vendors, prices and other things

[J.R. Bob Dobbs]

(sorry for the long post)

I am curious why vendors, many i have contacted, do not price match their competition.

Now i am not saying this from the perspective of a guy who wants to save a buck, despite that i and everyone on the planet likes saving money. I am saying it from many years in retail management. If a customer came into my store with an ad from a competitor i would not even think twice to match it; no matter how large or small the price difference. This customer came to me, wanting to buy from my store, it would be very wise of me to keep them in that mindset.

i mean really, so i knock off a few bucks and make a customer happy. I don't lose barely anything on my margins. Even better i make a happy customer. Happy customers do not usually go elsewhere to look for items they find in places that make them feel welcome. Anyone who has worked in retail knows that margins are factored to give the ability to price match now and then. example: out of a pallet of 50 bags of any given product. the first 15-25 will pay for the entire pallet, the rest is almost all profit provided it does not sit idle for several months, expire or get put on clearance.

so i ask you vendors, when a customer e mails you a link to the competitions website showing you the same product, not a knockoff or a similar item. Price match it for the customer, you wont regret it. if you cant price match it, offer them a free sample e juice or something or maybe something close to what they are asking for. A couple dollars wont hurt you in the slightest. though it very well could make a world of difference to a customer and help you keep one.

Think about it...If a customer says to you "joebob sells the same kits as you for 5$ less and offers free shipping, can you price match it?" I honestly do not know if joytech or provari or any of the manufacturers enforce "map pricing." (that's where all vendors in a given region must follow strict pricing guidelines)If they do and you cant price match something, then find an alternative to make for a happy customer. Take minute out of your day and go see what the customer linked you. because lets say this customer buys e-liquid with their order and finds a flavor they love. Well now you have a problem because your customer gets a better price from joebob and joebob sells a juice they love. You think they will be back to your site to shop? I doubt it...

i know, its the internet and prices go all over hell and back with discount codes and what not. But so do customers, it costs them nothing to type in a different website and check their prices. But how hard is it to offer a customer excellent customer service? I know you guys are not paying anything close to what you charge. That is all well and good, it is supposed to be that way, you opened a business to make a profit after all. Please don't be so hard nosed about a few dollars that you cant price match something for a customer, or at the very least say "i cant price match that but i can do this..." You would be suprised at how many customers flock to you when you take good care of them.

thanks for reading, i hope this helps some of the vendors out there become more profitable.

 

[Thrasher]

i dont think any of them are having a problem with sales as you can see certain items go out of stock no matter what the price. i know some of the vendors i use dont always have THE lowest prices but the customer service is worth a few dollars more.

I agree with you but i dont think this will become a factor until the time comes that there is more stock then customers, and vaping is just now picking up steam, just look at how many new people log on here every day and this is only a % of the new vapors out there and sales are not a problem right now.

its not like these stores and products have been around 30 years like best buy and are fighting to survive while every customer/sale counts because the place down the street is selling a tv for 50 bucks less.

 

[tapout1003]

I don't want this to sound harsh but it will.... Some vendors shouldn't be in business. You know more about retail sales than some vendors. This is a hobby that turned into a business for some. Many have never worked in a retail environment and know little about customer service. It doesn't cost a lot to get into the ecig business and that will invite a lot of people that normally wouldn't be able to open a business.

I've been on ecig websites to place an order and actually had the price go up on the product I was ordering before I could check out. This has happened more than once and has never happened to me from another type of vendor. Do I take the time to email them? No I order elsewhere.

I was going to order some atomizers tonight. The vendor had a decent price so I was ordering extras. Shipping was $17.00 for atomizers. Yea I'll just take that vendor off the list.

I have met some great vendors, sadly they are few and far between. They take the extra time to answer emails within 24 hours or explain a new product in depth. Some even use the products they sell and can speak about them with some knowledge.

 

[J.R. Bob Dobbs]

your right, vendors are not having too many problems..now. But as vaping becomes more popular those long time customers can quickly go down the street as it were because this other guy has a better price. This happens far easier on the internet than with brick and mortar stores. Where customers can easily say, well with the price of gas after the drive i don't save anything.
if the other guy offers a better price and the customer is just as happy with vendor A as vendor B, where you think they are going to shop next time? I used to tell my employees this "price gets them in the door, it is your job to keep them here and make them want to come back."

