Kawi2strokes.com Forum

I have been shopping for a new welder and looking at prices. There are some pretty good online prices so I decided to call my local welding store to see where they are at. They came in with a price $200 more than online. I will also have to pay tax on it which will be another $100+. I understand that the tax is not there fault but it still needs to be factored in.

I asked if they were competitive with online prices and they said on some stuff but not this. He then proceeded to tell me about after sale support and then I got the "well we need to make money on it as well".

The online store is a reputable place and is free shipping on the machine. The LWS does not have it in stock, they have to get it in so I can't just go there and look at it first. I was hoping to maybe demo it but I don't think that will happen.

In todays economy why are these local places not competing with online sales? I could understand if it would have been $50 more but were talking a 15-20% increase just so I can spend $10 in gas to go pick it up in person. The online store is making money on the machine at there pricing and having to do the same amount of work as the LWS to get it to me.

I could be wrong but I highly doubt they fix the machines on site if there is a problem, so it would be the same to get fixed if you bought it local or not. They may assist with setup if you have a problem, but you can get the same assistance from the manufactures techs(which the LWS would probably do anyways)

I would like to support the local economy but what am I missing here? What am I actually getting paying 20% more to get it local vs getting it online?

They're likely getting it cheaper than the online guy has it advertised with the shipping figured in. If their defense is 'support', why not start asking them how much that support is? I'm sure it has a price. Even if it doesn't I highly doubt past the first setup and use that they wouldnt point you to the manufacturer for any real problem. When I bought my power washer, it came with a big tag on it saying 'dont return to the store, call xxx-xxx-xxxx.

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74 H2B with reeds and 34mm carbs
75 S3A Ram Air with reeds and 30mm carbs
73 S2A (wife's bike)
71 Yammi RT1B
83 HD Sportster
03 Yammi R1
06 Kaw 750 Vulcan (wife’s bike)
12 Yammi vstar 250 (wife’s bike)

I know what you mean. Many times McMaster-Carr has better prices than my local Lowe's, and Lowe's put the local family run hardware store out of business years ago. When I figure in the car expenses and tax to buy stuff at Lowe's, they rarely win, even with McM's shipping cost. Giving my business to local establishments is good for the community in the short term, but competition and a changing market are part of our country's economic system. With global communication what it is today, an individual can start a mail order business without the overhead of employees, rent, etc., so I'm not sure paying extra to keep the traditional local businesses afloat makes sense. I know it usually doesn't make sense as far as being able to afford to pay for my son's and daughter's college tuition.

I went through the same thing with my welder as you did, by the way. The local welding suppliers couldn't come close to Cyberweld and other online suppliers. The local guys used the same pitch about service, too. One of them was the supplier I tried to get an account with so I could by Argon. They wanted me to pay cash each time, but I had to pick up the argon from another local business they delivered to, because they didn't want to come to my shop. When I asked if I could set up a billing account because I couldn't wait for the driver to show up each time, they not only said no, but changed their mind and said it would be cash, plus several hundred bucks deposit on the tank! Luckily another smaller local supplier was more friendly to me.

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If it surges, that's normal, upshift.

I buy everything I can online and out of state. Ca government is so corrupt anytime I can avoid paying
tax to this state I do. If you buying a big ticket item like a welder and saving hundreds of dollars then
no question, buy online.

I do buy local and on net and have to say the best servise is on net , I bought a lathe and ask about dig readout , an extra $1100 , I bought it on net same unit $550 delivered to the door , I told I could get it for that , and said I would be happy to buy it from them, but not interested in talking price

I think the market will set it's own level on this one. I wouldn't be building a H2 without on-line access! And that goes for my other hobbies/interests as well.

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"One day, your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it's worth watching." : anon.

You have to wonder who the local businesses are catering to? Maybe the average joe doesn't mean much to them and they rely on the commercial accounts. You would think they would want to as competitive as they can with pricing with the hopes to keep you coming back.

Personally I love buying stuff online I think it is the greatest thing ever as I hate going to stores. As an added bonus it is usually cheaper. I think the local businesses need to open there eyes a little more as to how easily available products are today. Its not like 10-15 years ago where they were the only one and you had to do a lot of leg work to price compare.

I needed a CV axle for my Nissan, and the big box auto stores all wanted about $80 - $90 for a rebuilt axle. I found a company in Michigan and thats all they do is axles...and I got my CV axle for $45, and FREE shipping on something that was pretty heavy.

The big box stores have killed the mom-and-pops, and the savvy consumer can undercut the big box stores with the Internet.

I used to TRY to utilize my local cycle shop, but after too many bad experiences I gave up on that. 2stroke oil and yamabond is all I go there for now. Nearly always, they had to "order it". Dont they realize how freakin obsolete that is?!? I mean really, 30 years ago you would saddle up to the parts counter and the guy had the catalogs, and he was a distributor, and you would wind up waiting a week or two for a piston or something like that. These days, why on earth would I wait for cycle world to "order it" when I can go home, hop on the computer and order it myself, and get it cheaper.

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1972 S2 350, 1972 F9 350 Bighorn, 1975 KX400, 1981 YZ465, 1980 XT500 (Built for MX) , 1987 KD80, 1995 MZ Skorpion, TTR 125, 1994 KDX200 , 1978 Mobylette, 1985 KX350R-F91m (Frankenstein) and a Doodle Bug

Same thing here with the local shop. Tried to give my business to them since they were small and nice people. Never had anything I needed so I would have to make 2 trips there so another $10 in gas added to the parts. I finally just gave up.

The local appliance store ( B&H in East Greenville,PA http://www.rwslineupcontrol.com/_CGI/FSEARCH.HTML ) tries their best to match online pricing. They're usually close enough I give my business to them.

The local Western Auto just says "this is my price" and he wonders why buiness is declining