What happened with Britax prices??

[Pepse]

:eek::thumbsdown:

OMG i go on vacation for 2 weeks and they raised their prices

Safetysuperstore has them for $329 for the Marathon and $369 for the Blvd.

WOW what are they thinking??

Are they trying to go out of busines??

With the economy right now, the new seats coming out that are matching their extras

I am floored

[canadiangie]

$329 for a Marathon is mind boggling.

That said, I do remember paying $349 for a MA about 4yrs ago. Of course that was back when Britax was one of the only ones offering a convertible with 17" top slots, and a ff limit past 40lbs. Back then it was "worth it", nowadays it's nearly laughable with so many great cost effective seats available to us.


I dunno...

[canmom]

I think their nuts! There is no friggin way I would buy a Britax today.... especially without a min of 35lbs rfing.

[Pepse]

When the Blvd came out it was $319 in August and now $50 More wowo

I got a steal on mine at $300 taxes in

I don't think I would run out and buy one right now and wouldn't recommend them too much

Good thing, we don't need any seats and will be able to pass on the Blvd and Radian to baby #3 eventually (not even pregnant yet lol)

[snowbird25ca]

I agree. They've lost a lot of customers with this price increase and it makes you wonder if a price increase is worth it when there's a significant decrease in sales? People who previously would've given serious thought to a MA when comparing seats aren't even looking at it anymore with it over the $300 mark. And people who buy the BLVD are buying it strictly for it's reputation. Which means that if Britax loses it's reputation, their seats will pretty much quit selling... nothing sets them apart from the competition anymore - not in an over $100 way.

Someone posted a link that the advocate is going to retail for $449. :eek: I think it's insane to even consider paying that much. (Just my very honest opinion. ;))

[K's Mama]

I think their nuts! There is no friggin way I would buy a Britax today.... especially without a min of 35lbs rfing.


Yup! When we bought DD's Marathon it was because it was the best available at the time - and I recommended them to everyone. Now, with all the new 35lb RF'ing seats - not a chance I would spend that kind of $$ on one.

[QuassEE]

It's like Las Vegas...they lost their Canadian customers, so now they're looking to Canada to bail them out. The difference is..you can get nice hotel rooms on the Las Vegas strip for $50/night vs $80+/night. Britax thinks that the bail out should come via increased prices or an equalization based on current exchange rates (which is probably how they're seeing it now..) What they're not taking into account is that Canadians still make significantly less than Americans, and Canadian products are (at the current exchange rates) generally cheaper than American products for Canadians to purchase.

I live on a border, and my dad is an economist. We have great discussions about things like this and how the taxes coming into Canada (and for companies within Canada) actually discourage business and therefore reduce income generated for our country. It's no different with Britax--an increase in prices relative to other great (perhaps now better) products out there will definitely result in decreased profit in the Canadian market.

It's time to market smarter, create smarter...not increase prices and decrease overhead.

Britax...the pricing strategy is shooting yourself in the foot in our market. You clearly don't know Canada, and you clearly have not addressed the two major issues holding you back in the Canadian marketplace. To add a third issue to the mix will hurt your sales here... Considering we've proven ourselves to be somewhat more recession-proof over this last few months, we might've been a great market to get you through your economic shift in the US...but now?

-Nicole.

[bubbaray]

Yeah, its pretty hard to justify a MA/Blvd now (are they still RFg to only 30lbs?) when the TF (RFg to 35lbs) is $150 "regularly on sale" at Zellers, KWIM? I love my MAs, but probably wouldn't shell out the increased price for them these days.

[snowbird25ca]

Yeah, its pretty hard to justify a MA/Blvd now (are they still RFg to only 30lbs?) when the TF (RFg to 35lbs) is $150 "regularly on sale" at Zellers, KWIM? I love my MAs, but probably wouldn't shell out the increased price for them these days.

Yes, still only rf'ing to 30lbs and that won't be changing so far as I'm aware.

[K's Mama]

Yes, still only rf'ing to 30lbs and that won't be changing so far as I'm aware.

That's what is really bugging me about Britax right now - they have no desire to *fix* the RF'ing limit to make them competitive with other seats, whereasThe First Years seems to have listened to complaints about their seats (the low adjuster strap) and has fixed it.

[lenats31]

To soothe you a bit, this is the kind of prices Europeans pay for car seats and some seats cost way more than that. This is for both FF seats and RF seats. This is not Britax seats only. We are talking about Maxo Cosi, Recaro, Graco, HTS BeSafe you name it. An Isofix FF seat 20-40 lbs costs about 2800 DKK. The US dollar (I know you live in canada so don´t pay with USD) is 1 dollar to app. 6 DKK with a little give and take. We do have a few cheaper seats. Unfortunately the quality of these seats matches the pricetag.

