That I don't know about as I don't have team pricing, but I have seen people sell their new team gear and get busted for it on line from other companies. Maybe they are protecting dealers? Dunno that seems to be at least partly logical to me, but I do have a WSH catalog.
loopkiller
10+ year member
PERMA-BANED
That might have something to do with competitors buying batteries for "their competition vehicle" when they only ever wanted to do was flip them on a forum. I have seen it done here many times. If I were a battery company, I wouldn't give you better pricing than my wholesaler who sells thousands of batteries. That just doesn't make any sense at all. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/rolleyes.gif.c1fef805e9d1464d377451cd5bc18bfb.gif
tommyk90
5,000+ posts
THE WHOLE THING!!!
And unfortunately it ruins it for the people who were committed to said company (like I was with team kicker)
And kinetik doesn't protect their dealers in the least. Go to a shop and ask them what they normally charge for a 2400, then see what you can get them on ebay for......
Though that holds true for a lot of other companies as well.
Then weed out the shitty assholes and give better pricing to the people that deserve it.
I'm not asking for BETTER pricing, I'm asking for similar pricing. Of course I shouldn't get the same price as somebody who sells thousands of batteries a year, but should I be forced to pay $100 more? It's called respect for the people who made your company what it is today.
Without the competitors and forums and all the free advertising they got, do you think they would be as big today as they are?
Rich and the rest of the kinetik guys are cool as hell, I've hung out with them many times, but I'm not going to pay the prices they are asking for when I know I can get one for cheaper through a friends shop or off ebay. Whats the benefits of even being on the "team"?
OP
SHiZNiLTi
10+ year member
CarAudio.com Elite
- Thread Starter
- #49
How would the Stinger SPV70 compare to a kinetic HC1400 for a 2krms setup?
Sells for around $240 shipped out...
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_16769_Stinger+SPV70.html#
1050 Amp Power Series Dry Cell Battery w/ Protective Steel Case for Systems up to 2100W
Heavy-duty battery with Great reserve power
1050 Amps 5 Second burst power
70Ah Rating
Sealed design can Be mounted in any position
Use with or without included battery posts
Includes protective steel case
Dimensions: 14"L x 6-3/4"W x 7-3/4"H
Please add 5/8" if using post terminals
Authorized Internet Dealer
1-year Manufacturer's warranty
Sorry for the noob questions, I've never researched batteries before, I've allways just used yellow tops in the past.
Sells for around $240 shipped out...
http://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_16769_Stinger+SPV70.html#
1050 Amp Power Series Dry Cell Battery w/ Protective Steel Case for Systems up to 2100W
Heavy-duty battery with Great reserve power
1050 Amps 5 Second burst power
70Ah Rating
Sealed design can Be mounted in any position
Use with or without included battery posts
Includes protective steel case
Dimensions: 14"L x 6-3/4"W x 7-3/4"H
Please add 5/8" if using post terminals
Authorized Internet Dealer
1-year Manufacturer's warranty
Sorry for the noob questions, I've never researched batteries before, I've allways just used yellow tops in the past.
Do the sites sell authorized? I know some companies who openly have authorized dealers who sell on the cheap compared to what a dealer gets their product for. Is that fair to local dealers? I understand people wanting to save a buck and their is nothing wrong with it just the same as there is nothing wrong buying from a local dealer. I have been a regular customer, owned my own shop, been an installer, owned my own distributorship and been a manufacturer rep for car audio gear (speakers, amps, wire). Since the internet and Ebay, people seem to illogically think the race to 0 is a good thing. Its not. There are people out there who have a lot of their money tied up in over head and actually try to make a living and give good service over the guy who sells on ebay without stocking a single item in hopes his source actually has the item in stock to complete the transaction. Having been a shop owner and worked in 3 shops (2 large independents) I respect what they try to do. They offer sales and service and they play by the rules.
Also who ends up paying for equipment competitors get for cheap? If a company is selling it for under dealer/distributor costs and or giving product away the people who buy it retail end up paying more in the long run as it would and could effect the bottom line. Do you think Kinetik might have different levels of team pricing? They might (I do not know) but it seems to me that developing a relationship with your sponsor rather than going off about a price increase might do some competitors some good in the long run in future pricing and sponsorship opportunities. Way back when I had my Firebird the only discounts I could have gotten outside of what the shop was going to charge was 25% off Audio Control @ dealer pricing. That car was not cheap AT ALL. ID Ultra comp 3's and CD-2's and IDWs, modded Idx24s and Clark noise gates were not cheap and IF memory serves me correctly the horns were actually more expensive back then than they are now. If I wanted to play they way I looked at it I had to pay. Buy the time I was done with it I could have had a very nice down payment on a house.
loopkiller
10+ year member
PERMA-BANED
By specs alone, the SPV70 is better than the HC1400, not taking into effect any pricing at all. It is a much larger battery too. The HC1400 is 9x5x8 in.
tommyk90
5,000+ posts
THE WHOLE THING!!!
