Big Box Store or Local Dealer

[grumpygrizzly]

As of me myself being a homeowner, you need to add another choice as I do not support either one. I rarely buy anything new. I support the seller on Craigs list and help keep material out of the local landfill, ours being a throw away society. There is to much equipment used to be had inexpensively needing only a minor repair that I can perform. Works for me along with this great forum. Just my :2cents: for what it's worth.

I spent most of last year doing all my business on CL or via Word of Mouth.

I placed an add where I'd tell folks I'm looking for non-running chainsaws, blowers, etc.. and that I'm trying to become a full time mobile small engine repair service and get out of the corporate rat race where I've been doing engineering work for 30 years now..

I had people calling me and emailing me all the time with offers of stuff for me to come pick up. A LOT of what I got basically needed the tanks drained, spark plugs cleaned, and maybe a gas line or filter replaced.

My biggest issue was trying to get away and pick up parts from the local dealers. They're only open 8-5 m-f and 8-12 on Saturdays. Barely a mile down the road is a Lowes, two miles back the opposite direction is a Home Depot..

I don't think it's the higher pricing that's killing off the small shops, I think it's that people can't get there when the doors are opened for business. Another major nail in their coffin is they have to charge $70 an hour for labor plus parts. Unless you're equipment is all Stihl based, I just don't see a lot of folks taking a 100 weed eater or leaf blower to a small shop. It's easier to just find someone that'll give them $10-20 for it and go buy another $100 unit.

Once I clean up the small engines I get, I've usually got a half to one hour time in it, all labor. I have new parts in stock but, if it's just a dirty spark plug, why not just clean it up on my wire wheel grinding wheel and if it runs like new, sell it that way?

Don't get me wrong, I DO have new plugs, filters, and lengths of fuel line that I don't hesitate putting into a motor.

I'm trying to keep this stuff out of landfills but, I've got to go through the process of getting a better cost on parts so I'm not too deep into them and can't make any money on them by the time I'm ready to sell the unit.

 

[bertsmobile1]

What if you buy from a big box store, or dealer but do all your own service, and repair? Just curious because I buy from both but mostly from dealers.

Down here there is a difference, oft a big difference.
The BB stores demand a 200% mark up so the mower importer, makers sell them a very much downgraded product to be flogged off to the public.
Oft they are variations exclusive to the BB store so when some one walks into the dealers with a piece of "Sh T" they bought from BB most service centres tell them to take it back to where they bought it from.
The buying public will never change from being;-
Greedy :- Want every thing but don't want to pay.
Lazy :- can't be bothered to do the most basic research , oft using indexing web sites to find the absolutely cheapest product available
Stupid :- Still can not work out the "Magic Pudding" was a piece of fiction.

I sell refurbished mowers with a 1, 2 or 3 year guarantee because I do the work properly and regularly get told I have to sell them the mower at this price because they can by a new one for less.
When I draw their attention that I offer a 3 year warantee where as the BB only gives you 12 months I get sworn at.

As a rule of thumb I will not repair BB house brands either

 

[bertsmobile1]

I also buy from both.

Home Depot sells air filters about $5 cheaper then most dealers. Same with belts almost half price.

that is because Home Depot buys them for 50% less than the corner dealer and in most cases dose not pay for them at all till after they are sold.
Also they carry a very small range and when the total sales of a particular belt/ filter drops below some marker, they will stop carrying them

If you think all the good service & skills you get from your local dealer is not worth $ 5.00 extra on a filter you replace once or twice a year then be prepared to buy a new mower every 5 years because the local shop will close down & most BB stores will only carry the fastest moving filters.

I currently have $ 8,000 worth of filters in stock at least 2 of every one each of my customers use including some for machines that are better than 20 years old.
My belt inventory is in the $ 12,000 area for the same reason. My mark ups are generally around the 50% mark, Home Depots mark ups will be around 100 + % and they will only keep the most popular belts.

Who from Home Depot will come out to you on Sunday afternoon & fix your mower ?

 

[bertsmobile1]

I spent most of last year doing all my business on CL or via Word of Mouth.

I placed an add where I'd tell folks I'm looking for non-running chainsaws, blowers, etc.. and that I'm trying to become a full time mobile small engine repair service and get out of the corporate rat race where I've been doing engineering work for 30 years now..

I had people calling me and emailing me all the time with offers of stuff for me to come pick up. A LOT of what I got basically needed the tanks drained, spark plugs cleaned, and maybe a gas line or filter replaced.

My biggest issue was trying to get away and pick up parts from the local dealers. They're only open 8-5 m-f and 8-12 on Saturdays. Barely a mile down the road is a Lowes, two miles back the opposite direction is a Home Depot..

