Overpricing?

**Imdbombboarder** · 10-25-2007, 06:48 PM

My sister is employeed with Intel as a financial anaylist. I called her up asking the manufacturer's price of a 2.2 Dual Core processor. She said around 105$ out of the factory. For comparison, I looked at Tiger Direct's website for a 2.2g processor, and it was $119.99(http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...-DUO-E4500)And New Egg, (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115031) 130$

On your web store, between the 2 processors you sell, you charge 245$ for a 1.6ghz Dual core. Now i'm sure im going to get battered by loyalists, but this seems rediculously over-priced. I would think that the goal of your store is to make reasonably priced products to only further promote the interest in carputing, while making a strong profit, but well over 100$ over every processor sold?

I have a high respect for small businesses but I dont think that consumers should be all too happy with these price hikes.

May I ask what your trying to pull, in all due respect.

**Fiberoptic** · 10-26-2007, 10:25 AM

We are not trying to price gouge our customers. That is certainly not good for any of us. It seems like there might be some confusion between desktop processors and mobile processors which are significantly more expensive. The Newegg link you referenced is definitely for a boxed retail desktop processor. I believe the processors we have on the store are mobile processors.

For every Intel processor there can be many skus, sometimes 15-20 representing a different type of packaging, connection format, cooling fan included or not included, warranty, and other factors.

We will do a few things.
1. Add the processor part number to avoid future confusion.
2. Double check to make sure there isn’t a pricing error. This happens from time to time.

**blazinlow** · 10-27-2007, 02:34 AM

Correct, Fiberoptic. The processors listed are mobile.

Newegg sells the processor listed on mp3car.com for over $200. Yeah, its a little cheaper than mp3car, but take the following into consideration:

Newegg obviously does more volume and can sell things cheaper than the a small store, BUT does not offer such a wealth of information that mp3car does. So you might pay a few more (not much) bucks here, but you're supporting the site and getting FREE access to the incredible resources here.

Worth it IMO.

**RedGTiVR6** · 10-27-2007, 08:50 AM

thanks for the kind words blazinlow!

**parksgm** · 10-27-2007, 04:54 PM

Originally Posted by blazinlow

Newegg obviously does more volume and can sell things cheaper than the a small store, BUT does not offer such a wealth of information that mp3car does. So you might pay a few more (not much) bucks here, but you're supporting the site and getting FREE access to the incredible resources here.

Worth it IMO.

Definitely worth it for the resources on mp3car.com.

There is enough information posted on this site to fill several books regarding how to properly design and install a car computer, and most of the knowledge posted here is the result of actual user experience. All that information...for free!

Not only that, but anyone who can't find an answer to their specific question or issue can post here and receive several opinions (usually knowledgeable and well reasoned) within a few hours or days. This site is a fantastic example of how the internet has transformed hobbies by encouraging and collecting widely distributed knowledge. There's nothing like it anywhere else on the 'net, or in any other media.

Unfortunately, people often take for granted what is "free"...simultaneously forgetting that there are REAL costs that someone is paying with REAL money associated with hosting this site.

If users feel that the mp3car.com store prices are unreasonably high, then they should should just shop somewhere else...after all, they obviously are capable of using the internet, and so should be able to comparison shop with ease. However, if mp3car.com store prices are reasonably competitive, then it makes sense to support the store that supports the forums...

**JLemieux** · 10-27-2007, 05:07 PM

I own a small auto repair shop specializing in Jeep's. I have owned and operated this shop for 20 years.
Early on we had to contend with mail order magazine ads advertising parts for close to what I paid for them wholesale (and still do). Now anyone with an internet connection can find someone that will sell them parts at or below our cost.

As shown by Fiberoptic, the ads are often not specific and designed to get you to call and get "The real price". When you do, you find you are not comparing apples to apples.

I provide a service. Not only do I supply parts and installation, I provide an expertise in my field that is worth something. So when I do work for my customer I insist on supplying the parts and the labor. I charge for those parts what I need to to stay in business, warranty my services, update my knowldge and equipment so I can keep providing a service at the level my customers have come to expect. The prices I charge are higher than any magazine or internet ad. I educate new customers as to why this is. If they are not comfortable with that they go somewhere else, and thats ok.
But when someone that does not know my business and what it takes to keep it running tries to tell me I am charging too much based on internet surfing. It bothers me.

No one should pay too much for too little, but consider who and what you are supporting when you spend your hard earned dollars. Are they worth supporting? Do they provide you tusted expertise that you can't get from the lowest internet ad?

Imdabombboarder: Your post said you have respect for small business but you lost mine at the end of your post when you made the assumption that something is being pulled on you (with all due respect of coarse). Even if the parts are the same, where do you get off telling someone how to price their product? If the value and quality are not what you expect, or you don't want to support the organization, buy it somewhere else. What better way to get your point across.

I am new to this whole car PC thing, but from what I can see, MP3car is providing me a service that is worth more than the profit they are making on their sales.

I recently bought a Car PC and much more from them. I had some trouble with it from the start. Mostly brought on by my own ignorance. When I called their tech line, their representative stayed on the phone with me for well over an hour to help me get my problems solved. So how was that person paid? By the profits from some sale or service somwhere in this organization. Thankfully they priced their products well enough to afford to pay this man to help me.

There is always someone that will do something a little worse and sell it a little cheaper and those that consider only price are this mans lawfull slave.

Rant off.

**Imdbombboarder** · 02-05-2008, 10:13 PM

This topic was l laid to rest a few months ago, but I got you Fiber, I didnt see the difference. Sorry to come off harsh, just seemed a bit out of reason