Who cares if they are authorized? If I can buy a battery online for $200 less than what I would pay at a dealer, I'd take the risk. This is what killed shops in the first place. It's not the people looking for a deal (that's ALWAYS been the case), it's the companies that wh0re out their products and sell them to places like wholesale house for under normal dealer cost.
And from what I've been told by some reputable sources, there are different price levels, which tells me that kinetik values some competitors more than others. Talk about stabbing people in the back. Let me ask you, what more do I have to do to get better pricing?
3x MECA world champion, Bassrace 139.9 regional and national champion, I've already attended 3 shows this year (both of which are in different states from the one I reside in and both were in excess of 300 miles each way), and have competed in shows in wisconsin, illinois, indiana, michigan, ohio, kentucky, and tennessee. Am I not worthy of a better price? If not, then who is?
Pricing levels only lead to trouble. Afterall, if I know somebody who can get things cheaper than I can, whats stopping me from just giving them the money and have them order it for me?
Sorry, I'm not buying it.
Snow90
10+ year member
CarAudio.com Elite
you think this battery would be fine up front for the starter battery?
loopkiller
10+ year member
PERMA-BANED
The main issue here, and with most other industries, is that the race to zero is not sustainable. I won't argue that you don't deserve a better deal, because your resume seems impressive to me. My only point is that when people buy the batteries at the wholesale level as a competitor, then turn around a whores them out on a message board, it messes up the game for the honest guys.
Now as for the race to zero thing, this is not the only industry this is happening in. Just take a look at the computer industry. It went to hell really quick. NewEgg is a decent company and all, but they ran all the small guys out of business with their at wholesale pricing levels. It sure isn't doing anyone any favors when no one makes a dollar in a transaction. Especially when every normal guy can buy at wholesale. All you need is a computer and Internet connection.
All of the local audio shops will soon go the way of the small PC store. Some will stay around to do service and installs, but they will be few and far between. They will likely have to either do extraordinary work, or rip people off in order to survive. In today's age of the Internet, everything is easily accessible with the click of a mouse. The net savvy buyer will be able to discern between the good dealer and the shady guys, but a big majority of buyers are not that savvy. In the end some will get burned and someday, we might see a change back to the local shops coming back. Who knows, maybe they are gone forever.
People have different levels of comfort though when it comes to risk don't they?
Do you know that WSH is a distributor? What are distributors suppost to do? Sell to shops who don't want to or can't afford company buy ins. Distributors tend to always get better pricing because they sell the product to dealers at a good dealer cost. Also dealers around me don't sell 1800's for 400 bucks, not even sure 2400's go for 400. Why do some manufactures sell direct for alot more money than their authorized dealers are allowed to sell for?
Some competitors have been with kinetik for years and years with multiple WR and championships in many orgs. I say this without stepping on what you have done but from what I can tell that can be a factor as well. I do not get into any "team" details or talk much about pricing as I do not work there, but in your next to last statement you show that you think it's ok to break what I would think would be a NO NO rule. What would an amp sponsor do to someone who was ordering amplifiers for their friends? What about subwoofers and decks?
Also after there gets to be hundreds of team people where would you like "team pricing" to go? Do you think people who don't compete like seeing people get mad about prices that consumers may not get or do not trust to get online? Why don't companies just sell everything at an ubber duper cheap price and get things closer to the race to 0 for everyone? I am sure there are other companies who give different rates as I have heard a few big competitors talking at shows I have gone too as well. Thing is it is not my bizz to interfere or ask them for items that would/could be against the rules of their sponsorship contract (even though I know some would). I say this in both honor to the competitor and sponsor.
Let me ask you a question, do you believe a competitor or a group of competitors is/are bigger than the hobby or business of car audio in general? If you answer yes tell me why dealers and consumers should have to pay more to support competitors. I mean if the matter is costs why should everyone else pay for a few's great deal? The products cost the companies, and consumers want things just like competitors do.
Lakota
5,000+ posts
Doesn't Know $hit
I agree, there's no point in getting a sponsorship if you're not getting any kind of benefit from it. This is one reason that Kinetik doesn't really interest me. I have ran Kinetik products, but don't feel the need to continue to spend money on them when everybody else can get them for the same price. I try to do my part in keeping locals interested in SPL competition and to expand the sport in my area. Companies should try to do what they can in helping the competitors.
BigJoker
10+ year member
Team D.O.A V.P.
agreed
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