I do disagree with you on one thing thrasher. Every sale and customer does count. No matter if you are Microsoft or XYZEcig vendor that just opened today.Once customers begin to think you don't care about them, they will shop elsewhere. I say this because its all about repeat business, without repeat business anyone's doors will eventually close.
Besides, a proper business model with good business should have no trouble at all price matching, or offering an alternative when a customer asks for a price match. If joye, provari and similar don't allow for price matching then offer the customer something else. Juice is always a winner in this business. Especially if the customer likes the juice...then they come back and buy more.

 

[kiwivap]

I see your point JR, but if I were an online vendor it would drive me nuts. Why? because there are so many sites, some running special coupon codes for a certain time, or discounts for people who subscribe to their newsletter. So even one vendor can in fact be charging different prices for the same things at the same time.
I picture vendors being inundated with emails about cheaper prices, and having to constantly change prices for customers. e.g. hypothetical - two vendors sell a pv. Vendor A sells it for $20, but you get 5% off if you subscribe to their newsletter. So it's $19. Vendor B sells it for $20 but for January you can use a discount code and get it for $18. Is Vendor A obliged to change the price down to $18 for January? What about the people who subscribed to the newsletter to get 5% discounts? Should they get it even cheaper? Is Vendor B obliged to change the price down to $19 for the rest of the year?

You see what I mean... its a constantly changing landscape and vendors would have a headache keeping up with every $1 or $2 difference out there. Then add shipping. That can really vary. So something that appears to cost a bit more can cost less because it has free shipping. Something that seems a great deal isn't as good as somewhere else when the shipping is added.

 

[Thrasher]

dude i see your point, and i agree im just stating the obvious and im just pointing out if you cant keep things in stock at any price its not a worry "right now". and thats the truth.
if bestbuy sold every model xxxxx tv as soon as stock came in no matter what they charged they wouldnt care what walmart is doing.

and as it is i see at least 5 links a day here for a place i never heard of. is that place a threat, will it even be here next week? someone getting 50 at a time cant always price match someone whoes buying 300 at a time. or all the mom and pop tv shops wouldnt have closed when walmart opened..

again i agree with you, but right now why would it matter? theres 500 where can i get an aga bla bla posts every week and if its sold out where do they go? to the next guy in line.
noone here waits for a deal or restock at the vendor with a 3 dollar difference. this a get it while you can industry right now.

 

[KraKsX]

Im a big fan of Free eLiquid...
Im somewhat new here (Two weeks now!)
But, I know the internet better then most, and business comes natural to me, and i really do think getting into the 'e-cigarette' business would be super easy to get into (never know what the future has in store).

Business dont have to price match, and shouldn't! (weird...) I think lots of vendors here have a couple items that they make very little on, and some items they make a ton on, and from shopping around, its seems decently spread out. People/ customers want to pay the correct price for an item, and are happy doing this. Sales are great, but if you are asking a 'good' price, thats normally the key. I know Vendor A has Item A at a better price then Vendor B, but vendor B has a better price on item B then vendor A (and ext...) This is how I like business. Because a customer wont buy the cheapest item from both, making them pay more, total due to shipping. They will ideally pick a business and give it a try. Full well knowing they 'OVER PAID' for a item. It comes down to, "What ELSE can Vendor A offer, over Vendor B"... To ME (and how i see this business) MORE vendors should give (more) FREE eLiquid to customers. This does two things, makes the customer happy, we all love free stuff. And two, they might love the eLiquid and ORDER IT, making them a return customer.
Since eLiquid is the thing that needs to be replaced the most, and its the highest profit margin, this only makes sense to me.

The best customer service is the kind you will never need, and only know its great from reviews from other, if im always needing customer service here, if its great or not, i will try another business, because I dont want to have to NEED customer service. So while its important, its better to have things set up in the best ways.

Just my

 

[J.R. Bob Dobbs]

@Kiwivap:
well, in the case of the newsletter thing, i don't think that would really apply to what im talking about. That kind of discount is akin to "apply for our store credit card and get 10% off." Though if i were a vendor and ran into loads of customers asking for it i would take a look at the possibility of creating a newsletter and offering the same thing or something that could compete with that.
Overall im not talking about discount codes or newsletters. i am talking about the price you see on an items page before any of those things. Honestly if one place was cheaper than another and had cheaper shipping and a discount code i wouldn't even bother asking my main vendor for a price match. He would just lose the business of that particular sale.
And to be honest, vendors should be keeping a close eye on the competition. It is in their best interest to know your competitors prices. Any retail store worth a damn will send managers into nearby stores to check local prices on competitive items. Beyond that corporate big box stores have entire departments at the home offices devoted to just this.

