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DPChallenge Forums >> Hardware and Software >> I feel cheated
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 01/07/2011 12:13:14 PM · #51
Originally posted by PGerst:
They said "that's strange, that's far less than what we pay for it". So, I'm wondering if the stores themselves are being cheated by the manufacturers as well.

I've been looking at prices for a Powershot S95 or G11/G12. MY local store sent out an email saying they were having a special pre-new years clearance on all cameras at cost. I was hoping for a nice bargain. Their cost/offer of a G12 was $435, with the regular retail of $499. Fry's Electronics frequently has the same camera on sale for $399. I do believe they were being mostly upfront about their cost. Even seeing the stack of 15 of these on their shelf, Fry's buys in much greater quantities and can afford to take less per-item profit.

Normally if I have gone to the local shop to examine the item firsthand and get questions answered, I feel I should also buy it there. In this case, however, I already knew what I wanted and they only took a few moments to quote me a price.

Originally posted by Art Roflmao:
What I am trying to get at is what do you people consider "cheating" or "unfair"? Is it >5% profit margin? Some companies have up to 90% margins - are they "cheating" those who buy from them? They may be taking advantage of the lack of competition in some cases, but not in the case of your local camera store and the market will decide who survives at what profit margins.

In the office equipment repair trade, markups on parts are usually 200-300%. This is not price gouging. In this business there are large expenses and time investments that cannot be directly billed for. Travel time, gas, vehicle expense, parts research, etc. Such things must be built into the business model. The pricing is appropriate. Such is also the case with many local retailers.
01/07/2011 12:41:59 PM · #52
Sadly the one local camera store we have that supplies Canon equipment never has anything that I need. I think it is likely due to most people buying online. A shame too as when they do have something I need they are very helpful.
 01/07/2011 01:19:23 PM · #53
If all my experiences with this store had been positive, it probably would have been a live and learn lesson. But I've had some weird issues with them before. I think I'm better off without them, for multiple reasons.

It is what it is. I'm hoping that the bag will be a happy one. It would be a shame if it ended up not working out.
 01/07/2011 01:25:43 PM · #54
Originally posted by vawendy:
I'm hoping that the bag will be a happy one. It would be a shame if it ended up not working out.


Which sling bag did you have before? I have the same problem and I am just about to get a Kata Bumblebee. Why did you select the lowepro prorunner 350? Did you look at others?
 01/07/2011 01:32:47 PM · #55
Originally posted by marnet:
Originally posted by vawendy:
I'm hoping that the bag will be a happy one. It would be a shame if it ended up not working out.


Which sling bag did you have before? I have the same problem and I am just about to get a Kata Bumblebee. Why did you select the lowepro prorunner 350? Did you look at others?


I had the slingshot 300AW.

I picked the prorunner because it fit everything I wanted to fit and the next sizes up were too heavy. I am concerned about the weight on this one. I like the shoulder straps, though the hip belt is very wimpy, but I think it will be ok.

I looked at a couple of places when we were in Minnesota and then the shop here. It seemed like lowepro had the best options for what I was looking. I would have liked to look a little more, but there's not much in the way of options around here.

I don't know anything about the Kata -- none of the stores I've been to carry that brand.

If this new one doesn't work out, I'm going to bring the slingshot to a shoe repair place and see if the can retrofit it to two backpack straps and change the zipper configuration. I think it might be possible.

Message edited by author 2011-01-07 13:37:34.
 01/07/2011 02:59:44 PM · #56
Originally posted by vawendy:
If this new one doesn't work out, I'm going to bring the slingshot to a shoe repair place and see if the can retrofit it to two backpack straps and change the zipper configuration. I think it might be possible.


A Marine Canvas shop would be the best place to do that. They can customize ANYthing made of heavy fabric and leather, and are used to doing that kind of work. They are DEFINITELY the best choice for replacing the zipper.I used to be a sailmaker, and later had my design business headquartered in a spare corner of a friend's canvas shop, so I know these things :-)

R.
 01/07/2011 03:09:59 PM · #57
If you pay for an item by credit card, but have no receipt, you should be able to ask them to look in their records for proof of purchase.
 01/07/2011 03:26:52 PM · #58
Originally posted by heatherd:
If you pay for an item by credit card, but have no receipt, you should be able to ask them to look in their records for proof of purchase.


It doesn't matter -- they have a no return policy. Also, I paid cash -- I used money I got for a Christmas present.

Ah well. It's over and done with. Time to let it go.
 01/07/2011 03:32:01 PM · #59
Originally posted by Bear_Music:
Originally posted by vawendy:
If this new one doesn't work out, I'm going to bring the slingshot to a shoe repair place and see if the can retrofit it to two backpack straps and change the zipper configuration. I think it might be possible.


A Marine Canvas shop would be the best place to do that. They can customize ANYthing made of heavy fabric and leather, and are used to doing that kind of work. They are DEFINITELY the best choice for replacing the zipper.I used to be a sailmaker, and later had my design business headquartered in a spare corner of a friend's canvas shop, so I know these things :-)

R.


ooh! That's a good idea! How do you find them? Are they just called marine canvas shops?
 01/07/2011 03:48:06 PM · #60
Originally posted by vawendy:
Originally posted by Bear_Music:
Originally posted by vawendy:
If this new one doesn't work out, I'm going to bring the slingshot to a shoe repair place and see if the can retrofit it to two backpack straps and change the zipper configuration. I think it might be possible.


