really. The US dollar is down against a lot of other counties' currencies. We get a lot of craft stuff from China and they manipulate their currency so it doesn't affect the US Dollar exchange.
Anything from the Uk or Europe for that matter has gone up triple fold.
I could never afford to start Parchment Craft today. The cost of Pergamano tools and books are 3 or more times more expensive as when I bought mine. Pergamano is in the Netherlands. I have books that were $10 and now are $35-$40.
I do another craft which is Temari . It is a Japanese form of embroidery on a ball. The pattern books cost 3 to 5 times more than when I bought mine.
A friend of mine pours candles and she said the cost of the paraffin wax has gone up almost 300%. . She used to buy a huge block of it for $13 now the same block is $35.
So I think we are in for some massive inflation.
__________________ "I have not failed . I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work" --Thomas A. Edison
With the new increase in Copics I have looked at other alcohol markers...I just ordered the complete set of Spectrum Noir and have a nice amount of the ProMarkers...They are every bit as good as Copic at a fraction of the cost!
__________________ Karen
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for now I think I will stick with my copics. They really are great markers but I may have to find an alternative. It seems that many online stores can't ship to the island of Oahu as we have a local distributor here. I bought all of my markers online as there are very few stores that sell these markers and the selection is not what you could find online.
I am a little disappointed but it is not the end of the world. I will have to take a look at some of the other markers on the market, preferably the ones that can be refilled.
As a retailer I had my distributor send me three "other" brands of alcohol markers to trial, in hopes of finding a replacement for Copics at a better price. I am sorry to say there is not such animal. I tried three prominent brands and none of them color/blend like Copics. So I am stuck in a love/hate relationship. I love the quality but hate the frequent price increases. But I think they are several factors working into this price increase. One being the Copic policies on pricing and it not being followed universally. They are increasing the pricing on the wholesale side and not on the retail side this time. Which complicates things a bit. But also keeps the the retailers from bypassing the MAP agreement with Copics buy raising the wholesale but not the MAP pricing.
I love my Copics. I have about a medium sized collection. The price increase will not stop me from adding to my collection. Even if I pick up one or two once a month soon I have a lot more. Now I am loving the look of Prisma colored pencils and using gamasol with them. It's quite a learning curve but I'll get it down. But I sure would never give up Copics!
The reason (as I understand it) for the price increase of Copics has to do with the fall of the value of the American dollar as compared with the Japanese yen. So if that is true, then we could expect other items that are manufactured in Japan to rise in price but there is no reason for other items to increase. Make sense?
The fall of the value of the American dollar is only one of the factors in the price increase. The biggest reason is that ALL products using ink - printer cartridges, for example, as well as other pens - have gone up in price because the vast majority of these products use inks that come from - or through - Japan, and their ink industry sustained incredible setbacks/damages because of the earthquakes and tsunami. It is costlier for them to process the inks and related products, so the cost gets passed along to the end consumer (us).
Forgot to answer the original question: I use several methods for coloring my images, depending on the look I want the finished product to have. If I want clear, saturated color, then nothing compares to alcohol-based markers (Copic and the like). If I want a dreamier look, then watercoloring with inks is my preferred method. If I want a soft look, Prismacolor pencils and OMS come out to play. Softer still - chalk. Price is not really a consideration here - just artistic preference.
I don't think it will make people switch, but it will definitely keep would be new users from buying in. Like me I love the look of the Copics, I could buy them if I wanted to, but I think the price is just ridiculous.
They are getting some competition from the rest of the craft world now, so we will see what happens.
Meechelle -- I totally agree. I have been tempted because of the beautiful work done by those on this site but I've resisted. I just won the Scrapbox in the Hope You Can Cling To Challenge and reorganized all my stash. It's embarrassing how much money I have spent over the years. So I keep resisting.
I just saw some alchohol markers by Marvy at a stamp store -- MUCH more affordable. I, too, am going to try to hold out. Let's see what CHA brings!
We import oil. We import ink. And now we are importing a good deal of our food.
These are the things that make me stop moaning about not having grandchildren. At least I won't have to worry that they'll be paying $5 for a can of soup or $30 for a pound of ground beef.
Well not really. The US dollar is down against a lot of other counties' currencies. We get a lot of craft stuff from China and they manipulate their currency so it doesn't affect the US Dollar exchange.
Anything from the Uk or Europe for that matter has gone up triple fold.
I could never afford to start Parchment Craft today. The cost of Pergamano tools and books are 3 or more times more expensive as when I bought mine. Pergamano is in the Netherlands. I have books that were $10 and now are $35-$40.
I do another craft which is Temari . It is a Japanese form of embroidery on a ball. The pattern books cost 3 to 5 times more than when I bought mine.
A friend of mine pours candles and she said the cost of the paraffin wax has gone up almost 300%. . She used to buy a huge block of it for $13 now the same block is $35.
So I think we are in for some massive inflation.
I would love to see some of your Pergamano projects - do you have a gallery of them somewhere? I bought a few (very few) supplies at a stamping expo last year and have yet to use them at all, but I LOVE the look and would love to see what you've done! Ditto on the Temari...
As to inflation - true across the board. Unfortunately, often things that we use are derivatives of other things that are highly inflated. I do upholstery, and foam rubber has gone up exponentially in the past few years. Doesn't make sense until you consider that it is a petroleum-based product, and we all know how petroleum (oil) has behaved in the market recently. This is true of paraffin, as well - it is a petroleum derivative.
I suppose this speaks to the idea that we don't save money making things ourselves, we just get a lot of enjoyment out of it, and have to consider it as money spent on "entertainment", eh?
Do you think the Copic price increase