But keeping up with competitors is an easy game if you pay attention. if one guy is offering 5$ off an item then a discount for the newsletter. Make it easy on yourself and temporarily offer a deal on shipping. or lower your minimum purchase to get free shipping. There is always a way to beat the competition. Frankly if a vendor, be it a big box store or some guy making juice in his garage, does not put in the effort to stay competitive they wont last.

@thrasher sorry if that seemed argumentative, totally not trying to be. Just customer service is something i tend to be passionate about. Attitudes towards customers in today's retail world seem to have gone to hell anymore. Part of the reason i got out of retail and into ..well, what i do now.


@KraKsX oh i am not saying everyone should have the same prices. Please don't misunderstand the reasons for my post. I am not posting this thread because i didn't get my way with a vendor. It just seems to be a trend among several vendors i've dealt with. Customer service is not just for when you have a problem. Customer service(outside of the internet anyways) is dealing with people in a fair, efficent manner that keeps them wanting to come back for more. You would think on the internet that this would be even more pronounced in your dealings with webstore owners/ customer service. they only get 1 shot to impress you or lose you if you have a problem or question.

 

[kiwivap]

I think they keep an eye on the competition. With juice though there's the issue of quality, and taste. And on taste it is subjective. Vendor A makes peach juice and charges $10 for 50ml. Vendor B makes peach juice and charges $10 for 30ml. Vendor A's juice tastes awful, Vendor B's juice tastes fantastic. There is a lot of differences between juices out there. Finding a good price and a good juice at that price isn't always easy - but it can be done.
What we don't want, at the other end of the spectrum is price fixing.

 

[jazon1]

i notice some venders i order from have great prices on most products but ask for more for a few items,
my thoughts are if i am ordering multiple items i just go to the site that has the majority of them cheaper and pay a few dollars extra for the items that are not as cheep because its usually still cheaper then paying for shipping from two separate orders from different sites.

as far as why they ask more then other sites..who knows maybe they pay more for there items from there suppliers then others or they sell so many of that product they ask more for them to keep from selling them out as fast and make a few bucks.
as far as price matching almost no online store does that,most prices online are already rock bottom and they do have to make a profit off items to stay in business.

 

[KraKsX]

@KraKsX
oh i am not saying everyone should have the same prices. Please don't misunderstand the reasons for my post. I am not posting this thread because i didn't get my way with a vendor. It just seems to be a trend among several vendors i've dealt with. Customer service is not just for when you have a problem. Customer service(outside of the internet anyways) is dealing with people in a fair, efficent manner that keeps them wanting to come back for more. You would think on the internet that this would be even more pronounced in your dealings with webstore owners/ customer service. they only get 1 shot to impress you or lose you if you have a problem or question.

Well im with you on that then, I havent used a lot of vendors here, but for two weeks I'm at at least 5 (so decent number i think) So far i havent had BAD customer service, I think i would rate them all so far at B+ or better.

I think my first post pushes that customer service / service provided needs to be better, and even outlined that i saw the 'best' way would be the Free e-liquid. But another way, and one that goes more towards true customer service / support would be to utilize the internet better! YOUTUBE! Skype! WebChat on there site! These are FREE ways to 'more easily" show customers that the vendor cares and wants the customer to have the best experience. Now of course im not saying this for you to know, because i believe you do. But i hope that more vendors will read this thread, and maybe think about it, and help them become better. Making us / the consumer happier.

 

[Dac311]

Thing is, e cig sales are about volume. The more you order from the wholesaler, the cheaper your price is. So what is one person's margin is not the same as the next guy. He might not make any profit off of an item if he knocks the $5 bucks down. I know it's not likely, as most stuff from china is marketed up greatly, but it is something that could be an issue.

