Bow Shop Pricing

Exocet77 · Post by **Exocet77** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 1:58 am

I know I may get bashed a little for this but how can the pricing be so different. I was thinking of buying a decoy and my closest shop 1/2 hr away, wants $210 for the Redi-Doe decoy, yet I can order 1 from a shop an hour away for $139.50. Even getting it shipped to my door in a week I would still be up $50.
I just cant understand how prices can be marked up so high

Sopchoppy · Post by **Sopchoppy** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 8:37 am

Could be any number of reasons; the size of the business, some manufacturers give retailers a price break based on how many they buy; the cost of rent could be a big difference; other costs of doing business; business license rates, property tax rates, sales tax rates, etc. Then there are those that just charge a lot to make a lot.

TPM · Post by **TPM** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 8:54 am

I just cant understand how prices can be marked up so high

Neither can I. Seems to be worse for the "accessory" type items. I bought a "Block" crossbow target block a while back and almost crapped my pants when I saw how much cheaper they were at Bass Pro. Same goes for the Gun Room downstairs. They want $36 for a brick of the .22 ammo I use for target shooting in a winter leaugue I shoot in. The same brick is $27 at Canadian Tire.
I don't want to knock Shooters Choice, I do enjoy shopping there and the service for the most part is good but some of the pricing seems way out of line.

Grizzly Adam · Post by **Grizzly Adam** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 9:12 am

One of my brothers just bought a new (2008) Ford Ranger in Indiana for $15,995 ... at the dealer's "rock-bottom price." They're selling in Plymouth, NC for $11,995.

What's up with that?

raydaughety · Post by **raydaughety** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 9:46 am

What really burns my hind parts are these outrageous "shipping and handling" charges. You buy an item for 20 buck and pay another 12 bucks for S&H

Boo · Post by **Boo** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 9:48 am

You would have to be a retailer to understand the pricing. Not to defend anyone's pricing but that decoy also is in a building with a whole whack of other stuff that the retailer owns and has paid for. The Bowshop stocks more than most retailers do so when they have something one needs that no one else carries that sort of justifies the pricing in their eyes. They should get well paid for doing a great job.
No you shouldn't get flamed over this. Again you would have to be a retailer to understand why.
I buy most of my stuff there and do not compare prices. I know its generally more but they almost always have what I want. They are quite reasonable with pricing and if I am not happy with something they take it back, no questions asked.

sumner4991 · Post by **sumner4991** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 10:22 am

Boo is right, service is worth a lot. So is convenience.

I just bought some bolts and broadheads from Ye Old Archery Shoppe . . .not that they were the cheapest for either item. However, they were cheaper for both items combined after you factor in the shipping charge. They were one of the few that offered the Beman Thunderbolts and the Slick Trick Mags. I could have gotten them cheaper in seperate orders until I factored in two shipping charges.

The closest local shop for me is about an hour's drive away. I could have gotten both there for about the same price . . .until you factor in the gas money. Plus, if I walk into the store, I buy more and more stuff.

Grizzly Adam · Post by **Grizzly Adam** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 10:23 am

I live more than 60 miles from any major retailer, so I'm usually willing to pay a bit more to local vendors for the same product I could get elsewhere for what seems to be a lot less. There is the gas to consider, of course, which won't be less than $25.00 per trip on average. Then there's the time ... it takes me around four hours minimum to go to a big town and get something. If my time is worth anything, you're talking a substantial investment in going to get something.

I like to support local business when I can. I spent $35,000 with the local lumber supply when I built my house, rather than doing business with Lowes or Home Depot ... but I asked them to match prices as closely as they could, within reason.

It's worth something to buy close, from someone you know and trust, spending the money in your own community.

That being said, some local vendors are greedy opportunists who should be bypassed for better prices.

Lots of times, UPS is my best option!

TPM · Post by **TPM** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 10:54 am

Boo, I agree with paying extra for service and have no problem with that. Most of their "big ticket" stuff like bows and guns are comparably priced with other retailers but it's the smaller stuff that has me scratching my head sometimes. I was in the market for a Buck Vangaurd knife at one time. This is a very popular selling knife and available at most places that sell hunting knives. The price at Shooters Choice $89.95, at Bass Pro $64.95. I can understand a $5 or $10 difference but $25 seems a bit steep.
Again, I have shopped at and will continue to shop at The BowShop/GunRoom but I'm just a little more careful about some items.

Boo · Post by **Boo** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 11:11 am

The accessories is where they all make money. The main items are competitvily price courtesy of Wallmarts etc. There is so little money made in the main items, not much different from cars either. If it weren't for the Wallmarts selling for so little there would be very little excuse for killing us on the accessories. Paying $175.00 or more for sights for my compound makes me want to toss. Buying trim for cars makes me want to barf too! A spool of Xcel is around $70.00!
I figure that if I don't put money into a business they won't be there for me when I need them.
One time The Bow Shop forgot to ship some glue with some Axis shafts, well they had it to me in Toronto in less than 12 hours!
Yes I am somewhat careful as well. I do buy when its really easy elsewhere if it is vastly less money. I just bought some Halo from BCY for less now that I am considered wholesale so my faith isn't blind.

Grizzly Adam · Post by **Grizzly Adam** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 11:38 am

bstout wrote:It's 95 miles round trip to the nearest retailer here. We don't have any "Little Guys" left just corporations.

Us country boys were into mail order in BC (Before Computers). We can't get cable or order a pizza. You can hardly get here from there.

I wouldn't want it any other way.

Yeah ... I'm not complaining. The 120 mile round-trip to the nearest WallyWorld and the 200 mile trip to the nearest urban center are small prices to pay for living next to hundreds and hundreds of thousands of acres of wild country.

