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You have to log into your account, put the rockets / motors / parts into your cart, and apply the discount code.
Works for me. Not likely I’ll order another GG - my kit backlog is approaching ludicrous - might even go to plaid!Well, that does not seem to work anymore???
Works for me.
Mine came in an email after I setup my account - AC99 - so the code may be linked to your account.OK what was the code? Mine came back unknown or expired.
DUH: AC99 sorry
Mine came in an email after I setup my account - AC99 - so the code may be linked to your account.
It is. We had to sign a new agreement and they will refuse to sell to use if we violate. I have to get my site prices fixed in the next few days. By the way, a coupon code violates the policy now too....I guess that firm price thing is legit
It is. We had to sign a new agreement and they will refuse to sell to use if we violate. I have to get my site prices fixed in the next few days. By the way, a coupon code violates the policy now too....
Their policy is you cannot advertise below the MSRP list. Not allowed to do coupons, flyers, or any kind of printed material. Web-based sales must be at MSRP, with no exceptions. The only time we can deviate from that is if they are running a sale on a product, then we can match. Supposedly, we're going to be notified about those this year. On site is a different story, as that is considered my storefront and I can do whatever I would like. So my pricing in the trailer will stay as is, just website won't be able to have it.Minimum Advertised Price - depending upon the products you sell, the rules can get "fun". Hopefully for your sanity, it stays as simple as "$X is the price", as opposed to different vendors having different wrinkles on it.
-Kevin
Their policy is you cannot advertise below the MSRP list. Not allowed to do coupons, flyers, or any kind of printed material. Web-based sales must be at MSRP, with no exceptions. The only time we can deviate from that is if they are running a sale on a product, then we can match. Supposedly, we're going to be notified about those this year. On site is a different story, as that is considered my storefront and I can do whatever I would like. So my pricing in the trailer will stay as is, just website won't be able to have it.
Web-based sales must be at MSRP, with no exceptions. The only time we can deviate from that is if they are running a sale on a product, then we can match
No, it's driven by the fact that anyone buying from a distributor cannot compete because the distributor is selling wholesale to the public. Estes has also realized that their product has no value since it is always discounted.Do you think that was driven by the Amazon deals over the last couple years?
It does tend to devalue the products.
No, it's driven by the fact that anyone buying from a distributor cannot compete because the distributor is selling wholesale to the public. Estes has also realized that their product has no value since it is always discounted.
So this price change is primarily to stop distributors from selling direct to the public?No, it's driven by the fact that anyone buying from a distributor cannot compete because the distributor is selling wholesale to the public. Estes has also realized that their product has no value since it is always discounted.
No, the price is a map policy to protect their brand value. Its very common in other industries as well. It also makes it such that dealers and store owners will continue to sell their products. If you owned a retail store and you can't compete because your wholesale cost is the same as what everybody buys for online, why would you stock the product. That in turn causes new customers to be non-existent as they can't find product locally.So this price change is primarily to stop distributors from selling direct to the public?
So maybe Estes' strategy is to sacrifice wholesale online sales to strengthen online and offline retail sales? Makes sense, I suppose.No, the price is a map policy to protect their brand value. Its very common in other industries as well. It also makes it such that dealers and store owners will continue to sell their products. If you owned a retail store and you can't compete because your wholesale cost is the same as what everybody buys for online, why would you stock the product. That in turn causes new customers to be non-existent as they can't find product locally.
Just be sure the non-phenolic, clay nozzle motors are after 2021. In humid climates, the clay nozzles crack. Also, chuffing off the rod has been an issue lately. Never had any problems with E20 or E30.If the AC Supply discount goes away, so does most of my flying of larger black powder motors, at least after I burn through the large supply I have on-hand. Discounted Quest motors (at AC Supply or elsewhere) are just too cost-effective compared to Estes at MSRP.
In the hobby industry, certain company names and the products they create/release have a high awareness factor with the general public which equates to sales/profit.<snip>
I never thought of Estes brand as having a "premium" value attached to it, though. I'm familiar with MAP policies and I've usually only seen them attached to high-end products. We're talking designer goods, electronics, etc.
I guess Estes wants to be known as the premium brand when it comes to balsa, paper, cardboard and plastic? If it helps them stay in business, more power to them.
Good point, brand/name awareness is valuable. Although I'm not sure what the correlation is between high-er prices and brand awareness. Maybe there is no connection, but online wholesalers selling at wholesale prices to the general public make it harder for retail sellers to sell to the general public, which then leads to fewer stores that sell Estes which lead to less brand awareness? That's possible, I guess...In the hobby industry, certain company names and the products they create/release have a high awareness factor with the general public which equates to sales/profit.
