Splitcoaststampers.com - the world's #1 papercrafting community
You're currently viewing Splitcoaststampers as a GUEST. We pride ourselves on being great hosts, but guests have limited access to some of our incredible artwork, our lively forums and other super cool features of the site! You can join our incredible papercrafting community at NO COST. So what are you waiting for?
How many of you have stopped buying a specific brand of stamps or dies simply because the company raised their prices too high ?
A company , I bought stamps from for about 5 years, had been regularly raising their prices. Over a year ago I said enough and stopped buying from them .
I still like their stamps but I feel $25 to $35 for one sheet of stamps is too much. It is a rare sheet of stamps where I will use most of them.
Plus now most of their stamps are in clear Polymer which cost less than rubber .
__________________ "I have not failed . I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work" --Thomas A. Edison
Last edited by Barbara Jay; 09-20-2014 at 03:50 PM..
I haven't stopped buying from any one company because of their pricing, but there are stamps and dies I don't buy because I think they're too expensive. But then again, that's a rule I apply to all of my non-essential spending.
I know what you mean. I recently attended Scrapbook Expo, and the prices for one thin metal die were absolutely outrageous. I refused to pay $25 for one die, especially when I can cut a similar design on my electronic cutters. And I agree about the stamps too.
I stopped buying from one company because they raised their postage too high to make it worth while.
I can still get their stamps if I find them on Simon Says Stamp which has a huge range but a lot of the time I end up seeing a different company and buying those ones.
__________________ Stop paint chip abuse. Act now!!
Won't somebody think of the paint chips?
The price of everything has gone up.., that mean increases for the little companies (especially those that don't manufacture their own rubber or clear stamps).
I'm also not sure that a full sheet of clear stamps is cheaper to manufacture than a full sheet of rubber. If you are talking bare uncut rubber I would expect that is less expensive. Then there are added the expenses of cling and precutting. Not sure how the costs work out.
__________________ Jeanne S - Inky Paws SCS Moderator
I stopped buying from one company because they raised their postage too high to make it worth while.
.
I hear ya. I wanted to order one clear Polymer stamp set and the company charged $7 .95 to ship it. I called to ask if they could ship one stamp set a little cheaper than that . The owner jumped all over me telling me they had expenses including the gas to drive packages to the Post Office and they would not ship for less . So there!
I not only didn't buy that set I stopped buying anything from them.
I think Companies need to start weighing the added profit from price increases against completely losing the business of customers. It is a fine line, but once they lose a customer those customers rarely come back
I say this in the spirit of wanting craft supply business to stay in business .
__________________ "I have not failed . I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work" --Thomas A. Edison
Being in Australia I have often had the experience of ordering stamps, dies etc and getting to postage and nearly having a heart attack at the add on to price. Some places asking for $49:00 plus on postage. Needless to say those orders were cancelled.
Have also admired a particular designers work in England but found that her price for a single stamp or even a couple of stamps was way beyond my being able to justify the price. So sad as I love her designs but just cant see the value.
The thing that comes to mind for me is that there is such a WIDE price gap, that it can't possibly be explained by "rising costs" - those would affect everyone, not just this company or that company.
I have looked into the costs of having stamps made (toyed with the idea of starting my own line), and photopolymer is BY FAR less expensive to produce, so that kills that argument, as well.
One could argue the small business/big business issue to a point, but one of the most expensive companies on the die front is also one of the largest, most well-known in the stamping industry.
Perhaps the higher-priced dies and/or stamps are sold by companies that consider themselves "high end" or elite? More exclusive? Better than everyone else? Or maybe they're just greedy...
I think we're at the 'designer name' point in crafting now. Just like clothes/shoes we are paying extra for the name on it. Don't get me wrong, I love Tims stuff, and end up buying a lot, but some of his prices are touching on ridiculous lately. I also agree that the cost of some dies and stamps really cannot be justified, have they never heard of killing the goose that laid the golden egg? Also agree Gregzgurl- the most expensive items are usually the 'Names', rather than the small trader. Having worked in retail for many years over my life, I well remember the argument used to be that big retailers have the buying power to be able to sell at lower prices, and that big manufacturers had the capability to mass produce so could produce stuff cheaper than small firms/ lone traders. Seems that reasoning does not apply in crafting!
