by KE4AVB » Wed Mar 28, 2018 3:17 am
I have been working these deals for 9 yrs now. It like buying parts from Husqvarna or MTD for Craftsman mowers. Or like repairing 2 cycle carburetors using the carburetor manufacture parts instead of buying from the equipment OEM. Some OEM part suppliers will sale parts to you at a much better price direct instead of you having to pay all those extra markups. Even if you buy OEM parts there are deals that be found. This is why I don't buy all my parts from one supplier as prices can vary considerable depending the their discounts that they receive themselves.
And yes there are dealers out that will stick it to their customers. It like the Stihl dealer I was using that was over charging me on everything. How do I know, it because I switch dealers and the cost are considerably less. Some of the local dealers will charge you shipping on everything as if they are special ordering everything you need. I caught one red handed on this as the parts were already on a stock order coming in a few days later per the counter person but was charge $15 for shipping anyways. When I confronted the owner he said it a policy to charge everyone and that I was supposed to be charged $20. Needless to say I now order my Kubota parts out Mississippi a much better price. So it takes a few days to get here; it was the same time line from the local dealer.
It like buying your hardware from a place like Fastenal instead buying the exact same hardware at inflated prices from places like Husqvarna, Briggs, or other equipment dealer. I simply could but why pay $2 ea for bolt or screw when you can buy them at 0.25 ea. Now there times that especially with some specialized hardware you can only get the correct part from the equipment manufacture. Shouldered screws are one for example. I am currently needing a spacer washer for a deck pivot arm that MTD is wanting 4.50 a piece for, instead I will be buying the harden version from Fastenal for 0.45 ea but the shouldered washers I got to get from MTD. Even this is still a savings over what Sears wants for the same part.
Basically it is the knowing the products you are working on and where you can save yourself some of the overhead. Now for me to be a Briggs dealer they would require me to sell only their expendables not aftermarket. This why I won't sign as a dealer for them. It also explains why Sunbelt no longer sell aftermarket filters for the Briggs line but is an easy one to reroute to a different supplier. We are all just trying to make a decent profit for what we do but we also must be competitive too.
The truest measure of society is the how it treats its elderly, its pets, and its prisoners.