Deer and bear and wolves make pretty good neighbors, too.

bj · Post by bj » Thu Oct 25, 2007 11:53 am

TPM wrote:Boo, I agree with paying extra for service and have no problem with that. Most of their "big ticket" stuff like bows and guns are comparably priced with other retailers but it's the smaller stuff that has me scratching my head sometimes. I was in the market for a Buck Vangaurd knife at one time. This is a very popular selling knife and available at most places that sell hunting knives. The price at Shooters Choice $89.95, at Bass Pro $64.95. I can understand a $5 or $10 difference but $25 seems a bit steep.
Again, I have shopped at and will continue to shop at The BowShop/GunRoom but I'm just a little more careful about some items.

Agreed !!!!!!!!!!

being in the business, i am faced with this each and every day...most folks (beacause of obvious reasons) have become accustomed to "shopping for the best price"...sometimes you have to take this with a grain of salt and understand that a lot of times big business will (and i think someone already mentioned it) will "invite" you into their establishments as they know today's consumer is price conscious and there to "shop"...i know for a fact (and you might want to call it a lost leader), but the super stores will sometimes sell a selection of bow cases on an end aisle...they will advertise this and get you there...you know what happens next...i remember a specific situaion where one of the super stores was receiving these cases and paying the same price as i - this is a fact !...it didn't matter to them what they paid...as i recall my cost was 46.00 and i was retailing the cases for 62.00 - fair enough right ?...the superstore was selling them for 42.95 - 3.05 cheaper than what they paid for them...crazy right ?...if you could regiment yourself to go in a purchase that case only, the superstore was of course the loser (not really - it is a drop in the bucket because the next nine individuals would quite nicely balance this out in the store's favour)...not likely to happen though, as there is the odd individual that could do that, but for most, it's hmmmm...let me see what else they've got...in canada, anyhow, i can tell you that most superstores will sell an excalibur or whatever, for the same price or "more" than the local shops will...not a bad deal if you think about it and you buy that less than cost price case on the end aisle, right?...things aren't always as they seem and this is about where the deals stop...suppose you want your new bow assembled...they may do it for you, but trust me, it's usually not put together correctly or they don't put it together at all for you...you can walk all around, pick up the pieces that that you think you need (don't ask for assistance because they usually don't know - or you'll get the "well the last customer puchased this scenerio - and we all know you're not like the last customer - right !), take them home in a bag and a big white box, and say to yourself, what have i done ???...now if you do manage to get it together (and i'm not talking about us excal. forum groupies who probably know as much as the manufactuer does - but the customer that is slightly oblivious to how things should work), or you take them back to the "box store" and have them assemble it for you, and then you have a problem........not too likely to happen with the excal lineup, but ***t does happen, now you have a totally different outlook on the purchase...ask them about repair, warranty and sure they package it back up for you, send it to the mfg. and hopefully you will hear from them over the course of the next couple of weeks, when they find the time to call you (or maybe they won't - sometimes you may call and quite often the individual who took your purchase back for repair, is not longer there and no one seems to know much about what transpired over the last (now about 3-4 weeks)....i could go on and on...

Here, i guess i'm just a little disappointed, as to the gist of this post...this all started out about a bow shop that has been in business for a very long time - long before the super stores, a business that has provided years of excellent service and supply...this business would not have been in business for all of these years if they would have been "ripping people off"...it doesn't work that way...i know this shop provides great service and whenever possible provides competitive pricing...not a bad deal when you think about it, and when your dry fired bow is sitting on the table with a lost molded end cap, a split limb and a bent db bar....think about it, for most is probably a no brainer...i don't expect to comment on this again, and please don't come back with the "that 20.00 bucks is just as good in my pocket scenerio"...sorry it doesn't cut it here...if you need to purchase the item at the bargain price be prepared for some of the consequences and the saga that "may" unfold...

see ya

Wayne...........

(ah i feel better now !)...

VixChix · Post by **VixChix** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 12:09 pm

When it comes to the Bow Shop I usually get excellent service. They've never made me feel out of place or like I was asking a stupid question. The guys there walked me through what I needed to know to get into archery, advised me in the purchase of my first vertical bow, helped guide me to reasonably priced (often used) accessories to get me outfitted. When the time came to purchase my Vixen they gave me the best deal. I've only had a few disappointing experiences, but those were with some newer staff and perhaps they were just having a really bad day. I know that for some things I'm paying more there, but I also know they won't steer me wrong - that's worth a lot to me!

The Gun Room is a different story. I don't think I'll ever feel comfortable there or that I could trust the guys to give me good advice. I think it's partly because I'm a woman. They also seem more "gun" oriented than hunting oriented. I always look forward to leaving there and escaping upstairs to the BowShop.

Exocet77 · Post by **Exocet77** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 12:39 pm

As for the little things being marked up to give the better deals on bows and stuff, I actually ordered my Vixen from archersnook for $396 and the bowshop is $429, even with shipping I was still up almost $30 + gas. Im not comparing bass pro shop and them big stores, ive never been to archersnook but i was thinking its something similar to the bow shop. I would be happy to shop @ the bow shop if the prices were at least a little more comparable. Im looking to buy a new compound bow come spring and chances are I may actually take the drive to london to get setup. Correct me if im wrong, but are they not a smaller owned business as well?

Boo · Post by **Boo** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 1:15 pm

BJ, he wasn't anything but wondering and amazed as most purchasers are when they see the difference. I don't think he is peeved.
Butttt if we don't support the little guy we have to deal with the big guy and when there are no more little guys the big guys will bully us around and charge the snot out of us.

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