The price you pay should reflect the level of service you receive. If you are a retailer and you offer little or no service then your price should be accordingly low. If you are a specialty retailer that offers everything a customer could want and bend backwards for them in their time of need, then likewise you should be compensated for your service. This is free enterprise, if I want to buy products and sell them at 1% mark up( hopefully with the intention that I will sell volumes of the product)then I certainly would not be giving my customers the level of service nor should they expect it based on the prices they are paying. I have said it many times on this board, and here I go again...the level of service that I have personally received from the local retailers in the Toronto, Mississauga and Brampton areas are less than stellar, with the exception of Ultra Autosound in Miss. If this is the level of service I am supposed to support then quite honestly I could care less if they closed their doors. I am not a young kid( not that that should matter) that someone erroneously might assume does not have the means to purchase their product, so I expect courtesy, knowledge and professionalism when I walk into their establishment. I will refrain from naming the offending stores but be assured that I have visited just about all of them over the 20 years I have been an enthusiast in car audio. I have not been to any of the stores outside of the greater Toronto area, so this is not necessarily directed to you. Quite honestly the best service I have received overall has been from some of the big chain stores which many seem to bash. These are my personal experiences as a car audio consumer and not a competitor.

 

You are right, I appologize for the comment.

But if you are going to start a thread about why product is sooooo much cheaper down south then Use some accurate info. You are blowing it WAY out of proportion by saying it costs an OBSURD abount for an Xtant 6.1??? 1499? you are using numbers you pulled out of your head.

If you have of use the proper numbers this whole thread doesnt hold anywhere near the weight.

500 compared to getting a good deal on that amp say 700 CDN? now after shipping is it really that bad to support your canadian retailer..?? </font>[/QUOTE]Brother, I am telling you that $1499 was the tag on this xtant 6.1 amp for real! Can anyone tell me for a FACT how much this amp lists for? If a local merchant would sell this amp for $700 it would be a different story. I'm telling you maritimers are raped at car audio stores. Perhaps in toronto or other bigger cities prices are better?
MR2NR, I'll forgive you if you sell me your car when you don't want it anymore.lol ...Your point is VERY valid. I just became overwelmed at the price differences. I think here in NS prices are higher than anywhere else in canada. Another example is a pair of focal separates (165h) they had a price tag of $499(list price) could haggle them down. on internet and they were $139. I remember paying $850 for a punch 150hd. Paid$850 for a power800A2.Paid$575for a 12" pwr-412.Paid $2200 for symmetry(d-card). What do you guys think of those prices? Are they close to what you would actually pay or more? Need more examples? These are actual figures and NOT just out of my head. And these are Excellent deals as my buddies dad owned the shop!

 

I'm looking at this specific thread and I find myself asking a lot of the same questions. No I do not go on here quite often (most of my time online is on a Grand Prix forum, but My audio bug keeps me coming back.
I've recently been buying some PPI amps from E-bay so when I sell my cay I can use one of them to drive some subs so everything will be sold with the car. Now I have 6 PPI amps now....and I've bought them all used. I can see the reasons why ppl may buy used and why ppl will buy so called "new" items buy I always feel more "nervous" if I were to buy new from some internet store.
The used amps have been great...the best deal by far was a PPI PCX 2125 that I got from texas. I paid $181 cdn for it, and it almost comparable to my PPI PC2150, which I paid $1400 CDN back in 97. I see these amps going from $150-to $350 cdn. I will never sell my PC 2150...can't take a hit like that because it still works as well as the day I bought it....lol

The point I'm trying to make is...simply You get what you pay for....

You buy local, and even on sale, you'll get the service and the warranty, but...understand if you buy new online...I personally write it off as a good risk-buy...where well it's cheaper, and yeah you're not supporting the local guy but hey you get the basic's for a price that is right off the boat...(I really like to buy made in the USA products though).
For example there are a lot of great and even excellent quality used PPI and US amps that will destroy any new modern amp of the same specs. I don't need flashy all "lights and sounds"- as the local shop here put it one day....but the Chrome Limited Edition PPI's don't hurt either...lol.

Another thing, I've learned is that, any product is only as worth as much as somebody is willing to pay for it.

