- Thread Starter
- #81
A bit on question of where you buy from. If you are already using a local dealer to preview the speaker and came to me to buy it, I would say no, you should go to that dealer. If that is not the case, when Harman was its own entity, the rules were quite strict in shipping locally. With Samsung ownership, this has melted away and dealers are able to sell and ship anywhere. Indeed we compete with online dealers now that do that so it makes no sense to have restrictions this way.
I have noticed that during the pandemic, some dealers are going really, really low in prices. You might think this is great for you but there is severe shortage of Revel products right now. As a result, you need your dealer to jump through many hoops to get you product. Or replacement models. When profit margins shrink, you are going to see reluctance on behalf of the dealer to work through this. When people come to me now and ask if they can buy a speaker for a $1 over cost because another dealer is dropping their shorts this way, I warn them what they are getting themselves into and whether they really want to go there. I have had people wait 6+ months for their speakers with delay after delay and tons and tons of work on our side to work the system to get updates on shipping, getting other purchase options for the customer, etc.
I think a lot of dealers are thinking they just put in an order, give Harman your shipping address and they are done. As such, they can live with low margins. Little do they know the hell that you may have to get through to get the customer what they ordered and hours and hours they will be spending on behalf of the customer to get them what they ordered.
I have noticed that during the pandemic, some dealers are going really, really low in prices. You might think this is great for you but there is severe shortage of Revel products right now. As a result, you need your dealer to jump through many hoops to get you product. Or replacement models. When profit margins shrink, you are going to see reluctance on behalf of the dealer to work through this. When people come to me now and ask if they can buy a speaker for a $1 over cost because another dealer is dropping their shorts this way, I warn them what they are getting themselves into and whether they really want to go there. I have had people wait 6+ months for their speakers with delay after delay and tons and tons of work on our side to work the system to get updates on shipping, getting other purchase options for the customer, etc.
I think a lot of dealers are thinking they just put in an order, give Harman your shipping address and they are done. As such, they can live with low margins. Little do they know the hell that you may have to get through to get the customer what they ordered and hours and hours they will be spending on behalf of the customer to get them what they ordered.