Just a quick rant to get something off my chest. I’ve received a copy each of the Ham Radio Outlet and the Amateur Electronics Supply catalogs and have been happily drooling over them. What drives me nuts is when I go to look at the price of a radio, it just says “call for price” or “see website.” Huh? Why bother to print a catalog? I fully understand that prices are changing on a regular basis, but there is always an MSRP price. Print the MSRP price with a note that says call for latest discounted price. At least give me a ballpark price so I can compare two radios within a same price class.
Even worse are companies that have a website to sell a product, list all the features, maybe a snazzy demo, then have absolutely no pricing information available. This leaves me scratching my head every time. When a company refuses to list prices for their product, it tells me a couple of things right off the bat. First it tells me that they are so over-priced that they are embarrassed to show their price unless they have a salesman on the phone to sugar coat it. Second, it tells me that they don’t have enough confidence in their product to let it stand on its own merits alongside their asking price.
My advice to any online company wanting to sell your product on the Internet is to always list your price. If you give lots of discounts, just list your base product and include a note explaining that the “price is often discounted, call to see if you may qualify.” Doing this allows potential customers to quickly determine if your price is even an option within their budget and allows them to compare your product with a competitor. It shows you respect the intelligence of your customers. If you’re afraid of that, then maybe it’s time to re-evaluate your price structure anyway.
18 January 2010, 7:40
Back when I was active and drooling over radios all the time, the same practice in the same catalogs used to bug the hell out of me.
16 December 2010, 13:33
I agree 110%. I wont do business with a company who doesnt list prices, because some companies will change prices depending on their mood, or the day of the week. Id rather pay more and go thru a company that WANTS business and customers to buy from them.