AMEN to that!
Although if you pick price as your "two out of three", then I think you should have to forfeit your second pick.......
I'm sure every vendor has the exact same problems and hurdles, I spent days educating a customer (in person) about choices and parts to run, developed a project plan, and then got screwed when he started ordering his own parts and took the labour end of it to his "buddy" because he was only charging him 25 bucks an hour. And it wasn't someone who couldnt afford to pay....
I probably come accross as grumpy to some of our customers, but in the end its only because I can't afford to chat them up for hours and hours and they really havent spent much anyways. People are always amazed when they find out that the guy who just spent 250k is a "better" customer that their 569 dollar wiring harness purchase, because every customer is important right??
You have got to look out for yourself, because although all of our customers are coming to us in pursuit of their HOBBY, and have the misconception that that is all we are doing it for, when in reality we have got to feed our kids and pay our bills with it! And it is ALWAYS a shame to lose a sale to summit or jegs because it was 25 bucks cheaper, yet you were quoting your customer a shipped price........
For those of you who are Manitobans on this forum....... ITS NOT CHEAPER TO SHIP IT TO THE BORDER and pick it up yourself PERIOD. even if you get free continental US shipping, lets add it up:
-On ONE box, it is $5 US per box to pick it up at a parcel depot
-It is now $10.75 US service fee to cross the border only to pick up a parcel
-You still have to pay tax on the item you are bringing back, as you have not been across long enough for your personal exemption
-Gas money..... most of you are from Winnipeg, which is around 60 miles away each way. average 20 MPG for your vehicle choice, and that is 6 gal or 27.24 L (canadian) at 1.15/L so 31.25 in GAS
-TIME....our time is worth something, is yours? Did you take off work early? lose pay? waste your weekend? It takes MINIMUM 2.5 hours without lineups at the border.
That equals around 48 bucks CAD without the tax for the item on ONE box. That box could only contain a 100 dollar part. Was my price really that bad? You be the judge. Also, when I recieve my items, I check the box and the item to see if it is right or damaged or missing. If it is wrong, I deal with it. You have to ship it back or buy another one.
Also for any of our suppliers, this is why we DONT like to ship to a US address. Add in our time and it is cheaper for us to broker and ship direct.
To sum up, Jon has many valid points, as do alot of the posters in these last couple threads. We have to try and work together as vendors as best as possible as well. And a solid working relationship, either business to business or consumer, is worth WAY more that the little bit of a discount you might get shopping around any day. There are many times that I pay a little more just to deal with someone that I have a good working relationship with, and sometimes there are headaches that come along with it but in the end it is a way better experience to be able to have some repor with that person!
And Jon, I hear our wheels turned out amazing.... I cannot wait! NewGen wheels rock!