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Dingwall Owners Club

#27,661
Just sent an email to the dealer with my calculations for the bass and the attached price list and got a "goodwill discount".
He mentioned the added cost was due to shipping and handling + administration costs & eventual warranty repair costs
Hmm, i wonder if i should just place the order direct. What do you guys think?
 
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#27,662
IvanBassist said:
Just sent an email to the dealer with my calculations for the bass and the attached price list and got a "goodwill discount".
He mentioned the added cost was due to shipping and handling + administration costs & eventual warranty repair costs
Hmm, i wonder if i should just place the order direct. What do you guys think?
Click to expand...
Business costs are higher then ever these days and they intend to turn profit. By offering you a discount on a new item they only hurt themselves but at the same time they are probably excited for the sale being a custom Dingwall.
If they are a reputable dealer and will have your back if any issues arise, IMO it’s worth supporting them. Without it you loose your local source. Also, if they maintain to stock strings for you etc. I think it’s well worth the convenience of having them at hand.
 
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#27,663
AB Nate said:
Business costs are higher then ever these days and they intend to turn profit. By offering you a discount on a new item they only hurt themselves but at the same time they are probably excited for the sale being a custom Dingwall.
If they are a reputable dealer and will have your back if any issues arise, IMO it’s worth supporting them. Without it you loose your local source. Also, if they maintain to stock strings for you etc. I think it’s well worth the convenience of having them at hand.
Click to expand...
That's a fair point. Hadn't thought about that. Thank you!
 
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#27,665
IvanBassist said:
Just sent an email to the dealer with my calculations for the bass and the attached price list and got a "goodwill discount".
He mentioned the added cost was due to shipping and handling + administration costs & eventual warranty repair costs
Hmm, i wonder if i should just place the order direct. What do you guys think?
Click to expand...

In the past, I was able to order direct because there weren't any dealers in my area. I don't know if it would even be an option for you.
 
#27,666
In addition, also consider whether you want to ever have any future dealings with them or not. If they have spent any non-trivial amount of time working on this deal, they deserve to be compensated if you are going to go through with the purchase. Put yourself in their shoes and ask yourself how would you feel if someone did this to you. If you would be totally okay with it, then let your conscience be your guide. Also, you should assume they are reading this.
Another option would be to just tell them what you are thinking about doing and asking them what compensation you would need to give them if you buy it somewhere else in order for them to feel happy with the outcome.
 
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#27,667
Sounds sketchy to me. All these things are factored in to Dingwall's price, I would bet money on it. That's why companies have a price list to begin with. Dingwall wants you to go to through a dealer, so it would be set up such that you don't save money buying direct. Maybe it's different because its Europe.
 
#27,668
In theory, a dealer gets a special price that should allow them to present a more attractive offer to you. Whether you're ordering through Dingwall directly or through a dealer, there will still be extra costs due to shipping. There's no way around that cost. Customs or Import Taxes are usually imposed by your home country receiving the goods.

Do you already have some dealings with your local store? For me, being able to trust the dealer is one of my most important factors to come back. If your dealer has reason to believe there could be more sales in the future, they might give you a slightly better price.

I have a favorite dealer who I've ordered 2 FBasses (BN6 and VF6-PJ Fretless), 1 Fodera Emperor Standard 6 and I have a Spector NS 6H2 underway presently.
 
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#27,669
TolerancEJ said:
In theory, a dealer gets a special price that should allow them to present a more attractive offer to you. Whether you're ordering through directly or through a dealer, there will still be extra costs due to shipping. There's no way around that cost. Customs or Import Taxes are usually imposed by your home country receiving the goods.

Do you already have some dealings with your local store? For me, being able to trust the dealer is one of my most important factors to come back. If your dealer has reason to believe there could be more sales in the future, they might give you a slightly better price.

I have a favorite dealer who I've ordered 2 FBasses (BN6 and VF6-PJ Fretless), 1 Fodera Emperor Standard 6 and I have a Spector NS 6H2 underway presently.
Click to expand...
Well, my closest dealer hasn't gotten back to me & their known for not having the best customer service, so I reached out to another one.
I've been to this other shop a few years back & they do care about their customers. I wasn't expecting a 500+ EUR increase in price, though :D
 
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#27,671
I’ll add this.

