Car Audio + Wholsale + Internet = Bad

[littleitaly1990]

I might be misunderstanding some of this, I'm sorta rushing around today, but aren't most of them just reselling something they already bought? People don't always go to stores to get things, the demand hasn't changed...It may suck for the main company but liquidation happens, and has long before ebay, it's just easier to look for now. It's fair capitalistic business though, except the renaming of products, which was always a risk. Ever hear of Canal St. in NY? If I'm misreading something please let me know, but as long as demand hasn't changed, and the total supply needed hasn't changed, they aren't really breaking any rules (unless breaching a contrast).

[Ray]

in short.

If you really know how the industry works.

If no consumers buy from dealers, dealers have to close.

if dealers close, then brands will go under.

brands go under, no ces, etc... no ces , no industry.

if there's no industry ... then you wont have any audio anywhere.

so no bump for you.

its gonna happen guys.

very sorry for you guys that have crap shops in your area.

I am a fan of car audio, my customers have every right to go wherever they want.

Anyone that has shopped from me, knows that I go above and beyond any warranty from a manu.

I will fix, replace any product from here for the life of that customer. and i pay all shipping

They can come to me for any question on any product even if i dont sell it.

My shop is always open for any knowledge they want.

Basically make it so that they diont need to go anywhere else. There is no point.

save 100.00 by buying off the net? then have to pay shipping and for me to reinstall everytime. they see the light very quick.

This is not meant to be an argument, Im just stating my piece. This is how I earn my living,yes. But before I owned any shop or worked at any shop ... I was a hobbiest just like you guys.

Im here to help keep these products available for the public.

It is a very rough market for shops right now.

If you guys are looking for a piece, go into your local shop and tell him youve been looking and are trying to get a deal. see if he will work with you.

I give very nice discounts when need be.

worst thing you can do is walk into a shop, start talking about what they carry, and then say.. well im getting this or that from this online place, and blah,blah,blah.

If you have no intention on buying from a retail store.

Why go into a retail store?

Wanna see product? go to crutchfield, they have the same prices.

Coming into my store just to "touch" gear but not ever plan on buying from me is a fucking insult.

So I pay the rent for you to have somewhere to go play with product? NO!!!

Sorry for that rant.

I just had a jackass, start asking about dat amps, wanted to know all the details... told him prices up front.. after 30min of bs'ing he tells me he's buying from massive audio DIRECT!!!!!!!!!! 2500 rms for 349.99 each..

DIRECT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WTF.

ughhhh..

I give up.

Thanks for reading

I still meter for free.

[littleitaly1990]

Me personally I try to throw my business to my local shops...I just found one today that really looks good, so I'm sending my cousin over there,...I was actually going to buy a battery and they told me to wait until I could afford to get a replacement for my one up front first....and I have a shop where I live that I threw my alarm install to and a few other small things....but the products themselves are a bloody fortune. I'm sorry but I will never spend $500 for a product I can pick up for 200. All of the good shops I know of get plenty of business. That one I just came from had a good few people in it and an install or two going on, and my local guy is always swamped with projects. The shops may not have the best time selling products, but there will always be a demand for installs if they chose the right location and advertise well. That's just business, and there is always a demand for installs. My .02, a few of the crappier shops may go under in this economy, what business doesn't have that happening? But the good installers will be fine, and the car audio industry is going nowhere but up now that the internet is around to show people what we are all about.

[Ray]

Me personally I try to throw my business to my local shops...I just found one today that really looks good, so I'm sending my cousin over there,...I was actually going to buy a battery and they told me to wait until I could afford to get a replacement for my one up front first....and I have a shop where I live that I threw my alarm install to and a few other small things....but the products themselves are a bloody fortune. I'm sorry but I will never spend $500 for a product I can pick up for 200. All of the good shops I know of get plenty of business. That one I just came from had a good few people in it and an install or two going on, and my local guy is always swamped with projects. The shops may not have the best time selling products, but there will always be a demand for installs if they chose the right location and advertise well. That's just business, and there is always a demand for installs. My .02, a few of the crappier shops may go under in this economy, what business doesn't have that happening? But the good installers will be fine, and the car audio industry is going nowhere but up now that the internet is around to show people what we are all about.

that is a typical consumer point of view.

Nothing bad, just that you really dont see the large picture

And it's understandable, probably havent been around for 15 years seeing whats happening, owning a shop,etc...

The internet increases intrest, but is murdering the price point. If no one can make money, its not gonna last forever.

[Mr. Ben]

I owned a shop for as little as 1.5 months doto a shady partner but i worked for shops for 15 years now installing. now i understand overhead and profit and internet sales my opinion the shops are sinking cause of there own greed ofcourse everyone is here to make money but the guys doin it for the love of it will survive cause there customers are loyal and even if the customer got from the internet they will still bring it to there trusted shop to get it installed and treated like gold {this customer is well informed on the warratny but they dont care because there getin it done at a trusted shop so if it breaks they know its cause the product and not the install so they now have the money to come bak to you and get somthing more trustworthy per your education of the customer} so i give props to anyone making money cause thats what its all about trick is to keep as much of that money here as possible...............on top of everything we wouldnt be in this posistion if the SKILL an INTEGRITY of the install process wasnt compromised buy the dollar amount on the installers head buy the budget makers of these shops out there back in the day an installer was a tried and true genius and dedicated person but now there most all robots taught hot to install deck and 2's for 8.50 and hour all the while the shop is profiting 60 points from almost every sell and 60 points an the labor ticket as well...ouch no wonder people put in shit themselves and blow it up because there is NOWHERE FOR THEM TO GO so blame what this country was founded on and not the people just finding there way in it!!!!!GREED!!!!!!

