Price guaging

[ILENGINE]

A lot of time I have found that OEM parts are exactly the same as aftermarket parts. This leads me to believe the OEM's are getting their parts the same aftermarket manufacturers as I am!

What I am starting to see if the aftermarket parts suppliers are charging the dealers list price for their aftermarket parts and then doubling the price over retail. Had a case of a JD idler pulley that the aftermarket folks wanted $34 cost and $66 retail for a part from the JD dealer sells for $17.

 

[SamB]

Be very careful about what you ask for!!

Kate , on the Drew Carey Show :-D

 

[StarTech]

I too seen some of this going on. JD buys Kohler and Kawasaki parts and resell them as their own. Stens has sent me a few Kohler under the Stens part number in all of things the OEM packaging.. And as IL said I have also seen over priced Idler pulleys where it was just cheaper to buy from the equipment OEM.

And take A&I they buy some parts from Rotary and then sell like it was their own product. But I caught on to their numbering system years ago. So I sign up for a Rotary account.

This is the very reason we should look and price before leaping into a purchase. Having a database like I have that gets updated as I find alternatives that are lower in price does help a lot. Sometime the alternatives are higher so I from whom ever has the best price for the same part. One thing here is that both the customer and my company benefits from the part sourcing scheme. Another benefit of all this cross referencing is lower over all on hand inventory.

It is very rare for a customer to insist on OEM parts, most just want reliable repairs. With that said some aftermarket parts are better than OEM and others are worst. Kinda a crap shoot on first time purchases. What companies hates is guys like me that catches on to their con jobs by them hiding their part source info. Otherwords why for example buy JD Kawasaki part when the Kawasaki part is the same but at a lower price.

And a lot of the rules have been over turned by DJT executive orders when he was in office and we are just now feeling the effects. None of today's companies are like the ones our fathers dealt with. It now about how much is too much to charge. It seem that anyone is out ripoff the other guy as much as possible. I had one new customer a couple years that the Scag dealer told he need a complete new engine at $4000. He was wise enough to get a second opinion at my shop and it was only a $300 repair. All over a blown head gasket.

A good procurement officer can really save a company a lot money by doing his or her job. And they usually earn their pay and then some. I was put in the position of buying repair parts back in 1979 and basically been doing every since for which ever company I have worked for including myself now.

 

[SamB]

What I am starting to see if the aftermarket parts suppliers are charging the dealers list price for their aftermarket parts and then doubling the price over retail. Had a case of a JD idler pulley that the aftermarket folks wanted $34 cost and $66 retail for a part from the JD dealer sells for $17.

Truly a nest of worms and difficult to tell what is what and from who made what. I am fortunate to have two 'vintage' mowers, the Husqvarna CZ42175 and the really vintage 1985 Snapper Extra Tough 33" RER. Both have requirements of aftermarket parts only. Most OEM parts are now NLA. So far, Aftermarket parts have served me well.

 

[Gym123]

There are a lot of people in this country with so much money that they don’t bother asking “how much?”. These folks aren’t interested in fixing their own lawn equipment, so they are not typically on this site. But have to admit that it is possible that because they sell so few Cub Cadet branded plugs, that the cost to stock and inventory such low numbers translates into a per plug cost/price of $20.

Why does the plug need to be Cub Cadet brand? That would be similar to buying headlights or wiper blades with Chevrolet on them- the company that sells products don't make the parts, so generic is going to be cheaper and a better alternative may be available.

 

[StarTech]

Why does the plug need to be Cub Cadet brand? That would be similar to buying headlights or wiper blades with Chevrolet on them- the company that sells products don't make the parts, so generic is going to be cheaper and a better alternative may be available.

Most times when it comes to spark plugs you can still buy a name brand that is lower in cost. All OEMs do is to contract the manufacture to custom label them at an additional cost.

 

[Gym123]

I am not a professional repair man. I recently had reason to need an ignition coil for a Stihl hedge trimmer. I thought Stihl parts would be "fair-traded" so every dealer charged the same retail price. Just for shits and grins I shopped several dealers. Wow, was I wrong! Prices ranged from $30 to $50. And, I didn't shop all the dealers in range. Figured $30 was as good as it would get, maybe I was wrong??

That's not 'fair trade', that's price fixing- fair trade is for developing countries, so they can receive better price for their products. Did you mean 'free trade'? That was outlawed a long time ago.

Setting prices can be done- MAP is Minimum Advertised price but if the dealer wants to sell for less, they can but they can't advertise the lower price unless the source discounts and approves of the discount.

UAP (or UPP)- Unilateral Pricing is explained in the link and as it explains, it's a way to set prices without it being illegal-

What is Unilateral Pricing Policy and How it Differs From MAP

What is unilateral pricing policy (UPP)? Why is it better than MAP policy? How can MAP help you enforce it? Find out the answers here!

prisync.com

 

[Gym123]

Most times when it comes to spark plugs you can still buy a name brand that is lower in cost. All OEMs do is to contract the manufacture to custom label them at an additional cost.

I have to wonder if the people who buy these are proud of the fact that it has the brand name of the mower. I don't understand that thinking.

 

[rhkraft]

When the seat price goes over $100 you may check with a small local re-upholsterer. May get it done for less. When I I I did my airplane seats a few years ago, the aircraft re-upholsterer want over $400 for just the two front seats. Since airplanes require fire resistant fabrics I bought the fabrics from aircraft supplier for $30 and a local auto seat guy cut new foam and re-upholstered the fabric into a nice tuck and roll seat for $75 a seat. I had to check the weight, but no change from the original. It never hurts to look.

 

[Gym123]

When the seat price goes over $100 you may check with a small local re-upholsterer. May get it done for less. When I I I did my airplane seats a few years ago, the aircraft re-upholsterer want over $400 for just the two front seats. Since airplanes require fire resistant fabrics I bought the fabrics from aircraft supplier for $30 and a local auto seat guy cut new foam and re-upholstered the fabric into a nice tuck and roll seat for $75 a seat. I had to check the weight, but no change from the original. It never hurts to look.