Class Ring pricing (rip off!)

[Vle045]

I stumbled upon this pricing scam….

I was ordering my son’s high school yearbook (on Jostens) and out of curiosity, I clicked on the class jewelry link.  I saw the pricing of some of the rings and decided to look up what they offered for my college.   I never did get a class ring back then.  The exact same ring is DOUBLE the cost.  All the same options.  So I googled a few other class ring manufacturers and found the same thing.  Same metal, same jewel, same options…. And the college rings are significantly more than the high school rings.  

That’s just dirty.  

[ss20ts]

The ring makers have to pay for the licensing for colleges. Few high schools have licensing like colleges do. Colleges trademark their names, colors, and mascots.

[Vle045]

The ring makers have to pay for the licensing for colleges. Few high schools have licensing like colleges do. Colleges trademark their names, colors, and mascots.

I was initially thinking that same thing… but I think that’s a bunch of crap.  They don’t charge you $300 for a sweatshirt, backpack, coffee mug…. And all those other spirit items that have those same elements.

[Pats20]

The ring makers have to pay for the licensing for colleges. Few high schools have licensing like colleges do. Colleges trademark their names, colors, and mascots.

I was initially thinking that same thing… but I think that’s a bunch of crap.  They don’t charge you $300 for a sweatshirt, backpack, coffee mug…. And all those other spirit items that have those same elements.

No but you will pay more than you will a fruit  of the loom that has “Grandma” screen printed on it.

[Vle045]

The ring makers have to pay for the licensing for colleges. Few high schools have licensing like colleges do. Colleges trademark their names, colors, and mascots.

I was initially thinking that same thing… but I think that’s a bunch of crap.  They don’t charge you $300 for a sweatshirt, backpack, coffee mug…. And all those other spirit items that have those same elements.

No but you will pay more than you will a fruit  of the loom that has “Grandma” screen printed on it.

Hahaha.. maybe a buck or two.  Not $300 more

[rachel83az]

It's possible that universities charge more for licensing rights for rings than they do for t-shirts & mugs because they know that people will pay more for a ring than they will a t-shirt or a mug.

[ss20ts]

They sell a heck of a lot more t-shirts than class rings. That could be part of what impacts the cost especially licensing fees. Class rings aren't nearly as popular as they were decades ago.

[Alpha]

I stumbled upon this pricing scam….

I was ordering my son’s high school yearbook (on Jostens) and out of curiosity, I clicked on the class jewelry link.  I saw the pricing of some of the rings and decided to look up what they offered for my college.   I never did get a class ring back then.  The exact same ring is DOUBLE the cost.  All the same options.  So I googled a few other class ring manufacturers and found the same thing.  Same metal, same jewel, same options…. And the college rings are significantly more than the high school rings.  

That’s just dirty.  

I am not at all shocked.  If anything, I'm shocked that you're shocked.  My sense of it is that historically, parents have bought these rings as a gift for their graduating child.  I think they've always been overpriced.  It's opportunistic profit, not much different than the price of popcorn at the movie theatre.

[rachel83az]

Popcorn is a bit different. Popcorn profit helps keep the theater open, which ticket sales may not do. Ring sales aren't keeping schools open.

[Vle045]

Popcorn is a bit different. Popcorn profit helps keep the theater open, which ticket sales may not do. Ring sales aren't keeping schools open.

So true on the popcorn.  I worked in movie theaters when I was in college.  I recall that the manager told me that the theater did not make money on ticket sales.  That goes to the production studios, actors, etc. The movie theatre makes their money on concesssions.

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I stumbled upon this pricing scam….

I was ordering my son’s high school yearbook (on Jostens) and out of curiosity, I clicked on the class jewelry link.  I saw the pricing of some of the rings and decided to look up what they offered for my college.   I never did get a class ring back then.  The exact same ring is DOUBLE the cost.  All the same options.  So I googled a few other class ring manufacturers and found the same thing.  Same metal, same jewel, same options…. And the college rings are significantly more than the high school rings.  

That’s just dirty.  

I am not at all shocked.  If anything, I'm shocked that you're shocked.  My sense of it is that historically, parents have bought these rings as a gift for their graduating child.  I think they've always been overpriced.  It's opportunistic profit, not much different than the price of popcorn at the movie theatre.

But the huge increase between high school and college is just wrong.  Especially considering I was comparing the EXACT SAME rings.  Not a single difference.  Same color, stone, etc.