Estes is one of those companies.
Other examples from the past include Monogram/Revell, Cox, Aurora. All of these are pretty much gone now.
This is exactly the issue. Prior to becoming a distributor myself, I could not stock or sell Estes products. When my dealer wholesale from a distributor-which is where I was required to buy because Estes did not sell direct to dealers- was 45% off retail and I had to pay shipping made it such that I could not justify selling it at the present time of 40% off that everyone else was paying. Once I was able to become a distributor for Estes, matching the presence sales price from everywhere means that I end up profiting about $0.05 per dollar. In the business world. Anything less than 15 to 20% does not keep lights on. The thing a lot of people don't realize is that if you have a 40% margin to start with and you give a 30% discount, you have lost 75% of your profit. I've been a distributor for Estes for almost 2 years now, and looking at those numbers alone, I'm not sure how anyone can stay in business when you have to pay employees and payroll tax, and keep the lights on. Estes was my fourth highest selling item for last year, and my lowest generation of profit. I made less money on Estes products than I did on products that have a lower yearly selling pointGood point, brand/name awareness is valuable. Although I'm not sure what the correlation is between high-er prices and brand awareness. Maybe there is no connection, but online wholesalers selling at wholesale prices to the general public make it harder for retail sellers to sell to the general public, which then leads to fewer stores that sell Estes which lead to less brand awareness? That's possible, I guess...
Good point, brand/name awareness is valuable. Although I'm not sure what the correlation is between high-er prices and brand awareness. Maybe there is no connection, but online wholesalers selling at wholesale prices to the general public make it harder for retail sellers to sell to the general public, which then leads to fewer stores that sell Estes which lead to less brand awareness? That's possible, I guess...
I never thought of Estes brand as having a "premium" value attached to it, though. I'm familiar with MAP policies and I've usually only seen them attached to high-end products. We're talking designer goods, electronics, etc.
I hear ya, although when it comes to appliances, many consumers equate price to quality (whether they'er looking at a bargain brand or top-of-the-line brand). I doubt that phenomenon is equally strong with the model rocketry hobby.MAP is very common in consumer appliances and electronics. Not just the high-end stuff, but across the board. Whirlpool and LG were two of the first to implement it, across their lines. Whirlpool makes a significant percentage of the appliance brands that those of us in the US know.
I say this as someone who had to help implement MAP in those categories, as well as someone who's chased down the source of MAP violations.
-Kevin
I used to own a large shooting range and this is exactly what happened to firearm sales. Large distributors sold direct to the public at prices that were lower than my cost. When you have a brick and mortar store no way you can compete. It ruined the entire industry. So when you go into a gun store and ask to match an online price, realize you are essentially asking that dealer to take a loss on the sale. The absolute best was when the firearm purchased from an online dealer broke, and that person came to our brick and mortar store for help, they couldn’t believe we wouldn’t help them fix their problem. Our standard reply was you should get the place you purchased it from to help you with that. Because of that scenario we established a loyal following of folks that were willing to pay a reasonable margin for the ability to have great service. It’s very hard for brick and mortar stores to compete with online warehouses except when it comes to expertise and quality.No, the price is a map policy to protect their brand value. Its very common in other industries as well. It also makes it such that dealers and store owners will continue to sell their products. If you owned a retail store and you can't compete because your wholesale cost is the same as what everybody buys for online, why would you stock the product. That in turn causes new customers to be non-existent as they can't find product locally.
TRUTH!This is exactly the issue. Prior to becoming a distributor myself, I could not stock or sell Estes products. When my dealer wholesale from a distributor-which is where I was required to buy because Estes did not sell direct to dealers- was 45% off retail and I had to pay shipping made it such that I could not justify selling it at the present time of 40% off that everyone else was paying. Once I was able to become a distributor for Estes, matching the presence sales price from everywhere means that I end up profiting about $0.05 per dollar. In the business world. Anything less than 15 to 20% does not keep lights on. The thing a lot of people don't realize is that if you have a 40% margin to start with and you give a 30% discount, you have lost 75% of your profit. I've been a distributor for Estes for almost 2 years now, and looking at those numbers alone, I'm not sure how anyone can stay in business when you have to pay employees and payroll tax, and keep the lights on. Estes was my fourth highest selling item for last year, and my lowest generation of profit. I made less money on Estes products than I did on products that have a lower yearly selling point
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