Are Naim like Apple discount wise??

[tomlinscote]

 

[tomlinscote]

This is really a follow up qn to a previous post of mine...

Do Naim frown on dealers discounting their kit or like Apple do they insist dealers charge the same price as everyone else or can dealers do as they please to get a sale and if so whiche dealers give the best discounts??

I ask because when I bought my last bit of kit, an Onkyo 905 I said well whats the real price, it was up for 1400 and the guy said ok lets say 1250 which was 10 percent off maybe he would have gone lower but I reckoned 10 pc was ok, any chance of this with Naim??

Cheers all

Tommo

 

[BigH]

No I don't think Naim prices are controlled like Apple, dealers will buy them for a discount and then sell them, its upto them how much discount they will allow. Not sure you will get 10%.

 

[Deliriumbassist]

A lot of manufacturers have started adopting MRSPs. If B&W, Cyrus and Kef do it, I can't see Naim not having the stipulation with dealers.

 

[MakkaPakka]

Naim publishes a price list periodically. The prices go up incrementally each time. I believe retailers all charge the same though you obviously might get a discount or freebie thrown in.

As an example the Nait 5i was £735 a few years back but is now £875

 

[matthewpiano]

In general dealers can sell at whatever price they wish to do so and manufacturers cannot fix prices. However, with most suppliers, there will be a contractual agreement about what prices the dealer is allowed to advertise. It is in the dealer's interest to maintain margin and on higher quality, specialist products that are only available by walking into a bricks and mortar shop with proper service, there is far less need to offer big discounts. This is certainly the case with a brand like Naim and it is one of the reasons why they hold their value so well on the second hand market.

It is the same with cars. When companies like Citroen offer huge discounts off list prices the residual value of their cars is relatively low, but VWs offer better residuals, partly because of quality/longevity and partly because there just isn't the same discounting culture when the cars are new.

All swings and roundabouts in the end.

 

[davedotco]

In hi-fi as in most things, you rarely get more than you pay for. If a nominally £500 amp regularly sells for £300 then I would suggest that the £300 figure is closer to it's real worth.

These days budget hi-fi is more or less a commodity, sold primarily on price. There is little real difference in the capabilities of such product, just try and by the ones that present the music in a way that suits you.

 

[Philim]

Just like other products naim has a 40-50% mark up so there is a chance a dealer will accept a lower margin. In my experience if you search hard enough you will easily get 10% off. My last 3 naim purchases for new and unopened varied between 15-30% discount (nait xs, hicap dr and dac v1). I was lucky and would not suggest these are the norms and also happy to accept a lower level of service in my purchas.

 

[davedotco]

Just like other products naim has a 40-50% mark up so there is a chance a dealer will accept a lower margin. In my experience if you search hard enough you will easily get 10% off. My last 3 naim purchases for new and unopened varied between 15-30% discount (nait xs, hicap dr and dac v1). I was lucky and would not suggest these are the norms and also happy to accept a lower level of service in my purchas.

Interesting, and perhaps a sign of the times.

In my days as a Naim dealer the margins were generally lower than most brands and dealers caught discounting at those levels mentioned would find themselves facing sanctions. This was 20 odd years ago, mind.

Selling unchecked product in sealed boxes was rarely tolerated either.

 

[tomlinscote]

Pilgrim - you wouldn't be willing to let us know where we could possibly get such discounts would you?? If not then maybe some clues/hints or are you just a great negociator?

As I have no opportunity to hear things before buying and even less opportunity to return them if they stop working, fantastic customer service is not really an issue. If Naim did 'Naim for Massey Fergusson' or John Deere rather than 'Naim for Bentley' maybe there would be more interest if hifi where I live but alas no

Tommo

 

[Philim]

Tommo

There is no big secret other than making sure you continually check sales channels.

1. Pinkfishmedia trade sales

2. Retailer bargain pages

3. Ebay saved searches

Set these up and regularly check them.

Like i said i was lucky the hicap dr and v1 dac came with 30% off but got them because i was first in on a dealer selling all his naim gear after falling out with naim.

 

[davedotco]

Tommo

There is no big secret other than making sure you continually check sales channels.

1. Pinkfishmedia trade sales

2. Retailer bargain pages

3. Ebay saved searches

Set these up and regularly check them.

Like i said i was lucky the hicap dr and v1 dac came with 30% off but got them because i was first in on a dealer selling all his naim gear after falling out with naim.

Unusual circumstances, be interesting to know what the 'falling out' was about, though I could hazard a guess.

Naim is a big seller for most dealers, reasonably profitable too, few would relinquish the brand willingly.

Anyway, as I said above, all that matters is the price you pay in relation to the quality of product you recieve. Many products are sold at a discount with that discount being built in to the MRSP.

People love a 'bargain' and the industry relies heavily on this in it's marketing, understandable when there is so little real difference in the capabilities of the mid-fi that is the staple of the mainstream dealer.