Not quiet on the subject, but I bet it makes a lot of people angry too.

"I just paid $53 for a little Briggs and Stratton airfilter. "

You, actually.... like PAID that?

Whoa....

I thought $100.00 was expensive for the Delica......

Wolfie

Similar situation recently with an air filter for a 2.5 kva Yamaha genset. Quoted nearly $30(inc GST),& a 45 min drive there & back to get it from the nearest dealer. Went to Supercrap 5 mins away, bought a $2.50 carwash sponge ,cut it to size, & treated with Unifilter oil. Job done. Who needs genuine ??

Sitting in anticipation of all the laughable comments "that you only get what you paid for " ,, honda l/mower air filter from honda shop = $23, same filter from small independant mower shop ,same packaging ect = $7.64 ,who,s ripping off who.!!!

a place i used to work sold sprocket chains for $20. $20 i hear you say, thats not to bad? well i dont think so either. so what is my point? the point is we only got them for $1 ea. so in a normal retail shop where you mark up say 10 - 40% or more, hundreds of percent sounds a rip off. anyway, the way they arrived at the $20 was more what "sounds" about right which i dont really have a problem with. I am sure there are some mega rip offs out there for everyday products we just dont know about.

Like you I'd like to know how much of the cost of an ARB product goes into paying for the materials, labour, design etc and how much goes into paying for the multi million dollar looking shopfront. Who the bleep needs a big screen tv with your choice of a gazillion fourby related DVDs to watch with fancy couches etc and "free" tea and coffee?

Maybe they should sell there stuff online and we could pick it up from the warehouse and not have to pay for all the sales related crap. I don't know about you guys but when I go to a 4x4 store I am going there with a purpose. I have done my research and know exactly what I want. I shouldn't have to pay for all the other crap.

A mate owns and imports bearings.
He gets wheel bearings kits and the like for me. They sell in the shop for about $70 a kit I get them of him for $18 and he still makes money.
My son needed new wheel bearings for his skate board a pack of 8 cost me $8 from my mate in the shops same pack in same packaging $30.

All the best
Eric

Question is - what is a decent profit margin and what is obscene?

Some one I know made a killing selling landcruiser tail lights for one example.

Genuine item - about $70.

He could get a copy made in Taiwan for $8.00 landed. Had to order so many hundred. $5.00 ex factory.
Quality and fit not as good, but close.
Sold them for $25.00 a piece.
Every body who bought them though he was doing them a favour.

So should he have sold them for $10.00, $25.00 or $50.00?

But he was the only one willing to spend the time setting it up and ordering so many hundred, so why shouldn't he make a decent (but not obscene) profit?

I went into a local 4wd store last year with a question. The lady couldn't help, but while I was in there a young bloke and his missus came in. "We're going around Australia for 12 months, what will we need ?"
"One of these ...and these...and these etc etc etc
For all she knew he might of been going round on the tar with a panel van.

Not only do they price gouge at every opportunity but they really have your best interests at heart also.........NOT.

My advice is to ask a satisfied customer before shelling out your hard earned dollars.

G'day Reiner,

I have lived out this way for about 7 yrs now, that shop has grown to twice the size in that time.
I went in there only 2 weeks ago to get a tyre for the ride on, I had a fair idea he was a rip-off mongrel from prices I'd seen there of other stuff, but had only bought some oil there previously, he was handy at the time so I dropped in.
Had my wheel with me, got sent to the "workshop in the other building" no worries,
asked if they could fit a new tyre, after punching the keyboard for 5 min, whilst explaining they were very busy at the moment the young fella coudn't give me an answer and looked at the older bloke for help, this was lunch time on tuesday, Im thinking "OK, can't do it straight away, Ill pick it up on the way home, another five min on the puter then replied " might be able to have it done by the end of the week, maybe"
Reply, " You gotta be kiddin! Gimme the tyre and I'll fit the damn thing myself in 10 min flat!' Also added some snyde remark about, "lucky beaurepairs don't have the same work ethics as this place" to which came no reply.
It them took him another 5 min to find a price for the tyre and tube, "That'll be $53 .90 for the tyre and $20.00 for the tube sir" After telling him I can buy a car tyre for that price, and what he could do with his tyre and tube I grabbed mine and walked out.
Rang Richlands mowers near the centenary roundabout, as I drive past there on the way home, freindly, prompt service, $35 for the tyre, $15 for the tube. Exactly the same brand. Took me 10 min to fit at home.

Mind you, when you look at his premises, of which your explanation is quite accurate, most people obviously just pay what he asks and walk out without thinking twice about it, and as long as people are that guliuble(spelling) he's the type to just keep charging!

Avagoodn
Pezza