Here is what I want to know; (I am not an economist although I have taken several classes in it).
The Euro just dropped to it's lowest level in several years, about 25 percent lower than 5 or 6 years ago.
Double rifle prices from the Eurozone, however, continue to rise; not reflecting a dollar to Euro change at all.
Why is this? I keep waiting for Heyms to drop to a reasonable price level- in line with the other makers like Merkel and Chapuis, but it ain't happening. None of them are dropping; they rise.
I guess I am missing something.

Supply and demand?

unbridled greed would be my guess...

Hmmm; hand crafted luxury items are not usually affected by supply and demand like mass produced goods are; they cost about the same amount to make no matter what the demand is, given enough demand to cover fixed costs. BUT, on the other hand, a rise in demand could prompt makers to keep prices steady, in dollars, regardless of what the Euro does. This needs an Econ case study by a grad student.
I think demand has been steady over the past 6 years though. Greed? Most likely.

One must also think of current owners. If the factory reduces the cost(us dollar)of all models, current owners would then be automatically loosing value on their rifles.

Introducing a new model is a different story.

Taxes in Europe
It's simply predatory overthere
They are the greediest politicians/liberals there
That's Europe for ya

They aint gonna get any cheaper. Buy what you want now and enjoy it.
None of us are getting any younger.

Those $7500 Merkels (NIB) posted a couple weeks ago argue against your point. I think the Euro at 1.10 or better in coming years is a decent possibility so look for pretty stagnant new rifle prices over 2015-2016.

Good point on the Merks but they have always been good values.

Buy the gun in Europe using Euros purchased with strong dollars. If you are looking for the US Heym or Merkel dealer to drop their prices you are wasting your time. Check out Frankonian or any of the other major sporting retailers.

quote:

Originally posted by Macs B:
Buy the gun in Europe using Euros purchased with strong dollars. If you are looking for the US Heym or Merkel dealer to drop their prices you are wasting your time. Check out Frankonian or any of the other major sporting retailers.

How would a person order a Heym built to their specifications through a company like Frankonian?
PS: Cant even find Frankonian doing a google search

Even if you did get a discount the flight to Europe would eat up any savings. Just order the rifle from Chris and be done with it. My Heym is the only double I own that will never be sold unless my physical condition changes and I am unable to shoot it.

Waffen Frankonia; it is not hard to import rifles from Germany.
So, what I hear is that the US importers are the ones gobbling up the benefits from the low Euro.
What I see is that the Euro dropped 25 percent and the prices did not; someone is getting the difference and it is not the consumer.

dpcd,
Have you contacted Chris at Heym for a firm price quote?

Sometimes its not as easy as you think. I didn't see any people bitching when the Euro was pretty high and Heym prices didn't go up.

Its called price stability. You dont see Mercedes, Audi, or any other of the big ticket builders changing their prices every time the euro/dollar changes.

Not lately but his prices did not materially change over the past 6 years as the Euro was falling. I am just doing math; the Euro goes down against the dollar. The goods are priced in Euros. I should be able to buy more of them. And prices should not be stable unless the Euro is pegged against the dollar like the Chinese Yuan is. Stuff from China never goes up or down.
Cars are different; they are supported by a network of importers and dealers; they aren't built to order. And I am also sure that someone is benefiting from the exchange rate difference; it is just not the consumer. I used to import parts from Italy; we paid in Euros and the price changed all the time.

quote:

Originally posted by Snowwolfe:

quote:

Originally posted by Macs B:
Buy the gun in Europe using Euros purchased with strong dollars. If you are looking for the US Heym or Merkel dealer to drop their prices you are wasting your time. Check out Frankonian or any of the other major sporting retailers.

How would a person order a Heym built to their specifications through a company like Frankonian?
PS: Cant even find Frankonian doing a google search

Even if you did get a discount the flight to Europe would eat up any savings. Just order the rifle from Chris and be done with it. My Heym is the only double I own that will never be sold unless my physical condition changes and I am unable to shoot it.

Its a big world out there, try google.de for a german search engine, the translate this page function will help as well. If you can't find your rifle, look for a "heym dopple buchs" or double rifle. You can order anything made in Europe through a major retailers like Frankonia. If you are looking for a truly bespoke rifle then you are going to need to get on a plane. I was under the impression that ordering a Heym from Heym USA you were looking for a typical export rifle.

Yes, that seems to be the way to go; I have bought rifles from Germany but they were used ones. It is not that hard to do; just need some paperwork approved at both ends. And a few months wait. With a monopoly like Krieghoff and Heym USA. it is impossible to know what the rifles actually cost and what the profit actually is. I hate that the middlemen are soaking up all the savings derived from monetary exchange rates, but it is a free market economy. The Merkel deals might be an exception. Anyway, I was just curious how others viewed it.

The stuff that is already here won't change, but maybe a year from now, you may see some difference.
Took that long when the Cdn buck went up to the par area. They don't waste any time when it drops against the US buck though. Same way from over there. You want the new exchange advantage, buy new orders over there, not off the shelf stock over here.This kind of stuff doesn't move that fast off the shelves over here, 99% of it was at the old exchange rate and was paid for at that rate. I expect the Merkel prices are an on hand stock dump.

Guys,

Some years ago I was involved in trying to make a buck marketing Heym firearms in the US. I faced a similar problem as Chris, except in reverse. This was prior to the adoption of the Euro and Germany was still using the Deutschmark. My problem was determining the price structure for the year with a weak falling dollar against a strong rising DM. What I really wanted to do was use the menu approach and print "market price" on the price lists. Unfortunately, the customers did not like that approach. Added, they were reluctant to order a rifle with a few months lead time without a firm delivery price. I don't blame them, but my dilemma was guessing what the conversion rate might be 90 days or so later. Sometimes I guessed correctly and made a buck or two. Other times, my guess missed the mark (no pun intended) and I made nothing or even lost a buck or two. Currency fluctuations are very difficult to predict, if not impossible. Perhaps Chris might earn back what he lost when the Euro was going in the other direction against the dollar. I'm here to tell you that I lost a lot of sleep due to fluctuations in the value of the DM against the USD.

Makes a lot of sense; bear in mind that I have nothing against any importer or dealer trying to make money. My question and comments are not directed at anyone at all. I just have to save money wherever I can and the Euro drop looks like a good place to do it. What I really want is to order another Chapuis; they should be less than the past couple of years.