A Marine Canvas shop would be the best place to do that. They can customize ANYthing made of heavy fabric and leather, and are used to doing that kind of work. They are DEFINITELY the best choice for replacing the zipper.I used to be a sailmaker, and later had my design business headquartered in a spare corner of a friend's canvas shop, so I know these things :-)

R.


ooh! That's a good idea! How do you find them? Are they just called marine canvas shops?


Yes. They are in every Metropolitan area that includes marinas. They custom-make covers for boats and gear.

R.
 01/07/2011 04:05:15 PM · #61
Originally posted by Bear_Music:
Originally posted by vawendy:
Originally posted by Bear_Music:
Originally posted by vawendy:
If this new one doesn't work out, I'm going to bring the slingshot to a shoe repair place and see if the can retrofit it to two backpack straps and change the zipper configuration. I think it might be possible.


A Marine Canvas shop would be the best place to do that. They can customize ANYthing made of heavy fabric and leather, and are used to doing that kind of work. They are DEFINITELY the best choice for replacing the zipper.I used to be a sailmaker, and later had my design business headquartered in a spare corner of a friend's canvas shop, so I know these things :-)

R.


ooh! That's a good idea! How do you find them? Are they just called marine canvas shops?


Yes. They are in every Metropolitan area that includes marinas. They custom-make covers for boats and gear.

R.


Awesome! Thanks, Bear!
 01/07/2011 06:59:02 PM · #62
I wonder how much that $150 bag would have cost at the door of the factory churning them out in China? $5-$10 perhaps?

Someone earlier in the thread mentioned something about people being happy paying what they perceive the value of an item to be. Stick a known brand logo onto that, and it changes the value perception.

In reality, many of our consumer goods are produced by a handful of factories somewhere in Asia, have a label stuck on them, and are then marked up 500% or whatever to our 'perceived value' - I think the shop or on-line distributor are taking a very small slice of the margin.

I often hear the urban legend that the display panels in flat screen TVs are produced by 2 factories in the whole world. Different companies (Sony, Samsung, LG, Phillips etc.) then put their own style casing on the panel, shove their logo on the front, and charge accordingly.
 01/07/2011 06:59:10 PM · #63
Funny - this thread came up. I too, bought this very same bag - the SlingShot 302 AW - and under the same circumstances (and basically the same price). I normally buy most of my gear elsewhere - but bags - I needed to try and see what the actual size was etc. I didn't really know what I wanted until I tried it. Therefore I went to my local camera store. i knew it would be more than via the internet - but considering I needed to try it on, play with various sizes etc -I was quite prepared to spend an hour in the shop looking and then buy from them. Ended up walking out with the Lowepro SlingShot 302AW. I paid $230. I didn't even check on the internet to see what price I could get it for - and was unaware of the mark up until it was pointed out in this thread.
I am not a fan of this particular camera shop - but was prepared to pay their asking price because they were giving me a service I could not get elsewhere. I didn't know what I wanted - therefore needed to try them on etc.
 01/25/2011 02:36:55 PM · #64
Sorta related -

I'm debating spending about 50$ more on a Point-n-shoot camera at Costco.
The thing is â€Â¦ I have successfully received all my money back for things that have gone bad more than a year after purchase. Including a camera.
Although their return policy says: "90 days", if the product fails after that time, they have still covered it in my experience. So for things like that, I'm thinking spending more might be worth it.

I'm curious if others agree.
 01/25/2011 02:39:56 PM · #65
Originally posted by tate:
I'm curious if others agree.

I agree. Costco is great about returns. Hard to believe the camera is $50 more though.
 01/25/2011 02:44:59 PM · #66
Well, that is including sales tax (20+) and shipping $10) (Amazon wouldn't charge for either) â€Â¦
I also get a memory card and leather case with the Costco item so I guess I'm comparing green apples to red.

Originally posted by Art Roflmao:
Originally posted by tate:
I'm curious if others agree.

I agree. Costco is great about returns. Hard to believe the camera is $50 more though.


Message edited by author 2011-01-25 14:45:15.
 01/25/2011 02:49:19 PM · #67
well go for it then. I like red apples better.
 01/25/2011 03:03:39 PM · #68
Costco also provides free phone tech support for items like this through their Concierge service, AFAIK for as long as you own it.
 01/25/2011 03:28:13 PM · #69
I find it worth buying some things locally, others via internet: with nearly 10% sales tax here, for expensive items it seems well worth using b&h instead of local. For other items, especially large, heavy items, it is actually cheaper (or roughly the same) to buy locally. I get C-stands locally because, even with tax, the price is competitive with online sellers. When I purchased a 6 foot darkroom sink, the shipping costs were higher than the price of the sink itself--the local camera store was by far the better deal.

Slightly off topic, but not too far: I have found that using amazon's subscription service for certain items is very effective. Discounted price, free shipping, etc. At first I felt like it was a waste of fuel, etc, for UPS to deliver to my door, but the products I buy would still be shipped to the local store otherwise, and I would drive there to get them. UPS passes in front of my house twice a day, 5 days a week, once on Saturdays, anyway. I realize that I go to the store anyway, of course, but I found that there are a few sorts of items that can mean a special trip to the store if we run out. Those are the kinds of things I now get via the subscriptions.

Back on topic: if you have a smart phone, you can google the item while shopping in the store. If the price disparity is huge, it helps you to know (and if it is not, also good to know). And, that can help you haggle some if you are so inclined. Years ago, before smartphones, my cousin discovered that Best Buy had a price matching policy with online merchants ONLY if the customer brought in a printout of the exact item from an online store--so impulse shoppers would still pay full price, but managers would discount if one went to the trouble to go home, check prices, print out, and return. Oftentimes, now, I find the local stores are not that far off from online since the information is so readily available.
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