what's up with sonic electronix?

[DARKHART 10+ year member]

Most of you on here are crazy with the heat, you complain about the price shops charge cause you want everything cheap! Hell cheap doesn't pay overhead, there's a difference between being fairly priced and cheap but hell most of you want cheap. You have no clue what it takes to keep a shop going then you want to cry about being overpriced, but still you need the experts to explain the most basic of things to you. We didn't become experts in this field over night or without paying dues. Now granted there are some shops out there that really shouldn't be in business and have as*hats that work there, but there are a great many shops that do excellent work and they deserve EVERY DIME they charge. I can't tell you the number of cars that I've seen literally burnt to the ground because the installer didn't know what the hell they were doing and on the other hand I've seen intalls done that I could only hope that I could get to that level some day. These online line retailers are simply furthering the race to zero and the manufactures that sale to them are destroying this industry. That's what's wrong with this country now, we want everything bigger, faster, better, and CHEAPER but yet we still want top pay for the work we do! Well guess what, it can't happen and that's why things get shipped overseas so we can get it cheaper but da*n now we want to bit*h and moan cause it's not made in the good ole USA.....How would you like it if you were asked to work for less an hour because the company had to lower the selling price of it's services....most of us are so arrogant you'd tell your boss to shove it and quit....don't think it happens just look at Hostess, the Bakers Union was too arrogant and greedy and they said no to a pay and benefits reduction so the company closed and now NONE OF THEM have a job, benefits or a pension.......

That's my rant for the night.....

 

[DARKHART 10+ year member]

a friend of mind who is a re dealer sells the dts 1500 for 439 plus tax but sonic has the amp for 139 shipped and because im in cali i get all my products from them next day its just to hard to beat,i could see if we were talking 40 to 50 dollars more but on some stuff they are more then half off there even cheaper when they buy old stock

I'm gonna use this statement as an example, let's assume that the $139.00 is dealer cost. If your buddy is selling that amp at $439.00 hell that's like 216% markup and I'm here to tell you that NO retailer has that type of margins on amps, if he's getting that he's either a D*MN good salesman, or he's found a bunch of fools and before you say well list price is $569.00 a manufacture can place whatever number they want to as their list price, it's basically a bogus number kinda like "max" and "peak" power levels....you know they might do it for 1/10 of 1/10 of a millisec if it was struck by lightning....if might sale it at that price if the right set of circumstance lined up and the right fool walked in.....I'm just saying you know.....

 

[Iosias 10+ year member]

I'm gonna use this statement as an example, let's assume that the $139.00 is dealer cost. If your buddy is selling that amp at $439.00 hell that's like 216% markup and I'm here to tell you that NO retailer has that type of margins on amps, if he's getting that he's either a D*MN good salesman, or he's found a bunch of fools and before you say well list price is $569.00 a manufacture can place whatever number they want to as their list price, it's basically a bogus number kinda like "max" and "peak" power levels....you know they might do it for 1/10 of 1/10 of a millisec if it was struck by lightning....if might sale it at that price if the right set of circumstance lined up and the right fool walked in.....I'm just saying you know.....

Only one shop local to me id think about dealing with but they only carry higher end brands im personally not interested in or rather have the double the price there products run compared to what I do run.

As to pricing every single shop in my area I have walked into and asked on price is either at about 80-150% mark up on everything. some stuff is 300% or more. (fuse holders and misc stuff.) I have no problem paying 20-50$ at a local shop if service and knowledge was there but its completely

lacking in my home area.

 

[Iosias 10+ year member]

I'm gonna use this statement as an example, let's assume that the $139.00 is dealer cost. If your buddy is selling that amp at $439.00 hell that's like 216% markup and I'm here to tell you that NO retailer has that type of margins on amps, if he's getting that he's either a D*MN good salesman, or he's found a bunch of fools and before you say well list price is $569.00 a manufacture can place whatever number they want to as their list price, it's basically a bogus number kinda like "max" and "peak" power levels....you know they might do it for 1/10 of 1/10 of a millisec if it was struck by lightning....if might sale it at that price if the right set of circumstance lined up and the right fool walked in.....I'm just saying you know.....

Only one shop local to me id think about dealing with but they only carry higher end brands im personally not interested in or rather have the double the price there products run compared to what I do run.

As to pricing every single shop in my area I have walked into and asked on price is either at about 80-150% mark up on everything. some stuff is 300% or more. (fuse holders and misc stuff.) I have no problem paying 20-50$ at a local shop if service and knowledge was there but its completely

lacking in my home area.

