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gpwsbeaver wrote:

I hate to say it, but that is just what happens. Prices go up. I don't think the distributors are being greedy, I think its just inflation.

I don't know about Singapore, but here in the US, our $ is really weak compared to the JP Yen. 2 years ago it was 110 Yen to the $, now its about 85 Yen to the $. That means that everything I want to buy from Japan is going to cost 25% more simply due to the different exchange rate. If the SG$ is also going down vs the Yen, then that definitely explains why something imported from Japan costs so much more right now.

Anyone in the UK that regularly buys from my list knows what I am talking about-- the UK pound has lost value to the $ over the past year as well (personally I'm loving that, everything in the UK is on sale for me!)

Overall, in the US, the cost of a family of 4 Sylvanians has not increased significantly over the past 20 years. The MSRP (manufacturers suggested retail price) back in the late 80s was $20 for a family, and now its $22. That's only a 10% inflation increase over 20 years, or less than .5% per year. That's really low, as inflation in general is about 3-4% per year (and other things like gas and health care increase much much faster than that!)

So, even though it hurts to have to pay more for items, I can't agree that the change is too much. Sorry for the long explanation, but I have a bachelors in economics, a masters of business, and I work in the financial industry, so I eat and breathe this kind of stuff all day long.

Happy collecting,

Wendy

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