 

[J.R. Bob Dobbs]

well, margins are funny things. Almost any retail store you go into is working with at least a 30% margin, i have seen as high as 75% margins on some things. I would think a e cig vendor who has any knowledge of retail, is working with at least a 35% margin. 35% in most cases is the price point where you are just covering your expenses and payroll and still making a few bucks. yes, retail stores have equations for figuring the payroll associated with individual items. They factor in how long it takes an employee to stock, sell and check out each item.

and its not just e cigs that are about volume. anytime you buy in retail its about volume.

the whole point of the thread is about vendors inability to price match other vendors. But, in my humble opinion, if a person asks you for a price match and you cant do it, you should come back with a counter offer of some kind. Reason is even if the customer does not take your counter offer it shows you are trying to work with them. that goes a long way in retail. Granted i understand if some random customer that has never shopped at your site before asks for a discount its not such a big deal as if the guy who orders 40$ or more of product a month from you.

 

[kiwivap]

the whole point of the thread is about vendors inability to price match other vendors.

On what? Trying to price match juice is never going to work. They taste different from vendor to vendor, and some are better than others. So what stock are we talking about here? I haven't seen huge price differences between a lot of common items out there, unless some-one has a special coupon offer or a sale.
I've seen differences between some pvs - but then that's looking internationally too.

 

[J.R. Bob Dobbs]

hardware ovbiously...

 

[kiwivap]

hardware ovbiously...

Ok. I think what you're proposing works better in a B&M. For online retail I still think it would just be a headache for a vendor every time some-one said they found a better deal. And really it becomes about the overall - some things will be a better deal from the vendor and not others - so as a buyer I know that but overall I get the best. When I walk into a retail they can sort out a price difference. There's one I go to all the time that gives me discounts.
But when I shop online - how are they supposed to do that? I'm often on at a time when they are not even open. They have a set payment page set up. I know what you're saying, but doing it for individual buyers is too difficult in my view.

 

[J.R. Bob Dobbs]

send them an email asking if they are willing to match the price from another vendor. Include a link to the item.

Difficult is part of what business is. Sadly half the vendors i messaged about price matching a vision/ stardust type tank did not even bother to reply. I have been buying stuff from all of them for months. The one i called on the phone, she answered like i was interrupting her dinner or something then yelled to her friend or coworker saying you had a call on the support line. I kind of just hung up at that point.

Since i purchased 10 vision stardust type clearos from one vendor for like 3$ (before any discount codes etc)and everyone else has them for 5$ or higher. It was kind of a big deal to me to save 20$. but i also ordered a battery and nearly 50ml of juice from the same vendor. Money i would have spent at my normal vendors had they been willing to price match. So yeah they may have lost profit on the clearo's but more than made up for it with the rest of my order. Instead they lost entirely, which is kind of the point here. You never know what a customer is going to spend and when or why. Price matching, or offering something in place of the price match, to let them save a couple bucks on something may prove better in the long run than not. being inflexible just cost that vendor nearly 100$ in sales that went elsewhere. Without sounding like a douche, but i really loved how fast i got things shipped, and cheaper than my normal vendor. The juice was really tasty too. So there's 3 things, that this vendor did for me without even trying, and my normal vendors didn't bother. You think i will be going back to those vendors? very doubtful...
I like many of you have said, would gladly pay a couple bucks more for one item or the other if i like the vendor. Its not always about price.
that is kind of my point with all this, canned answers, lack of interest on the part of vendors etc... Make the effort people! You will earn more loyal customers!

 

[kiwivap]

send them an email asking if they are willing to match the price from another vendor. Include a link to the item.

That would drive them nuts. They'd get that many emails.... Stardusts were the very thing I was thinking of when I imagined the headache they'd get. Every time a vendor drops the price of a stardust by a dollar other vendors would get a bunch of emails asking for reductions. I'm not sure what you mean by a "Vision/stardust type tank". Vision put out certain clearomizers and tanks, and others do too. Some are direct knock offs and are not always good. So some-one sees a knock off cheaper, emails the vendor asking them to reduce the Vision ones. Vendor has to explain that theirs are Vision, the other vendors aren't... Multiply by several hundred times.
Its not worth their while.

A lot of vapers shop around. I've used several vendors since I started vaping. I definitely have a core of go to favorites, but I don't limit myself to one. And part of the reason for that is because even the biggest vendors run out of stock on popular items.

Having thought about it I think I disagree. I can see how this works in a B&M where you are a known customer. I don't see it working with online vaping shopping. Even if I did as suggested - so I have to email and ask for a reduction. Then I have to wait to see if there is a reduction. Its way quicker to just click the submit button on the site I first looked at if they've got what I want and I want a bunch of them. Shipping being acceptable as well of course.