Ping price raise?

[Grand Stranded]

It’s funny, for the last 7 or 8 years the only Ping club I bought was the G400 Max driver, yet in the last week, I’ve bought a Kushion 4.0 putter, two Glide 3.0 wedges and I’m waiting on a 425 Max driver.
Their equipment is great, but they’ve been incredibly inept (or disingenuous?) since covid began. No other OEM has been close. It’s hard to imagine them getting through all of this without taking a huge hit to their reputation and bottom line.

 

[Jman]

My biggest question if I had the chance to sit face to face with them would be why they raised the price of a product that has been out for quite a while to begin with? If they made say, 100,000 units that began shipping at original release date, why they decided to raise the sale price of the remaining inventory? Or did they perform better than they originally estimated and on now their second batch, these prices are what are going up due to the rising costs?

Honestly, it’s because they believe their die hard fan base will give them a pass. We shall see.

 

[Templet0n]

Wilson going the other direction. Haha.

 

[mantan]

Honestly, it’s because they believe their die hard fan base will give them a pass. We shall see.

I've been a PING fan and I've always had their clubs in my bag in some sort of fashion. My G410 hybrid head flew off at the range a few weeks ago. I needed it for a tournament and bit the bullet and bought a G425 hybrid. If was at the outer limit of what I was willing to spend...especially replacing a club that failed. If it would have been after 9/7 and cost over $300, I absolutely would have bought a different club.

 

[Grand Stranded]

After thinking about this a bit more, here’s where I am with this..
Am I happy about waiting two months for my G425Max driver? No, but it performed better than anything Cally, Titleist or Taylormade did, so I’ll wait.
As for this price increase? At the end of the day, Ping is now more in line with the other OEMs. My 425 driver was $30 cheaper than an Epic Max. (Although to be fair, I got my Epic on CPO in new condition for $340)
In my opinion, companies like Ping and PXG never get a lot of love from those who run golf message boards because they aren’t sponsors on the sites. I don’t blame them,there’s no reason to push their product over a sponsor’s. That’s smart business.
These are challenging times, I don’t think we’ve seen the end of price increases. The other OEMs are having similar issues and will raise their prices also. Inflation, and the broken down supply chain are real. Just don’t hold your breath waiting for prices to come down when things ease up…

 

[nostatic]

So how much is the new Callaway Super Epic Hybrid?

And while the i59 is $250/club, the i210 and G425 irons have been $125/club, which is cheaper than many other OEM irons. So Ping is either crazy expensive or a bargain

The other OEMs will follow suit until people stop buying then they'll drop. But if people keep buying, why would they drop prices?

 

[Jman]

So how much is the new Callaway Super Epic Hybrid?

And while the i59 is $250/club, the i210 and G425 irons have been $125/club, which is cheaper than many other OEM irons. So Ping is either crazy expensive or a bargain

The other OEMs will follow suit until people stop buying then they'll drop. But if people keep buying, why would they drop prices?

How does the release price of another club, one they admit to being super niche at that, have any impact on another raising their prices after months on the market?

 

[nostatic]

How does the release price of another club, one they admit to being super niche at that, have any impact on another raising their prices after months on the market?

When people are invoking a general complaint about rising prices, seems a relevant reference point. Certainly more on-point than the price of commodities like gas but ymmv.

"mid-product cycle" price increases are happening in pretty much every sector, especially in supply-constrained markets. While Ping raising price on a prior (but still current) model may seem odd, seems that is more due to using a 2019 lens on the 2021 economy.

Plus I am old enough to remember the 70's - and 1981 when the average mortgage rate was 16% (if you really want to get into the inflationary weeds). I stand by my last original point - people can vote with their feet, but if they don't, prices aren't going down.

 

[Grand Stranded]

How does the release price of another club, one they admit to being super niche at that, have any impact on another raising their prices after months on the market?

You’re assuming those heads already have shafts, and grips attached, they’re assembled and ready to go. They’re not. Even if they have the heads (in the case of the 410) the shafts and grips are not only in short supply, they’re now more expensive. My G425 Max head has been sitting and waiting for a Distanza shaft for 7 weeks now.
Nobody is saying this is a good look for Ping, but for whatever reason, they’ve been hit harder by this pandemic than most OEMs. I doubt this move is based on greed alone. I also don’t believe they’re going to be the only OEM to do this, they’re just the first.
Im not going to defend Ping anymore than that however, I think they’ve been a mess as far as explaining to their customers whats been happening with their situation. What I am saying though is unless you want to take a look at the prices Callaway, Mizuno and Taylormade are charging for clubs, let’s slow down on what Ping is charging.

