price fixing or not?

[nashvillesigns]

SO, i went to get a quote for some pan faces. called three vendors since i haven't ordered them before. MY quick observations..
1. they all said they order them from one supplier who makes them locally.
2. they all quoted me the same price.
3 each vendor gets commission from whatever "pan" they sell.

So, there is no competition from each vendor, which gets to charge the same price.....
doesn't that mean the price is higher or fixed?
i called some vendors out in New York and New Jersey for the same quote.
each Pan face was a whopping $60-90 cheaper!
what kcked the price back up it was the shipping....
thoughts? am i off base? do i need to stop drinking on the job? should i get more sleep?

-Mosher

 

[Gino]

Not sure I catch your drift ??



You have 3 distributors all charging the same price from the same manufacturer. So......... what's the problem ?? Choose one and either quote your customer or not. They ultimately pay the cost, plus your markup.

Cost of products 100 miles or 1,000 miles away aren't gonna do ya any good. Ya need to work within your limits or pay for something one way or the other.



Your scenario is probably based upon supply and demand. You [and everyone else in your vicinity] are a captive audience and they know it. So, you'll either pay their price or get it for more money from far away. No skin off their nose.

 

[ddarlak]

I only have one vendor for pan faces in my area, they are priced accordingly.

of course you could always buy the equipment and start some competition....

it makes perfect sense to me, maybe you should start drinking.....

 

[Billct2]

If you did a little more shopping you may find a better deal from a manufacturer, even with shipping.
The three resellers you are buying from all appear to have the same mark-up, probably not unusual.
It's probably not all that profitable an item for them though I'm surprised one of them hasn't cut the price a bit, they may if you ask.

 

[Pat Whatley]

Can you not just call their supplier yourself?

 

[Malkin]

Can you not just call their supplier yourself?

In this case, I'm pretty sure they only sell through the local distributors. If you call them to order a face they will ask which distributor to send/bill it through.

It does make for a more level playing field though. Other than having to deal with customers who always fuss about the high cost of pan faces, it's really not a problem.