Viz Manga Price Increases Signal Industry-Wide Trend to Protect Profit Margins
Humberto Saabedra
Viz Media released a prepared statement regarding its intention to increase prices for certain manga titles yesterday when it was acknowledged that some of its titles would see up to a 20% price increase from current pricing:
“Viz Media made the decision to stay consistent with the pricing in the marketplace for this industry, which, in some cases might be a slight increase from previous years.”
Viz will be increasing the MSRP on Naruto to the former industry standard of $9.99 with other Jump titles following suit, while the rest of the lineup will see an increase of $1-$2 depending on title.
Robert of Robert’s Anime Corner Store provides a detailed analysis of the effect of the price hikes on retailers and the consequences of the increases in the long-term for both retailers and fans.
In related news Del Rey has confirmed that the following titles will have their MSRP increased by $1:
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Alive 7
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Nodame Cantabile 16
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Le Chevalier d’Eon 7
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Ghost Hunt 10
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Pumpkin Scissors 5
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Pastel 14
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Minima! 4
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Gacha Gacha: The Next Revolution 10
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Dragon Eye 8.
Dark Horse will also increase the MSRP on its flagship title Berserk from $13.95 to $14.95 along with other titles seeing similar increases from $1-$2
