Thanks for the replies guys - both nice and not so nice.
We're not in the business of ripping people off. Both Chad and I have spend alot of time with this project trying to make something that we felt was worth selling. We knew there were going to be people out there complaining about the cost regardless of how we priced the unit - that's the way these internet forums work. But we had to be realistic when it came to the amount of time it takes to make the shields, the cost of materials (which is more than just sheet aluminum), cost of packaging, time to create an instruction sheet, test them, etc.. The final price you pay for an item has to reflect more than just the raw materials or you will quickly find yourself saying "why am I doing this?"
A computer cost less than $100 I bet in raw materials - it's the assembly labor, packaging, sales force, marketing, warehousing, shipping, etc. that add additional cost.
We thought long and hard about pricing. We solicited opinions from local CEG and NECO members who saw the unit and asked them "how much would you pay for this?". Then we looked to see what other similar products for other cars cost.
We came up with a price that we belive is fair to both us and the buyer. In fact, our price is around 1/2 of what the VW and BMW communities pay for similar products. No one is getting rich making stuff for the Contour community.
If someone feels that they can make a comprable product at a better price and sell it to as many CEG'ers as will line up for them by all means be my guest.
