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Author Topic: Prices around the country  (Read 16242 times)

mowgli1

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Prices around the country
« on: March 30, 2005, 09:59:30 am »
I have been getting prices while shopping for a tub in an unique way. We live in Michigan but will be moving to Tucson Az. in a few months. We have been looking in Michigan and getting prices here and talking also to dealers in Tucson where we will be buying. We have narrowed it down to D1 Sarena Bay and 2005 Sundance Maxxus. The price for the Sarena Bay in Mi is $13,000 and $11,000 in Tucson. Maxxus is $11,900 in Mi and $9900 in Tucson. I know prices vary because of shipping and other factors but $2000 is quite substantial.  Samhunter's price on his Maxxus was about the same as I was quoted in Tucson and his tub will be shipped  from Cailfornia to New Hampshire. It can't be just about shipping costs.  I'm just glad I'm buying in Az not Mi! Anyone have a plausible explanation? ??
« Last Edit: March 30, 2005, 10:19:33 am by mowgli1 »

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Prices around the country
« on: March 30, 2005, 09:59:30 am »

Gary

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Re: Prices around the country
« Reply #1 on: March 30, 2005, 10:05:59 am »
Fixed Cost
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mowgli1

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Re: Prices around the country
« Reply #2 on: March 30, 2005, 10:10:35 am »
Quote
Fixed Cost

Can you expand on that a little more?

wmccall

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Re: Prices around the country
« Reply #3 on: March 30, 2005, 10:14:06 am »
I think its Chas here that uses his own truck to pick up from the Manufacturer.  Volume may play a key with the unit and shipping costs.   I work in a Warehouse and I deal with software that sets rates for trucking companies and the rates can vary a great deal based on volume, location, and how much we fill the truck.
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Gary

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Re: Prices around the country
« Reply #4 on: March 30, 2005, 10:33:12 am »
Quote
Can you expand on that a little more?


Salary, rent, utilities, taxes...
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obi wan

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Re: Prices around the country
« Reply #5 on: March 30, 2005, 10:34:45 am »
i think there are several reasons for the difference, some mentioned above. we also live in a capitalist society (this is a GOOD THING) a dealer has to make money to stay open and provide service. if he undercharges, he goes bankrupt. if he overcharges, no/ low sales, and he could still go bankrupt.
every market is different.
for example: i have a 15 year old, 2200 sq ft house on a quarter acre lot, in va beach. houses in my neighborhood sell for $250-300k. several months ago, almost moved to ga(just 21 miles north of atlanta) and could have bought new construction, 3/4 acre lot, 3500 sq ft home with 1600 sq ft walk out basement (total just over 5000 sq ft) for $325k.

you pay what the market will bear, which is often dependent on where you live...

mowgli1

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Re: Prices around the country
« Reply #6 on: March 30, 2005, 10:53:20 am »
Quote
i think there are several reasons for the difference, some mentioned above. we also live in a capitalist society (this is a GOOD THING) a dealer has to make money to stay open and provide service. if he undercharges, he goes bankrupt. if he overcharges, no/ low sales, and he could still go bankrupt.
every market is different.
for example: i have a 15 year old, 2200 sq ft house on a quarter acre lot, in va beach. houses in my neighborhood sell for $250-300k. several months ago, almost moved to ga(just 21 miles north of atlanta) and could have bought new construction, 3/4 acre lot, 3500 sq ft home with 1600 sq ft walk out basement (total just over 5000 sq ft) for $325k.

you pay what the market will bear, which is often dependent on where you live...

Your house would be worth a million in Orange county. Not the same analogy. A Maxxus is the same in Va or Ga or Mi or Ca. I don't see how fixed costs warrant a $2000 per  unit diference, $500- $800 maybe. But I don't sell spas for a living, so I defer to those that do.

Brewman

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Re: Prices around the country
« Reply #7 on: March 30, 2005, 10:53:47 am »
Exactly- Free market at work.  

If prices are too low, dealers go out of business.  If they are truly overpriced, then the run out of customers and go out of business anyway.  

Even though my Sundance dealer has a lock on the brand in my area, they still have to compete with the multitude of other brands.  

Test the waters by offering less than asking price and see what, if any, room for negotiation you get.

My dealer doesn't negotiate on anything except clearance floor models, and they don't give much there.

And yet they are thriving.  Or appear to be.

