Serious Question for the Sponsors

[hparsons]

I feel guilty. On the one hand, I really appreciate the fact that you folks have given us a forum at no charge. And I've also frequently purchased things from at least one of the forum sponsors; but I have a question. First, the reason I feel guilty (somewhat). I bought a part for substantially less than I could have bought it from one of our sponsors (as in almost 25% less). I won't go into more specifics, but will say it was enough money to get my attention.

So, here's my question: Which would you guys rather we do, (and feel free to offer other choices):

1. Call you and name the dealer and price, and have you match
2. Go ahead and buy from the competition, but return for other items that are more competitively priced

Obviously, it needs to be apples to oranges, prices should include any shipping and handling charges; and I hate the idea of nickle and dimeing some folks to death (I used to own a computer store, and I know how things like that can go), but sometimes the differences are just too compelling.

[Cruiseman]

I can't speak for the other sponsors, but I will just give my personal opinion on this. I think it is always acceptable to contact a vendor to request a price match. I know for me personally, as long as a vendor that I want to buy from can come close to the cheaper price, I will usually buy from them.

I will give you an example. When I bought my 2012 I went to my local dealer where I get my service work performed. They quoted me full retail on the 2012. I negotiated a $3,500 discounted price from a dealer in Oklahoma, a 200 mile drive. I went back to my dealer and told them the deal, and they would not budge off retail. If they had come within $500 of the Oklahoma offer, I would have bought locally and saved the hassle of driving to Oklahoma. As it turned out, I bought from Shawnee Honda.

A lot depends on the amount of money we are talking about. If it is 25% of a $3 item, it is still only 75 cents. If it is 25% of a $300 purchase, that is significant.

We want members to support the sponsors, but in the real world, members are always going to look out for their own interests. There are always going to be special deals and sales where you may find something cheaper than you can from a sponsor. I would give them a shot at your business first, and of course, keep them in mind for future business if you do decide to buy elsewhere.

[hparsons]

I was in much the same position when I bought my 2012 (though it was a few months after you bought yours). None of the local dealers (I tried three) would come close to the price I got from Southern. I made it an "event" for my wife and I, rented a car, got the bike, rode the Dragon, then brought it home. 1100 miles (total riding on the trip) was a nice little break in.

As a former retailer, I know the frustration of having to come off price, I'm just trying to get a feel of which is worse (to the vendor) losing the sale completely, or having to put up with the lower profit (which might be followed up by other people subsequently asking for a similar discount). I know it's a hard balance to strike.

[Cyclemax]

I will also take the time to give you my opinion. I think you should contact the dealer that you would like to deal with and ask about matching a competitors price. There could be many reasons for the difference. It may not be apples to apples as it appears, it could be a mistake in which case the dealer would be very thankful to learn about it, the competitor may have leftover inventory from when the prices were lower or the competitors price may be a mistake. But, no matter which case it is, asking the question can never hurt. I know, here at Cyclemax, we always buy our products at the largest volumes possible to get the lowest prices from the manufacturers. We also use many other methods to keep our prices below those of our competitors. I am sure that our prices are usually the ones that other dealers have to match. But, if we are higher on something, I definitely want to hear about it to find out why or explain why. I can tell you that we do not have a 25% profit margin so, if one of our prices was off by that much, something is wrong. I hope this helps.

[530ktm]

Great answers from both of you.