[ixus_123]

Advertised prices are the same. Is there any reason why I might want to let an Apple reseller sell me a macbook rather than getting it at the Apple Store (london, UK)?

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by ixus_123 

Advertised prices are the same. Is there any reason why I might want to let an Apple reseller sell me a macbook rather than getting it at the Apple Store (london, UK)?

You don't own APPL stock. But if you do, then Apple gets the entire revenue from the sale and Apple revenues are higher. Drops in a large bucket my friend.

[andreas_g4]

Usually, resellers bundle certain extras with the machines, if the price matches.

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by andreas_g4 

Usually, resellers bundle certain extras with the machines, if the price matches.

Apple has been doing a very good job of that too. Last summer when I bought my MacBook I got a "free" iPod and Canon printer. And I didn't have to pay the "install fee" that resellers tack on.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by Railroader 

Apple has been doing a very good job of that too. Last summer when I bought my MacBook I got a "free" iPod and Canon printer. And I didn't have to pay the "install fee" that resellers tack on.

Was that a normal purchase or a special student deal?

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

Was that a normal purchase or a special student deal?

Student deal. But I don't remember showing ID or anything.

[OldManMac]

Originally Posted by andreas_g4 

Usually, resellers bundle certain extras with the machines, if the price matches.

I don't where you got that info from, but it's not true, at least not in the U. S. I worked for a reseller for a couple of years, and their profit margins on computers is razor thin. Unless they get rebates from manufacturers of the add-ons, they're not giving them away just to get a customer. When the word got out that Apple was thinking about opening its own stores a few years back, the reseller community went berserk, claiming that Apple was going to cut them out of the Mac sales business. They were told over and over that wasn't going to happen, and that Apple would stand behind its long term business partners. Then they opened their stores, and when renewing their reseller contracts, they put in a stipulation that says they can have access to the reseller's customer database. This way, when a customer buys a Mac from a reseller, Apple gets the customer info, and calls the customer just before the warranty is up, if he didn't buy Apple Care, and, if they're succesful, Apple sells the Apple Care, cutting the reseller that sold the machine right out of the picture. When the customer is ready to buy his next Mac, he's more inclined to buy it directly from Apple; they are out to do nothing less than take the resellers right out of the picture. I don't know how or if it was resolved, but a lawsuit was placed against Apple early in this decade, charging them with anticompetitive practices, and accusing them of basically forcing long time dealers out of business. They allegedly stocked their own stores before supplying resellers new product, so that, when the customer came in for the latest model, the reseller didn't have it in yet; guess where he went next and guess who had it in stock. The reseller I worked for in 2000 - 2002 no longer sells Macs. They barely hold on by doing corporate Mac service work. Some of their slide down was their own fault, but Apple certainly isn't helping its dealers by opening Apple stores all over the country.

[peeb]

The problem is that the resellers don't add much value though, really.

[ink]

You can usually return items to the non-Apple store. Apple charges a 10% "restocking fee" should you decide to bring it back.

I never buy from the Apple store, unless they're the only ones carrying an item.

[Chuckit]

So Apple is destroying retailers by…selling AppleCare? That sounds a bit specious.

[Big Mac]

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

So Apple is destroying retailers by…selling AppleCare? That sounds a bit specious.

If Apple's getting all the money from AppleCare, that's another small bit of revenue the resellers are not getting - and the margins are razor thin. But, if the resellers are doing their jobs right (superior customer service), they should retain customers.

[GSixZero]

It certainly sucks for the resellers, that for sure, but for the most part it's because Apple is retailing so well. The whole reason Apple got into retail was because no one was selling their products well.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by GSixZero 

It certainly sucks for the resellers, that for sure, but for the most part it's because Apple is retailing so well. The whole reason Apple got into retail was because no one was selling their products well.

^ The actual truth. In my experience, most places that have trouble selling Apple products are having trouble because they're relegated to a small, unmarked corner in the back of the store.

