Supplier Discounts on larger Purchases??

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ondablade

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22 Aug 2009
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Ireland
Hi all. As before i'm lining up to go professional (last chance hotel at 53 having come into some money, got the kids off my hands and needing an earner that could run on into retirement while giving back a bit more by way of relaxation than my prior management and engineering consulting), and am upgrading my shop accordingly. (from DIY and dabbler status)

Meaning i'm buying some machines (stand alone Hammer panel saw, planer thicknesser and spindle moulder), and a selection of hand tools and other equipment like a router and other Festool stuff, more router cutters, some decent quality hand planes, scraping kit, spokeshaves, some Japanese chisels, a variety of rasps and shaping tools, good quality forstner bits, a nail gun, a decent selection of clamps (been skimping for too long), some Incra measuring and fixturing stuff, an Incra TS-LS incrementally positioned fence system for the panel saw and so on.

I've also got to get stuck into setting up the shop - building a bench, dust system (the Bill Pentz/Clear Vue system), setting up racking and so on.

My question relates to this. Do any of you guys have any views on the best way to buy this sort of stuff? The situation on the machines seems fairly restricted, in that they are sold via manufacturer controlled subsidiaries, and the discount is whatever the factory are offering. Or is it just a case of needing to push a bit harder?

I thought there should be decent discount going on hand tools (Lie Nielsen, Veritas etc) and related equipment, but so far i've not had much luck despite a potential order if single sourced of well over £5,000. Pretty frustrating when these guys often don't have stock, and will just turn around and order it from the US.

Do i have to hawk each block of stuff around, and buy from individual suppliers offering the best deal on specific maker's items, or am i just talking to the wrong suppliers? Or do the better brands have it stitched up to the point that they don't allow discounting?

I'm seriously thinking of breaking the order up, and even of buying from the US. I'll get nailed for VAT on importation for some proportion of the stuff, but probably only 25 or 30% of it (in Ireland) and in the meantime would get the benefit of very keen US prices. The downside is shipping, if i break the order enough to reduce the risk of taxes the cost of shipping could start to get a bit hairy....

TA

ian
 
Hi Ian,

first of all good luck to you on your venture,and welcome to the forum.
Cant answer all your questions,but in my experience it is a case of just shopping around for the best deals.

I have some experience with Felder/Hammer,having a Felder saw/spindle and a Hammer planer- thicknesser.
I found that they are very hard to get a deal out of,and the longer you leave it the worse it gets with their continuous price hikes.

So if you are set on the Hammer machinery,get it sorted before they stick their prices up again.

With Festool,they seem to have a rigid price structure accross their dealerships,and it will be the same price accross the network,although some dealers might throw in some extras to sweeten the deal.

You can glean quite a bit of information on various hand tools etc from this forum which might help you,and if you are not sure about anything just ask on here,as someone should be able to answer.

Mark.
 
Thanks Joe, that seems to be about what i'm finding - i guess i was hoping that maybe i was just missing an angle. :?

Fortunately i have live quotes from Hammer/Felder with Summer discount applied (which are actually pretty keen), but beyond that it's seems to be a case of deal by deal.

Thanks for the good wishes, i'll need all the luck i can get but what the hell!

ian

PS i found the page with supplier listings and tool reviews very helpful, Alf's stuff on Veritas planes in particular.
 
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