On 12-18, Barney offered some counter comments about using the "big
three" suppliers. It took me a while to reply because I've been having
computer problems. As if working on old LBCs didn't present enough
headaches...!
I didn't mean to imply one should buy only from the big three, just that
one should not buy only the hard-to-find stuff from them. I must also
take issue with Barney's remark that they drop the items that are not
profitable. I worked for Moss Motors from 1980 till 1987 (Sales &
Marketing Manager) so I have a good idea of their philosophy, though I
cannot speak for TRF or VB.
Moss drops only those parts that they cannot get in steady enough supply
to prevent items shown in their price list from having to be back-ordered
frequently. While I don't agree with their pricing philosophy in all
respects (I advocated a smaller mark-up on the high priced items, such as
crankshafts, body panels, etc., to which their reply was that every
dollar invested has to make roughly the same return, otherwise they would
be tempted to invest only in the items on which they can make a bigger
mark-up), I cannot fault their desire to keep their customers' cars on
the road by making as many parts as possible available at all times.
Yes, smaller companies sometimes have parts available which the bg three
don't, but these are usually the last one or two OEM items in the world
that they have managed to find from obsolete dealer stocks, swap meets,
etc. If the demand is sufficient to warrant investment in tooling, Moss
will usually try to remanufacture the part in due course.
Third party suppliers are, indeed valuable, and can offer the enthusiast
some savings. I am one of Moss's larger Distributors and I give a 10%
discount to club members and on large orders.Referring to Carol's comment
that she buys at 30 - 40% discount from her local supplier; either he's
marking up his "list" price or he's not making any money on parts sales.
Even buying at Moss's best dealer price, I couldn't afford to discount
that deeply, and TRF and VB give their trade customers a lot less than
30% discount!
As for service, have you ever tried to return defective or poor-quality
parts to some of the lower-priced suppliers? Or get intelligent advice?
Brit-Tek sounds exceptional in having someone willing to dispense advice.
One of my customers bought a cheap carpet set from Scarborough Faire,
disliked the quality, and had a long battle to get even credit against a
future order. Another bought a performance cam from VB, called to ask a
question about it, and was told "we have no technical people; if you
don't like it, send it back....!" I've never encountered this with Moss
Motors.
Happy Holidays to all!
Lawrie Alexander
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