How many of you guys ordered from the Aero sale?

[The Last Cowboy]

Hi folks,



Just dropping a post to explain the reasons for our pricing restructure.


For many years, we’ve worked exceptionally hard to keep our prices as accessible as possible, even as the costs of materials, labour, and operations have continued to rise. We’ve always charged what we think is fair, not what we can get away with. However, as a company that prides itself on uncompromising quality, we reached a point where maintaining our previous pricing structure was no longer sustainable without sacrificing the very elements that make our jackets exceptional – elements that we refuse to make our jackets and run our business without.

Guided by that same philosophy, we’ve done our best to limit price increases over the last few years when prices have sky-rocketed around us and this has made this adjustment larger than it would have been had we spread this out more evenly like many of our competitors have (which was a costly mistake on our part).

From our research, the average ballpark base price of our competitors is now around the £1,250-£1,300 mark (some exceedingly higher) with relatively high customisation upcharges (or limited options). Also notably, most of our UK counterparts don’t remove UK sales tax from their prices for international purchases while we have and still do. At the same time, we were still maintaining an average base price point of around £750 ex VAT with comparatively low customisation upcharges. Our material, wage and overheads costs are at least the same and in many cases exceed those of other manufacturers in our market, as is the case with the quality of our final product… and yet we have been selling our jackets at a price point around 40% lower than the average for our market.



Even after our recent price adjustment, we remain amongst the most accessibly priced within our market - our average base price ex VAT is now £825-£925. Some styles are more depending on their manufacturing complexity, but the majority of our popular styles fall within that bracket.



Regarding the Chromexcel Horsehide surcharge, horsehide and especially that of the quality needed for Chromexcel which is carefully graded and selected and only skins of a certain quality make the grade for Chrxl,skins that don't make the grade are used for other Horween products. Horween have been working very hard to secure a regular supply of raw hides but by its nature it is far rarer and more difficult to manage than any of our other leathers and the new surcharge is to cover the higher costs we absorb in sourcing/managing it. We also face increasing costs in importing from the US.
Chromexcel Steerhide is still available as a default with no upcharge as its much more readily available and easy for us to manage.



We hope this explains why this price increase has been higher than we’ve done in previous years and explains that this isn’t a greedy cash grab, it’s an absolutely necessary adjustment to align our prices with our costs and continue to sustain our business. It isn’t an exaggeration to say that the level of price difference and subsequent direction we were headed was no longer viable and we really have done our best to maintain the accessible price point that we’re so proud to have offered our customers for so many years.

This.

 

[barnabus]

Quick update. Got my J106 chestnut badalassi from DHL Friday night. Walked my dog Fri night and Sat morning with it and on Saturday wore it for a few hours in NYC and the fit to me is great and the measurements are spot on, especially the sleeves and back length. i personally like for it to cover my jean belt bc to me it looks better and it feels better. I hope you enjoy the pics. If there are any criticisms, I wish the zippers were more heavy duty. In the meantime I am going to wear the heck out of it, jacket is about 7lbs and pretty stiff. also there is sound! not really bad at all imo. hoping it will quiet down with wear. definitely gonna wear it on my z400!!

also as for fit, with a t shirt it fits a tiny bit loose. i could go maybe half an inch smaller in p2p and actually did ask but aero cant change p2p. this is 21.5 p2p. its fine bc it leaves me room for layering which you can see in the first pic. looks tight but not really

-Charlie

That looks completely excellent. The fit looks spot on and the leather itself looks gorgeous.

Can't get a better result than that!

 

[cl206]

That looks completely excellent. The fit looks spot on and the leather itself looks gorgeous.

Can't get a better result than that!

Thank you! Appreciate the comments

 

[The Last Cowboy]

As far as I know, there is a free trade agreement between the EU and the UK (EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement).
And if I have understood correctly, there can also be a duty rate of 0% if a valid "Certificate of Origin" is sent along.
Otherwise, 4% duty will be charged on the value of the goods + shipping costs = customs value (https://trade.ec.europa.eu/access-to-markets/de/results?product=420310&origin=GB&destination=DE)

Just paid the taxes (Germany) for my Aero order. It should arrive Wed. Can't wait.

Just to confirm the above. I paid no duty (so no 4%). The VAT applied was 19%.

 

[MrProper]

Just paid the taxes (Germany) for my Aero order. It should arrive Wed. Can't wait.

Just to confirm the above. I paid no duty (so no 4%). The VAT applied was 19%.

