Brick & Mortar Markup

[NorCalRP]

My local shop looks like it's going to be closing up. They've announced a liquidation on all inventory, mentioned a staff shortage and select hours/auditions by appointment.

I've been looking at spending ~$2500 on new LCR- want to switch to towers from standmounts. The brands they represent that I'm interested in are Monitor Audio and KEF.

Anyone know what kind of discount I should look for or have ideas about what I should be looking for. Don't have tons of time to research as I'm working the fires out here and doing fire prevention as well- my nights consist of eating, showering and sleeping

 

[Steve81]

Well on the KEF side, they're pushing out the old R series so you can get a pair of R500's and the R200c on KEFDirect for $2,600 ($3,600 at full retail). Depending on how big of a hurry they're in to liquidate inventory, I'd expect you should be able to pick them up below your stated $2,500 mark without much haggling.

 

[ryanosaur]

2 cents: My recent audition of Monitor Audio Silver 300 and 500 had me favoring them strongly over KEF Q950 and the old R900 models. The R900 sounded great, but still felt a little fatigued from the high end. Didn't feel that at all from the MA's.

Where are you at? I might have to swoop through and score them if they have them!

 

[KenM10759]

My KEF R500's sound completely better after having dialed them in with Dirac on the same AVR I've been using for 3 years.

 

[NorCalRP]

2 cents: My recent audition of Monitor Audio Silver 300 and 500 had me favoring them strongly over KEF Q950 and the old R900 models. The R900 sounded great, but still felt a little fatigued from the high end. Didn't feel that at all from the MA's.

Where are you at? I might have to swoop through and score them if they have them!

Just follow the smoke bro

 

[NorCalRP]

Just follow the smoke bro

The owner and his home audio guy both list their homes in the fire here

 

[ryanosaur]

Aw, hell. Lovin' mentioned he knew somebody up there workin the fires. It's you, huh? You FD?

I'm down in Sonoma County. Last year was too close to home! We had a spot fire about a mile from our house on that first night everything happened last October.

All I can say is thank you for helping out! Safety and protection to you and everyone involved in helping fight the fires here!!!

That said: I was really blown away by the MA Silvers: the 300s retail at 2000/pr, the Silver C350 at $875, and Silver 500s are $2500/pr. The 300's sounded great, the 500's even better. I spent about an hour with each... and after two hours, wanted to keep listening!
If the high end on those R series KEFs can be tamed, more power to them. They sounded real good through the mids and lows, as they should considering the R900s retailed at twice the MA Silver 500s! (My preference is having something I don't have to tweak just to listen to for more than an hour, though.)

Stay safe out there! And again, Thank you!

 

[Johnny2Bad]

For a closeout, there's no rule of thumb to go by ... prices could be anywhere from a small discount ("going out of business sales" are an old-school tactic and the situation may not be so drastic as it's suggested) to massive cuts because there is no place to store the inventory next month. Businesses are always going to try and get their cost out of a sale, so that will be the starting point if they're serious, but things will get cheaper if nothing moves.

And other businesses are always sniffing around these things ("subject to prior sale" disclaimer means everything is available wholesale or less if a company buys enough stuff),so what may be for sale to the public might be just leftovers.

Just have your cash ready and visit the sale, so you are ready to jump on a deal that works for you. But as always, be prepared to walk. It's too complex to just say "dealer cost is this much" because there are a number of factors that go into that equation, but if you are seeing -30% plus or minus a bit you are probably pretty close. Any decent component won't be much off that area; there are bigger markups but probably you'll find those at the iPhone case rack, not in the demo rooms.

If you're math challenged , remember that markup and discount are different percentages for the same dollar amount. 33% discount = 50% markup (for example) so don't get caught up in the %'s too much, think in dollar terms.

 

[highfigh]

For a closeout, there's no rule of thumb to go by ... prices could be anywhere from a small discount ("going out of business sales" are an old-school tactic and the situation may not be so drastic as it's suggested) to massive cuts because there is no place to store the inventory next month. Businesses are always going to try and get their cost out of a sale, so that will be the starting point if they're serious, but things will get cheaper if nothing moves.

And other businesses are always sniffing around these things ("subject to prior sale" disclaimer means everything is available wholesale or less if a company buys enough stuff),so what may be for sale to the public might be just leftovers.

If you're math challenged , remember that markup and discount are different percentages for the same dollar amount. 33% discount = 50% markup (for example) so don't get caught up in the %'s too much, think in dollar terms.

In light of the fact that the store owner just lost his home and insurance in California is ridiculously expensive, I think you could consider the fact that he's losing his ass as a good reason to give the guy decent money for what is bought.