Lena

[snowbird25ca]

To soothe you a bit, this is the kind of prices Europeans pay for car seats and some seats cost way more than that. This is for both FF seats and RF seats. This is not Britax seats only. We are talking about Maxo Cosi, Recaro, Graco, HTS BeSafe you name it. An Isofix FF seat 20-40 lbs costs about 2800 DKK. The US dollar (I know you live in canada so don´t pay with USD) is 1 dollar to app. 6 DKK with a little give and take. We do have a few cheaper seats. Unfortunately the quality of these seats matches the pricetag.

Lena

I think if there was nobody that could compete with Britax we wouldn't complain. But Britax is falling lower and lower in terms of top harness height for convertibles in comparison to the competition, they have a 30lb rf'ing limit while other manufacturers are raising to 35lbs... they really just don't have anything that makes them "special" in comparison to the other high quality seats we have that are in the $150 to $200 price range.

And in the midst of that - they're raising the prices.

It doesn't make sense. At $299 people bought the MA. At $329 they're not buying it - and hardly even looking at it. The Britax name could convince them to spend $300, but that $30 increase - especially for those who had been looking just 6wks ago and realize that the price has jumped, is enough to be the deciding factor in a lot of cases and parents are going with the seat that costs $100 to $150 less. I would too. It's unlikely that I'll ever buy or own another Britax seat because I can't justify the price.

[Neatfreak]

I also paid $350 for a Marathon in 2004, and it will need to be replaced in 2010. Another Marathon makes sense in that I will have spare covers, but I'm really not sure that those spare covers will be compelling enough ...

[lenats31]

Nothing sets Britax seats apart from the rest in Europe. They are still in business here. This is the way it has been for years. perhaps it is because people know that they get what they pay for. Still there are several brands here that produce really good car seats. But despite this, Britax is still doing well in Europe. The same goes for the other good brands.

Lena

[snowbird25ca]

Nothing sets Britax seats apart from the rest in Europe. They are still in business here. This is the way it has been for years. perhaps it is because people know that they get what they pay for. Still there are several brands here that produce really good car seats. But despite this, Britax is still doing well in Europe. The same goes for the other good brands.

Lena

Perhaps the difference is that Britax isn't keeping up with the competition and could be said to be being left behind by the competition, but they're more expensive than the competition.

Britax also hasn't been around in Canada as long as Europe though, so there is less of a base of customers here. I doubt that they're at a point where people will pay however much extra just to have a Britax seat. Why pay more and get less? Parents don't get what they pay for with a Britax seat anymore, which may be why the price increase is so frustrating.

It does suck how much you guys have to pay for all seats in Europe though.

I just realized, the MA is $100 more than a Radian now. I wouldn't be surprised if Radian sales increase.

[QuassEE]

Are Britax USA and Britax UK/Europe separate companies at this point? I know Britax USA had a buy-out a while back, but I wasn't sure of the specifics there.. If so, it's like comparing apples and oranges... I do know that their structures are completely different and there has been no product sharing since the BabySafe...although designs continue to look similar, so there must be something going on.

For all intents and purposes, I do believe we are comparing apples and oranges. Different management, different processes, different seats...for the most part.

I've been a passionate Britax fan since before the Marathon arrived... I loved the HWC and the Roundabout in the early days... But honestly, as my Frontier collects dust and I have a second seat with buckle tongues cutting through webbing in less than a year.. I'm starting to doubt them. I still have a good 12 of their seats, too.

-Nicole.

[bubbaray]

they really just don't have anything that makes them "special" in comparison to the other high quality seats we have that are in the $150 to $200 price range.



Well, except the wide assortment of covers you can get, especially if you are willing to "import" a Britax cover "off label" from the USA.

I mean, if Sunshine Kids came out with a Cowmoo or Denim cover, their sales would skyrocket. You can't throw a stick out here without hitting a Cowmoo MA.

[amyd]

Our current Marathon will be our last Britax seat, most likely. In fact, I'm regretting buying it now. I bought a TF a few weeks ago & wish I'd gotten that 6 months ago instead of the MA. I get asked frequently for seat recommendations & if a convertible is needed, I almost always recommend a TF now.

[hipmaman]

Back in 1999-2000 when I had no choice (and the FP Safe Embrace was being re-modelled to the FPSE ii), I had shelled out $350/ea (and tax) for 2 Roundabouts. But that was when I had NO choices for good reliable carseats in Canada.

As much as I love Britax seats (personally), I am starting to get ticked off.

Whenever I send someone to Britax to get clear opinions on the 32" rf limit in Canada, they would be told Britax encourages extended rf so yeah go ahead and use it beyond 32" for your child. Why then they don't fix it officially?

Why isn't it already 35 lbs or even 33 lbs rf as it used to be? Hmmm, I'm taking a wild guess here but maybe it can't because of testing. Who knows? Why is Britax so slow (if they are even making an attempt) to make these changes?

