No more Amick's as an AS sponor?

[day52]

I worked for an RV dealership who challenged the "no internet sales" policies of a couple trailer mfgs.(they won). I think you'll see many more of these cases soon. Once the mfgs. get their thinking caps on and see the $$ to be made, these policies will go away, especially companies such as Dolmar and their distributors, who are looking for market share here in the US. I know there is a lot more markup and dollars to be made with RV's, but the same basic ideas apply. There will always be some who will buy locally and others who will buy based on price, but there is always the service end of the business. I am guessing the $$ to be made on a new saw isn't that big a factor compared to mowers, tractors, etc., but they still need to be serviced. I think the free marketplace can take care of itself. Having said that, Amick's will be missed here. Good luck to them!

 

[fishercat]

it was a joke.

:monkey: Really?

That's why the DOW tanked 330 points today? And the UK is on the verge of going bankrupt? And a lot of other stuff... like BofA, and Citibank, and...

i was just trying to spread the HOPE since CHANGE is all i have left in my pocket.

 

[lawnmowertech37]

tony is a good person have talked to him on occassion i think its more cause of the manufactures are starting to get strict on internet sales

such as Echo they are cracking down on internet sales from websites etc. they cannot control obsolete parts they dont offer anymore though

and the other is dolmar and husqvarna are getting strict on who can do what


so i think this could be why he had to pull out not cause he did not like it here but cause of the rules and regulations from some manufactures


if you notice you cannot sale Stihl parts online either so maybe these other companies are going that same route

which i think stinks in a way but is tony able to still stay on here even as a member cause i would like to still read his posts so i make a vote that he dont leave AS as a member but stays course times are hard for small business owners and i feel like its going to be tougher yet in the next few months or weeks ahead


thanks

calvin

just got off the phone with tony he said everything is doing ok he may be on later to update everyone

 

[blsnelling]

...but is tony able to still stay on here even as a member cause i would like to still read his posts so i make a vote that he dont leave AS as a member but stays course times are hard for small business owners and i feel like its going to be tougher yet in the next few months or weeks ahead


thanks

calvin

I don't know why not. Most of us aren't sponsors. He's just not going to be able to push his product.

 

[davefr]

if you notice you cannot sale Stihl parts online either so maybe these other companies are going that same route

Yes, but what they (ex: Dolmar) fail to understand is that they better have a substantial B&M dealer network before they pull the plug on the internet.

 

[lawnmowertech37]

Yes, but what they (ex: Dolmar) fail to understand is that they better have a substantial B&M dealer network before they pull the plug on the internet.

i agree and im no dolmar dealer but i respect those that are and try to sell online they have a family to feed etc.

NC got its first snow fall state wide yesterday normally our state is the warm state during the winter season all the time rain instead of everything else it snowed 2 inchs here yesterday evening im going outside to walk in it and get some pictures

before the sun melts it away

 

[Zodiac45]

I really don't understand the "internet issue"? What's the problem with internet sales? Is it an insurance liability issue? School me?

 

[XJWoody]

I've had a few dealings with Tony & Amick's, all in person, since the store is approx 3/4 hour north of me. I'm proud to say that every time has been first class.

I hate to see them go as AS sponsors, but in thest times, folks have to go with what they feel is right for their business.

 

[trimmmed]

I really don't understand the "internet issue"? What's the problem with internet sales? Is it an insurance liability issue? School me?

Steve, I think the "internet issue" has to do with brick and mortar stores complaining to the manufacturers, that they are being undercut pricewise by internet sales from companies that have no overhead.

The validity of that is open to some interpretation depending on your viewpoint.

 

[danrclem]

I bought a tach, a muffler, some oil and some other things from Amick's. I wouldn't have known about them if it hadn't have been for this site.

I found a Dolmar dealer recently in the next town up the road from me. I went there to check them out. It was actually a mower shop geared more toward commercial use. The owner was a super nice guy but the only Dolmar saws that they had in stock was a 401 and a 5100.

 

[Lakeside53]

I really don't understand the "internet issue"? What's the problem with internet sales? Is it an insurance liability issue? School me?

The OEM will no doubt say it's about liability, but it's really about growing a market. From a purely sales perspective... I don't have any problem with Internet sales, but it must be a level playing field - all or none. The "problem" is it's hard to deal with user education and warranty service if it's not local. MOST users are not "fix-it-yourself" AS members.. they are Joe public who barely knows how to hold a saw. A few mad customers can make for a public relations mess.

The same discussion came up when Husky stopped Balley from selling. IIRC.. it was Spike60 that said something like - Even if Baileys was equal to 25 smaller dealers, they had the potential to disrupt sales nationwide by undercutting price, and stifle the formation of new dealers.

If Dolmar had 8000 dealers .. they would have a heck of a sales volume... but...

 

[67 Mustang]

Message sent to Amick's

Tried to send Tony (AS user name "Uwharrie") from Amick's a PM, but it says his msg box is full. Sent msg on the feedback link at the bottom of the Amick's Superstore site and told him we still need him to check in with us here.

[email protected] <[email protected]>

 

[woodguy105]

i was just trying to spread the HOPE since CHANGE is all i have left in my pocket.

Now that's funny! :greenchainsaw:

 

[K9-Handler]

I found a Dolmar dealer recently in the next town up the road from me. I went there to check them out. It was actually a mower shop geared more toward commercial use. The owner was a super nice guy but the only Dolmar saws that they had in stock was a 401 and a 5100.