I hear ya. I wanted to order one clear Polymer stamp set and the company charged $7 .95 to ship it. I called to ask if they could ship one stamp set a little cheaper than that . The owner jumped all over me telling me they had expenses including the gas to drive packages to the Post Office and they would not ship for less . So there!
I not only didn't buy that set I stopped buying anything from them.
I think Companies need to start weighing the added profit from price increases against completely losing the business of customers. It is a fine line, but once they lose a customer those customers rarely come back
I say this in the spirit of wanting craft supply business to stay in business .
If this is in the US someone ought to tell that owner that the postal service has free Priority mail pick-up. He could have put your stamp set in a small flat-rate priority box and shipped it to you for $6 max, and NOT have had to drive it to the PO. As a business owner, he might qualify for additional discounts too...
Edited to add: He could also have just printed out postage from Pitney Bowles (?) and saved money on postage that way. Or he could have put your set in a bubble-wrap envelope and mailed it for under $3, first-class. Grrr. Or, if it was a thin photopolymer stamp set that could have fit in a large envelope (5.5" x 8.5"), he could even have mailed it for 49 cents, or perhaps 70 cents, just to be sure. Or if it was bigger (but not thicker), he could have put it in a large envelope (9" x 12") and mailed it for maybe $1.
Last edited by SophieLaFontaine; 09-21-2014 at 08:27 AM..
I am becoming really picky about what dies I need to purchase, and what dies I can do with out. For example, some dies can easily be eliminated if you just have a good pair of paper snips and a steady hand. I've gotten pretty good at fussy cutting. Now, if it's something really intricate or if the die creates a certain shape, then yes, it's probably necessary. But if the die is just cutting a quarter inch white border around an image, well then sheesh, I can do that myself! Many of the stamp sets now have die sets to match, and I may only use one or two of those dies consistently in that set. I have to decide if it's really worth the cost, or if I can use that money more wisely on some other purchase.
I know there are a lot of SU demonstrators on this site, so I risk making some enemies, but does anyone else think the SU stuff is expensive relative to what you can get other places?
__________________ Debbie "Make it work, people." - Tim Gunn My Gallery
I know there are a lot of SU demonstrators on this site, so I risk making some enemies, but does anyone else think the SU stuff is expensive relative to what you can get other places?
Yes. I do. I still love SU! stuff though, but only buy it long after it's retired. I go to an annual stamp yard sale in March. Occasionally I buy some sets from Ebay. Once when there was a SU! free-shipping day, I bought some things off the clearance rack from a demonstrator who lived outside city limits (for a cheaper tax rate). That was the last time I bought anything retail from SU!.
I only buy SU when my demo offers 25% off. Their shipping costs are out of line with other companies...10%, and there is no break when you buy more. Most companies have free shipping when you order $60 or $100. I wonder how their trial Free Shipping earlier this year affected their sales. ??
Wow, that is very generous of your demo. When I was a demo (admittedly some years ago), our discount / commission was only 20%. Perhaps it has increased since then? Don't know.
I'm with Mary Rose -- I rarely buy dies to cut out a stamped image. Most of my dies are sentiments or basic shapes that can stand alone (speech bubbles, chevrons, butterflies, clouds, etc.).
I buy mostly PaperTrey and Avery Elle, and think that their stamps and dies are affordable for what you get.
Sometimes it is better to buy stamps/dies on sites that offer discounts, like Ellen Hutson or Joann, than directly from the business owner. With Ellen Hutson, you can always get 10% off or sometimes higher, and she carries all the "boutique" brands. With Joann, the selection is more limited to bigger brands, but you can get 40-50% off.
I'm glad to know I'm not the only one thinking things are expensive.
I see so much I'd love to have but just can't afford it. I'm pretty picky about what I do buy...have to be able to use it in multiple ways.
I'm on a fixed income and with the cost of groceries and such it's harder to have much of a crafting budget at all. Shipping costs cause me not to order quite often. I know in some instances their charging me way more than actual shipping would cost like Sophie mentioned.
I recently dumped a new DP company because the shipping was obscene. Their system was talking about $18 to ship a box of paper? Paper I am buying on sale for 10 cents?? Are you kidding? I can live with 7.95 because that is a flat rate box that fits 12 x 12.
So I emailed them twice. The first time I was nice and said I thought they had a system problem but they never even answered me. The second time I said I was now not happy I never got an answer either....and silence.