 

[JB]

You’re assuming those heads already have shafts, and grips attached, they’re assembled and ready to go. They’re not. Even if they have the heads (in the case of the 410) the shafts and grips are not only in short supply, they’re now more expensive.

couple of questions. Do you have a source for this increase of shaft and grip cost? Wouldn’t this impact all OEMs the same if the increase was based on components of shafts and grips?

 

[Grand Stranded]

couple of questions. Do you have a source for this increase of shaft and grip cost? Wouldn’t this impact all OEMs the same if the increase was based on components of shafts and grips?

One of my neighbors manages the local PGASS here in Myrtle Beach.
Theyre paying more for everything. Shafts grips, etc. and guess what? They still can’t get any.
where they would normally have 3-400 cases of grips in their stock, as of yesterday they had 21.
Try and order a MD5 wedge… no shafts.
Taylormade has literally pulled the newly released mini drivers out of retail stores because they won’t have heads until at least March.
Titleist ran out of grips months ago, now can’t get shafts.
I could go on and tell you more stories, like the OEMs scrambling to open factories in other countries like Vietnam, only to see them closed because of covid issues, but I think you get my point.
You’re being incredibly naive if you think items in such short supply are going to remain the same price, and you have to know that OEMs aren’t our friends, they’re going to pass on added costs to consumers until said consumer stops consuming what is a luxury item.

 

[nostatic]

couple of questions. Do you have a source for this increase of shaft and grip cost? Wouldn’t this impact all OEMs the same if the increase was based on components of shafts and grips?

Raw material costs have gone way up (sources below). If those increases have not found their way to the intermediate products yet (e.g. shafts, grips), then they will, probably sooner rather than later. Could be that Ping sees the handwriting on the wall and is choosing to increase proactively at the end of the season rather than wait and implement it in '22. They also clearly have demand outstripping supply which is going impact pricing models. Apparently all OEMs have been impacted by shortages, anecdotally it seems Ping may be worse than others. That could be due to a lot of factors - heavier dependence on JIT assembly, single-source reliance, differential labor shortages, etc.

Not a lof ot MBA courses on Navigating Manufacturing in a Non-Essential Industry During a Pandemic.

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The global leader in commercial intelligence for the energy, metals and mining industries, providing objective analysis and advice on assets, companies and markets.

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[Grand Stranded]

Raw material costs have gone way up (sources below). If those increases have not found their way to the intermediate products yet (e.g. shafts, grips), then they will, probably sooner rather than later. Could be that Ping sees the handwriting on the wall and is choosing to increase proactively at the end of the season rather than wait and implement it in '22. They also clearly have demand outstripping supply which is going impact pricing models. Apparently all OEMs have been impacted by shortages, anecdotally it seems Ping may be worse than others. That could be due to a lot of factors - heavier reliance on JIT assembly, single-source reliance, differential labor shortages, etc.

Not a lof ot MBA courses on Navigating Manufacturing in a Non-Essential Industry During a Pandemic.

Steel prices are up 200%. When will the bubble pop?

The benchmark price for hot-rolled steel hit another all-time high last week, climbing to $1,825. Here's why. When will the steel bubble pop? Prices are up over 200% Steel prices are up 200%. When will the bubble pop?

fortune.com

Metals & Mining

The global leader in commercial intelligence for the energy, metals and mining industries, providing objective analysis and advice on assets, companies and markets.

roskill.com

Rubber price monthly 2023 | Statista

As of June 2023, the average global price of rubber was 1.53 U.S.

www.statista.com

Not to mention rubber and tungsten shortages, or that the price of a shipping container has gone up nearly tenfold.