The 4% will be due if not declared correctly. There is actually a free trade agreement between the UK and the EU for certain goods for which no duty is payable. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. I also have the impression that it depends on the person processing the goods at DHL or customs. And reclaiming goods from customs is always a matter of luck.
But good for you if it worked out. *Thumbs up*

 

[TartuWolf]

Quick update. Got my J106 chestnut badalassi from DHL Friday night. Walked my dog Fri night and Sat morning with it and on Saturday wore it for a few hours in NYC and the fit to me is great and the measurements are spot on, especially the sleeves and back length. i personally like for it to cover my jean belt bc to me it looks better and it feels better. I hope you enjoy the pics. If there are any criticisms, I wish the zippers were more heavy duty. In the meantime I am going to wear the heck out of it, jacket is about 7lbs and pretty stiff. also there is sound! not really bad at all imo. hoping it will quiet down with wear. definitely gonna wear it on my z400!!

also as for fit, with a t shirt it fits a tiny bit loose. i could go maybe half an inch smaller in p2p and actually did ask but aero cant change p2p. this is 21.5 p2p. its fine bc it leaves me room for layering which you can see in the first pic. looks tight but not really

-Charlie

Damn, that looks fantastic! Couldn't be happier myself if I got a J106 from Aero and it would fit as well as it does for you Congratulations!

 

[cl206]

Damn, that looks fantastic! Couldn't be happier myself if I got a J106 from Aero and it would fit as well as it does for you Congratulations!

Thank you! Been wearing it every day and hope to do a 30 day review later. right now so happy the measurements are spot on especially the sleeves and back length!

 

[Raisin Brando]

Has Aero always charged a fee for adjusting the measurements of parts of the pattern? I've always had the shoulders and sleeves modified to my tastes with no extra cost incurred, but now it looks like there's a fee for deviating from the stock pattern measurements.

 

[cl206]

Has Aero always charged a fee for adjusting the measurements of parts of the pattern? I've always had the shoulders and sleeves modified to my tastes with no extra cost incurred, but now it looks like there's a fee for deviating from the stock pattern measurements.

Not on mine. I altered the shoulder, sleeve and back length measurements but there was no extra charge. Maybe this is something new?

 

[Raisin Brando]

Not on mine. I altered the shoulder, sleeve and back length measurements but there was no extra charge. Maybe this is something new?

It must be, I see it's listed on the "custom aero" page of Thurston Brothers now:

"Pattern Changes
Shoulder adjustment--$125.00
Waist/bottom hem adjustment--$125.00
Add to or reduce front drop--$125.00"

 

[cl206]

It must be, I see it's listed on the "custom aero" page of Thurston Brothers now:

"Pattern Changes
Shoulder adjustment--$125.00
Waist/bottom hem adjustment--$125.00
Add to or reduce front drop--$125.00"

Hold up. Did you try ordering from Aero directly? I got mine from Aero directly and there was no charge. pretty big charges imo.

 

[DweezilMac]

Has Aero always charged a fee for adjusting the measurements of parts of the pattern? I've always had the shoulders and sleeves modified to my tastes with no extra cost incurred, but now it looks like there's a fee for deviating from the stock pattern measurements.

I just checked (as I've been eyeing a B6...) and on the Aero site (i.e. direct), there's no upcharge for adjustments like sleeve or back length, as of today. Looks like its just a Thurston Brothers venture?

 

[Raisin Brando]

Hold up. Did you try ordering from Aero directly? I got mine from Aero directly and there was no charge. pretty big charges imo.

Yes, I always order from Aero directly. No need for Thurston Bros as a go-between because I know my size and measurements

 

[cl206]

Yes, I always order from Aero directly. No need for Thurston Bros as a go-between because I know my size and measurements

Aero, appears to have no upcharge. My next jacket will be a cafe racer! Im in NY BTW the this price reflects no VAT

 

[Raisin Brando]

I just checked (as I've been eyeing a B6...) and on the Aero site (i.e. direct), there's no upcharge for adjustments like sleeve or back length, as of today. Looks like its just a Thurston Brothers venture?

As of yesterday, and directly from Aero, it's a £75 upcharge for alterations. Oh well, in for a penny, in for 75 pounds

 

[Bender]

I haven't been around for this whole discussion, but I think it goes something like this, correct me if I'm wrong: somebody says Aero prices are up and wonder if they still represent the value they used to. Some others agree. Some others disagree. Aero themselves chime in, citing increasing production costs and also that their competitors ask even more. This being FDL, most agree, some still disagree, rinse and repeat.

I think there's probably some good points all around. For me, I get the price increases on Aeros sale pages, and I don't think it's entirely unreasonable. Even at the new prices, I think a well-made Aero is a good deal. Perhaps not the steal they were two years ago, but certainly a good deal. Fair for both sides.

What I struggle with are the price increases along with an apparent lapse in quality control I see on some pieces in the roughly full-priced "Stock" page of the "Ready to Wear" section.

Right now, there is a size 40 Sheene in natural CXFQHH with wildly uneven stitching where the collar meets the body, visible inside and out, and resulting in extra holes in the liner and leather. It is not alone, many of the jackets in the new batches added lately have some issue or another.

Two years ago, that Sheene would be priced at £600-£700 (around $760-$880 USD) if it were perfect. As it actually is, it most likely would have been relegated to the Apprentice section, and priced around £500 (or $630 USD).

I have no problem with Aero asking more for their jackets today than they did a couple of years ago. They are absolutely right that production costs have increased. The world market has become a very different place, just since 2022.

By all means, Aero should price at the point their craftsmanship justifies. But the flip side of that is that the customer should get that craftsmanship which justifies the price they are paying.