There’s something quite interesting taking place at Bambu Lab’s website.
Yes, they have a sale of equipment and materials going on, but I think there could be more to the story here.
The company has launched a “Third Anniversary Sale”, which is quite a reminder: this company has been on the 3D print scene for only three years, yet it is now one of, if not the, leading provider of inexpensive desktop 3D printers on the planet.
Their sale knocks considerable amounts off their equipment, and some of the discounts are notable. For example, the P1P is marked down 43% to only US$399. This is the enclosure-less version of the P1S. The P1S itself drops by 26%, now only US$699. Even the flagship X1C drops by US$200, 14%. The A1 discount is 14%, and the A1 mini is 22% off.
While these are decent discounts, American buyers are losing substantially. It turns out that the non-US Bambu Lab stores are offering far larger discounts on equipment. For example, the P1S is discounted 47% in the Canadian store, and a whopping 53% in the UK store.
The US discounts seem to be 30-50% less than those found in the international stores. This is almost certainly due to the tariffs imposed by the current US government: Bambu Lab can’t afford to drop the US prices as much as they can elsewhere.
I also notice that E3D has snuck onto the Bambu Lab store, selling their popular HFObXidian hot end. Appearing directly on the store of the product they are improving will clearly boost their sales significantly.
What does all this mean?
Discounts are always present when there’s a big sale, that’s obvious. But discounts also appear when a manufacturer wants to clear out inventory, often when a new model is being readied.
The new model can’t be announced while there are many older units in inventory, because buyers will simply wait for the new machine to appear. Instead, the smart play is to discount existing inventory and clear out as much as possible before moving on to the next machine.
Could this be the case with this sale?
I think it’s a bit of both, but perhaps we can learn something by examining the degree of discounts. The X1C, for example, was discounted by 22%, while the P1P was knocked down by 43%.
This could mean that the P1P — and possibly the P1S — might be on the way out.
If Bambu Lab is simply putting them at a discount to boost unit sales, then it suggests the demand for that model is lower than expected, and they should move on to a better model. If they put them at a discount to clear out inventory, then that means they are expecting a new model to come out. Either way, it seems as if the P1P might not be in the plans for the future.
Should you buy or wait for a 3D printer? As always, the answer is this: if you need a printer now, buy one now. If you don’t need one right away, wait. Also, if you happen to be setting up a larger print farm and require dozens of machines, that P1S deal looks very attractive.
Via Bambu Lab