[Big Mac]

Originally Posted by GSixZero 

It certainly sucks for the resellers, that for sure, but for the most part it's because Apple is retailing so well. The whole reason Apple got into retail was because no one was selling their products well.

I wouldn't say "no one." On a national level you're right, but on the local level, you can find great resellers. Apple's local resellers were never the problem - it was the big national establishments like CompUSA, Circuit City and Best Buy that have the inherent handicap of catering first to Wintel, if not exclusively thereto. Apple was right to open its own stores, but that doesn't mean everyone benefits from it.

[OldManMac]

Originally Posted by Chuckit 

So Apple is destroying retailers by…selling AppleCare? That sounds a bit specious.

I never said that was the sole reason, but when you have to agree to give up your customer database in order to sell their products, and the manufacturer then uses that information to put its own dealers in jeapordy, along with not getting new product to its dealers, sometimes for months, it certainly does put the reseller at a disadvantage.

[Big Mac]

That's why a smart reseller will encourage an AppleCare purchase at the time of sale. You cannot really blame Apple for wanting to know who's buying Apple products, can you?

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by KarlG 

I never said that was the sole reason, but when you have to agree to give up your customer database in order to sell their products, and the manufacturer then uses that information to put its own dealers in jeapordy, along with not getting new product to its dealers, sometimes for months, it certainly does put the reseller at a disadvantage.

Yes, if it uses that information to put its dealers in jeopardy, it will put the resellers at a disadvantage. But the only thing you've said they do with that info is sell AppleCare if the reseller hasn't before the sign-up period is about to expire.

[OldManMac]

Originally Posted by Big Mac 

If Apple's getting all the money from AppleCare, that's another small bit of revenue the resellers are not getting - and the margins are razor thin. But, if the resellers are doing their jobs right (superior customer service), they should retain customers.

That sounds like a reasonable statement, but it's actually not true. When Apple cuts the reseller out of the picture, it doesn't have to pay the reseller his profit on the product, so therefore Apple gets that as well as what they would normally make selling it to a reseller. Therefore, the reseller's margins are much thinner, and with there being a cost to all aspects of a business, superior customer service requires superior employees, better service departments, advertising yourself versus Apple, and other things, which a reseller has a much tougher time paying for than the company that's making not only their normal margin, but pocketing the difference between their cost and what they would sell it to the reseller for. One other issue is simply one of product availability. The first few years the Apple stores were opening, even Apple's largest retail partner, CompUSA, often had to wait weeks, and in some cases, several months for new product to show up, while the Apple stores had it in stock right away. This was even true after Apple put its own employees in most CompUSA stores in late 2001 through early 2003. If you're an Apple employee, specifically put there to sell Apple product, and you don't have it in stock, and can't tell the customer when it's coming, and there's an Apple store within a few miles, guess who gets the sale. There is very little customer loyalty in retail sales, especially when the product is priced the same no matter where you buy it. CompUSA also couldn't afford to give the educational discount, as they wouldn't get that money back from Apple, which would mean they'd make almost nothing on an educational sale, so those people simply went to the Apple store as well. In the last year or so, the stock issue has gotten better, as CompUSA, despite getting a lot of bad raps from some, including here, moves a tremendous amount of Apple product, or at least they used to, until CompUSA's recent announcement that they're closing over half their stores. A lot of people complain about CompUSA, and that's a large part of the reason they're in deep doo doo, but their Apple sections, especially the majority of them having been staffed by Apple employees, move a lot of Macs. As some of you may know, Best Buy is now going to start carrying Macs in about 200 of their stores; this is no doubt a result of CompUSA's store closings.

Local resellers have been seriously hurt as well; they can no longer afford to compete with Apple.

[Big Mac]

Originally Posted by KarlG 

That sounds like a reasonable statement, but it's actually not true. . . .

