shortsightedness to save a few bucks that ultimately costs more in the long run
If you're saying that by saving a few thousand rand you're not saving much, then i dont know.
saving half of the price of what the amp costs here seems more than just a few bucks to me. and then its for a properly built, no shortcuts taken only the best components used, custom amp!
saving R2000 on a MIM guitar is almost half the price of ANOTHER new MIM guitar. THATS A LOT OF MONEY.
Saving R8000 on an american standard IS half the price of a new american standard. AGAIN?! You can buy another american standard for that saving!!!
Saving R12000 on an amp that doesnt even cost that much to begin with, you can buy 2 for the price of that 1.
At some SA retailers, the princeton in question retails for R23000... Keira might as well buy 2, and then a mustang from the UK!!!!
When i look at Fender UK's prices, its not far off from the USA prices...
so how it ends up being more than double even the UK price is above me, when the UK price is not even a third higher than USA prices.
and thats only in some cases. in most cases, give or take a few pounds, its the same price in the UK as the USA.
So HOW do they get that right when taking shipping into account, when taking the distributorship into account?
Does having equal prices stop people from importing straight from the states? Damn straight it does.
So i will not believe the sob stories that they dont make as much profit as we think.
They are making huge profit, and
while people are (stupidly) prepared to pay those prices, nothings going to change.
taking economics into account, when you're shipping that much stock, you arent paying that much per item to get it shipped. if you are, you're getting screwed over.
In turn, you're screwing the customer over!
Oh, and when the discounted price is still 3 times the USA price, you cannot convince me otherwise of big profits.
maybe not the retailers, but the suppliers most definitely!
When its cheaper to fly to the states, buy a custom shop fender, know that you will get support because its a custom shop model and fly back, and its still more than R30000 cheaper than it would have cost here, then something is wrong.
and a custom shop will never cost R50000,
unless its super exclusive. that would mean the guitar was around $8000USD. and there arent many custom shop models that cost $8000 USD.
So really, things need to get sorted out. or sales will be lost to competitors, or other places.
Which is a pity, because i too am a great Fender Fanatic, but i am NOT prepared to pay the 3 times the USA price for something, when i can import it cheaper myself.
and lets be honest, how often DO fender products break? hmmm... hardly ever?! Exactly.
IceCreamMan wrote:
Then you will realise that with a model that is inefficient the business wont last in the long run. The internet has given us an ability to compare pricing and buy from international sources at much less the local cost. My guess this trend is increasing thus more an more money and profits are being lost to local suppliers and that to my mind is a tragedy . I have no qualms paying a premium btw but keep it realistic and not 3 times the USA price. (or even double) in this particular case an alternative (substitute was sourced) because of the high price...this is not a unique case Tom ... A sale has been lost to Fender here cos of their pricing. The consumer wanted it.
Again i stress , no one is against normal profits but if you have 17 middle men in the chain then i am getting ripped
Exactly the point. If the profits were normal, hell, even if it was 30% higher than the USA price, i would pay it... but a price in excess of 200% on mexican fender products / 300% in most cases of american fender products?!
THATS NOT NORMAL PROFIT. THATS A RIP OFF.
