negotiating pricing

[jmsaintpierre]

Hi all,
Wondering what s the general consensus on negotiating the price on a new camper? Would it be seen as really bad and is there already not much margin in camper trailers, especially the entry level range?
regards

[Swannie]

you always negotiate on everything

swannie

[paull]

You can certainly negotiate on camper trailers, either or price or additional inclusions (or both).

[jmsaintpierre]

Hi guys,
thanks for clearing that up.
I bought a tag watcher 2 years ago, and didn t think to bargain or negotiate as did t think that a premium watch dealer was inclined to bargaining.
after speaking to a few people it was cleared that i had been a fool for not trying.
So, when my wife s birthday came around i decided to get her a watch too. Seriously without trying, i got 15% off, and by just saying i ll think about it, i got 20% off. i bought it, but my experience has left a sour taste in my mouth...
As for campers, does this mean, if you bargain, you get a bit less quality or attention to details?

[GBC]

Some companies will negotiate, some don't need to. You won't find out which are which until you ask.

[callmejoe]

Hardest part about negotiations is knowing when to talk and to when walk. Next know your stuff, research and set your expectations. Then start negotiations,  if they wont play, politely say thanks and walk. Most of the time i bet what ever your after another 1 or very similar item will come around again.

[Bird]

Hardest part about negotiations is knowing when to talk and to when walk.

Agree.. and as a mate of mine says don't be afraid to walk either... personally I'm Shithouse at the whole scenario

[achjimmy]

Hardest part about negotiations is knowing when to talk and to when walk. Next know your stuff, research and set your expectations. Then start negotiations,  if they wont play, politely say thanks and walk. Most of the time i bet what ever your after another 1 or very similar item will come around again.

Yep perfect advice. Also as annoying as they can be Ive always found the high pressure sales guys good for getting deals out of cause they won't give up so they do some of the hard work for you.

[rockinj]

I find second hands goods are easier to negotiate on. I have now learnt to always negotiate at places like Harvey Norman etc. I had never thought about new campers however, my hubby always bargains on anything and always gets something 'off' even if it is a little. In saying that, he never negotiates when selling - he outs the price he wants on the item not a price he is willing to negotiate on.
With bargaining, sometimes it can bite you in the b*m. On Sunday we looked at and negotiated a price for a new horse for my son. We arranged to pick her up the next day. (Only as we did not have the truck with us.) An hour later the owner rang wanting more money as he now had new buyers not only willing to pay the purchase price but MORE than the purchase price. This left a VERY sour taste in my mouth and a distraught 8yo. Handshakes mean NOTHING.

[chester ver2.0]

On most items i usually use the following formula

My first offer will be 15% below the asking price
Their counter offer is usually 5% below the asking price
My next offer will be 10% below the asking price

We will then to and frow and i will usually accept somewhere between the 5 to 10% less than the asking price depending on how much i want the item

[D4D]

For some people it's the thrill of doing a deal. I loved the game I played with the sales guy when I walked in at 4pm on June 30 to buy a car

[Bill]

For some people it's the thrill of doing a deal. I loved the game I played with the sales guy when I walked in at 4pm on June 30 to buy a car

Swmbo is the one who does that in our family.
I hate negotiating.
As soon as any salesman approach I tell them to speak to my Misses and then I walk away.
Bill

[Paddler Ed]

Generally I'm crap at negotiating in private sales, although I never make an offer until I've seen it - a lot of times on the local buy swap sell page they'll ask what's the lowest before even seeing it...

When shopping retail, I know that if I can bundle something up it'll cost the retailer less than a %age discount - for example, say it's $500 and you're hoping for about 10-15% off ($50-75) you can aim for either that much off or accessories to the value of around $50-100. Accessories will cost the retailer about half the retail price, so give the illusion of a better deal to you but costs them less than a straight cash discount (if that makes any sense...)

[Moggy]

I think product reseach is also important, so know what you want & what the competitors sell it for.
For example the current price trend for forward folds is a little north of $20k, now i would be happy to pay that for a modcon camper, but perhaps not with MDC, as the perception is that mdc has lesser quality & modcon would be synonymous with quality & more importantly backup service.
So get a list of what you're thinking about & compare products & service thoroughly, then settle on the price you'd be happy to pay & start making offers.
Start lower cos its always easier to up an offer.

Another tip would be when you ask for a price, ALWAYS respond with "$HIT HOW MUCH", that will sow a seed of doubt in the sellers mind.

Sent from my SM-T810 using Tapatalk

[SEADOO]

You need the money in your pocket before you can negotiate.

I always negotiate.

I saved $10k just ringing around for a new car. It's amazing how much difference there is between dealers.

White goods, electrical appliances, but no point on daily consumables like cloths and food.

[Bird]

they'll ask what's the lowest before even seeing it...

I cop that on ebay a few times, and I tell them the advertised price.
the regular ones that offer you 1/2 what your asking and add "I'll pickup tomorrow" get the reply "no you wont"

[Beachman]

When I bought my camper the company had all the prices of the web site so I knew exactly what all the extra were going to cost. We wanted a kids room and enclosed annex so I told the sales guys I’m happy to pay the advertised price on these items, but before I sign what can he do for other options.

