Tips for buying aftermarket parts

[Tristahn]

The purpose of this post is to share my experience buying a supercharger and other performance enhancing options for my 2011 Camaro 2SS L99.
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Magnuson and many other aftermarket companies set a MAP, this is known as a minimum advertised price.* This is done so that newer, smaller shops will carry and sell products and not get undercut by big on-line, low-margin sellers.* It maintains price integrity for the selling end but makes it difficult for buyers to get a really good deal.* Any advertised price that falls below MAP can actually result in a company being Black Listed and unable to carry the brand.* Depending on market conditions, some sellers will actually search for MAP violators and turn their competition in.* This is one of the reasons why on the forums you’ll see private messages sent (not advertised) regarding unit costs.* This is also why many of the big sellers offer packages.* Packages allow them to get below MAP on two unique products because the package deal doesn’t break the MAP for either of the standalone products and is considered an acceptable practice.* What this means for us as customers is a clear rationale to buy all your performance upgrades in one big purchase.* This lowers transaction costs, potentially shipping costs and the bigger sale gives the seller more wiggle room on MAP and willingness thin their margins.* Example – Willingness to sell the Cold Air Intake at cost knowing they can make 10% on a $6000 supercharger.* ALWAYS pick up the phone and talk to a live person, your deals will be better and you will now have a name to contact should something happen with your order.* Not to mention, when you overlooked an item, that person will probably extend the discounting relationship to the one-off part you had to call back about.* Lastly is payment, and this is a touchy subject.* I did my research on sellers, calling the manufacturers directly (Magnuson and Kooks) and disclosed who I was considering buying from.* I listened to what they had to say and used volume of sales as a big determinant.* Why? Because I felt if I had an issue the manufacturer would be more responsive to their biggest retailers.* I also wanted to avoid the “Ponzi purchase” which is where my money goes to pay the sellers bills and I can’t actually get my product until someone else gives them new order money to buy my stuff.* I also liked the idea of a big shop because reputation is very important to them on these forums.* I did a wire transfer in the full amount (GULP!), kind of a bit unnerving but I did not want to pay the 2-4% transaction costs for using the credit card.* On a $9k deal that can cover a bunch of incidentals like cooler spark plugs, jugs of coolant, and a new MAP sensor. This method is not for everyone and some will opt pay the extra translation costs for the buyer protection their credit card company offers them.
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It’s of my opinion that the forum advertisers are upstanding sellers who appreciate us readers.* Most will work with you and share the same love for these vehicles.* Not to mention, they’re pretty good at giving advice on options.* After all my research and discussions I decided to go with a Maryland based seller.* The only issue I’d share is that the product delivery was widely spread.* Rotofab is in my state and the product was dropped shipped to me in a matter of days.* The custom coated headers took the longest and it took about one month.* I kind of knew this ahead of time and had set corresponding expectations for this.* But again, with a big order and a personal contact, I got updates very quickly and was completely satisfied with my experience.

[i2disturbedSS]

Thanks for the feedback. Customer relationships are important as well as the company we, the consumers are buying from.