What accounts for the constant and extreme price swings on resources?

For instance, been watching the NIVAC with interest, am considering on buying it once I can get the funds. When I started watching it, it was $599.99 on 8/26/2020. Came down slightly after I purchased Jeremiah - Lamentations on 9/23/2020 to $590.33. On 10/3/2020 it came down to $424.36 and it looked like I was going to be able to purchase it in about a month. Today (11/7) I checked the price before purchase and it was $953.59 (A JUMP OF OVER $500!) . . . can't buy it now. Many other resources I am tracking to purchase on Logos is just like this.

I have come to the conclusion that there is absolutely no predictability or stability on pricing in LOGOS . . . a total spinning of the wheel, where she stops, nobody knows. Logos needs an app so we can track pricing of all the resources we plan on purchasing in one place and when those resources hit our price point, we pull the trigger. I am sorry to say this, but these wild gyrations in pricing borders on being able to be called unethical business practices if they don't provide an app or way to track pricing on resources we want.

How does a resource rise $500 in a month?

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Comments

Kenneth Neighoff

If it was on sale last month that could account for the price swing.

MJ. Smith

I have come to the conclusion that there is absolutely no predictability or stability on pricing in LOGOS . .

I see this as evidence that Faithlife customers are like JCPenny's customers. Do you remember when JCPenny's tried to simply lower prices and cut back on sales as a way to compete with Walmart et. al.? It was a catastrophe. Their clientele wanted sales. Faithlife appears to have a marketing plan based on sales and from the anticipation of the sales on the forums, I suspect they have read us correctly. However, other things also affect the price of series:

as more volumes are released, the contents of the series changes and hence the price.
as contracts expire and are renegotiated, the costs to Faithlife may change and hence the price.

Paul Lufkin

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1133736#Comment_1133736

I get the sale pricing, I get it and appreciate it. What I don't get is the price started out at $590.33 and THEN it went on sale for $424.36. So full price went from $590.33 to $953.59. That is the issue . . . the wild price swings up and down makes it easy for someone to say, well it went on sale. It was not originally on sale . . . they just raised the price from the original price.

Of course all this could be avoided if they had a way to track all your desired resources in one place. That way you could check daily. Do they do this?

Paul Lufkin

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1133742#Comment_1133742

Did the NIVAC undergo recently what you are talking about? Any evidence to this effect would buttress your point and the price rise not seemingly be random.

MJ. Smith

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1133744#Comment_1133744

Did the NIVAC undergo recently what you are talking about?

I'm too lazy to check if the contents changed; I am not privy to FL contracts with publishers.

John Simpson

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1133747#Comment_1133747

I'm not sure about Logos, but Wordsearch used to talk about short term publisher discounts that were passed on to the customer. An email from 2018 said:

Starting Monday, October 8, we have some products that rarely go on sale by the publisher Zondervan and will only run through October 15.

NIV Application Commentary - Old and New Testament

PetahChristian

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1133743#Comment_1133743

What I don't get is the price started out at ...

If you look at the NIVAC order box, there's a "Dynamic price" (or "Dynamic sale price") tooltip that you can display by hovering over the linked text. This should help breakdown the basis for the current price.

Of course all this could be avoided if they had a way to track all your desired resources in one place. That way you could check daily. Do they do this?

You can setup wish lists for your account, add items to the list, then sort the list by price and check daily.

Jan Krohn has also setup a price alert service at his website which can notify you by email when a resource's price drops below a limit that you set.

PetahChristian

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1133750#Comment_1133750

I'm not sure about Logos, but Wordsearch used to talk about short term publisher discounts that were passed on to the customer.

Publisher sales (usually lasting the month) and shorter-term limited offers also happen for Logos.

You can see the current offers by hovering over the Sale dropdown shown at the top of the Logos site:

DMB

I have come to the conclusion that there is absolutely no predictability or stability on pricing in LOGOS . . . a total spinning of the wheel, where she stops, nobody knows.

Yep. Pretty much as MJ described. That's why I watch the forums, scrounge around prepub ships, and sales (as well as scan the Accordance offers, since largely publisher co-ops). And works too.

Philosophically, I budget against 2 years, meaning if a darn good price, then buy it against a 2 year budget. Credit card but for higher priced items, the FL credit-plan is cheaper. Just don't keep buying.

SineNomine

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1133752#Comment_1133752

You can setup wish lists for your account, add items to the list, then sort the list by price and check daily.

Wishlists also make it obvious when new volumes are added: each larger version of the set gets a new product page, which means the old one stays on your wishlist (and usually quickly acquires a note about Faithlife no longer selling the resource in question).

SineNomine

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1133743#Comment_1133743

I get the sale pricing, I get it and appreciate it. What I don't get is the price started out at $590.33 and THEN it went on sale for $424.36. So full price went from $590.33 to $953.59.

I own exactly one NIVAC volume, which allows me to immediately recognize that you're comparing the NT section of NIVAC, which is still $424.36 USD for me due to Dynamic Pricing, with the combined OT & NT NIVAC, which is $974.40 USD for me with Dynamic Pricing. The regular price of the OT set is $549.99 USD.

NT: https://www.logos.com/product/5459/niv-application-commentary-new-testament-nivac

Both: https://www.logos.com/product/37365/niv-application-commentary-old-testament-and-new-testament-42-volumes

OT: https://www.logos.com/product/145479/niv-application-commentary-old-testament-22-volumes

PetahChristian

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1133772#Comment_1133772

Nice catch, SineNomine!

Paul, if you can wait to acquire the set, just letting you know that there have been more aggressive sales in the past, which might happen every year or two (44% off, and 66% off previously).

Individual NIVAC volumes also show up as part of the free book of the month, which is the best per-volume discount you'll ever see (free, $1.99, and $2.99 previously).

Paul Lufkin

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1133787#Comment_1133787

Ok, thank you all very much, very informative, am off to apply some suggestions. Long live Logos (don't go out of business!)