 

[DLP_Customs 10+ year member]

Online retailers have ruined the retail of car audio. I just cant seem to gauge why they would offer such low prices in the first place. I mean if they would have offered a number 20-50 dollars less then what the retail shops charge could you dream of what they would netting at the end of the year compared to what they are now? Just wont make sense to me anyway anyone explains it to me.

 

[husker77 10+ year member]

I didn't work in car audio but in boat repair. I would have people that would call or stop in for advise and help on diagnosing a problem they didn't want to pay us to figure out. I would spend hours with these people helping them figure out their problem, then when they figured out their problem they would ask the price on the part they needed, 9 times out of 10 they would comment about how they found it on the internet cheaper. It was usually less than 10% difference. We used to get boats from 100's of miles away, I was one of the best. I quit because I could make more money being a garbage collector. The boss decided to just close instead of trying to find a new mechanic. People are always calling me asking for help and advise because there isn't anyone to take it to anymore, I tell them they should have thought about that when they were buying their "cheaper" parts off the internet or from Cabela's.

We will be a third world country within 10 years the way people's attitudes towards cheaper and cheaper is.

 

[Beatin' 10+ year member]

We will be a third world country within 10 years the way people's attitudes towards cheaper and cheaper is.

You are exaggerating. What you are witnessing is capitalism is play. One man figures on how to draw in more customers with cheaper prices and still make a living, the other guy can't, so he closes down. That's just the way it is.

Most people struggle to make a buck, paying the bills and feeding the kids and all. So when they want to enjoy some things in life and they find a way to enjoy these things for less work, then there is no excuse to pass it up.

$250 for a $600 product? Gimme. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/greedy.gif.5a53e6246569d7ab79867170f3b06629.gif

 

[DLP_Customs 10+ year member]

You are exaggerating. What you are witnessing is capitalism is play. One man figures on how to draw in more customers with cheaper prices and still make a living' date=' the other guy can't, so he closes down. That's just the way it is.
Most people struggle to make a buck, paying the bills and feeding the kids and all. So when they want to enjoy some things in life and they find a way to enjoy these things for less work, then there is no excuse to pass it up.

$250 for a $600 product? Gimme. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/greedy.gif.5a53e6246569d7ab79867170f3b06629.gif[/quote']

Cheaper isnt the problem. Its the blackmarket price they are offering.

 

[husker77 10+ year member]

You are exaggerating.

No I'm not! Look at unemplyment, it wont get any better. Everybody can answer the phones at sonic or be the door greeter at walmart. Oh wait they are cutting the door greeter job and going to self checkout. Not sure what people are going to do for jobs. It's greed and ignorance not capitalism, there is a difference.

 

[neo_styles 10+ year member]

No I'm not! Look at unemplyment, it wont get any better. Everybody can answer the phones at sonic or be the door greeter at walmart. Oh wait they are cutting the door greeter job and going to self checkout. Not sure what people are going to do for jobs. It's greed and ignorance not capitalism, there is a difference.

Playing devil's advocate here, so please don't shoot me...

Honest truth is they will end up swallowing the small businesses as that's how capitalism works, but they'll always have a job for YOU...in their customer service and shipping departments. Sad truth...

 

[husker77 10+ year member]

Why when they can outsource that to india? Oh wait they can hire us cheaper now. Everyone making minimum wage doesn't leave much for car audio. Third world country!

People need to think about the big picture not just the #'s. Every time you buy something based on price you are saying people are payed to much, which includes yourself.

 

[neo_styles 10+ year member]

Why when they can outsource that to india? Oh wait they can hire us cheaper now. Everyone making minimum wage doesn't leave much for car audio. Third world country!

Sound systems for our camels and rickshaws WOOT!

 

[husker77 10+ year member]

but they'll always have a job for YOU...

Is that meaning you don't think it will effect you? You have some fancy job that will still be in demand if all the people that don't make as much as you or are as educated as you don't have any money?

If that's not what you are implying my apologies.

 

[neo_styles 10+ year member]

Is that meaning you don't think it will effect you? You have some fancy job that will still be in demand if all the people that don't make as much as you or are as educated as you don't have any money?

If that's not what you are implying my apologies.

No...what I'm saying is the defense larger companies have when expanding is they'll need more workers and "extend the olive branch" to the companies they're eating up by offering them positions at THEIR company.

But to answer your question, I enlisted back in '04 before the economy tanked and haven't regretted my decision since.

 

[husker77 10+ year member]

I wish I would have gone into the military. The navy wanted me to me a nuclear engineer.