[AI James]

I just had a jackass, start asking about dat amps, wanted to know all the details... told him prices up front.. after 30min of bs'ing he tells me he's buying from massive audio DIRECT!!!!!!!!!! 2500 rms for 349.99 each..

DIRECT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WTF.

those are the people i feel are jackasses.

i too have connections to get things direct, but i dont once expect a shop to match those prices. you being a friend and me helping out over there im a little jaded, so i do tell people to go over ask you questions see what you can do. but honestly if i didnt know you or ryan or how your business worked, id just assume it was another one of our many fresno shithouse shops ie all of the ones on belmont.

im not a typical customer myself, so im always looking for somethign different and new to experience just so my ears can get a taste for everything out there. i know im not going to keep the majority of items i buy so i dont like to buy for alot most of the time.

hell alot of the stuff i even get deals on i let go for next to nothing because resale value on stuff is horrible.

AI is one of those shops that is the exception of my thoughts that shops are there to take as much as they can and give you the least possible. Quality product quality service and a saleman (ryan) that you can have a normal conversation with without being pressured to a purchase that you just never wanted. If more shops did what they do i feel more and more people would pay the premium to get a product from the dealers. rather then ebay. As the majority of these shops that are bad, seem to just be swap meet vendors who [ut an audio shop label on and fuck it up for all the decent ones.

[redbaron80]

Ray is 100% right.

I have been around the audio for 11 years now, and there are LESS and LESS shows and things going on because of dealers going under.

Hope something changes, or I may have to find a new hobby

[littleitaly1990]

that is a typical consumer point of view.

Nothing bad, just that you really dont see the large picture

And it's understandable, probably havent been around for 15 years seeing whats happening, owning a shop,etc...

The internet increases intrest, but is murdering the price point. If no one can make money, its not gonna last forever.

I mean I see the larger picture, but I've never seen a good respectable dealer go under...And I've found plenty of them now and the one's who are legit and care about there customers always do fine. It might just be where I'm at, but I see shitty shops come and go, but the good ones with a loyal customer base such as myself have no problems with business at all. Like I said, I went to my local guy when he first opened, talked to him, saw he was respectable and fair, and that man has since moved into a much bigger shop and always has 3-4 or more cars in shop. I remember this Underground audio place came in near where I lived, went and checked it out. It was dirty, unorganized, carried crap like Audiobahn and had retards working the desk. Do I have to feel bad that they went under? No freaking way, any business like that deserves to go under. It's not true that no one can make money, they just need to focus on installs, where profit and demand are. I may not know the audio business as well as some others, but those others are affected similarly by the internet and find a way to make it profitable regardless. If your business isn't doing great right now, keep in mind, we are in a bad economy, and car audio is a luxury...luxuries are always the first to go when people don't have money to spend.

I owned a shop for as little as 1.5 months doto a shady partner but i worked for shops for 15 years now installing. now i understand overhead and profit and internet sales my opinion the shops are sinking cause of there own greed ofcourse everyone is here to make money but the guys doin it for the love of it will survive cause there customers are loyal and even if the customer got from the internet they will still bring it to there trusted shop to get it installed and treated like gold {this customer is well informed on the warratny but they dont care because there getin it done at a trusted shop so if it breaks they know its cause the product and not the install so they now have the money to come bak to you and get somthing more trustworthy per your education of the customer} so i give props to anyone making money cause thats what its all about trick is to keep as much of that money here as possible...............on top of everything we wouldnt be in this posistion if the SKILL an INTEGRITY of the install process wasnt compromised buy the dollar amount on the installers head buy the budget makers of these shops out there back in the day an installer was a tried and true genius and dedicated person but now there most all robots taught hot to install deck and 2's for 8.50 and hour all the while the shop is profiting 60 points from almost every sell and 60 points an the labor ticket as well...ouch no wonder people put in shit themselves and blow it up because there is NOWHERE FOR THEM TO GO so blame what this country was founded on and not the people just finding there way in it!!!!!GREED!!!!!!

I agree to a point, some shops do charge an enormous profit, but the stand up shops are usually fair.

[sundownz]

This is why our MAP is fixed for online sales and we don't use distributors. If we have a sale price or pre-sale dealers get a cut off of dealer price as well accordingly and can and do match the sale / pre-sale prices.

This gets us accused of being over-priced about 100 times a day on the internet... heck, I saw two threads about it on caraudio.com this week... but we do what we can to support our dealers and to keep the industry alive.

[redbaron80]

but we do what we can to support our dealers and to keep the industry alive.

exactly. The problem is, most people who buy from e-bay or www.xxx.com don't care about shows or CES. They just want the lowest price possible. Most of the people here on SMD compete or support the sport.