Sales guy liked my approach and he included lots of options for free (IE: Anderson plug and wiring, 12v sockets, extra windows, bigger tent, upgraded kitchen, extra jerry can holder) and then with the hitch, battery and brakes did them at cost price.

So all up I saved about $2K.

Negotiating on anything your getting built/fixed is a skill because while you want the best price, at the end of the day the person doing the work also has to make a living. My theory is if you push too hard on price, then the person doing the work will cut corners to make that profit back.

[tryagain]

I think it never hurts to ask the question, but the other thing to take into consideration is the supplier and how much they want/need your business, a company with a 6 month waiting period will likely be less negotiable on price than one that has campers sitting in stock. I know with my business generally if people want a discount it's a flat no as I easily will have enough work whether I get their business or not. On the very odd occasion that I have it's because I know I can get away with doing less than I had originally intended and I always end up better off by reducing the service to a greater extent than the discount.

[jmsaintpierre]

Hi all,

My wife absolutely when I bargain something. She walks away but she loves the savings... Double edge sword.
I guess it depends on the item. I have sold many things on eBay or gumtree and know the value of things, so when I get a unreasonable offer, I don t even bother replying. If it s just below my asking price, I will generally meet them half way. Some people want everything for nothing.

The best example I can give you is I think I have a camper on gumtree/caravan camping sales. It s advertised at $8000 for a 2011 jimboomba camper trailer. I know they cost $15000 with all the gear it s got on, so if still available by the time I am ready and after proper inspection, I won t insult the guy with another offer.
Alternatively, if it sells, I am really close to order a new camper from my narrowed down choices, being jimboomba campers ( like the idea of light towing. Plus they look good), bayside camper trailers ( like the idea of a bed where you have to climb over your partner) and customline entry tracker ( they have a special on at the moment being either full annex walls or 12v system), so when it comes time to order I will definitely try a little negotiating in the order of 10 to 15%.
By the way, feel free to chip in in regards to those campers mentioned above.
The thing that s pushing me towards bayside is that they are part of the guild..
Regards

[jetcrew]

Negotiating on anything your getting built/fixed is a skill because while you want the best price, at the end of the day the person doing the work also has to make a living. My theory is if you push too hard on price, then the person doing the work will cut corners to make that profit back.

That was going to be my advice to mate ...well said  , i've seen repaired elec appliances fitted to new campers and when challenged the seller rightly said..."but it was free we did not charge you for that"

Jet

[Beachman]

All the 3 brands you mentioned are all good trailers and I also considered them 5 years ago when we bought our Jimboomba. Reason I ended up going with Jimboomba was the majority of the trailer being aluminium seeing the majority of our camping is on the beach. 

Haven’t had any issues in the last 5 years and that’s including quite a few occasions of being battered by Gail force winds.

[jmsaintpierre]

Hi mate,
Thanks for the heads up. Really do like the jimboomba trailers and the fact that they are aluminium too helps.
On the othe hand I like the bed orientation of the bayside trailers. I guess I could get the staircase model which would sold the climbing over partner issue..

[kylarama]

the regular ones that offer you 1/2 what your asking and add "I'll pickup tomorrow" get the reply "no you wont"

A mate tried selling a motorbike about 6-7 years ago.  A bloke on the other side of town continually pestered with text messages offering half or phone calls canning the bike and offering half.  Mate was always polite but by the 2nd week snapped after a Saturday morning text.  "offer accepted, but must pick up now" he replied.  After an hours drive the bloke turned up with the cash only to be told.
"Sorry mate, sold it 20 minutes ago."
Bike was still in the shed...



Sent from my GT-I9507 using Tapatalk

[Sparkdog99]

We just purchased a new ct advertised price$11k. Asked if they had any second hand ones or make me a basic one as I did not want to spend $11k They had a half built trailer that was stopped as the original deal fell through. I took up that trailer plus a battery box, pole holder, shop sample drifta storage box  and tropical roof. Drive away $9800. They key to any negotiations is both parties can still win. In my case I got a new ct at a reduced price and the manufacturer got rid of some stock tying up their capital . Could I have got it cheaper? Most likely but I'm happy.

[rotare]

I think all you need to know is what $ value is fair for the item you're considering purchasing, ie, do your homework.  If you offer a fair price and be 'reasonable' during negotiations the seller will quickly realise you know what the market value is.

I don't agree in the idea that 'everything is negotiable' though.  That philosophy spawns the bottom feeders who offer you 1/2 the advertised price for something..... before they've even looked at it.  I often sell stuff on Gumtree super cheap just to offload it quickly - I really don't have the time to deal with tyre kickers.  No matter how cheap I advertise stuff I'm always guaranteed to get text messages from people offering a significantly lower price.

Those opportunistic types I ignore.  Genuine buyers who know what a bargain is will generally accept the advertised price without further negotiating.