How to negociate the best price? (1 Viewer)

[Patrice D.]

What is the best way to have the best price when buying a receiver, speakers (front, center, rear), wires and interconnects, CD player from an authorized dealer (not on-line)?

I have already an idea about the lowest price for each components that I want but I would like to know from you which approach did you used?

I'm looking for a receiver (Marantz SR-5200 or Denon 1802), speakers from Mirage (Frx-7, rear and center) and a CD player (Marantz or Denon).

 

[Doug_B]

If you're looking for haggling strategies, there are many. One aspect of haggling that you should include is being prepared to walk out. If you're not prepared to walk if you don't get the deal you want, you'll usually not be as successful as you could. IMO

Doug

 

[John Garcia]

Go in and try to find a salesperson that you feel some rapport with. Don't waste your time with someone who doesn't seem like they are not interested in your sale. Talk to the manager if you have to. They will feel you out to see if you know what you are talking about, so drop a hint or two when discussing the specifics of the gear you are looking for and why you chose it.

See if they can come close to your price on their own, without telling them the price you already have in mind. Then, if it is not close enough, let them know the prices you've found. (keeping in mind shipping when quoting online pricing). Try a few different places, or the same place another day, and see if you get a better salesperson.

Let them know you are going to buy all these items, and whether or not they will give you additional or overall discount for getting it all from them because you DON'T have to buy everything from them if they don't have the best price on one item.

Just like buying a car, don't be afraid to walk out. It's your money.

I have been able to get discounts on basically everything in my systems, from local dealers.

I have an SR6200, SR4000 and a CC4000 CDP. I am very happy with all of them. The CC4000 lacks some basic features that would be nice, but the sound quality is very good.

 

[KrisM]

Another thing to do is know ahead of time what kind of price you should be getting, as you have mentioned, and don't buy unless you get that price. If you tell the salesperson/manager that you will take it today at that price, the ball is in his court. He either says yes or no. And if it is within his profit-margin more than likely he will say yes. Just be sure of the prices that you have. If you have a price that is way too low the salesperson will think you are not serious and won't give you the time of day.

Regards

KrisM

 

[Chu Gai]

I second Doug's approach as being perhaps one of the most important factors. You'll also get some good information at your local library from looking at the Car Buying section in Consumer Reports which deals with strategies that can be applied even to consumer audio. Let us know how you finally made out.

 

[Mark C.]

Don't be in a rush to buy, and when you do buy, use cash. A cash buyer, what is known in the car business as a "today'' buyer, many times makes more of an impression on sales people that you are serious. If you don't get the price you want on the first try, break off negotiations and leave. But take the sales person's business card. Find out which days that sales person usually works. Then show up unexpectedly a few weeks later. Your presence will be a pleasant surprise to the sales person, that a potentially serious buyer has returned to negotiate. They may then work even harder for your business. It has worked for me.

 

[Bill Will]

I've found in some cases that it pays to go directly to the manager & not getting a salesmen involved because that way you can at least eliminate the salesmen's commission but if you've even talked to a salesmen at some places they are entitled to a commission even if it's a small one. It all depends on how the salesmen's commission program was set up.

When I've bought new cars I have never even went into a showroom, I just called a sales manager told them what I was willing to pay for the car & if they would sell it to me for that price. Sofar, I always got the cars I wanted at the price I was willing to pay. I've also found it's a lot easier to do business over the phone than standing on their turff. A lot of time I've had them outright say no but I would leave them my phone number just incase they changed their mind. I would say half of the time I would get calls back for sales manager's going along with my offer & this can work especially well at the end of the month when there trying to meet sales quotas. I've done the same thing with electronics. Again it's a lot easier to talk to them over the phone, at least for me anyway.

 

[John E F]

I always negotiate and it works 90% of the time. As everyone already said, be ready to walk away. I find that it to spend a little time with the salesperson. Let them "sell" you the product and their authorized dealership advantages. It's harder for them to let a sale walk away if they have spent some time on it. I only negotiate once I am 100% sure I am going to buy. Start by telling them you will have to think about it for a while because you aren't sure if you are ready to spend that kind of money right now (but let them know you have the money). That will most definately bring the first lower price and you can negotiate from there.

A friend of mine has the exact opposite approach. He will walk in and start trying to deal right away. This turns most salespeople off from the start. The biggest mistake he makes is working with a set dollar amount. For example, he only has $400.00 so he will jump from product to product trying to get the most for his money. This rarely works because he starts off not being realistic, they aren't going to sell him a Denon 3802 for $400.00 (they do have to make money). Then they know he only has a certain amount of money and they don't really lower prices on things that are already pretty low to begin with.

One final thing (this is getting long), be realistic. Realize that alot of the cheap internet prices are from "unauthorized dealers". Keep in mind the advantage of buying from a local authorized dealer. If it breaks or you don't like it, most will return with little or no hassle. Those things are worth a little to me because if I spent $900.00 on a receiver and found that I didn't like it, I would definately return it for something else. That is how I ended with the Denon 3802 yesterday.

 

[GordonL]

Haggling usually works best if there are other dealers around who sell the same products. One tactic is to go the dealer and say you're soliciting bids from other dealers for their "best and final" prices and you will be buying from whoever has the lowest price. The other dealers will not know your bid and you will not know what the other dealers bid. IOW, this is a one shot deal. This gives the impression that you are a serious buyer.
Don't fall for the "get your best deal and I'll match/beat it". You should buy from the dealer who gave you the best price to begin with. Besides, you don't want to be wasting a lot time driving in circles trying to get each dealer to outbid each other. Or maybe you do if you enjoy doing that sort of thing.

 

[Jaron Dishner]

just to help out i work at the big cc, and in my store the last thing in the ""WORLD" you want to do is go to the mgr

because ours will send you out the door in a heart beat.

and that is that i once had to walk a customer, that wanted to buy 1,500.00 camcorder, because my mgr would not throw in a $20 pack of tapes,

but now its diff at all cc's , just remember that some do and don't care about your business, usually if you get a deal at cc, its because the salesperson has either went out of his way by ,,,lieing to the mgr, that some one else

has it cheaper or found a way to give you a discount in the computer,, but on polk, bose, some of these are price protected,,,so they are really hard do get a discount on unless its a promotion we are running

now for the little high end shops, its diff. because they dont move as many pieces and the owner/mgr can make the call and they usually will, but there are 2 in my area

The Sound Room and Mr. Toads will not usually drop because they know they are the only place you can get

......mits, tosh, denon, in the area , and they act like it is an insult if you ask for a better deal, ""we sell for msrp, our stuff is better ,,hitachi is the worst big screen on the market..bla bla bla,, without even considering what you own already

there lots to take into consideration when your buying

so good luck