 

[JB]

One of my neighbors manages the local PGASS here in Myrtle Beach.
Theyre paying more for everything. Shafts grips, etc. and guess what? They still can’t get any.
where they would normally have 3-400 cases of grips in their stock, as of yesterday they had 21.
Try and order a MD5 wedge… no shafts.
Taylormade has literally pulled the newly released mini drivers out of retail stores because they won’t have heads until at least March.
Titleist ran out of grips months ago, now can’t get shafts.
I could go on and tell you more stories, like the OEMs scrambling to open factories in other countries like Vietnam, only to see them closed because of covid issues, but I think you get my point.
You’re being incredibly naive if you think items in such short supply are going to remain the same price, and you have to know that OEMs aren’t are friends, they’re going to pass on added costs to consumers Until said consumer stops consuming What is a luxury item.

Retail stores paying more for components is not quite the same thing, nor did I say anything will remain the same price. Seeing prices for some 2022 already and increases are coming to some brands. Yet seeing a company raise price mid stream is not common, and some would argue this is a first in modern releases. And if it were solely placed on shaft and grip cost, it would be constant across the brands. Having spoken to Ping about it, (among other brands) the cost of components was not something said, so was curious if the source.

 

[JB]

Raw material costs have gone way up (sources below). If those increases have not found their way to the intermediate products yet (e.g. shafts, grips), then they will, probably sooner rather than later. Could be that Ping sees the handwriting on the wall and is choosing to increase proactively at the end of the season rather than wait and implement it in '22. They also clearly have demand outstripping supply which is going impact pricing models. Apparently all OEMs have been impacted by shortages, anecdotally it seems Ping may be worse than others. That could be due to a lot of factors - heavier dependence on JIT assembly, single-source reliance, differential labor shortages, etc.

Not a lof ot MBA courses on Navigating Manufacturing in a Non-Essential Industry During a Pandemic.

Steel prices are up 200%. When will the bubble pop?

The benchmark price for hot-rolled steel hit another all-time high last week, climbing to $1,825. Here's why. When will the steel bubble pop? Prices are up over 200% Steel prices are up 200%. When will the bubble pop?

fortune.com

Metals & Mining

The global leader in commercial intelligence for the energy, metals and mining industries, providing objective analysis and advice on assets, companies and markets.

roskill.com

Rubber price monthly 2023 | Statista

As of June 2023, the average global price of rubber was 1.53 U.S.

www.statista.com

Again, nobody said a thing about materials not going up in price. This was about only a single brand raising prices (so far) mid stream.

If this were solely a grip and shaft issue, PXG wouldnt be having a fire sale.

 

[Grand Stranded]

Retail stores paying more for components is not quite the same thing, nor did I say anything will remain the same price. Seeing prices for some 2022 already and increases are coming to some brands. Yet seeing a company raise price mid stream is not common, and some would argue this is a first in modern releases. And if it were solely placed on shaft and grip cost, it would be constant across the brands. Having spoken to Ping about it, (among other brands) the cost of components was not something said, so was curious if the source.

Honestly, Ping has been a disaster since covid began A lot of it isnt their fault, but a lot of it is. They’ve had no transparency at all with customers who have placed orders months ago.
Again, I’m not defending this increase, but They aren’t a Callaway or Taylormade, they arent releasing new product every year. The 425 line came out in February are they supposed to hold the price for two years when they’re losing margin?
I’ll use Callaway as an example here. They can hold the price on the Apex line another 4 months, then raise the price on the ne Rogue line in January to make up the difference. Ping can’t do that, the 425’s and whatever will be out for another 18 months.

 

[nostatic]

Again, nobody said a thing about materials not going up in price. This was about only a single brand raising prices (so far) mid stream.

If this were solely a grip and shaft issue, PXG wouldnt be having a fire sale.

Which is why I said:

Could be that Ping sees the handwriting on the wall and is choosing to increase proactively at the end of the season rather than wait and implement it in '22. They also clearly have demand outstripping supply which is going impact pricing models. Apparently all OEMs have been impacted by shortages, anecdotally it seems Ping may be worse than others. That could be due to a lot of factors - heavier dependence on JIT assembly, single-source reliance, differential labor shortages, etc.

Why Ping did it is a question Ping can answer (but likely won't - at least not all the reasons), others can only speculate about.