I don't think it's the higher pricing that's killing off the small shops, I think it's that people can't get there when the doors are opened for business. Another major nail in their coffin is they have to charge $70 an hour for labor plus parts. Unless you're equipment is all Stihl based, I just don't see a lot of folks taking a 100 weed eater or leaf blower to a small shop. It's easier to just find someone that'll give them $10-20 for it and go buy another $100 unit.

Once I clean up the small engines I get, I've usually got a half to one hour time in it, all labor. I have new parts in stock but, if it's just a dirty spark plug, why not just clean it up on my wire wheel grinding wheel and if it runs like new, sell it that way?

Don't get me wrong, I DO have new plugs, filters, and lengths of fuel line that I don't hesitate putting into a motor.

I'm trying to keep this stuff out of landfills but, I've got to go through the process of getting a better cost on parts so I'm not too deep into them and can't make any money on them by the time I'm ready to sell the unit.

Grumpy,
If you are runnng a legit business with the appropriate tax numbers then open a trade account with one of the aftermarket suppliers.
that is why they are there, to service the independant small engine shops.
And contry to popular belief a lot of after market parts are as good or even better than the originals.
Our major supplier down here. Gripskie's actually do heavy duty blades for a lot of mowers that the manufactures don't.
Stens, Carlton & Origan will all supply you direct, if you are a real business.
Secondly, you should not be going out of your shop to get parts. Every second you are not at the bench is costing you money and potentially loosing you customers.

 

[SeniorCitizen]

What I've found with dealers, whether it be mowers, automobiles, furniture, appliances or hundreds of other categories, the dealer seems to ALWAYS first attempt to determine what the customer has done wrong to cause this problem. The newest tactic in small engine equipment is of course alcohol gasoline.

Box stores, hardly ever.

 

[bertsmobile1]

Also, big boxes sell both junk and quality. Home Depot sells Yard Machines (MTD) lawn mowers, which are definitely junk, but they also sell Honda mowers, which are not junk. They sell Homelite blowers and trimmers with junky half crank engines, but they also sell Echo with quality full crank engines and short blocks made in Japan that are definitely not junk.

Yes . Our local Big Box hardwear store sells
McCulloch ride ons as a "top shelf brand". The sales stall all happily tell punters that this machine comes out of the same factory as Husqvarns and is just the same as a Husky at twice the price.
What they get is a down rated Craftsman and boy are they a piece of garbage

 

[grumpygrizzly]

Grumpy,
If you are runnng a legit business with the appropriate tax numbers then open a trade account with one of the aftermarket suppliers.
that is why they are there, to service the independant small engine shops.
And contry to popular belief a lot of after market parts are as good or even better than the originals.
Our major supplier down here. Gripskie's actually do heavy duty blades for a lot of mowers that the manufactures don't.
Stens, Carlton & Origan will all supply you direct, if you are a real business.
Secondly, you should not be going out of your shop to get parts. Every second you are not at the bench is costing you money and potentially loosing you customers.

I guess I've got to dig into the licensing part or my county.. It's just going to be a little different as I plan to be a mobile small engine repair business and keep customers away from my house so the neighbors don't complain. My step van coming and going they really can't say anything about. Working in the back of my shop where they can't hear chainsaws and weed eaters running isn't too big a deal. It's a semi-residential neighborhood and I have a 1/2 acre lot with a 14'x60' shop on the back side.. I think my neighbor behind me is running an auto body shop out of his garage. I hear tow trucks bringing cars in and a lot of air tools sanding and grinding all the time. Nobody seems to complain about him.

I've got one neighbor that seems to always be taking a nap and complains about my dogs barking all the time. I don't know how she hears them as they're never in the front yard when we're not home but, then again, some folks just need to whine about things. Maybe if she worked a job and was away from home, it wouldn't be a problem.

Basically, I' out and about picking up non-runners, fixing them onsite if possible but, other wise I'm bringing them home to my shop. Getting parts locally isn't a problem but, I'd definitely like to go the cheaper route and get them from a decent vendor. If they can deliver UPS or USPS, that's fine as well.

Thanks for the help.

 

[bertsmobile1]

I guess I've got to dig into the licensing part or my county.. It's just going to be a little different as I plan to be a mobile small engine repair business and keep customers away from my house so the neighbors don't complain. My step van coming and going they really can't say anything about. Working in the back of my shop where they can't hear chainsaws and weed eaters running isn't too big a deal. It's a semi-residential neighborhood and I have a 1/2 acre lot with a 14'x60' shop on the back side.. I think my neighbor behind me is running an auto body shop out of his garage. I hear tow trucks bringing cars in and a lot of air tools sanding and grinding all the time. Nobody seems to complain about him.

