Why vendor prices went up this year

Noticed that several vendors I have used before raised their prices between early 2025 and mid-2026. Asked one vendor directly and did some research to understand what is driving the increases.

Material costs

Polycarbonate card substrate and holographic OVD film are produced by a small number of manufacturers, most of them in Europe and Japan. Supply chain disruptions in these specialty material categories — triggered partly by global electronics demand competing for polycarbonate and partly by logistics issues in specialty film — have increased raw material costs meaningfully. Vendors who produce genuinely good polycarbonate cards are paying more for their substrate.

Equipment and printing upgrades

UV ink printing equipment capable of producing fine security features requires regular calibration and occasional replacement of print heads and ink reservoirs. The cost of laser engraving equipment — used by some vendors for the most accurate text and photo reproduction — has also risen as this equipment has moved from industrial to specialized categories where supply is limited.

Cryptocurrency exchange costs

Vendors who receive crypto payments and convert to fiat to pay their operational costs are exposed to exchange rate risk and conversion fees. In periods of crypto volatility, vendors have increased prices slightly to buffer against the risk of receiving payment in a currency that depreciates between receipt and conversion.

Market consolidation

Several lower-quality vendors have exited the market or reduced operations in the past two years. As the number of active vendors decreases, the remaining vendors face less price competition. This reduces the pressure that kept prices lower when more vendors were competing directly on price.

The combination of these factors explains the 10 to 25% price increases I have seen across vendors since 2024. For cards in the $120 to $150 range, the increases reflect genuine cost pressures rather than pure margin expansion.