Parts Suppliers Tales of Woe
Sun Feb 13, 2005 1:51 pm
Hey guys:
I'm spending way too much time on this board, just talking about whatever.
Anyway, had an interesting conversation happen this weekend with a parts supplier. I called the gentlemen, and told him my woes with my hydraulic cylinder. He said "yeah I've got one". What he said next was troubling.
Him"Hey Chris did you ever get a horizontal stabilizer"?
Me"No, but I'm planning on buying one soon".
Him " Well, you can buy one from me for $1500, pretty cheap huh"
Me"Cheap, heck no, I'm buying one for $600 including shipping or I can get a replacement spar for $300"
Him "I should've figured that from a customer like you"
Me " What do you mean a customer like me"?
Him "You're cheap"
Me " So, if you don't spend over $1000 per part you're cheap"?
Him "I don't have any problem for my other customers"
Me "Have you thought about competition, and how buyers keep prices down"
Him "No never thought of that, none of my customers have any problems with money"!!!
I didn't say anything else, because I was too shocked, a businessman that never thinks about fair prices..
Chris
I'm spending way too much time on this board, just talking about whatever.
Anyway, had an interesting conversation happen this weekend with a parts supplier. I called the gentlemen, and told him my woes with my hydraulic cylinder. He said "yeah I've got one". What he said next was troubling.
Him"Hey Chris did you ever get a horizontal stabilizer"?
Me"No, but I'm planning on buying one soon".
Him " Well, you can buy one from me for $1500, pretty cheap huh"
Me"Cheap, heck no, I'm buying one for $600 including shipping or I can get a replacement spar for $300"
Him "I should've figured that from a customer like you"
Me " What do you mean a customer like me"?
Him "You're cheap"
Me " So, if you don't spend over $1000 per part you're cheap"?
Him "I don't have any problem for my other customers"
Me "Have you thought about competition, and how buyers keep prices down"
Him "No never thought of that, none of my customers have any problems with money"!!!
I didn't say anything else, because I was too shocked, a businessman that never thinks about fair prices..
Chris
Sun Feb 13, 2005 2:08 pm
I have recreated this post as the original resulted in a misunderstanding. Please read the post carefully before considering a reply. Thanks.
Mon Feb 14, 2005 8:32 am
all I can say is that some business people are in the wrong industry.
my father spent his whole adult working life in service industries and he always used to say " if you aren't providing the service you are in the wrong industry."
this guy is not considering his customers at all, just the $ in their pockets. also sounds like possibly setting himself up as a bit elitist with his customers as " Him "No never thought of that, none of my customers have any problems with money"!!! "
don't worry chris, I have run across people like him before, they need to either completely corner the market or wait till their stock is all that's left before they can get everyone paying the prices they ask.
as for buyers keeping the prices down, that only happens when the buyers know the other options like it sounds like you might in this case. otherwise, it's the competition which keeps the prices down.
if the place you are buying from were to advertise in your local area they'd get the business from the sounds of it but obviously the guy's other customers either have a preference for his parts or they have too much money or simply couldn't be bothered trying to find the best price.
you don't buy the first car you see do you? so why pay the first price unless it is found to be a prime part and no shipping to pay and the guy's not trying to rip you off or similar?
just out of curiosity, the $600 part, how much incuding shipping to get it to your door?
reason I ask is there was a guy here who'd sell people something and then go buy it from a cheaper competitor. he even charged shipping to the customer and the place he was buying it from was paying it included in their price and was shipping it direct to HIS customer. be interested to find out if that might work there in some ways ( If it does I'll gladly accept a commision of 1% of the net.
)
my father spent his whole adult working life in service industries and he always used to say " if you aren't providing the service you are in the wrong industry."
this guy is not considering his customers at all, just the $ in their pockets. also sounds like possibly setting himself up as a bit elitist with his customers as " Him "No never thought of that, none of my customers have any problems with money"!!! "
don't worry chris, I have run across people like him before, they need to either completely corner the market or wait till their stock is all that's left before they can get everyone paying the prices they ask.
as for buyers keeping the prices down, that only happens when the buyers know the other options like it sounds like you might in this case. otherwise, it's the competition which keeps the prices down.
if the place you are buying from were to advertise in your local area they'd get the business from the sounds of it but obviously the guy's other customers either have a preference for his parts or they have too much money or simply couldn't be bothered trying to find the best price.
you don't buy the first car you see do you? so why pay the first price unless it is found to be a prime part and no shipping to pay and the guy's not trying to rip you off or similar?
just out of curiosity, the $600 part, how much incuding shipping to get it to your door?
reason I ask is there was a guy here who'd sell people something and then go buy it from a cheaper competitor. he even charged shipping to the customer and the place he was buying it from was paying it included in their price and was shipping it direct to HIS customer. be interested to find out if that might work there in some ways ( If it does I'll gladly accept a commision of 1% of the net.
)
Mon Feb 14, 2005 9:31 am
Chris,
You are absolutely right about the strangeness of some suppliers. The variety in prices can be extreme. There is a certain chap who sells cockpit components, and offers warbird wreck-finding trips who seems to think that $1500 for a corsair throttle quadrant is perfectly legitimate.... even though the going rate is less than a third of that. Another guy who I visited in Salisbury, MD, wanted the earth for components which were on hand with other suppliers for much, much less... wouldn't even consider negotiating. It is a strange old world. Perhaps there is so much disparity in prices because most people don't advertise their rates... at least not for the less common stuff.
I'd be curious to hear other people's comments.
Cheers,
Richard
You are absolutely right about the strangeness of some suppliers. The variety in prices can be extreme. There is a certain chap who sells cockpit components, and offers warbird wreck-finding trips who seems to think that $1500 for a corsair throttle quadrant is perfectly legitimate.... even though the going rate is less than a third of that. Another guy who I visited in Salisbury, MD, wanted the earth for components which were on hand with other suppliers for much, much less... wouldn't even consider negotiating. It is a strange old world. Perhaps there is so much disparity in prices because most people don't advertise their rates... at least not for the less common stuff.
I'd be curious to hear other people's comments.
Cheers,
Richard
Mon Feb 14, 2005 2:15 pm
HI SHOP AROUND!!YOU MAY FIND THAT ONE PART SITTING ON THE SHELF NEXT DOOR!!BIG COMPANYS THAT HAVE A LARGE INVENTORY HAVE TO CHARGE A BIT HIGHER PRICE FOR SEVERAL REASONS.EACH YEAR STORAGE AND OPERATING COSTS WILL INCREASE THE PRICE,JUST BECAUSE THEY HAD IT FOR 20 YEARS AND THEY ONLY PAYED $50.00 FOR IT DOESNT MEAN THEY COULD OR SHOULD SELL IT FOR ANY LESS.BOTTOM LINE IS IF YOU CAN FIND IT AND WANT IT NOW YOU HAVE TO PAY THE PRICE,IF YOU CAN WAIT FOR THAT GOOD DEAL YOU MAY FIND IT OR YOU MAY FIND THE DEAL YOU PASSED ON TODAY JUST TRIPPLED TOMARROW.THE BIG GUYS ARE A CONVINIANCE PICK UP THE PHONE GIVE EM THE MAGIC CARD NUMBER AND PRESTO ITS AT THE FRONT DOOR NO MUSS NO FUSS THANKS MIKE