Originally posted by qaz-@Apr 19 2004, 03:25 PM
12volt_rep, I have on ocassion asked retail places to match my internet price and they just cant do it not even close to it. I rether get it locally for same price so that i can return it if the need be, but most places jsut cant go that cheap. If they can then they got better suppliers then the retail shops I've been to and they could also open a web site and make money of just cheap sales. So what change are you reffering to in 2006?
One of the biggest changes it the power rating system. Many of the 12 Volt companies out there use blown-up numbers to rate their equipment. I know a few companies that sell 1600 watt amps for example, and they wouldn't do 1600 watts if lightning hit it. So in 2006 they are enforcing actual power rating on everything from head units to amps to speakers and anything else that has a rating on it. Therefore a lot of these fly-by-night companies will be in big trouble because they can't fudge the numbers to sell their product. That is only one of the major changes that is going to happen, but it is bigger than people might think right now. The rest are very shhhhhhhh.
The problem I have with a lot of retailers is they want to make maximum dollars on something, rather than sell more at a better price. I preach to my dealers about not letting money walk out the door, and only about half listen. But you are right, many dealers can't afford to match prices on everything, but it never hurts to ask. The reason you see this stuff on line so cheap is this: Company A requires Dealer B to do at least 75K a year to carry their line. On top of that 75K you have to carry SKU's that may or may not sell well. That is where the net comes in handy, they can dump some of the inventory there. Dealer B says "I will meet my quota for you Company A...no problem". So the dealer that is direct with Company A buys at a better price than a dealer that has to buy Company A's product through a distributor(me) and can afford to sell at Dealer C's(distributor dealer) cost and still make money. So most of the dealers that you all deal with are probably distributor dealers, and it is hard for them to match the price...but not impossible. I know one of the companies that I sell took a few steps this year to cut down on net sales, but they can't totally stop them...yet.
You really hit it on the head when you said that you like to buy local because if there is a problem you can go right back and get it squared away. The problem as I mentioned before is that people are buying off the net and expecting the local dealer to take care of it if it craps out. They can't do it and I have heard several stories about customers(for lack of a better word) getting pissed because they get stuck with it. It is worth it to pay a little more for a product if you know someone will take care of you if it fails. But again, I don't agree with the dealer trying to sell at 50 points above their cost, you can't be competitive by doing that.
I know that no matter how hard we may wish the net would shut down 12 Volt sales, it will never happen. I just wish people could see past price on some thing, and realize the service value. I guess once they get burned a time or two they will see the difference.
I am sorry for the long rambling, and coming off as I am preaching all the time. You all just have to understand that this is my life and it is all I have done for 13 years. I have seen a lot of changes good and bad in this industry, I just hope it doesn't go away...I still love it!!!
Now, to get this thread back on topic I went and took some pictures of my new install. I will post them later if anyone wants to see them.
