Laser Discounts st Shows?

[Kevin Gregerson]

I have met with a few sales reps and have received price sheets from them. What you are telling me is that the price on the price sheet is negotiable? I have no idea why pricing is so secretive...a phone call to any of the US brands and they will tell you straight away the price.

Main reason for secretive pricing is because of the Chinese low price introduction. How are you supposed to Justify a 2k machine to a 20k machine on the internet? Unless you actually know what you are looking at and what you are paying for you have no idea what you are buying. One might sell this and that feature, but have a -- driver, and no support.

[Mike Null]

And if you buy any of the US brands at the first price quoted you'll be paying too much.

[Jackson Phillips]

Most certainly, although in this case the Mickey Mouse markup might be somewhat justified. I know I wouldn't want to be the service tech who takes care of machines at a middle or high school. Makes me wonder what a gummy bear in a rail would do...

On a related note, laser engravers go for ridiculously cheap prices at government surplus auctions on the rare occasions they show up. Most people don't know what they are, including the auctioneers, so they usually go for less than old fax machines.

[Dan Hintz]

Must be government pricing, I've never heard of anyone paying those prices. They are really high.

Agreed. I'd say pricing was close to 50% higher than typical out-of-pocket price on some of those machines.

[Kevin Gregerson]

If you buy any laser brand at the quoted price you are paying too much. However, like I said, it depends on the value you are getting on the back end. Even the Chinese ones...

[Brian Rodenz]

If quoted is too high, what kind of percentage off would be acceptable?

[Kevin Gregerson]

If quoted is too high, what kind of percentage off would be acceptable?

Depends on initial quote and equipment, higher end models will have more profit on them. Lower end will have less. Two ways to get discounts on stuff. either have them add more stuff like extra lens kits software, etc.(easier) Or, put a price out there about 30 percent off the MSRP price and say I'll buy this month if you can do that in email. This starts off a process of things that lets the ball roll on your system discounting. Usually you'll end up about 10-18 percent below the msrp price. If you time this around the middle to end of the month it's most effective.

[Kevin Gregerson]

What are you ranting about? I never said what invoice pricing meant. I simply said you can go online and find "invoice" pricing. It's information. More information then what's available in the laser industry. That was my entire point.

It is and it isn't. The Car industry simply came out with it as a means of a price floor on cars. The reality is that the real per car invoice pricing is much much lower.