Bilstein is a unique problem, for sure. On their shock kits, to be "competitive with the internet" I'm supposed to make a living, pay my employees, pay the overhead and keep the lights on, do testing in the shop and on the track, prove the parts we sell in competition, answer customer questions 24/7... for 5% margin on an $800 sale. That's $40 profit, which is often lost in shipping. How? We don't just drop-ship Bilstein direct to the end user like everyone else, we pay to ship the shocks here so we can assemble our Bilstein shock kits (springs + top mounts) in-house to verify everything is correct and to save the end user time and hassles And since it usually costs me $50 to ship a set of shocks here, I'd lose $10 on that $800 sale... its a farce.
Competition is rough. But you're an honest to God shop that does all sorts of work, plus you have a nice, diversified product line that includes your own parts. I suspect you're going to do all right.
Well, no. Firstly, you design and sell your own parts. Secondly, you run a real shop. And finally, you sell more than just those parts that everyone else sells. Like I said, I think you'll be all right.It is impossible for real shops to make a living selling Other People's Parts (OPP). I know most of you don't care - you just want the best deal - but that's the reality of the situation. These "bunny slipper" online sellers are killing the automotive aftermarket. Eventually there will be no more Sam Stranos or Vorshlags to advise, help, consult, post pictures, do testing, or make new combinations of Other People's Parts. You'll just have TireRack - the WalMart of automotive parts - and Amazon to choose from.
And believe it or not, there do exist people who value solid advice and excellent after-the-sale service enough to buy from those who give it, even though the prices are higher. Probably enough to keep people like you and Sam afloat, even.
Eh. It's your choice how to present things. You don't have to sugar coat anything. You could get away with simply presenting the facts without injecting any personal opinion, etc. But that's not your style.Phil has to admit, I shared some good tech in that post (that took me 30 minutes to put together). But one perceived slight and Mr Thinskin goes off and he now likely HATES me for LIFE. I see this all the time... if I don't candy coat the hell out of everything I post, coddle every customer, I'm branded a total A-HOLE. It sucks...
Frankly, I like your style. It makes for rousing good conversation. But then, I strongly prefer someone give it to me straight up, personal opinions and all, than for them to pussyfoot around. Maybe I'm weird that way, but I cut my teeth on Usenet back when there were real flame wars and no moderators.
So you'll just have to deal with the consequences of how you present things. But you should know that not everyone has a problem with it. Keep it up.