That's two more saws than my local "dealer" stocks! :hmm3grin2orange:

 

[Paul001]

That's two more saws than my local "dealer" stocks! :hmm3grin2orange:

Perhaps theres a reason for that? I'll play devils advocate (Stihl dealer are always the devil anyway ).

We are a small shop, still I have on display every saw from a MS-192 to a MS 880 with several in stock of each, in the warehouse. I have an entire service bay filled with parts. For the sake of argument lets set that inventory's value at $500,000.00.

Whats the cost of servicing that debt load?
The cost of added warehouse space?
The cost of added display area?
Certified personnel to make repairs?
Cost of people to place the orders, maintain inventory, stock the shelves and pull parts for customers?

It's easy to dismiss those as just the cost of being in business. The reality of it is, it's an added cost to the consumer. Same as insurance, taxes, payroll taxes, etc. Companies don't pay them, you do...everytime you make a purchase. Difference is, unlike your cell phone bill or when you stay at a motel, they are not listed separately.

Internet sales has added a whole new dimension to the way we all have to look at business. There are several cottage industries that have popped up in the last decade, one of the most common follows the Amway approach. Centralized main distributors with lots of people able to sell from their homes. That master distributor doesn't care who or where his sales force sells...heck many times you do not even need to warehouse anything, all items are drop shipped from the warehouse to the end user.

Thats where the "level" playing field issue arises. If I'm sitting home and plug in a website that sells wobble rods, it boils down to how little am I willing to accept as a profit...nothing new there...except those above costs are not part of my formula. I have no or very little debt load to service, warehousing space, techs, etc.

For the typical user on sites like this the lack of service is not a big deal. The fact that you still have a local shop to drop by and physically put your hands on that saw and decide if it's right for you...is still costing someone money. As it is now, you still have the option to buy from not only different manufactures but different suppliers as well.

So the main question becomes how to level the playing field. Federal law prohibits manufactures and distributors from fixing (for the most part) how much an item can be sold for. So that eliminates that option. Tiered purchasing costs can work, but if you have two people that buy the same amount of items from you (again for the most part) you have to sell to both at the same price. The manufactures can not say OK you have a shop so you buy at a lower price...

As I've stated in the past, dealerships have to do a better job of proving to the customers the added value associated with their higher costs. On the other hand, the power of Internet distribution is incredible...and will have to be sorted out as I do not think it's going away anytime soon.

 

[Uwharrie]

Just wanted to drop by and say Thanks to All who have in the past as well as in the future that buy from us. Our internet sales were up over 50% this past year and we are looking for a good Spring. By not being able to offer Equipment for sale online it has changed our Advertising and the way we do it. The only manufacturer that allows internet sales is Tanaka in a two cycle line that we sell. It's just not enough volume for Arboristsite.

Tony

 

[windthrown]

i was just trying to spread the HOPE since CHANGE is all i have left in my pocket.

I'll rep yah that when I get reloaded here on AS rep...

 

[stihlboy]

I'll rep yah that when I get reloaded here on AS rep...

i got him but you got more affect

 

[windthrown]

So the main question becomes how to level the playing field. Federal law prohibits manufactures and distributors from fixing (for the most part) how much an item can be sold for. So that eliminates that option. Tiered purchasing costs can work, but if you have two people that buy the same amount of items from you (again for the most part) you have to sell to both at the same price. The manufactures can not say OK you have a shop so you buy at a lower price...

I have to agree with your post. Good essay overall as well. However, the US laws on price fixing seem to be gotten around by Stihl here in the west at least. Pick up the phone and call around the entire state (I have done this myself) and every Stihl dealer wants the same price for the same saws. I found the PNW price list shortly thereafter, and there were all the prices, pretty much set in concrete in this region. Maybe $10 leway with older saws or different bars, or one shop may be willing to sell a saw on the shelf at the old price. However, it seems to be price fixing.

Also as far as level playing fields go, that is a constant variable. Here in the PNW with the huge downturn in the logging industry, the saw shops are coming under a lot of pressure. Both from the standpoint that loggers are not buying saws and getting them serviced as much, and the same loggers are dumping Stihl saws here in droves for cash, and thus those of us with CAD are snapping them up from them instead of buying them new from the dealers. The market is saturated.

Also as level playing fields go, those of us that make money as arborists in they PNW are coming under more and more pressure from cheap illegal labor from south of the border that is willing to work for far less becasue they do not have insurance, they do not pay taxes, they are not certified, and they do not have the overhead that we 'legal' law-abiding and taxpaying and licensed service people do. Its like cheap Chinese knock-off chainsaws being sold on Ebay or CL. People are willing to buy crappy saws online, and people are willing to pay less for uninsured illegal arborists all the time. Everyone wants to save a buck these days. It is a fact of life. Laws do not seem to appy in most cases that I have seen, either way.

 

[Lakeside53]

There are some wacky ideas on "price fixing"... That's when a group conspires to "fix" the price.

And... UNITARY Pricing (Fixed retail pricing at all dealers) is quite legal... aka, SONY among many, but not Stihl to name one.

Stihl prices are "MSRP".. Dealers can sell them for what they like. They'd like to sell for more than the "recommended", but few can. Masdens rarely sells even close to that number.


An MSRP price sheet is just a convenient piece of paper to show a non-pro... and for guys that call around on the phone Turn up in person... dealers deal... Any dealer that make more than $100 on a decent sized pro sale is a happy dealer...