What is a reasonable discount from MSRP from a local dealer?


More specifically:
  • the type of transaction I am talking about is one-off - not a known customer or promise of repeat business, could just be by phone/website.
  • I am considering new Goldenear Triton One or One.R to replace my Triton 3+

I ask because:
  • Recently I ordered a pair of "used" Klipsch Heresy IVs online for $2,200. New ones were listed at $3,000. Immediately I was contacted and asked if I wanted to 'upgrade' to new for just 10% more! I declined, though I was (naively) surprised that they would knock $600 off the new price without me even asking. What I received appeared to be a brand new; a sequentially numbered, veneer matched pair, drop shipped from the factory. A little old fashioned bait-n-switch. Anyway, they were happy to sell me brand new speakers of a new model that does not appear to be widely discounted at 27% discount, probably because all they need to do is take my order and $$ and pass it on to the factory. Anyway, these have come and gone.
  • I just inquired about some Goldenears that were advertised as 'demos', and was offered instead a brand new pair shipped to me from the factory for 20% off list. Again, just process my credit card and send the order to the factory. Same thing happened when I bought my Triton 3+s, except I was oblivious to what was going on so I paid way more than I needed to.
For now, I would just like to place an order, and not avail myself of all that the local dealer can offer, like auditions and advice and support. So I wonder, does a dealer buy a pair of GE One.R at 50% of MSRP ($6,600)? If so, is $1900 too much to pay for taking an order? Anything important I'm missing? Your feedback appreciated :-)
lorendavis

Showing 1 response by rh67

I was in the industry for three decades both as a manufacture and retailer i`m talking about the 70`s, 80`s and 90`s. As a manufacture of high end products we would sell to dealers at 33% less than retail. High End Audio had much less of a mark up than generic Japanese audio at that time, we were approached by a well known Japanese brand during that time with the pitch that we could make a lot of money.....  well yeah as the retail was 500% over wholesale, we declined.

Not sure of the margins today but dealers and manufactures deserve a fair living. It`s up to each individual to determine if something is overpriced or if they are getting a deal or fair price.