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obi wan

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Re: Prices around the country
« Reply #8 on: March 30, 2005, 12:07:12 pm »
Quote
Your house would be worth a million in Orange county. Not the same analogy. A Maxxus is the same in Va or Ga or Mi or Ca. I don't see how fixed costs warrant a $2000 per  unit diference, $500- $800 maybe. But I don't sell spas for a living, so I defer to those that do.

to a point i agree, housing is more subjective.
better example. i bought a conversion van last october. i wound up buying it thru an i-net site that specializes in hightop vans. the conversion company is quality coach in indiana. they have an authorized dealer here in my area (with in 22 miles) the local dealer wanted $3,680 MORE for the exact same unit that i got thru a dealer in indiana. i paid $565 to have it shipped here to my office, so the net difference was, i saved $3,115, again, on the exact same new vehicle. the dealer in indiana isn't santa claus, i know they made some money off the deal, and more power to them. i felt i got a good value for my money

i am not a spa dealer, so i dont know what the mark up is.
ther are some fixed costs, and some variable, depending on dealer volume, their shipping costs, etc.... but i strongly agree with the above statement, ITS A FREE MARKET.
pricing is largely dictated by what the market will bear.
i'm sure you COULD build a tub that seats 12-15, has 6 5-horse pumps, 150 jets, motorized cover, 50" flat screen tv, stereo,a cappucino maker, blender and waterproof wireless i-net mouse and keyboard.
but who would buy a $25k hot tub?? :o :o
you know.... it may not be that hard to add i-net access to your tub (assuming you have a tv already there, and cable). i wonder if any one makes a waterproof keyboard and mouse? ;D :D ;D

mowgli1

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Re: Prices around the country
« Reply #9 on: March 30, 2005, 12:35:24 pm »
Quote
to a point i agree, housing is more subjective.
better example. i bought a conversion van last october. i wound up buying it thru an i-net site that specializes in hightop vans. the conversion company is quality coach in indiana. they have an authorized dealer here in my area (with in 22 miles) the local dealer wanted $3,680 MORE for the exact same unit that i got thru a dealer in indiana. i paid $565 to have it shipped here to my office, so the net difference was, i saved $3,115, again, on the exact same new vehicle. the dealer in indiana isn't santa claus, i know they made some money off the deal, and more power to them. i felt i got a good value for my money

i am not a spa dealer, so i dont know what the mark up is.
ther are some fixed costs, and some variable, depending on dealer volume, their shipping costs, etc.... but i strongly agree with the above statement, ITS A FREE MARKET.
pricing is largely dictated by what the market will bear.
i'm sure you COULD build a tub that seats 12-15, has 6 5-horse pumps, 150 jets, motorized cover, 50" flat screen tv, stereo,a cappucino maker, blender and waterproof wireless i-net mouse and keyboard.
but who would buy a $25k hot tub?? :o :o
you know.... it may not be that hard to add i-net access to your tub (assuming you have a tv already there, and cable). i wonder if any one makes a waterproof keyboard and mouse? ;D :D ;D

How does your local dealer feel about servicing your van that you didn't buy from him? By your logic one should just scour the country looking for the best price and have your spa shipped to you. I tried that with the Master Spa traveling road show until Stuart showed  me the flawed logic  in buying like that. Any way I am not trying to imply good dealers are overcharging customers. My number one consideration when buying my spa will be the dealer relationship. There are so many good products on the market. I know I can find the right tub but the right dealer will be just as important

Mendocino101

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Re: Prices around the country
« Reply #10 on: March 30, 2005, 01:32:49 pm »
Spas and Housing....some use this as an example....myself included .....the point to it, is not the cost of the spa in a area but the cost of doing business in an area that varies greatly.... things like Gary mentioned are simple realties ....Insurnace .....Salaries.. rent and also if you live in a seasonal area where it is only practical to do install of your spa only during the fall...spring or summer but winter might not be .... this will have an effect on the costs .....but I will say that 2000.00 is a steep difference ...
« Last Edit: March 30, 2005, 02:22:25 pm by Mendocino101 »

obi wan

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Re: Prices around the country
« Reply #11 on: March 30, 2005, 02:29:19 pm »
as to my van, there are 9 chevy dealers with in 35 miles of my home. where i have my service done is not even the dealer that sells quality coach conversions. chevy warrantees the chevy van, and gm corp pays the dealer for service work done, no matter if the dealer is here or anywhere else. quality coach has their own 3 yr warrantee on the conversion package. they will pay any chevy dealer for work required. (they already did once on my van, and i had no problems with them at all).
part of my decision was to buy from a conversion van company with a great reputation for service and longevity in the biz. very similar to my hot tub search. i went to the dealer here that sells QC vans, and showed him the quote from the IN dealer, and the estimate for shipping. tried to work out a deal. he said no. his price is his price, take it or leave it. thats how a free market works. in this case i left it and bought the exact same thing (not similar, but exact) thru another dealer for a LOT less. as i work hard for my money, and i would assume everyone else does, i dont see why i should throw away $3k for no reason???
HOWEVER, as they are nowhere near as many tub dealers as there are chevy dealers, so its a different ballgame. if you read back thru my earlier posts, you will see very clearly that i was at one point looking to buy tub online. as service is and will be an ongoing issue, i purchased locally from a rep. dealer, and strongly encourage others to do the same.


