Could some one please explain why jeweller tool suppliers dont list
a price in their catalogs or online?
I usually shy away from this as I have bad experience with it. One
example that comes to mind is one of those “to low to legally show
price” ads in a photography magazine. I called for a price on the
same item 3 times in one day, and I talked to 3 different sales
people and got 3 different prices for the same item.
Thanks
Dan
Dear Dan, this is one big reason I have always loved Rio’s catalogs,
they just tell you what you need, no cross referencing. Sam Patania,
Tucson
Dan,
The simplest reason why SOME of the tool suppliers don’t have prices
printed directly in the catalog is that they are simply distributors
for a third party tool company. The tool company (e.g., Grobet)
manufactures generic catalogs without prices, and supplies their many
suppliers with a list of wholesale prices. Each supplier then
generates their own “price to the trade” and/or "price to the public"
catalog inserts, which keys their prices to the item numbers in the
catalog. Another advantage to the practice is that if a price
changes, you don’t have to re-print catalogs – just the
black-and-white paper inserts.
You’re right, it is very irritating to deal with, and I find it more
trouble than it’s worth. To me, it’s also sign that I’m dealing with
a 3rd party, so I would tend more to look to the source if possible
to buy from – more knowledgeable sales folks and theoretically less
markup. In some cases, you could also be dealing with unscrupulous
dealers (as in the case you cite), but I haven’t run into that
personally.
I most frequently end up with the tool vendors who don’t do that –
Rio, Frei and Borel, Swest, and Enco being a few.
Good luck!
Karen Goeller
@Karen_Goeller
I may be wrong but I believe Rio used to distribute a price free
catalog. I would alloy you to use the catalog to show customers
findings ETC without showing them the price. When you do shows you
may not have all the chains, fastners Etc available at the show. I
helps to have a picture of things the customer might want without
telling them your cost. Lee Epperson
Dear Lee,
We actually produce a “triple-key” version of the Gems & Findings
catalog rather than a price free catalog. You are correct that we do
this so you can show your customers a catalog without divulging your
cost. We also remove all Rio Grande logos and references from the
catalog, so your customers can’t track us down that way.
If anyone needs one, just shoot me an e-mail and I’ll get it out to
you. I somehow missed the original e-mail from Dan regarding
"catalog pricing." If there’s something else I can help out with,
just clue me in!
Thank you,
Andrea Hill
Director
The Bell Group