At what price to you give up loyalty to your local dealer?

[Mark von Kanel]

Im sure you'll all remember a recent thread about local suppliers vs internet suppliers. On that thread i came down firmly on the local supplier side saying that they would look after you and often get at least close to internet prices.

So here is my dilemma, my local supplier wants £2050 for a D800 Amazon want £1916 a difference of £134..... thats a lot! ive approached my local guy but he wont move on his price,I havnt been into the shop to play, so ive not wasted any of his time..... how much are my principles worth? my wife thinks that £134 is a lot of shoe vouchers!!

both cameras are UK specification.

So advice please and just to make it interesting ill go with the majority decision!

[glenng]

Go to you local supplier and tell them that you want to give them your money but you have found it £134 cheeper can they match it or beat the price if not get the cheeper one.

[tbob]

Have you already factored the shipping costs into the equation? It might be cheaper for you to have it shipped than it is for me but often by the time I add in shipping and handling the cost is dead even or close enough to go with the local brick and mortar shop. Of course in my case the "local" store I use is 600 km away, I usually go there about three to four times a year to visit my son anyway so I just wait.

My problem with supporting the really local (in town) camera store is two fold. I have to add on 7% sales tax to anything I buy, and they are slightly higher already. And mainly; I have a bad relationship with the owner, being told I am amateur and have no place selling images is one too many times (I was having an image enlarged to sell to a friend and let them know)

[Geoff F]

Just checking a few quick prices and £2050 is a fraction on the high side, but not nearly as bad as the 3,000 being asked by one seller.

I see Jessops are advertising it for £2020.

Not listed on my usual best buys through the internet though. Apart from that Amazon price which you mention.

Cheapest is on E bay at £1800 for buy now price. Which doesn't exactly sound a bargain for secondhand price from a private seller; even if it is unused.

I normally purchase everything on the internet now, but only from a few trusted establishments.

Incidentally, my computer DVD writer died recently so I drove 20 miles to Plymouth and tried 4 outlets before returning empty handed and turning to Amazon.

[The Blue Boy]

Mark,

Just had a quick look to see who the supplier was, and was glad to see it's direct from Amazon, so you'll be OK on that point.

If you a google you'll find a deal at "valuebasket.com" for £1866, but I've never heard of them.

Normally for good service and some good deals I usually use WEX photographic here in the UK. They have a showroom in Norwich but I'm not allowed to go down there as the Mrs would kill me. She cringes when she sees the page on the laptop as she knows something expensive is about to happen, They've been voted best online retailer here for a number of years but they still can't beat that price mate.

Back in the day, I used to love to go to the camera shop and chat with the owner and discuss new gear. We're talking of the early eighties when I was but a mere youth. Now local shops can't compete I'm afraid.

Back then I'd go to the shop to ask questions. Now I just come here. See what I'm saying?

[jcuknz]

It maybe a lot of shoe vouchers, whatever they are, but we are talking cameras and UKP134 on UKP2050 is chicken feed if you have principles

[rpcrowe]

I don't have a local Mom and Pop, brick and mortar store. The only convenient photo equipment store is a Calumet branch which is part of a nationwide chain. I hold no allegience to this store but, have a decent relationship with the manager and salespersons. Actuallly, I have a better relationship with the Calumet management than I ever had with the locals who owned the store before it was acquired by Calumet...

Whether I will buy from Calumet or on-line depends on the price differential (including shipping and sales tax), the availability of gear and whether my need for the gear is pressing. Quite often I will purchase smaller items at the store just beause it is easier and quicker than ordering on the Internet and waiting for delivery. However, there is no way that I would buy a big ticket item from that store because their prices can be several hundred dollars more than if I were to purchase from B&H or Adorama in New York City...

Occasionally, Calumet will have sales which will match or even beat the various Internet stores. Also, Calumet has their own line of products which are actually pretty darn good and competitive with any other brands...

[Andrew76]

I own a small retail specialty store myself, unrelated to photography. In the past, I've lost sleep when customers buy online. In fact, I've even argued that online shopping will be the downfall of community, and local society. I've faced my own moral dilemmas with this issue, and still haven't come to a conclusion as to where I stand, so if you find an answer, please let me know!

Having not travelled through Europe, or the UK for some years, I'm not sure how bad it is, but in Canada, we face another issue altogether - shear vastness. Firstly, none of the products I sell are manufactured in Canada, and so we're initially faced with large, middle-person problem - none of the products can be purchased directly from the manufacturer, all must go through a Canadian distributor who take care of all the brokerage and shipping into Canada, of course, they take their cut too. So, my cost on it is automatically higher than a US dealer for the same product. Then, if the Canadian distributor happens to be on the West Coast, and I happen to be in Ontario, well, do you know how much it costs to ship a widget that weighs 50lbs 4,293km? Not to mention, that in my particular field, as Canadians, we only account for about 1% of the market share, so my chances of selling that widget are hugely reduced compared to a brick & mortar US, OR online US dealer!

It's unfortunate, but I have to say that if I am going to be truthful to all of my friends on CiC, I too have purchased online. When it comes right down to it, I'm trying to survive, and if I can save some $$, then maybe it's what I have to do.

