Anyone to verify price from ARN?

Have you ever tried to bargain in showrooms in CP in Delhi? Have you ever bargained in Big Bazaar?

at the outset, I completely empathise with you. without taking an opposing stance on the issue, i'd just like to point out that at the electronics equivalent of bazaar - Croma, Vijay sales, e-zone et al the clearly published (And often advertised) prices, do have some bargaining buffer built into them, try it and see. this is from personal experience where a deal better than a published "one day sale offer" was availed by me.

it's unfortunate but true that the electronics trade has not matured, but (again without commenting on the merits of this specific case) it would be unfair to crucify one dealer for problems that are an industrywide phenomenon. it's unlikely that any of the dealers mentioned in these and other posts have a "one size fits all" pricing.

of course, what was puzzling about this case was that your e-mail was answered by someone in the specialist custom installation department - rather than a regular salesman. I know that if i went to the hospital with a headache, i know i would be surprised if instead of a good ole GP, my first appointment was with a brain surgeon.. ;)
 
Thx Panditji. You have hit the bulls eye. :clapping: I just want to know if I am being fleeced or No. Let me decide on the services. On the outset they are charging 13.5% over and above for installation etc. :eek: Some dealers provide this as a compliment.



Well. IMO if I have to bargain from a dealer as popular/as good as most people have mentioned that he is no good. Because then the cost depends on my bargaining skills. I go to a showroom/reputed shop to be sure of a fixed price. I just bargain on streets not in showrooms. ;)

I bought a Toyota Innova 3mos back in Hyderabad. Guess what - you can bargain in a Toyota showroom - I saved 40k INR on a 11 lac automobile. Couple of weeks back I bought a ARC LS 26 preamp in the New Jersey area having a $6k price tag - it was in a showroom that had $70k speakers on demo. Guess what I bargained, I must have saved at-least $500. Having lived in the US for 17 years - a known place for fixed price, everytime I bought a high ticket item I have saved money by bargaining - last time was in 2006 in a BMW showroom for some significant savings on a 330i. I know of my friend who bought a Villa in B'lore - and he bargained hard and saved a significant amount of cash running into lacs - so my friend bargaining is not only for streets - it can be done anywhere - and if you are not then you are not saving money. Regardless if your opinion is not to bargain in a "Showroom/reputed shop" - then I guess you are entitled to it, but believe me that is not what most of the people I know do, especially in India and especially on high ticket items.
Cheers
Sid

PS: here is a nice article on bargaining - even in high end shops from ny times
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/29/garden/29haggling.html
 
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Ok. So I have to bargain to get a competitive price. I will do that as and when the situation demands.

I just want to know from the forum about the quoted rates. How much should I be bargaining? (I know there is no limit to this).

Just an Eg on lighter side : A villager (like me) goes to city for purchases. He is advised (like you people) that everything is double the actual rate so bargain hard. He goes to an umbrella shop and asks the price. Rs 100/-
"No I want for Rs 50/-" (advice working)

"ok take it for 50/-"

"No, now I want for 25/-"

It continues. In the end frustrated seller says take it for free. comes the prompt reply " In that case, I want two!!!" :ohyeah:

So, whats a reasonable bargaining margin? Also, can i get a better deal on these products from anywhere else?

Thx to all for active participation.
 
Hi

You are obsolutely right... May be this is also on the lighter side, cairo and newdelhi were considered as village by ARN.. so as you got the quote and my wishes for you to buy 2:lol:
 
Hi,

Guys, I aint getting into anything regarding the price!

But whenever I visit a showroom and thrown a higher price, I normal ask them "How many?"

Cheers!
 
Recently i inquired about Denon dcd510ae from profx. The price quoted was 17k, but when asked for the best price that can be offered, it was around 15.7k after 8% discount. So, you can ask for a discount of around 10% on such items on the quoted price. Similary when i got wharf 9.2 it was quoted for 17k on MSRP but after 10% discount it was 15.3k. That is how it works.
 
Recently i inquired about Denon dcd510ae from profx. The price quoted was 17k, but when asked for the best price that can be offered, it was around 15.7k after 8% discount. So, you can ask for a discount of around 10% on such items on the quoted price. Similary when i got wharf 9.2 it was quoted for 17k on MSRP but after 10% discount it was 15.3k. That is how it works.

For me, the negotiations start after the dealer has quoted the 10% off price that he's willing to sell it for. If he sticks to MRP, I just ask him, who the hell buys these expensive goods at MRP at this day and age, its not like I am here to buy potatoes.:)
 
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Hi,

I am newbie and not intending to get into controversy. The PM8003 is 1000$ from Crutchfield US. So it doesnt seem resonable to enough to get it for Rs 38000

Is dealer's volume of sales that is driving actual price?.
 
Ok. So I have to bargain to get a competitive price. I will do that as and when the situation demands.

I just want to know from the forum about the quoted rates. How much should I be bargaining? (I know there is no limit to this).

