I understand that it can be difficult to obtain discounts when ordering parts from the USA.

 

What if we planned a club super-order say eight months in advance - for example, if one person wanted a pair of new turbos, someone else JDM 99 spec lights etc and built up a lot of business to ask the three or four main US dealers how much they would be prepared to do the order for?

 

Shipping costs would also be saved and with the Zed Id be surprised if everyone didnt need SOMETHING within the next eight months?

 

If we put it to our American cousins and still no discount etc could be negotiated then everyone could just go about getting their parts in the normal way without any harm done or costs involved.

 

 

Probably unrealistic but whaddaya think?

I understand that it can be difficult to obtain discounts when ordering parts from the USA.

 

What if we planned a club super-order say eight months in advance - for example, if one person wanted a pair of new turbos, someone else JDM 99 spec lights etc and built up a lot of business to ask the three or four main US dealers how much they would be prepared to do the order for?

 

Shipping costs would also be saved and with the Zed Id be surprised if everyone didnt need SOMETHING within the next eight months?

 

If we put it to our American cousins and still no discount etc could be negotiated then everyone could just go about getting their parts in the normal way without any harm done or costs involved

 

Probably unrealistic but whaddaya think?

 

 

i am up 4 that........

 

looking to get some new upgraded tubs and downpipes.

 

alan.

great idea if the discounts are worth while, i want 99 spec rear lights and loads of engine bay bling, if the discounts are big enough (not just 25 quid) then im in.

In theory a good idea but in practice I think you'll find the discount is not going to be sufficiently big to warrant waiting 8+ months. I've been in this business now for about 5 years and deal extensively with our overseas suppliers, etc. Due to many factors - for example competition from China (mostly through ebay), more suppliers in the market and high taxes to name but a few - the profit margins on the majority of parts has come right down to next to nothing. It therefore becomes impossible to offer big discounts (ie more than 10%). For example, on some parts I can only add around 5~7% markup without pricing myself out of the market. That is taking import duty/vat/shipping costs into consideration. Out of that 5~7% I need to cover my overheads, insurance, warranty, etc, etc. So you can see that it would be impossible for me to offer someone (or a group) a decent discount.

 

Not wishing to sound completely pessimistic - I don't see why you can't ask them for a group discount; If you don't ask, you don't get ;) But be prepared to accept that it may not be possible. That is not the supplier being greedy, it just means there is not enough margin on the products to offer the discount.

 

Furthermore, the logistics of running such a long and big (££) order would be next to impossible to handle. Consider the cost of the items, the shared shipping cost, how do you divide up the import duty/vat payable, distribution within the UK, payment collection, payment transfer, etc, etc. I for one would not want to be handling such a complex order. There are just too many factors where it can go wrong.

 

Damn, I was trying so hard not to end on a pessimistic note ... ;)

 

Cheers!

 

Dan

Good points Dan.

 

The other thing is that the pound is almost certainly going to weaken in the near future so the savings might not be so great.

 

Just floating the idea to assess how realistic it is.

I would agree wth Dan, Plus the fact that I have no idea what I'd want in the next 8 months, also I'm very impatient, if I do need something, I want it now :)

I think the principal is a great idea, and if our club was to negotiate, could we get the discount if ordered through that?