 

[JB]

Honestly, Ping has been a disaster since covid began A lot of it isnt their fault, but a lot of it is. They’ve had no transparency at all with customers who have placed orders months ago.
Again, I’m not defending this increase, but They aren’t a Callaway or Taylormade, they arent releasing new product every year. The 425 line came out in February are they supposed to hold the price for two years when they’re losing margin?
I’ll use Callaway as an example here. They can hold the price on the Apex line another 4 months, then raise the price on the ne Rogue line in January to make up the difference. Ping can’t do that, the 425’s and whatever will be out for another 18 months.

Ping doesn’t release at 24 months. They replace at 18 months now. And they do have new products every year. Your analogy said apex. Apex is in line for 24 months. If they raised the price of that line right now, with no transparency, they would be getting blasted for it. Raising a new product price I believe most are expecting. Cost of goods is not static. Raising in line and being the first to do so, and offering no explanation publicly is where many take issue. Using a retail partner and blaming it on components is something I would struggle to support.

 

[Grand Stranded]

Ping doesn’t release at 24 months. They replace at 18 months now. And they do have new products every year. Your analogy said apex. Apex is in line for 24 months. If they raised the price of that line right now, with no transparency, they would be getting blasted for it. Raising a new product price I believe most are expecting. Cost of goods is not static. Raising in line and being the first to do so, and offering no explanation publicly is where many take issue. Using a retail partner and blaming it on components is something I would struggle to support.

I get what you’re saying, believe me. I also hate that I’m coming off here as a defender of Ping.
I’m merely trying to explain why I think they did this. Its probably as bad a look as a company can have, so unless there is incredible hubris involved, I’d think this move was made out of necessit, maybe even desperation.
ive never bought into this belief that it’s a demand issue, and a lot of people are lining up to wait 3 months for a set of irons. I think Ping may be struggling right now.

 

[Scorp]

It's market value. If you owned a bunch of gold for years are you supposed to sell it for what you paid or the current market rate? What happens when gas prices drop, are they supposed to not drop the price on their current inventory as well? They can keep it high, but no one would buy it. Ping decided they needed to raise prices due to the current economy. No one is being forced to buy them.

The price of gold isn't the same. I've been in gold markets where the current price of gold is checked daily to see whether it changed. The difference there is that there's room to haggle in the shop. Try that at the gas station. Ain't gonna happen. And honestly, that's not my business. I'm a typical consumer. Sell me gas at the lowest price. Don't make me pay more than a nearby station or I'll go there. They have better soda selection and coffee anyway. I'm just complaining.:confused2:

I'm not overly bothered that PING raised the price of their product. So what if it's been out for a while. A lot of things are going on that are making for strange bedfellows. I personally think part of it is a money grab to make up for lost revenue when covid had shut everything down. :confused2: Got to try to make hay while the sun shines. But PING has never been on my OEM radar. I've always incorrectly considered them as overpriced... now, unfortunately, their prices are more inline with other OEMs...

And, if this spreads to the rest of the golf OEMs, I'll do what I've done in the past: keep what I have for 10 years; shop on the secondary market; find a cheaper alternative to the clubs I want, and complain.

 

[Brucem609]

For me. I play Ping. I have played my beat golf with Ping products, ever si ce the Eye 2 series.
Weather they are transparent about their price increase or not is irrelevant to the topic. The price is going up. What bothers me the most is-the price increase on product that is in the stores currently! I could understand on new orders, but then again maybe I don’t fully understand how retail stores pay for clubs.
I just purchased a Ping G425 5 wood, and I really like it. I generally do trades when I get a new (not always brand new) club, so the actual retail price is lower due to this.
I will continue to buy Ping, as long as they are not exorbitantly more expensive (like PXG used to be).
Pricing is going up on everything,

 

[Grand Stranded]

I’m not seeing the Ping price increase on any golf websites this morning?

 

[erock9174]

Is the price increase on the g410 line only or g425 line as well ? What about older clubs still in their lineup like the i210’s ?

I just got an email from GlobalGolf and it said last chance to save on G410 line. No mention of any other ping lines.

 

[Ludin]

I am not surprised by price increases at all with everything going on. Year to Date inflation in the US is 5.4%. Boil that down to our money is going less far then at the beginning of the year. Tie in the fact those of us who are employed when it comes annual raise time we are needing to see larger then usual raises just to keep up with price pressure. I predict employers are going to see larger turnover levels in 2022 with employees trying catch up their compensation levels which has a direct impact on businesses providing their goods and services. Caught in a vicious cycle right now.