restocking fees

He isn't worried about getting screwed or feeling sorry for himself for maybe working for free, and he's not counting pennies thinking about a restocking fee. That's a real sales person!

No, that's an accommodating chump who ain't gonna be around long. Would they sell more product without a re-stocking fee? Not enough to offset the loss of providing free trials to the customers who expect them to work for free. Those are known as "D customers", those that cost you money every time you do business with them. And they will ruin your business.

Wilson Audio, McIntosh, B&W, and others did not become mainstays in the industry by giving things away. Just as most of us buy with our wallets, they too must repeatedly check theirs...or they are gone. Some manufacturers enter the market with free trials for a period of time, but few will make it if they continue that way. It's not pennies given away. It's far more than that. It costs them big dollars, as well as the fact that would-be customers come to praise them primarily for being willing to give away freebies. In the end, such a reputation is not good for business.

Boa2, I see your point, but this "chump" isn't giving away anything if I buy the cable. Maybe he is sure of what he has, and knows it's much better than the competition. If it's a losing proposition for the manufacturer, I trust he won't make the deal.

There are many roads to success. Plenty of dealers and some manufacturers offer in home trials with no restocking fees. Others charge, and If you are willing to pay them that's great!

I'm not in the audio industry, but I work daily with sales people in a high pressure situation. The most successful sales people are those who are confident and unafraid. They don't count hours and whine about working for free, they understand their market, and they go out and make something happen.

While I enjoy high end audio, I'm out of my league about that market. Let's not pretend that buying and listening means we understand how it's best sold. The high end dealer model is going away, and my guess is that manufacturers who charge restocking fees will eventually suffer. Granted, I'm shooting in the dark--who can really say. Again, I would really appreciate any dealers or manufacturers thoughts.

Thanks

There are many roads to success. Plenty of dealers and some manufacturers offer in home trials with no restocking fees. Others charge, and If you are willing to pay them that's great!

I completely agree.

On the other hand, I'm willing to bet that the majority of folks who protest a re-stocking fee aren't buying anyways unless they first establish that the product can be had at a significant discount. In this case, they are not the type of customer who can contribute to the growth of a business. They are good PR ONLY when they are given something for free.

We are not talking about taking a salesman's time. Most salespeople don't own the business, and they have nothing to do with steering the ship. We are talking about when the salesman OWNS the business. If a salesman isn't good at his job, two months of measly pay will force him to look elsewhere for a better paying job. However, if an owner gives away his time and product without enabling himself to offset his costs, he too will have to look elsewhere, with failed company in tow.

Understood. I would expect nothing less than a company owner acting in his best interest. In some cases, that may be finding a way to get rid of tire kickers. But the model for no obligation returns is out there. Circuit City, Sound City, Amazon, Crutchfield, Audio Advisor, Music Direct, J&R and countless others offer such a policy for on line electronics shoppers. While they don't all sell high end products, there policies make it less likely that high end consumers will be willing to pay a restocking fee.

From your initial post:

More high end manufacturers are selling direct and offering home auditions

Not one of the companies you mention in your last post is a high end manufacturer.