I ship air and 2-3 day normally. Not the most expensive but not the cheapest. If I ship ground to the states or visa versa..... it is often not the cheapest method. The buyer ends up getting hit with brokerage fees at the tail end. An example. This had cost me when a seller shipped ground, after I requested he ship air, an extra $400 CAD. I’d rather pay an extra $250 in front and have it here safer and sooner then get back doored upon arival.
Anyways, point being. Shipping out of Canada is painful. The last bass I shipped was to Boston.......
It was a $10000 bass.....
shipping and insurance was to the tune of $800 CAD. And then the buyer got dinged on duties to boot on his end.

The point. A bass cost what it cost.
The price of the bass surely includes a portion of misc expenses but when other expenses vary from area to area prices will vary accordingly.

Shipping cost vary on a minute to
Minute basis. Look at the prices we see selling from Japan.....


Sure I can get a Dingwall for less then those that don’t live close by but even so if I was to get it at a better price then a person in the states or else where. It would cost the same by the time I got it there.

A company try’s to stay globally competitive but the reality is it’s not always possible.

Would that mean that because you pay more in import fees I should pay more here to balance it out and Dingwall should just pocket the extra? Or because I pay less being their neighbor you should also pay less and Dingwall should just eat the added costs?.... and in turn close down due to lack of profit?

The answer is no to both.
The cost of the bass is one thing.
The cost of GETTING the bass is something completely different.
 
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#27,675
IvanBassist said:
Just to be clear, I’m more than willing to support a local dealer and a few extra hundred Euro wont kill me.

I just wanted to know if anyone else had experienced something similar while placing an order :)
Click to expand...

I visit my local favorite dealers at least once a week and have great relations with my friends there now. It’s important for me and the way I do business. We actually even look out for each other personally and business wise. Perhaps I’m fortunate to have that situation and with that of course I always highly recommend it.
If you have the opportunity to work with a dealer who is gonna be an asset for you for years to come I of course say go for it. I have the trust in place now that I know who I’m dealing with has my back and won’t be attempting to screw me around, which I guess ultimately I’m hoping for you in this situation.
 
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#27,677
getBAK said:
Sheldon Dingwall has been pretty vocal that if there is a dealer in someone's area that he won't sell direct to the consumer. He wants to support his dealer network instead of undercutting them.
It's pretty honorable as a manufacturer if you ask me
Click to expand...

Yup, I tried to place an order a few years back and they sent me to L&M (which is just down the road.)
 
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#27,678
If they just said shipping I would likely agree with everything Nate said. I don’t know how much it is to ship a bass to Europe, but I know it ain’t cheap.

But they didn’t just say that. They said admin costs and warranty too which sounds like car salesman nonsense to me. At the very least you should try bartering that down. Seriously, this is how pricing stuff works. Retailers get a price list that they can’t advertise below so you know you get the same deal everywhere. I guarantee a significant mark up is already included in their price list. The one you get from Dingwall is meant to put all the retailers on an even playing field. Check bass direct’s website and see if their prices are similar to what you were quoted.

I’m all for supporting local business but 500+ EUR increase with that kind of explanation sounds like you need to sit down at the bargaining table.
 
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#27,679
IvanBassist said:
Just to be clear, I’m more than willing to support a local dealer and a few extra hundred Euro wont kill me.

I just wanted to know if anyone else had experienced something similar while placing an order :)
Click to expand...
Hey, enjoy your Euros and spend wisely. A few extra hundred Euro is a lot of money in Canadian dollars. :laugh: (Right now, the exchange is approximately 1.5, so 1000EURO would be about $1500CAD.)
 
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#27,680
Subscript said:
If they just said shipping I would likely agree with everything Nate said. I don’t know how much it is to ship a bass to Europe, but I know it ain’t cheap.

But they didn’t just say that. They said admin costs and warranty too which sounds like car salesman nonsense to me. At the very least you should try bartering that down. Seriously, this is how pricing stuff works. Retailers get a price list that they can’t advertise below so you know you get the same deal everywhere. I guarantee a significant mark up is already included in their price list. The one you get from Dingwall is meant to put all the retailers on an even playing field. Check bass direct’s website and see if their prices are similar to what you were quoted.

I’m all for supporting local business but 500+ EUR increase with that kind of explanation sounds like you need to sit down at the bargaining table.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I don't like the reference to Admin Costs & Warranty either. I recommend adding Insurance to the shipping (if it's not already included), just in case.
 
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