Really 30 lbs and 32" rf limit and it if I tell parents to follow manufacturer's instructions a baby would be turned ff so fast due to the ridiculous 32". And I tell a parent to go with the 1" rule, what if they get into a collision and insurance won't cover the replacement of the seat because they used it against manufacturer's instructions.

Talk about flip floping.

And I do get that innovations cost money and customers do end up paying/sharing the cost of product development and research. I get it. But really, to hike the prices in this time of economic turmoil??? Really? There are now choices out there other than Britax seats. Better economical choices with not shabby safety features.

Who does market research at Britax? First no dedicated booster, then hiking prices in Canada, what's next?

Vent over.

[Adventuredad]

Britax is owned by a private equity company, difficult to say how well they are doing. It looks to me as if they are doing great. They have by far the best reputation in the market for safety.

I think their price increase might be a move to distinguish them further from competition. I the 90's they did a similar move which was a huge success. It was back when Britax was small and no one would pay more than $99 for a car seat. Quality, colors, etc was also poor. Britax then come out with cool colors and new seats which were far better than competition. The seats really set them apart from competition. I know the guy who was in charge of sales back then, it's a funny story.

He went to stores and told them seat would be $169 or something similar and that in 6 months it would be their bestseller. Everyone laughed but after a while the seats were selling like crazy and was a huge success for Britax. Parents noticed seats were different and were willing to pay far more for them. This when customers started associating Britax with safety. Even today, Britax=Safety. I think there are many other good seats out there but customers still hold Britax very highly.

Things are different now so we'll see how the strategy works out

It does suck how much you guys have to pay for all seats in Europe though.

I couldn't disagree with you more. Very few are complaining about car seat prices here. Paying $390 for a Britax Multi Tech which can be used rf until 55 lbs and age 5-6 and used as a booster until age 8 is IMHO a bargain. Paying $390 for a seat which is used for 8 years is great value.

Or $310 for the amazing Britax Hi-Way, rf to 55 lbs. which most parents use rf until 4+.

We always want things to be cheaper but I think everyone over here agrees that the value for the money is great.

[snowbird25ca]

Britax is owned by a private equity company, difficult to say how well they are doing. It looks to me as if they are doing great. They have by far the best reputation in the market for safety.

I think their price increase might be a move to distinguish them further from competition. I the 90's they did a similar move which was a huge success. It was back when Britax was small and no one would pay more than $99 for a car seat. Quality, colors, etc was also poor. Britax then come out with cool colors and new seats which were far better than competition. The seats really set them apart from competition. I know the guy who was in charge of sales back then, it's a funny story.

He went to stores and told them seat would be $169 or something similar and that in 6 months it would be their bestseller. Everyone laughed but after a while the seats were selling like crazy and was a huge success for Britax. Parents noticed seats were different and were willing to pay far more for them. This when customers started associating Britax with safety. Even today, Britax=Safety. I think there are many other good seats out there but customers still hold Britax very highly.

Things are different now so we'll see how the strategy works out


Pretty darn crazy marketing strategy if that's what it is. The parents around here are more carseat savvy and obsessive than most parents, and if we're saying we think it's over priced and not worth it, it's unlikely the average parent is going to think it's worth it. Britax is falling behind on the curve in Canada. They have lower top harness slots than 4 other seats - all of which are less expensive than them - some by more than half. They have a 30lb rf'ing limit and 32" height limit still - compared to 35lbs and 1" rule on another, and 35lbs on 2 others - all of which also are in the higher top harness slots group. Britax can't keep up with weight limits, and isn't willing to review the height limit. I can't say it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy about why I should pay more for their seats.

The Britax name is not the same here as it is in Europe. Raising the price isn't going to make it more popular, it's going to mean less people will put themselves out to buy it - especially when we have arguably superior seats available at lower prices. Many parents are buying for more than one vehicle. And that adds up - for some families you're now talking the difference of hundreds of dollars - enough to buy groceries for a month for a family of 3 - to put it in perspective.

So if this really is a marketing strategy, I think whoever did it is smoking pot. :whistle: It's shooting themselves in the foot in a time when consumers are already significantly cutting back on their spending.

As a tech I can't recommend one seat over another, but I will tell you that when I'm at work and someone asks me if Britax is worth the extra money, I have no problems telling them no - unless it's the only seat that meets their needs. And it's honestly what I believe. I won't pay $130 for a name unless that seat is the only one that can meet my needs. It's ridiculous to pay that much extra in my bluntly honest opinion if you don't have to. (And it is a very rare occasion where the MA/BLVD etc are the obvious only choice.)

(And I know that I have read multiple complaints on the forum here over the years about the price of seats in Europe in comparison to North America. Yes, there are different seats available there, but it doesn't mean people in Europe don't want to be able to safely restrain their kids for less than $300 or $400. :twocents: )