Advantage to buying parts direct vs. retailer

LBBDrew · 07-08-2016, 03:13 PM

Hi all,

Just curious as to whether there's any advantages to buying parts (ie: an exhaust) direct from the manufacturer vs. buying from a retailer. Will the retailer often discount labor if you buy from them? Is one usually cheaper than the other?

Cheers!

David70 · 07-08-2016, 03:52 PM

Normally the price is the same or the retailer won't want to carry the product.

sales@vivid · 07-08-2016, 04:05 PM

There are a lot of manufactures that will not even sell to the public, as well. In my opinion, and i say this because i do this for my customers... It is always better to buy from a retailer because you will most likely need other parts that are made by different manufacturers. If you deal with one person to get everything, you will find yourself getting better prices the longer you buy from a specific person because they value you as a customer, and you are building a relationship with them.

angelr · 07-08-2016, 04:31 PM

What Ralph said...many manufacturers don't sell to the public at all and rely on re-sellers to get the product to the end user. Those that do sell direct will often times have a unilateral pricing policy in place in an attempt to limit their re-sellers to retail or "map" (typically 10% off of retail) pricing, and offer their products direct strictly at retail or even slightly above so as to encourage folks to buy from their re-sellers. That's the approach I take with the lines I've brought into the states over the years.

Anyone familiar with the, mostly Japanese companies, that were prominent in the 90's and early 2000's offering performance parts, many of which went the way of the dodo, can attest to the danger of having a race to the bottom with pricing. Think Apexi, Blitz, HKS, Greddy etc. You have to build in margin for each player in your distribution model and take reasonable and legal steps to preserve that if you want long term success. Folks won't sell what they can't make money on for long, and once the product is devalued in the public's eyes it's very difficult to recover.

Short version: better to buy from a dealer more often than not.

LBBDrew · 07-08-2016, 05:32 PM

That all helps. Thanks for the info!

sales@vivid · 07-08-2016, 05:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LBBDrew

That all helps. Thanks for the info!

No problem! Let me know if I can be of any assistance.

RM7 · 07-09-2016, 01:23 AM

I saved a good chunk of shipping on Dinan parts by ordering through my BMW dealer.

07-08-2016, 03:13 PM	#1
LBBDrew Lieutenant 336 Rep 522 Posts Drives: 2017 LBB M2 Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: San Francisco iTrader: (0)	Advantage to buying parts direct vs. retailer Hi all, Just curious as to whether there's any advantages to buying parts (ie: an exhaust) direct from the manufacturer vs. buying from a retailer. Will the retailer often discount labor if you buy from them? Is one usually cheaper than the other? Cheers!
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07-08-2016, 03:52 PM	#2
David70 Colonel 1672 Rep 2,751 Posts Drives: 20 AM Vantage -13 Cadillac ATS Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Cincinnati, OH iTrader: (1)	Normally the price is the same or the retailer won't want to carry the product. __________________ 2006 Z4M Coupe - ZHP knob, stubby antenna, clutch delay delete
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07-08-2016, 04:05 PM	#3
sales@vivid Lieutenant 151 Rep 578 Posts Drives: 2014 BMW M5 DCT Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Gilbert AZ iTrader: (0)	There are a lot of manufactures that will not even sell to the public, as well. In my opinion, and i say this because i do this for my customers... It is always better to buy from a retailer because you will most likely need other parts that are made by different manufacturers. If you deal with one person to get everything, you will find yourself getting better prices the longer you buy from a specific person because they value you as a customer, and you are building a relationship with them.
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07-08-2016, 04:31 PM	#4
angelr Lieutenant 191 Rep 515 Posts Drives: 07 aw/ir m coupe, 2013 S4 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Cedarpines park, Ca iTrader: (1)	What Ralph said...many manufacturers don't sell to the public at all and rely on re-sellers to get the product to the end user. Those that do sell direct will often times have a unilateral pricing policy in place in an attempt to limit their re-sellers to retail or "map" (typically 10% off of retail) pricing, and offer their products direct strictly at retail or even slightly above so as to encourage folks to buy from their re-sellers. That's the approach I take with the lines I've brought into the states over the years. Anyone familiar with the, mostly Japanese companies, that were prominent in the 90's and early 2000's offering performance parts, many of which went the way of the dodo, can attest to the danger of having a race to the bottom with pricing. Think Apexi, Blitz, HKS, Greddy etc. You have to build in margin for each player in your distribution model and take reasonable and legal steps to preserve that if you want long term success. Folks won't sell what they can't make money on for long, and once the product is devalued in the public's eyes it's very difficult to recover. Short version: better to buy from a dealer more often than not.
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07-08-2016, 05:32 PM	#5
LBBDrew Lieutenant 336 Rep 522 Posts Drives: 2017 LBB M2 Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: San Francisco iTrader: (0)	That all helps. Thanks for the info!
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07-09-2016, 01:23 AM	#7
RM7 Brigadier General 3003 Rep 3,602 Posts Drives: Camaro SS 1LE Join Date: May 2015 Location: Alaska iTrader: (0)	I saved a good chunk of shipping on Dinan parts by ordering through my BMW dealer.
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