In Conclusion...don't be surprised if you buy something "new" off e-bay or the internet and it doesn't perform as well as the exact same model that was purchased buy a friend from a local shop.

I hope this gets some ppl thinking and some ppl more comfortable on what they really are buying from a person that they'll never meet.

I have a PPI Q-Bass remote on my way to my house.... [img]smile.gif[/img]

 

You are right, I appologize for the comment.

But if you are going to start a thread about why product is sooooo much cheaper down south then Use some accurate info. You are blowing it WAY out of proportion by saying it costs an OBSURD abount for an Xtant 6.1??? 1499? you are using numbers you pulled out of your head.

If you have of use the proper numbers this whole thread doesnt hold anywhere near the weight.

500 compared to getting a good deal on that amp say 700 CDN? now after shipping is it really that bad to support your canadian retailer..?? </font>[/QUOTE]Brother, I am telling you that $1499 was the tag on this xtant 6.1 amp for real! Can anyone tell me for a FACT how much this amp lists for? If a local merchant would sell this amp for $700 it would be a different story. I'm telling you maritimers are raped at car audio stores. Perhaps in toronto or other bigger cities prices are better?
MR2NR, I'll forgive you if you sell me your car when you don't want it anymore.lol ...Your point is VERY valid. I just became overwelmed at the price differences. I think here in NS prices are higher than anywhere else in canada. Another example is a pair of focal separates (165h) they had a price tag of $499(list price) could haggle them down. on internet and they were $139. I remember paying $850 for a punch 150hd. Paid$850 for a power800A2.Paid$575for a 12" pwr-412.Paid $2200 for symmetry(d-card). What do you guys think of those prices? Are they close to what you would actually pay or more? Need more examples? These are actual figures and NOT just out of my head. And these are Excellent deals as my buddies dad owned the shop! </font>[/QUOTE]PM one of the reps, he comes on this board frequently.

He will set the price straight [img]graemlins/thumb.gif[/img]

 

pks71 - a good deal Canadian according to an out of date (2003) price list on the 6.1 shows a retail price of $849.00 CDN before haggling from an authorized Canadian dealer. Meaning full 4 year warranty as well. Remember, a retailer can make his price tag say whatever he likes. The store accross the street from me are the local kings at doing this.....commission sales at work...."If you buy it today I can take $300.00 off of the price", customer says "dude, it is $300.00 cheaper at the big box down the street". It is all about the ethics of the retailer.

 

i brought this up before some major car audio distributor im refering to manufacturer distributors unload product at stupid prices
inorder to meet the 1/4 numbers
this product is inturn sold to unauthorized dealers for less than what legit dealers pay for it

i've seen it know it happens it sucks big hairy you know whats
but bottom line what can you do about it

 

wow alot of you guys make me laugh, do you not understand this is a hobby for most.Do you look down on guys who do up their cars and get the parts shipped from the states.Unless its your kids buying car audio over the net, stop telling people how to spend their money.i have a friend who has a shop that sells kicker,orion,mmats etc, should i not have bought a e15a cuz i can get a 15L7 for the same price.Some of you guys take the fun out of car audio, you need to seriously stop worrying about what other people are doing an worry about yourselves.If i own a shop and a friend told me he can get the same piece of car audio equipment that i sell for hundreds less i would tell him go for it.I also guess none of you guys cross the border to shop.What makes me laugh is everyone says support your local dealers, but our local dealers are selling american products.How many of you are running kaption subs or blade amps.Let people spend their money the way they wish and if they come to you for installs either charge them regular proces or don't install it.My friend never cried because i was running a e15a instead of kicker.You guys seriously floor me.When you really think about it, how many of you guys really support canadian retailers other than car audio? And mr2nr do you think that the shop that installed my alarm i bought off you charged me more because i didn't get it from him, no he didn't.Do you think he treated me any different, no he didn't.Worry about what you do yourselves not about what other people are doing, plain and simple.SOme of y'all need to get a life, car audio is fun and some of you take the fun out of it.

 

T money^^^ Bang on buddy! I bet none of these guys ever shop at wal mart either....HA bs

 

i shop canadian as much as i can
go usa go
shopping canadian helps the canadian economy