Just sat in on an audio sale...

H

highfigh

Seriously, I have no life.
I think this speaks to the changes in business models in general in this country. Many moons ago it was about making a quality product and a fair profit. Now it's about leeching every dollar possible out of the consumer. As an example, consider a couple years ago when gas was $4+/gallon. We were told it was due to higher crude oil prices, but the oil companies reported record profits that year. Apple does the same thing with their marketing. I can usually get an mp3 player from another company with similar storage capacity for about half the price and in many cases it will be of higher quality.

As mentioned in earlier, we need to protect ourselves from being the uninformed consumers. I think that's part of why many of us spend so much time on these forums. I know you won't find any $4k cables in my system.
Gas is a federally regulated/taxed commodity and has nothing to do with this kind of product. Audio/Video equipment is retail, nothing more, or less. The price is what the market will bear and the saying 'Caveat Emptor' still applies- look for the threads about the White Van scams for proof. Bose and Apple regulate the selling price for their products by making it impossible for their dealers to compete with each other on price, by restricting availability.

It used to be that dealers would have an unspoken agreement that there was enough business for everyone and they wouldn't cut prices too much, selling by overcoming objections with facts (some cases, never) but not by slashing prices. Then, people in many industries got lazy, especially when business was slow. 'On Sale' became a joke because the difference between those prices and every day prices was much less and it didn't make sense to wait if the item only cost a few bucks more, so the daily prices were discounted more. They moved more boxes but made less on each one.

"Now it's about leeching every dollar possible out of the consumer."

Compare that with consumers thinking every item in a seller's inventory should cost half of what they want to charge, without ANY concern for whether the dealer is making a profit, or not. Nobody wants to allow the local guy to make a living and if you want to know why they don't have qualified people selling for them, look around you- the reason is every person who buys based on price. The ones who really piss me off are those who pick the local dealers' brains or get a demo from local dealers and look for the best price online.

Many people don't know that some wholesale companies have a retail or E-tail outlet. This means they buy at distributor price levels and can sell at, or below normal dealer cost. This makes it literally impossible for a dealer to buy from a distributor and make any money on these products. It also removes competition from the marketplace and is illegal, but the FCC has bigger fish to fry, in their opinion, so it often goes unchecked.

Go and talk to a few retailers and you'll see how much of a pain in the azz price shoppers really are and after you do this, think about all of the retailers who couldn't afford to stay in business because of all of the people who only care that they got the best price online but didn't give a rat's azz about the local dealers, who were "charging far too much for the equipment I wanted".
 
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oppman99

Senior Audioholic
You make some valid arguements highfi. I wasn't aware of Apple regulating the selling price. I find this practice somewhat frustrating. I know Paradigm does the same thing. I get very upset though when someone within driving distance from my location tells me they picked up a pair of speakers I am considering for $1000 less than my local dealer will give me on the same. Who is getting gouged here? Is it me if I buy from my local dealer or is it the dealer who sold for less? Probably explains why I looked into the used market.

If I find an item in a store I think is overpriced, I just don't buy it unless I really need it. I might wait til it goes on sale or just decide I don't need it. I don't think most items cost twice what they should, but your point is taken.

As to the part about being an informed consumer, I was thinking mainly about things like ultra expensive cables, cable lifts and the like.
 
H

highfigh

Seriously, I have no life.
You make some valid arguements highfi. I wasn't aware of Apple regulating the selling price. I find this practice somewhat frustrating. I know Paradigm does the same thing. I get very upset though when someone within driving distance from my location tells me they picked up a pair of speakers I am considering for $1000 less than my local dealer will give me on the same. Who is getting gouged here? Is it me if I buy from my local dealer or is it the dealer who sold for less? Probably explains why I looked into the used market.

If I find an item in a store I think is overpriced, I just don't buy it unless I really need it. I might wait til it goes on sale or just decide I don't need it. I don't think most items cost twice what they should, but your point is taken.

As to the part about being an informed consumer, I was thinking mainly about things like ultra expensive cables, cable lifts and the like.
How often have you seen Apple or Bose on sale? How often have you seen anything other than a fixed price?

Re: Paradigm- if they bought from someone who isn't authorized by Paradigm, there's no warranty and it's not just paradigm that has this policy.

I think that, if someone doesn't want to get hosed when they buy anything, they are responsible for learning about whatever it is that they want to buy. Period. If they already buy from someone they trust, the seller has the burden of not screwing people (which they shouldn't do, anyway) but being able to trust the seller saves a lot of time because the customer doesn't need to feel them out and decide if they want to buy from them, or not.

I heard and read all kinds of good things about IXOS cables and I have two suppliers who sell them. I bought a set for a customer and when I got them, I saw three braided wires, no-name XLR plugs/jacks and translucent white nylon braided sheath. We had discussed cables for his Audio Research power amp and he decided that $400 is high enough. I told him what I though of them and offered to return them and he said I should just use them and I assume it was because I was brutally honest about them.

I could have made a set with Neutric ends for a fraction of my cost on the IXOS crap and I really let my rep have it for selling that brand.
 
son-yah-tive

son-yah-tive

Full Audioholic
Just proves the point that people for the most part are quite stupid.......
That, and can't DUMP their money fast enough on something they have no educated guess as to why they're buying it to begin with. I'll even bet they forgot what they looked at, and return again to be sold on even more stuff that's even MORE expensive! Sounds like anybody can sell these two anything.:rolleyes:
 
H

highfigh

Seriously, I have no life.
Sounds like they have more money than brains and just want to piss some of it away. OTOH, if the deal hasn't been done, they're cutting their own throats if they commit to the sale beforehand.
 
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