2. misc-audio
  3. 161105-152522

Negotiate good price

I went to a dealer last week and listen to some really sweet pieces.  I was ready to throw down some coin but am confused about the dealers approach.  He comes in the room and says how is everyhting.  I say it is amazing this is just the sound I am looking for.  He says okay and leaves.  Comes back in 10 minutes and I am ready for hardball.  I sit back with my hands above my head in an inviting posture and say- can you beat prices that I see on Audiogon?  He says he will be right back- great i think he knows- I know my stuff.  Another guy comes in and says he needs to use the room for a client.  I say where is the other guy and he says he's on the phone.  So I wait in the lobby for 20 minutes and don't see anyone. I left my name on a paper and put it on the desk and ask him to call me with the best he can do on the system because I can buy some of it on AUdiomart.  I asked my wife and she thinks that's too hardball- maybe i should have lied and said I'm shopping around for best price.
Any info on how to speed pitch softballs?   
tubebuffer
wturkey's avatar
wturkey
722 posts
 
Love this guy..... lol
tk21
237 posts
 
It's not realistic to expect high-end, brick-and-mortar shops to compete on price with Amazon, eBay, or Audiogon. Still, there may be few ways to get good deals from a HiFi shop. One is by purchasing lightly used demo products. Another is with trade-ins. A third is by asking them to deliver directly to you for a short in-home trial (possibly with demo gear). If they are close enough, they might deliver in a store (or personally owned) vehicle, potentially saving you on costs to ship heavy/bulky items.

bigwave1's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
bigwave1
222 posts
 
+1 Tomic, too quick old, too slow smart!
aubreybobb
86 posts
 
I think there are 2 sides to this.  From the point of view of enlightened self interest, we do need to support our dealers.

But it's clear he was offended.  If you get this and it was not your intention, it may make sense to go back and apologize.   

My 2 cents worth: start again. 

The very fact of the apology would probably incline him to help you out. Explain your budget and ask him whether he could help, maybe as tk21 suggests, with used equipment? You could then delay the decision and check out if you are getting a fair deal.  If you still feel you are being ripped off, its easy to vote with your feet.

Win win is ALWAYS the best kind of deal.  Do keep in mind all the positives of working with and having a good relationship with a good brick and mortar dealer. 

dill
2,424 posts
 
When and if you back to your dealer, you may truly find that Magnapan speakers can be driven by tubes and that there are many that are doing just that. 
More to discover