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What's the reasoning behind MAP? Stuff never goes on sale so people dont wait and by now before they change their mind?
Part of the on-going war between e-comm and B&M.What's the reasoning behind MAP? Stuff never goes on sale so people dont wait and by now before they change their mind? Or gives the smaller shops a chance to sell at a decent price and maken money?
Why is all the good stuff MAP priced? You rarely get to save money on this stuff during holiday sales.
Basically when stores go together to set a group price it's call price fixing and is illegal but for some reason when the manufacturer forces everyone to have the same price MAP price it seems to be legal and ok... At best I would consider it loophole that needs to be gotten rid of.
I’m with you... unless they discount the product (and some retailers will) I will not buy their ‘price fixed’ items!Basically when stores go together to set a group price it's call price fixing and is illegal but for some reason when the manufacturer forces everyone to have the same price MAP price it seems to be legal and ok... At best I would consider it loophole that needs to be gotten rid of.
Basically when stores go together to set a group price it's call price fixing and is illegal but for some reason when the manufacturer forces everyone to have the same price MAP price it seems to be legal and ok... At best I would consider it loophole that needs to be gotten rid of.
"Reasonable price, territory, and customer restrictions on dealers are legal. Manufacturer-imposed requirements can benefit consumers by increasing competition among different brands (interbrand competition) even while reducing competition among dealers in the same brand (intrabrand competition). For instance, an agreement between a manufacturer and dealer to set maximum (or "ceiling") prices prevents dealers from charging a non-competitive price. Or an agreement to set minimum (or "floor") prices or to limit territories may encourage dealers to provide a level of service that the manufacturer wants to offer to consumers when they buy the product. These benefits must be weighed against any reduction in competition from the restrictions" (ftc.gov).
For more information from the FTC's perspective you can view the whole webpage about Manufacturer-Imposed Requirements.
IMO, I think it is important to note that this is a minimum advertised price, not a floor on pricing. That said, the laws are seem to be fluid on this issue and the aggregate customer has massive sway on pricing policies.
But doesn’t MAP (minimum advertised price) keep the little guys in the game? Most of the retailers for these things are probably the LFS and how could they compete with the BRS’s etc of the world if they were allowed to sell lower bc of volume. It might suck for the consumer in some ways but in the end it protects brand identity for the manufacturer and keeps the brick and mortars able to play the game and protect their margins.
It depends on the product. From what I understand, Neptune vendor prices vary by volume so BRS and other big online store would have "higher margins" than most LFS. Ecotech and some others are more LFS friendly.
I would also say that the lack of sales on MAP products in this hobby versus Consumer Electronics is from less product refreshes. Ecotech, Red Sea (sumps), and tank manufactures seem to be faster at updating their product lines than other manufacturers in the space.
Yeah, this, exactly. I'd pay *more* for the convenience and better selection of shopping online. As it is, I pay *less* and also get far better benefits e.g. delivery, guaranteed returns, etc.MAP pricing does not keep little stores in business. Unless I know the owner personally if they are going to be the exact same price why not get it delivered to my door from a place that has everything I could ever want to choose from? Driving to the local store and hoping they carry it and hoping it's in stock for the same price...is not that appealing.