Just an Eg on lighter side : A villager (like me) goes to city for purchases. He is advised (like you people) that everything is double the actual rate so bargain hard. He goes to an umbrella shop and asks the price. Rs 100/-
"No I want for Rs 50/-" (advice working)

"ok take it for 50/-"

"No, now I want for 25/-"

It continues. In the end frustrated seller says take it for free. comes the prompt reply " In that case, I want two!!!" :ohyeah:

So, whats a reasonable bargaining margin? Also, can i get a better deal on these products from anywhere else?

Thx to all for active participation.


I once saw a farmer make his first visit to a "supermarket" chain in a city. Needless to say he was absolutely stunned to find the prices of sugar and other agro produce on the shelves. He kept mutttering "...and I sell for this ..and that OMG!!" His wife was a mute spectator holding her pallu to her mouth as if in shock!! :)

Sorry to go OT but just thought it was interesting :)

Cheers
 
Hi,

I am newbie and not intending to get into controversy. The PM8003 is 1000$ from Crutchfield US. So it doesnt seem resonable to enough to get it for Rs 38000

Is dealer's volume of sales that is driving actual price?.

Most of the US sites quote that price. But you see there is bargain :D.

Because if that be so even ARN would not be able to give it for 44,800/- (6048/- or the VAT is the tax given to Indian Govt).
 
I once saw a farmer make his first visit to a "supermarket" chain in a city. Needless to say he was absolutely stunned to find the prices of sugar and other agro produce on the shelves. He kept mutttering "...and I sell for this ..and that OMG!!" His wife was a mute spectator holding her pallu to her mouth as if in shock!! :)

Sorry to go OT but just thought it was interesting :)

Cheers

That happened because he was not advised (like the previous farmer buying umbrella) and he did not know that there is bargaining!!! :D
 
OTOH I have purchased stuff from around the world and bargaining is a fact everywhere for specialty products like Hi Fi.. whether it be a Speaker, Amp or Isolation equipment !
 
Bargaining has very little to do with Maturity of market (or) transparency.

When the product has a high fixed cost (and) there is a high sales margin, bargaining is inevitable. Both seller and buyer will do it.

Arms purchases or even aircraft purchases are complex negotiations. If US or Europe is to be credited with mature markets, you should be able to get a Boeing or Airbus at a sticker price. One doesnt.

One should expect no bargaining in high end stores. Thats not reality. I have bargained at Macey's and they happily give a discount. I can bargain hotel rates at Taj, Oberoi and any hotel worth its name. You can bargain to death in the shopping complexes in hotels.

The reason i cannot bargain in Big Bazaar (or) with my grocer has got nothing to do with my scruples (or) their being big or small. They sell fast moving items at a thin 3-5% margin. They cannot bargain, because they have no cushion to. At the same time, i can bargain when i am buying white goods in Big Bazaar or Croma.
 
@Taureanbull
the prices quoted to you are MRP as we have them from the distributor. The extra 13.5% charge does not apply in your case, I have confirmed this.
btw, US or foreign prices have nothing to do with our quoted prices, they are set by the Indian distributor, we have no control over them

thanks
sridhar
 
Damm man what a difference 50K to 38...... that too including B&W.
Anyway I dont know about Banglore, but ARN Delhi was a bad experience....

BTW Danny from Bass and treble is too good, both while dealing and with price as well. Far better than ARN Delhi.

hi sam9s -

what is "including B&W" ?

TIA
 
hey taureanbull and others, bargaining is a fact of life. It's not a sign of immaturity or anything like that. I completely agree with srramanujam's post, bargaining happens in every sphere in life. If a company wants to acquire another company, it will bargain about the share price. If you're buying a flat, you will bargain about the amount you're going to pay. Any hi fi dealer you go to will first quote you the MRP. It is understood that you're free to negotiate. How much can you negotiate down to? that's what forums like this are for. Now in this thread itself you've learnt that someone sold the 8003 for less than the quoted price, that will give you some idea of how much you can bargain down to.

ARN is an excellent dealer. Their pricing is reasonable and their support is excellent.

All the best with your hi fi purchases.
 
The reason i cannot bargain in Big Bazaar (or) with my grocer has got nothing to do with my scruples (or) their being big or small. They sell fast moving items at a thin 3-5% margin. They cannot bargain, because they have no cushion to. At the same time, i can bargain when i am buying white goods in Big Bazaar or Croma.

Hi Srramanujam,

you are completely mistaken if you think big bazaar operates on a 3-5% margin on anything.

similarly, not even the smallest grocer operates on a 3-5% margin. the base fmcg margin for a grocer is 10% for most categories (8% for some soap companies). then there are trade inputs, qps, loyalty schemes and "display conversions". plus they work on an average of 10 days credit or get a further cash discount.. i think you can safely say 15% wtd average margin. this is the norm across india, and not confidential information.

for Big bazaar (and other modern trade outlets), i do have considerable insight into their margin structure and terms of trade, but it would be breach of confidentiality to reveal. suffice to say your conjecture is way off the mark.



in the light of this, would you like to restate your point?:)

peace
 
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