Not to ramble - but here's a funny one for you - a customer came in with 6 brand new SCUBA tanks which he purchased online from a well known internet store. Oddly enough - the store seems to be just a front, and products are shipped from all over North America - this particular batch of tanks came wrapped in boxes with packing tape marked "ADORAMA" all over it!!!!! Isn't that funny!?!? Didn't know ADORAMA was in the SCUBA market. Learn something new every day.

[ktuli]

Mark,

Just a thought here... and I'll preface this with the fact that I know is muddies the waters immensely and makes it harder to compare apples to apples.... but...

Are you planning on buying anything else at the same time? This is a case where perhaps the shop owner - because of what he had to pay for the inventory - simply isn't able to be flexible in his price on that item alone, but if you were purchasing other pieces, he possibly could have more of a margin on other items, thus making it possible to meet somewhere in the middle. You still probably won't get all the way down to the prices you could get online, but it gets him some profit and keeps you loyal (and likely reinforces that loyalty).

Just a thought.

- Bill

[Melkus]

Think a lot of it is how bad you want. If you want it right now it will cost you more but if you can wait for it to be ship then you can get cheaper. There a big mess going on here about the locals vendors losing money over someone buying off the net and I can see things both ways but botton line is if I can wait for whatever and save money then what do you think I will do, the same thing most anyone would

[Mark von Kanel]

All shipping and tax's are included in both prices.

Im not at home at the moment but if i order it online it will be sat at home waiting for me and i wont have a half day round trip to buy it....

ive already asked the local vendor if he will come down in price, i dont expect him to match it but hes more expensive than jessops and calumet.....he wont discount at all.

well it looks like the votes are going down the buy from the internet side.... ill leave the voting open until 9 am gmt +1 and then the order gets placed!!

[davidedric]

A couple of questions:

What would you do with the dollars you save?

If your local man isn't there, what will you do?

Go with the local store. I don't have one any more

[Andrew1]

I personally shop in a few proper camera stores but I have to go with the on-line crowd in this one. I have the advantage of very well-stocked stores in another city I travel to that regularly meet or beat many on-line camera/lens prices. I don't have $200 to give away for no reason to someone I don't know. I've offered a local shop the choice of at least coming close to the price but their speedy reply shows they don't even consider it. Perhaps they though I was bluffing or being employees of a chain, just don't care. Is comparing prices on the internet the same as comparing between stores? Is the $200 better in my pocket rather than theirs? YES to both.

[loosecanon]

I shop locally when I can. Being a regular customer we have I hope a relationship. Yes I paid more for my 5D3 than Grey import, but the local man accepted I didn't want a "free bag" and instead £100 came off the price of a £150 Compact flash card, so maybe £50 off in reality. But if it goes wrong I can take it back to the retailer any time in the next 6 years thanks to EU laws.I think that is worth a lot more than a small saving by buying on the net.

[Shadowman]

If its in the shop and doesn't have to be backordered I'd buy local. That is if you really, really need it at that moment.

[Glenn NK]

All shipping and tax's are included in both prices.

Im not at home at the moment but if i order it online it will be sat at home waiting for me and i wont have a half day round trip to buy it....

ive already asked the local vendor if he will come down in price, i dont expect him to match it but hes more expensive than jessops and calumet.....he wont discount at all.

well it looks like the votes are going down the buy from the internet side.... ill leave the voting open until 9 am gmt +1 and then the order gets placed!!

The actual increase is seven percent. That's not a lot.

What will you do if the body has some problems? Return it? What will that cost - will the online store keep paying shipping?

Personally I'm faced with this all the time, and if the difference is ten percent, I go local - but the truth is the local shop is quite price competitive, so I've only purchased online once, and that was because the local dealer didn't carry the brand at the time.

Glenn

[revi]

Something I haven't seen here:
how's the reputation of the local shop in case of problems/equipment failure outside warranty?
If they have a good reputation and know their stuff, the £134 might be well spent (see it as an insurance).

And of curse, as soon as they start throwing in 'freebies', you have negotiation options

[Mark von Kanel]

Ok the voting stands at 9 for internet and 6 for local, You boys dont make it easy to decipher which side of the fence you are sitting on can we have a late run for local i wonder???

But if it goes wrong I can take it back to the retailer any time in the next 6 years thanks to EU laws.I think that is worth a lot more than a small saving by buying on the net.

Thats interesting, and could make a difference. where did you get this information?

It maybe a lot of shoe vouchers, whatever they are, but we are talking cameras and UKP134 on UKP2050 is chicken feed if you have principles

if you dont know what shoe vouchers are, you cant be married its slang for money, males tend to call them beer tokens and women will call them shoe vouchers, my wife is intermating that i should give the savings to her to spend on shoes, where as im thinking its 10% towards a 70-22 F2.8 nikor....

[dubaiphil]

My local dealer wants 13,999 Dirhams for a D800

That equates to 2,400GBP!

That equates to why I call them a stealership.

The 30% discount that I'm fishing for as a result of connections with writing for a local magazine = 30%

That makes a D800 potential purchase = 1,680GBP

And that also shows the markup that my local dealer (the sole dealer of official Nikon products) has set - ouch!

[dubaiphil]

So for me, I have to weigh up the value of my locally purchased product and warranty support vs. the huge markup!