Snip. I unsubscribed and wont look back. See ya. Plen-ty o DP in the sea!
I have to admit I dont understand some pricing with the big companies-I also worked retail, wholesale and mfg distribution and it makes no sense. But I treat crafts like I do everything...sale sale sale. Sale plus free shipping even better. When you see wholesale pricing you feel like a total dope paying full retail-at least I do. Just build my wishlist and wait. Like clothing...a lot of stamps will go on sale post season.
A lot of people work in business. We know what we are looking at...and a smart consumer often does too.
If I buy red rubber, I mount it when they want 3-5 dollars to cling it. Omg. Please.
Having said all that....if you want product made in America...there are much higher costs. Payroll alone is way higher here.
I just get very angry when people try to turn their shipping depts into profit centers. I can smell that at 1000 miles. Charging by value instead of actual weight. Using oversized boxes. Handling costs. I hate handling costs. What other choice is there? You would move it with your mind? That's overhead- factor it in and knock it off. Like someone said, get a standing p/u from the PO and UPS. I never heard of a smart company that takes it's own mail in unless something odd is happening.
Companies need to understand that a large amount of us have tons of stuff already-we spend days talking about how to org it here LOL-we dont HAVE to buy anything more. Plus a lot of crafters started just to save money in the first place due to their personal economics and then fell in love with it. 50 dollar die sets...200 dollar dies...it's crazy!
If ever there was a group who would find the work around and save the money-it's crafters!
Sorry that was long. Obviously a hot button with me! Good topic.
wavejumper- It's a hot topic for me too. I have always felt many of the crafting companies have treated their consumers as if we are uneducated idiots who will snap up their items because it has a popular name on it. I could go on and on too. Writing it, I can not convey it well and would it come out like I am targeting innocent companies that are trying so hard against these greedies. I like this thread because so many of you wrote what I think. I think all of us posting our thoughts will cover how we all feel but can not write as eloquently as others are doing so.
Stampin Up- Oh my gosh yes they are expensive. I think their stamps are a bit worth it. They are very nice quality and a good size for what you pay. I bought the big doily stamp after waiting a long time. When I got it I thought it was worth the money. Not the S&H but the stamp itself was. The other things SU has in their store is up there. That marketing strategy might have worked in the 1990's when the Internet was in it's infancy but companies like SU need to rethink that. Consumers can do research now easily. Like I found out that SU's inks are made by Tsukinecko (sp?). Punches and score board are made by EK Success. I learned all this from over here. ;)
I have seen a trend lately of way too many stamps and dies that are very basic or copyright free with huge price tags attached to them. I can fussy cut, electronic cut and draw my own things. No, I will not purchase stamps and dies I can recreate and I have my own unique item that I am proud of. I am always saying this over here- there are just to many pretty things us stamping/paper artist girls want to buy. There are so many lovely small and large companies who provide those pretty things for us with fair prices and shipping practices.
I've found, to a certain degree, that if you are willing to wait a bit - and don't think you need every new release the minute it comes out, and don't think you need to hit the "I Want It ALL" button - you can get better prices. I've been able to find dies and stamps from Amazon sellers for sometimes 2/3 of the price on the mfg website - and with free shipping besides.
As far as shipping, some non-stamping companies only use a selection of standard-size boxes to streamline their shipping operations; it saves them money by not needing to stock a bunch of boxes, and by saving time in the shipping department and figuring postage. But for a company that sells stamps that would fit in an envelope, it strikes me as silly to not have an option of using an envelope. And driving packages to the post office is also just silly - I work for a company that only rarely needs to ship things out. But we have mail delivery every day and the mail carrier will pick anything up when she makes the regular delivery if it fits in the mail box. If not, there's no charge to schedule a pickup. I don't have a problem with companies that charge shipping by value of the order or by number of items, though - one of my pet peeves is when it's next to impossible to find out your shipping charges until you're in the middle of the checkout process, and the value/items methods make it easy to figure out.
What I can't abide is the owner who jumped all over the caller who called to ask about charging less shipping for the single stamp set. As I see it, a lot of the "boutique" companies' marketing is based on giving you the impression that the owner is someone that you'd love to hang out with and someone you would probably be friends with if you met them. Being snippety and rude to one of those customers certainly harshes that buzz
lylacfey said: I have seen a trend lately of way too many stamps and dies that are very basic or copyright free with huge price tags attached to them.