I agree with much of what you've written, but I also think competition doesn't hurt as long as it's fair. (Apple hoarding new products obviously isn't fair; I personally experienced that awkward situation when the iMac G4 debuted.) The fact remains: Apple needed to turn up the pressure because the resellers weren't getting the job done.

[Buckaroo]

If you buy from Fry's they have a better return policy if you are not happy.

It's been several years, so I'm not sure if the above is true, but I believe it is.

[ink]

Originally Posted by Buckaroo 

If you buy from Fry's they have a better return policy if you are not happy.

It's been several years, so I'm not sure if the above is true, but I believe it is.

It is; Fry's is hands-down, the best computer chain out there. Great deals, bright employees, excellent service (no "let me see your receipt" on the way out the door), the best selection. You name it.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by ink 

It is; Fry's is hands-down, the best computer chain out there. Great deals, bright employees, excellent service (no "let me see your receipt" on the way out the door)

Where do you live? All the Fry's stores around here have receipt-checkers.

[GSixZero]

Originally Posted by ink 

It is; Fry's is hands-down, the best computer chain out there. Great deals, bright employees, excellent service (no "let me see your receipt" on the way out the door), the best selection. You name it.

My Fry's has receipt checkers (who I walk right by) and employees who never seem to know anything about anything. They do have the best Apple section outside of an Apple retail store though.

[ink]

Interesting; the one I frequent has product that comes to the checkout and is waiting for you. You pick it up and can take off.

[cwosigns]

I usually buy from Micro Center if I'm buying anything with a screen. I once bought an iMac at the Apple Store that had a stuck pixel in the middle of the screen. I returned it to exchange it for another one; they wouldn't do an exchange. My options were to keep the iMac, or get a refund minus the 10% restock fee. Right in front of them, I called Micro Center and asked them about their return policy if a computer had a stuck pixel. They said I could exchange it or get my money back. So I took my money and went to Micro Center. I know Apple says that a few dead or stuck pixels are "within spec" but I want a perfect screen.

[ixus_123]

It certainly is a tough decision to make.

I just found out a friend is going to New York on Wednesday so I had a cunning plan to have her buy me a macbook book at the airport - tax free saving me £130. Called the airport & they have only the display stock which they wont discount - damn! Back to square one.

I have a reseller 5 minutes from me vs the apple store which is about 45 minutes & would mean risking carrying my macbook on public transport.

I had a friend at a reseller year ago & he gave me a teac mini USB mouse once. He told me they were aloowed to give them away 'to add value' and the unit cost was only a few pence. I figure suppliers must have some stuff that doesn't cost much at all that they could bundle. A wireless mouse would sway me, throw in a sleave & you have yourself a sale.

I'll try calling each store Monday

[hayesk]

Originally Posted by Big Mac 

If Apple's getting all the money from AppleCare, that's another small bit of revenue the resellers are not getting - and the margins are razor thin. But, if the resellers are doing their jobs right (superior customer service), they should retain customers.

Retailers can sell AppleCare at the time or later. In fact, it's often cheaper to go back to a retailer a year later and buy AppleCare. Dealers in our area offered 10% off sales. Apple offered no discounts.

[::maroma::]

Where I live we used to have a few local Apple Resellers who were doing pretty good business, from what I could tell. And just before Apple started to get into the retail business, we had one come to town that was really cool. They are very Mac-like in their store layouts and designs. Great people, and good customer service (plus they have a little Mac museum in their store with some really old Apple stuff).

Anyways, we now have 3 Apple Stores in my vicinity. And the strong resellers are still here as well, and seem to be doing pretty well. The Apple Stores are ALWAYS full of people whenever I walk by them in the malls. I haven't been to any of the local resellers in a while, but I drive by them from time to time and I see their still pullin people in.

My point? Not sure really, just giving a general observation on my local situation. Personally I'm really glad Apple got into the retail business. Not only because its wildly successful, but I prefer to shop there. Its my kind of environment.