Hi!
I'm the Western Canadian Lauscha distributor. I can straighten out some questions regarding Lauscha pricing. The Lauscha factory charges the same price to all distributors/dealers all over the world. It's up to the individual dealer/distributor to set their own price. They do not charge extra for new colors, but if we want to get the "club" colors, we're not allowed to sell it for 3 months after Marcie has received hers. I was told we could sell the Supernova on December 15th. (according to Lauscha, that was exactly 3 months after Marcie received hers). Apparently they've increased it to 4 months now. I just received the Supernova in two different shades. It will be priced at the same price as Lauscha Lady (as is all my Lauscha glass).
Prices depend a lot on:
1. Cost of shipping from Germany (quite costly) Depending on what freight carrier used, the price can vary a lot. Also, the distance from Germany to the supplier varies, as does the cost per unit.
2. Difference in the Euro to either U.S. or Canadian Funds. As the U.S.dollar has had quite a rocky time last year, it's quite conceivable that Marcie's price was higher than we paid in Canada due to this. Our dollar has been quite strong since May 06.
3. Individual dealer/distributor markups.
Lauscha has just announced that their prices will go up Jan 1st, but even so, Lauscha glass is incredible, and worth the money. Have you seen their translucent reds???
Marcie is doing a wonderful thing for Lauscha glass itself, increasing awareness and bringing new colors to the world. It is a lot of work to receive a Lauscha shipment, weigh it and bundle it (we also have to cut it into 13" lengths, though the club glass arrives already cut - Lauscha does it only for the club) If Marcie had to cut it all, it would take a lot longer to get it to you. It's unfortunate that there have been a few problems, but that's always the case in starting a new business. I trust that she will straighten everything out, and get everything flowing so that there are no problems in the future.
Having said that, Glass Daddy has been working very hard for many years to bring awareness about Lauscha glass, and he deserves huge kudos for all that he's done. Grace (Lauscha Lady) has also done a wonderful job of bringing Lauscha to the world. I suggest that everyone support all the dealers, we want to keep them all around! As a dealer, I support Frantz Art Glass, Arrow Springs, Lauscha, Rocio Glass, Double Helix, Don McKinney kilns, and the list goes on...... I try to give everyone a bit of my business. The more suppliers out there, the better!
Hope this helped,
Kathy Walters
Bedrock Supply Ltd.
Canada
P.S. If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to contact me directly at
kathy@bedrocksupply.ca