So true!!! Of course I find it funny when then they want to apply angel policy to it too. :rolleyes:
Cbet...I understand what you are saying about having to wait till mid check out to find out the shipping but that's just because they dont know how much we are ordering till then.
But really-take the expensive dies we are talking about-they weigh hardly anything-you could be paying for mult lbs of shipping worth for 1 lb or less. Aside from just wrong to me, you could be getting something else for that money!
25 years ago (this is how mad I was-I still remember it) I had a $130 dress come to me in a plastic envelope and get crushed into my little apt mailbox. :shock: I was furious-they had charged me by value. I certainly should have gotten a box. The dress was ok if terribly wrinkled tg...but I cut off any further business with that company and told them exactly why. I really should have returned it.
It's simple. When I get an order that looks like they respect their own product as well as making it nice for me...w/o jerking me on the cost...that is the company that gets my money. If you just cram stuff in an envelope or toss it in a box...that says to me you dont think it has any worth. Not a good message.
Absolutely agree about the dress - no excuse for shipping it that way! But returning it would have probably done you no good - most places won't refund the shipping charges :( I'll admit - most of the time when I order from one of the places that charges shipping based on the value of the order, I wait until they have a free or flat-rate shipping promo. And I backed out of a Dick Blick order the other day, because their shipping is $X for the first item and $1.99 for each additional - and two of my items were single pencils. I couldn't see paying more for shipping than for the item
Back to the OP - I agree that $25 to $35 for a single set of stamps is too rich for my blood, unless it's a truly awesome set that I know I will use every image multiple times. Especially in photopolymer. I know I'm probably a dinosaur, but I much prefer red rubber stamps.
Agree with what everyone is saying, it comes down to what we perceive as value for money, whether thats product OR shipping! They seem to forget, as crafters, we DON'T want something for nothing, we do appreciate the costs involved. What we object to is being used as a cash cow. Everything has a reasonable cost, and yes that definition does vary from person to person, but only by small amounts, certainly not by the vast range we tend to be asked to pay.Postage/shipping can be extortionate from some people, certainly it often bears no relation to the size/weight of the package. Typical example, I have a favoured on-line shop over here. Why? Because she carries a good range of products, her prices are (often) slightly below other peoples, but at worst the same. Her shipping is the same day, or maybe next, depending what time you place your order. Spend over �10( not difficult at all, lol), and shipping is free. Everything comes well packaged, nice and secure, in a suitable sized box/padded envelope. By contrast, I ordered a couple of bottles of re-inker from Amazon, only place I could find them. Some re-inkers are not easy to get hold of over here. Shipping cost me almost as much as the product, arrived in an A4 sized box, about 4" deep, filled with styrofoam puffs!You coulld have got 50+ bottles in it, and still had plenty of room for the padding. Why should I pay a high cost of shipping, just for someone's basic stupidity?
I agree with the cost of things....I don't go for trends at all and honestly - I don't really have a lot of dies. I've learned to make do with what I have. The only time I will buy anything now (dies or stamps) there are a few questions I ask: 1. Am I really going to use this or is it just going to be used once and then sit there. 2. Do I already have something similar? 3. Is this being a good steward of my money? Needless to say - I don't buy a whole lot anymore - LOL!!!
Very true Buried Treasure about ebay. Which is why combining shipping is SO important for stampers over there. I save a ton that way. Or it could be said I spend more if I look at what else they have to do it :rolleyes:. You definitely have to ask a seller who does not mention it in the listing BEFORE you buy the stamp.
I am just totally blown away by what people will pay on ebay for a stamp...up to 200 dollars? :shock: I buy to use not collect so it wigs me out. There just is NO image I HAVE TO HAVE that badly!!! Just yesterday a stamp I bid on jumped from 6 dollars to 34 in the end. I once did a search on ALL rubber stamps and then sorted by highest and there were a couple of Japanese ones for $2000!!!
SO important that you do a bit of quick homework and go check the mfg site...there are people there who are selling at or above their price for currently available stamps from the mfg/Joann's etc. If they are not a LSS or the mfg, I dont get that. And be aware that they may break up sets-like SU sets...which is great if you only want the one but not if you want the whole set.
