ilovefuzz.com

Tristan wrote:I don't even know what Smash Mouth is.

Taylor Livingston wrote:

Tristan wrote:Selling direct was to keep prices reasonable right, you can hardly call this affordable anymore, lotsa sad panda's.
I mean, $245 for a fuzz pedal with no extra / special options what so ever.
But hey, it sells, so I guess I must be wrong.

Well, ultimately if somebody thinks the pedals cost more than they want to pay for them, that's not something I can argue. There are lots of things I'd like to have, but which cost more than I want to pay, so I don't buy those things. Other people feel differently about either the value of that amount of money, or the value of the good or service, and that doesn't bother me. It's never occurred to me to go into shops where people sell their handmade goods, and tell them that they aren't affordable to me. These people are not doing wrong to me for charging what they do.

The pedals I make are really time-consuming and costly to make, and an Iron Ether pedal from 2015 is not the same as one from a few years ago. The costs of everything used in making them have gone up in the last 5 years, and I've put a ton of work and money into redesigning each pedal inside and out, and all the processes involved in making them, to improve them in a variety of ways over the years, and to eliminate sources of pollution from the manufacturing and finishing processes. So it isn't a higher price for the same product, but a higher price for what I would argue is a much better product that takes considerably more time and more money to build than it used to.

It's genuinely something I've spent a lot of time worrying about, regarding making things that are generally affordable. First, it's worth noting that any pedal over $100 is not affordable to most people on this planet, so it was already an impossible hope to begin with. Once I got a real sense of the finances, I found that if the prices didn't go up, IE was going to have to go out of business - that's the reality of trying to make high-quality, individually hand-painted things.

So, you've made your opinion on the value of the pedals clear, and I actually don't want to try to change your mind because you're not wrong - value will always be subjective. Now that everyone has heard your position, I'm hoping I can continue to post here to let people know about the pedals without each time being accused of gouging or however you may characterize it. You could even start a whole new thread to debate it with other folks if you felt like you needed to convince them these pedals are over-priced. I'll stay out of the thread if you'd like, as I've always stayed out of opinion threads regarding IE as I don't want people to feel like they can't criticize without the maker arguing. But I might edit your posts to make it look like you're trying to convince everybody that Smash Mouth is the best band ever or something.

Tristan wrote:Just bummed out and unpleasantly surprised about these price increases (a few years back they were about $195) and I thought it was worth noting that apparently the business model you went with in the long run can't sustain leveled prices.

...at the current exchange rate your $245 pedal including a shipping fee of $35 amounts to about €350 over here.

I wish all the best for Iron Ether and I hope it works out for you.

sylnau wrote:I understand your point Taylor.
But just to add to Tristan's comment.
It's the same here in Canada... with the money conversion rate I cannot get your pedals anymore.
I'm glad I've found a used Xero Deluxe for 160 CND.