on that note....
HEY DEALER FOLKS. how does it work for you guys as far as servicing a brand you sell, but not an actual tub you sold? if its valid warrantee work, doesn't the maker pay you the same as if you sold it from your store? do you treat them differently? i notice chas is looking for a source for sundance parts, i dont think he even sells that line, but he is servicing them anyway. your thoughts?

before we get to much farther off track......
i still stand by my original statement. how much you pay can/is based on where you live and what your local market is like. AND IT SHOULD BE! healthy competition, for the most part, keeps everything balanced. if the michigan market is charging an average of $2000 more than the arizona market, and people are paying the price, as long as they do, the prices will stay the same..... sounds like they need a dose of competition.... ;) ;)
« Last Edit: March 30, 2005, 02:33:05 pm by kent »

SpaTime

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Re: Prices around the country
« Reply #12 on: March 30, 2005, 03:47:55 pm »
I just returned from a Master Spa dealer who doesn't carry D1 any longer because of the shipping (PA here).  He can't justify to the customer why he is better off with a unit that is more expensive simply due to the expense of getting it here from CA.  And just off the top of my head, I would think there is more demand for a spa in colder climates than in very warm ones (but what do I know, lol)

calispagurl

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Re: Prices around the country
« Reply #13 on: March 30, 2005, 04:08:57 pm »
hello! ! !

yeah..i agree.. 2000K is a BIG DIFFERENCE.. but... what if he has 2 times the amount of employees in order to service his spa customers 10 times better..what if the rent of the property is twice as much.. what if.. what if...
the SPA market could be different as well.. if the first dealer you addressed was in a market where there was 10 cheapo spa dealers within 10 miles.. it might be more difficult to compete.. and for competition reasons.. he might have to price his tubs with little or no margin..

but.. if the second dealer has a market with higher priced dealers.. it might be the "going thing" to have a higher priced tub .. IN ORDER TO COMPETE...


when's the last time you saw a company in the newspaper.. that went outta buisness .. cuz the prices were too high??! ;o)

mowgli1

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Re: Prices around the country
« Reply #14 on: March 30, 2005, 04:42:16 pm »
Quote
as to my van, there are 9 chevy dealers with in 35 miles of my home. where i have my service done is not even the dealer that sells quality coach conversions. chevy warrantees the chevy van, and gm corp pays the dealer for service work done, no matter if the dealer is here or anywhere else. quality coach has their own 3 yr warrantee on the conversion package. they will pay any chevy dealer for work required. (they already did once on my van, and i had no problems with them at all).
part of my decision was to buy from a conversion van company with a great reputation for service and longevity in the biz. very similar to my hot tub search. i went to the dealer here that sells QC vans, and showed him the quote from the IN dealer, and the estimate for shipping. tried to work out a deal. he said no. his price is his price, take it or leave it. thats how a free market works. in this case i left it and bought the exact same thing (not similar, but exact) thru another dealer for a LOT less. as i work hard for my money, and i would assume everyone else does, i dont see why i should throw away $3k for no reason???
HOWEVER, as they are nowhere near as many tub dealers as there are chevy dealers, so its a different ballgame. if you read back thru my earlier posts, you will see very clearly that i was at one point looking to buy tub online. as service is and will be an ongoing issue, i purchased locally from a rep. dealer, and strongly encourage others to do the same.


on that note....
HEY DEALER FOLKS. how does it work for you guys as far as servicing a brand you sell, but not an actual tub you sold? if its valid warrantee work, doesn't the maker pay you the same as if you sold it from your store? do you treat them differently? i notice chas is looking for a source for sundance parts, i dont think he even sells that line, but he is servicing them anyway. your thoughts?

before we get to much farther off track......
i still stand by my original statement. how much you pay can/is based on where you live and what your local market is like. AND IT SHOULD BE! healthy competition, for the most part, keeps everything balanced. if the michigan market is charging an average of $2000 more than the arizona market, and people are paying the price, as long as they do, the prices will stay the same..... sounds like they need a dose of competition.... ;) ;)

I'm just happy to be moving to Tucson where the market "bears" low prices on spas and high prices on snow shovels and rock salt!!  8) ;D
« Last Edit: March 30, 2005, 08:38:58 pm by mowgli1 »

Hot Tub Forum

Re: Prices around the country
« Reply #14 on: March 30, 2005, 04:42:16 pm »

 

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