Decide what the TOP you are willing to pay is and either bid it then and walk away or come at the end and bid it. But NO higher.
I cant say this enough. I hang on a New to Ebay board to help newbies out (under a different ID) and it just keeps happening over and over, no matter how many times we tell people.
I am becoming really picky about what dies I need to purchase, and what dies I can do with out. For example, some dies can easily be eliminated if you just have a good pair of paper snips and a steady hand. I've gotten pretty good at fussy cutting. Now, if it's something really intricate or if the die creates a certain shape, then yes, it's probably necessary. But if the die is just cutting a quarter inch white border around an image, well then sheesh, I can do that myself! Many of the stamp sets now have die sets to match, and I may only use one or two of those dies consistently in that set. I have to decide if it's really worth the cost, or if I can use that money more wisely on some other purchase.
This is one of the main reasons I bought the Brother ScannCut. Yes, it was an expensive layout but it is worth it. No more buying dies that cut out shapes, and no more buying nestable dies. I have more variety than ever before of what to cut out. I can cut out things I printed out of word or digital images, or even something I drew myself.
The machine does tons of other things too.
It's hardly greedy to try to maximize profits. They're manufacturing a product, not providing a public service. That's capitalism at work.
I'm all for capitalism and have no issue with people "maximizing profits", I was merely postulating possible reasons why some stamps/dies were so much more expensive than others of similar quality/design. Didn't set out to offend anyone, and no offense taken from your comment either ;)
I think that Shazsilverwolf is probably closest to the reason - the label is becoming more important in the industry than it used to be...
I do find that some things are just not worth the $$ and won't buy it. Recently, I've started buying some sets that come over from the UK and they are kind of pricey but I like them so much that I consider them worth it. Before I buy anything I shop for price and shipping and often I find that the products that seem to cost less end of costing more because of the S&H.
My biggest pet peeve is handling. I considering handling cost part of the business model and the items should be shipped at what it cost to ship. The packaging, gas, & time should be factored into the price of the item. I shop at one particular online store because she refunds shipping and will put it into a padded envelope instead of a box to save costs.
I'm a SU demo and I know things can seem pricey but it's because you are paying for demo services. Just like with every business, everyone has to make some $. I don't think they are over priced but then I pay $25-30 at other companies for the same number of stamps and I think the cardstock is one of the best buys on the market.
I recently shopped for ephemera and OMG, talk about price increases. Metal charms are outrageous.
I guess it's all relative to what a person values. I go more for quality and will pay more to get it because I've learned that for some products, quality and service are worth more.
I agree that I won't buy something if it is too expensive no matter what brand it is.
I was a bit disappointed with some of the bigger names, like Spellbinders at the scrapbook expo. I expected a bit cheaper since they were at the expo. nah, but I did buy from a purveyor some stamps that were $3 a sheet and if you bought 3 you got a 4th for free. I did get a Heartfelt die, but it was a early bird special so I got one of their $16 stamp sets to go with it for free. There was also a lady from CTMH that had a bunch of stamp sets for only $5 I snatched up about 10 sets from her lol
If it is too high at the bigger stores, I use a coupon if I really want it. Now, at Michaels, you can't use a coup on Sizzix or Tim's dies but at Hobby lobby, you can. I buy dies at HL all the time with a coupon that I wouldn't purchase full price.
It is frustrating that the prices have gone up so high. I take advantage of Shipping deals when I can. I also take advantage of the coupons. What I tend to do more than anything lately is I buy second hand on ebay, CL, and here on SCS. I feel less guilty doing it that way. I think of it as Recycle, Reuse, and Repurposing.
Oh, above someone mentioned the price of ephemera. It is ridiculous. I started printing my own. You can get really nice free images online now, so I stopped buying any of that.
Amber at Chic and Savvy does have good prices and free shipping on dies & stamps - and great customer service. I've also found pretty decent prices on Amazon for Spellbinders, Sizzix and MFT dies with free shipping without Amazon Prime. The trick is to find a listing for the die you want; the one that comes up will probably be fulfilled by Amazon and have free shipping on orders over $35, but that's not always the best deal available. Go over to the right-hand side of the screen and look at other offers; I've usually found other sellers with lower prices and free shipping, and you can sort your results by lowest price to highest with the shipping added in. I will say, though, that those sellers don't ship as fast as you'd get with Amazon prime. Usually I end up waiting 3 or 4 days before I even get a tracking number, and it's usually at least a full week before I see my package.