Most retailers don't look at markup, we look at margin. We have our expenses and that determines how much we need to make in order to avoid losing money. If we need to pick up what we buy from a distributor, 15% profit means we can lose money just by driving there, going through the process and driving to the job or back to the shop. If it's shipped at no charge, it makes more sense to just stay put. 50 points is doubling our cost, but the expenses still come out of the profit/add to the cost, so the fact that someone has a B&M location means they can't match Amazon and still make enough to survive unless they'll also install it and sell accessories. Sometimes, it's easier to buy some items from Amazon and have it shipped- it's usually faster than having it come from the distributor and there's no guarantee the distributor even has it, which I ran into when I needed a Bluetooth receiver that works over a long distance. I looked for one, ordered it at 11:30 AM and it was at my house at 7:30 that evening. I went in and installed it before 9:30 AM and the facilities manager was amazed that I could have it in and working so fast. That impresses people and that gets us a few brownie points.

 

[highfigh]

The owner and his home audio guy both list their homes in the fire here

For that reason alone, I wouldn't grind him on the price.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

How much anyone is willing to pay to help out as "charity" or for a "good cause" is their call.

But in my experience, dealer costs for most brands are anywhere from 25-50% off, and they have different discounts for certain dealers - bigger dealers get the best discounts.

Just realize that when you buy from a "closeout" or from any specialty dealer where everything has to be ordered (no inventories),there are usually no returns (sales for final). If there is something wrong, you will have to deal directly with the manufacturers.

 

[snakeeyes]

I need to go demo the Monitor Audio silver. I keep hearing positive things from members here. I’m just in too deep with my Canton Ventos. I’m still in the honeymoon stage. LOL

 

[NorCalRP]

Aw, hell. Lovin' mentioned he knew somebody up there workin the fires. It's you, huh? You FD?

I'm down in Sonoma County. Last year was too close to home! We had a spot fire about a mile from our house on that first night everything happened last October.

All I can say is thank you for helping out! Safety and protection to you and everyone involved in helping fight the fires here!!!

That said: I was really blown away by the MA Silvers: the 300s retail at 2000/pr, the Silver C350 at $875, and Silver 500s are $2500/pr. The 300's sounded great, the 500's even better. I spent about an hour with each... and after two hours, wanted to keep listening!
If the high end on those R series KEFs can be tamed, more power to them. They sounded real good through the mids and lows, as they should considering the R900s retailed at twice the MA Silver 500s! (My preference is having something I don't have to tweak just to listen to for more than an hour, though.)

Stay safe out there! And again, Thank you!

Working alongside PG&E getting all the lines cleared then rebuilt. We'll work every single day (including holidays and in the snow) until it's all rebuilt. It's probably going to take a year.

For that reason alone, I wouldn't grind him on the price.

Definitely. My work schedule keeps me from getting in there. Gonna probably just buy over the phone.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I need to go demo the Monitor Audio silver. I keep hearing positive things from members here. I’m just in too deep with my Canton Ventos. I’m still in the honeymoon stage. LOL

Everyone raves about something, don't they?

It doesn't hurt to listen to other speakers, though, if you have time to kill.

 

[snakeeyes]

Everyone raves about something, don't they?

It doesn't hurt to listen to other speakers, though, if you have time to kill.

Ya atmos is my first goal. Some are raving about it.... . Updating speakers is further away. LOL.

 

[NorCalRP]

[/QUOTE]If you're math challenged , remember that markup and discount are different percentages for the same dollar amount. 33% discount = 50% markup (for example) so don't get caught up in the %'s too much, think in dollar terms.[/QUOTE]
HAHAHAHA

 

[everettT]

10 to 15% on products over $1500. If they have heavy inventory another 5. You drop enough coin, 25%.. that's an average. Brick and Mortar survive off of installs and accessories since the mid 2000s. No money in products except cables and wire. Displays and TVs have almost no margin, so expect their offers to reflect the above.

 

[snakeeyes]

What speakers do you have now?

Bedroom 2.1 are Canton Vento 820.2 bookshelfs with Rythmik L12 sealed sub. (Yamaha A770)

Living room 3.2 are Q Acoustics 3020 books and 3090 center with dual HSU VTF2 subs (Yamaha V681)

Theater room 5.1.4 are Def Tech BP10B towers from 2003, Def Tech C1 center from 1993, Def Tech SR9040 sides from 2016, with Rythmik ported LVX12 sub. Adding 4 ceiling speakers this month. RSL 34e series. (Yamaha A2060). ** This system will get upgrades eventually **

 

[ryanosaur]

Working alongside PG&E getting all the lines cleared then rebuilt. We'll work every single day (including holidays and in the snow) until it's all rebuilt. It's probably going to take a year.

Moved here back in '98... dropped out and came to SF with my band. Things didn't pan out, now I'm a Chef in Wine Country!

CA is a magical, wonderful, beautiful place. My love affair with the greater Bay Area is almost 20 years old! But she's becoming a cruel mistress, this land we love here, and the toll can be very, very high as we have witnessed in recent years.

 

[ryanosaur]

Everyone raves about something, don't they?

It doesn't hurt to listen to other speakers, though, if you have time to kill.

Just listening to the KEFs I mentioned is proof enough. I know some folks swear by them, but I learned hard and fast what listening fatigue meant. I probably wouldn't consider them, but for different reasons than the KEFs... but hoping to hear the ELAC UF5 and Adante standmounts soon, just for my listening education.