I've got one neighbor that seems to always be taking a nap and complains about my dogs barking all the time. I don't know how she hears them as they're never in the front yard when we're not home but, then again, some folks just need to whine about things. Maybe if she worked a job and was away from home, it wouldn't be a problem.

Basically, I' out and about picking up non-runners, fixing them onsite if possible but, other wise I'm bringing them home to my shop. Getting parts locally isn't a problem but, I'd definitely like to go the cheaper route and get them from a decent vendor. If they can deliver UPS or USPS, that's fine as well.

Thanks for the help.

Ever wonder why the name is Berts Mobile ?

I do exactly the same the same as you are doing.
As for your neighbour, mow her front lawn for her that usually works.

Next time you walk ito a parts shop note the brand names on the aftermarket parts the do a search on them, find their email address and ask to open an account,
Most of the bigger aftermarket suppliers like Jack Small Engines, Barnetts, K & C , Small Engine Warehouse, Small engine Suppliers will all open a trade account so you get your parts - 10 to 25% off retail.
Your local brand name shops will usually open a trade account with you and again expect some where from 10% to 25 % discount.
Wholesalers will be the best way to go as they will be - 50% but you must be a registered business and have the right tax numbers for them to accomodate you.
I buy eniough volume from the USA now to get wholesale prices from a few of my suppliers but they can not open a trade account for me as I am not a business registered in the USA.
Get some business cards printed and leave them with the parts counter staff every where you buy parts so you get remembered.
The local mower shop actually sends me customers with big labour ticket jobs that would be too expensive at his rate ( $ 90/hr) but affordable at my rate ( $ 60.00 hr ).
Get a stamp made with all your business details printed on it and present the parts staff with a written order, that is oft enough for them to give you trade pricing.
Most parts wholesalers sell on a pro rata basis, the more the shop buys the better price they get so they are happy to give you 20% off your $ 300 order if it helps them qualify for an extra 1% discount on their $ 20,000 order.
Let the pats counter staff know what you are doing and ask them when would be the most convienant time for you to come in with your orders, a little mutual back scratching works wonders and they can be a lot more helpful if you are the only person at the counter.
There are also a lot of shop staff / owners on this forum so do an introduction and mention you are looking for a source of parts for your business.
Put this introduction on every individual forum. Again a shop owner who is doing it hard at the moment might be more than happy to post you parts from 6 states away at a reasonable price.

 

[bt3]

I've honestly purchased from both through the years.

My Snapper Commercial with WR engine I bought through a Dealer. Paid top dollar you can be sure. Near $700 just for the mower in 1987. That same year, I bought a Montgomery Ward Lawn Tractor from, you guessed it, Montgomery Ward. I had quite a few issues with the Wards tractor but luckily bought the 4 year service package and a local dealer did the service for it. Once that service contract wore out I was on my own and had to fix issues myself. Not easy but I did it. The Snapper has not given me one bit of problem since I purchased it and I still use it today.

I purchased my Homelite trimmer and Chainsaw from a Big Box. I took both to a dealer to have them serviced.

My Stihl saws I of course purchase from a dealer. No choice there. If I was a Husky user, I'd probably still buy from a dealer as I always go to the dealer for service and chain sharpening anyway. Too much hassle to sharpen my own chains. MY opinion. I know many of you guys sharpen your own chains. That's fine. It's just not a skill set I have or want to master.

I suppose if I can do all my own repairs, and if I could get the IDENTICAL product from either source, I'd probably shop for price. If the price was within reasonable range on both sources, I'd buy from a Dealer, no question. I want to keep mom and pop shops in business. But if it were a sizable price difference, I'd let the Dealer know, and see if he could get within "range" of the big box price. I don't expect him to match it or beat it, but coming within 10 or 20 percent would be nice.

Convenience is a big key. Let's say that there is a dealer 100 miles away, and a big box 10 miles away. Many would, especially if gas goes back to near 4 bucks a gallon, opt for the convenient close retail source. Another issue is ONLINE PURCHASING. Amazon and other big box online outlets will often give you a price you just can't resist. And if you are Prime Member at Amazon, you may get 2 day express shipping for free on your purchase. I've priced some Husqvarna saws and some name brand mowers on Amazon and the prices are truly very competitive. My guess is many will just buy online and hope for the best.

When convenient enough, and when the price is reasonably within range of other sources, I'll buy from a Dealer first and foremost. If I have to go Big Box or Online, I'll do it. But I always keep the Dealer in mind. He'll probably get my service business if nothing else.

 

[West]

New guy here, just bought a new Hustler 54 Fastrak 2013 close out deal still has the 4 year warranty I have been going to dealers they have more choices on models and that all important pricing. Big box stores are great for hardware items but for the major purchases and top line equipment its Dealer .