Here's my money saving tip: be patient, and wait for the stamps and dies to end up on the buy/sell/trade forums! Seriously, I have purchased most of my stamps and dies this way in recent years, from both here at SCS and from the Papertrey Ink forums. Eventually, that "new" set gets old for someone, and you'd be surprised how quickly that happens. And if you've scoured the forums and haven't seen it listed, you can always post an inquiry to see if someone is willing to sell their set or dies at a discounted price. Great deals, and the seller ends up with either more craft space, or a few more dollars to purchase something new. Win win!
Great tips Cbet for Amazon-I will check that out in the future! I love that..."as found in the wild"....LOL....It can feel like we are on a hunt for the rare good deal bird!
ScrapMart has been selling off Sizzix dies for as low as $10. The selection goes up and down. They did a deal with them to help them clear inventory. Sometimes a sold out thing will come back in. I did get a bunch over there over several orders/time. (I have no connection with them)
Sometimes the big box will do a 40% off on dies online. Good time to swoop in. Why I get the newsletters b/c inbetween all the weekly ads you get those notices.
As was said in another thread...you can do A LOT with some basic die shapes.
My problem with stamps sets (often expensive): They often have what I call "filler stuff" so they can boost the stamp count in the set to make it look like a better value. I just dont need 14 small "thinking of you's" ...or some weird little flower, or whatever. I often break sets and give that stuff away...so unless I get a good price related to the pieces left...I wont touch the set. Like I am only going to keep 3 images...so am I willing to pay that for those three? One good thing about Penny Black and Our Daily Bread...they both often offer main images on a stand alone basis.
Dies are what bother me the most. I don't see why the price is so high on them with some companies and others are priced very low in comparison. The item that comes to mind is from SU last year: Expressions Thinlits dies. Priced last year at...what...$25? Now on clearance for $15. Not a big seller at $25 so they clearance it out a year later...maybe it was not a big seller because $25 was too high. For the nesting stars...Spellbinders can be found on almost any website right now for around $18. Doing a quick Google search, Quickutz/Lifestyles nesting stars also, right around $18-19. SU nesting stars? $27. And I would guess that all 3 sets are off by a hair from one another. Meaning, the only ones that match up to the SU stamps are the SU framelits. I could be wrong...it has been known to happen ;) just a guess based on past experience.
__________________ "For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack" ~Rudyard Kipling my gallery
It's not politically correct, but I have been buying ribbon and other ephemera on eBay from China for pennies. We're talking 99 cents for 50 yards and free shipping. It takes a few weeks but I have never had a problem. With a global economy, wholesalers are not the only ones able to take advantage of Chinese prices.
__________________ Debbie "Make it work, people." - Tim Gunn My Gallery
How about punches? I still use a lot of the standard shapes..circles, scallop and ovals. I really like the EK success ones but cannot find standard shapes on websites. Stampin Up seems to be the only place. And they are costly there
Dies are what bother me the most. I don't see why the price is so high on them with some companies and others are priced very low in comparison. The item that comes to mind is from SU last year: Expressions Thinlits dies. Priced last year at...what...$25? Now on clearance for $15. Not a big seller at $25 so they clearance it out a year later...maybe it was not a big seller because $25 was too high. For the nesting stars...Spellbinders can be found on almost any website right now for around $18. Doing a quick Google search, Quickutz/Lifestyles nesting stars also, right around $18-19. SU nesting stars? $27. And I would guess that all 3 sets are off by a hair from one another. Meaning, the only ones that match up to the SU stamps are the SU framelits. I could be wrong...it has been known to happen ;) just a guess based on past experience.
I had the SU Gift Card Envelope & Trims Thinlits Die on my next order list. The other day I got to thinking, why do I want to pay $32.95 for this die set when I could make it with my envelope punch board..Hmmm... The finished size of the envie is listed in the mini, put the measurements into an envie calculator, made one and came out looking like the one in the mini. $32.95 was not worth the couple little dies that came with it. Have a punch and other small dies that will accomplish the same thing. I suspect this die set will be on the clearance rack some time down the road just like the Expressions Thinlits. Needless to say I took it off my order. I did notice with this current mini that SU dies seemed to be very pricey compared to the past.
The price of stamps and dies
