New Alpine Type-R subwoofer

[Alien Mantis]

Originally Posted by Palmer812

Guys, please don't rule out your local stereo shop. They CAN match or beat those prices. I know I can. And if you blow it up you can take it back and swap it out on the spot.

Yeah, I agree.

I always talk about SonicElectronix, but that is only because I live in a small town that doesn't have any good local stereo shops.
We have five or six car audio shops here, and they all suck.

The cheapest I could get an Alpine Type-R sub in my town is at BestBuy, for $200 apiece.
No thanks.

All the shops in my town are WAY overpriced.... except ONE.
It's a mexican stereo shop, but they are kinda fishy.
I buy wire from the mexican shop, but that's it.

You go into a local shop, they have no customers, and you start looking at the prices of stuff:
$300 for a deck. $280 for a subwoofer. $320 for an amp. $110 for a 4ga wire kit. $120 for a subwoofer box. $220 for a set of components.
( and I'm not talking high-end stuff either )

No thanks. I'll pass.

If you have a local shop that has decent prices, and does good work, by all means, give them some business!
I just don't have any options where I live.
I either buy off the internet, or I don't have nice music in my car. Period.

[talnlnky]

a lot of the time audio shops will include the labor cost of installation into the price of the equipment. Most people don't know how to install, so this is good, they just have to pay a few dollars more for wire and connectors and they are set. For those that know how to install, the net can save a lot of money. However, having a shop warranty can not be beat if you have trouble. Amplifiers are the one thing i've had issues with, and would buy locally if they even came within 20% of the net price. I've never blown a sub (on accident), but i've popped a few amps in my time. Lucky for me I had warranty for 2 out of the three times.

acessories I usually buy locally too, unless I can find them on partsexpress.com. that is one of the coolest DIY website on the net for audio gear.

I'm all for supporting mom & pop local shops, but if a salesman starts feeding me ignorance as if it is the word of god, and are unwilling to listen to the real truth... I'm walking out the door. There are too many uneducated audio salespeople in this country. Sure they can offer most people some help, but to get my business your better not start lecturing me on something that I know more about than you. Blindly following manufacturers literature often will leave you with a very limited, and sometimes incorrect understanding of audio & electronics.

I guess to sum it all up... one of the biggest perks a shop can give over the net is advice and guidance, for me personally, few sales people can give me that... some installers can, however, they usually are busy in the bay, not on the show room floor.

on a side note, all of my speakers were purchased from small speaker companies. No brand names, in fact... 90% of my equipment in my install is based out of the Washington/B.C. area. Only my deck (which is Denon) isn't a regional company.

[Palmer812]

The shop I work at is different. We are a 7 store family owned business that has been around 30 years. We have decks starting at $69 for Sony and 4 ga. kits for $50 retail. We are also allowed to discount as we wish. We don't include install in our prices. Most manufacturers require us to tag equipment at retail prices but we can sale it as cheap as we want. I almost always match internet pricing because I am smart enough to know that making 10% on an item is better than no sale at all. The Alpine Type R subs are a good example. The 10" retails for $179.95 and you can get them for $130 ish online. That is still about a mark up. I can beat that price all day long. Long story short all of you have to drive to North Carolina from now on to buy ALL of your stereo equipment.

[swidd]

Seriously? How much do they pay for that new Type R from the wholesaler?

[Palmer812]

My cost is and that is straight dealer cost. Sometimes you get extra discounts for bulk buys and special offers. BTW the 12" is

[The Architect]

well hot damn whats a 2000 watt rms 1 ohm amp run ya? lol

[Palmer812]

Originally Posted by The Architect

well hot damn whats a 2000 watt rms 1 ohm amp run ya? lol

. I assume you are talking about the Alpine MRP-M2000.

[The Architect]

thats a rather nice amp, i suppose i cant expect a shop to run a super wide veriety of such amps.

[Palmer812]

We carry Alpine, Kenwood, Kenwood Excelon, JL Audio, Sony and soon Hertz-Audison.

[talnlnky]

hey palmer.... i doubt the store... or alpine would appreciate you telling wholesale cost, or how big a markup there is on the stuff on the internet.... just a thought.

[Palmer812]

Originally Posted by talnlnky

hey palmer.... i doubt the store... or alpine would appreciate you telling wholesale cost, or how big a markup there is on the stuff on the internet.... just a thought.

Yeah, I thought about that also so I went back and edited those posts. I trust that you guys won't tell on me.

[Alien Mantis]

Meh... it doesn't matter if we know the wholesale price.

I know the wholesale price on many things. It is what it is.
The market has to make money along the food chain.

Suppliers will have their price.
Distributors will have their price.
Consumers will have their price.

It's all part of the market. I expect businesses to make money. We all have our margins. I'm cool with that. The problem is when the margins at the consumer level are too wide.
Nobody likes to pay 300% markup on something.
That is excessive. If you can't formulate a business model that is profitable with a far less margin, then go work at Wal-Mart stocking the shelves or something.

The market is highly competitive.

If you pay $80 for a sub at wholesale, I have no problem buying it retail for $130. Everyone deserves a chance to make a living.
Just don't expect me to shell out $200 for it.
When a business doesn't do a high enough "volume" of business, they either need to retool their model, or close their doors.
That is the problem with our local car audio shops. They simply don't do the necessary "volume" to remain viable. So they jack their prices through the roof, hoping a few sales a month with a sky-high margin will sustain them.

Sorry. Not gonna play that game.