AbuAnas

Hi,

I have just got the TH catalogue with a shippment from them. I noticed that all the products in their catalog with two prices; retailer prices and towerhobbies prices. The prices are quite different (sometimes around $100)

Are those prices right? I mean are their prices that low compared to others? espically online stores?

We don't have LHS at our country so I can't compare.. All our shopping is done on/from United Arab Emirates..


Thanks in Advance..

BradSD

My Feedback: (9)

Pretty much esp by the time you use the coupons and such. They are the Wal-Mart of the r/c industry.
Brad

doggscube

My Feedback: (1)

"List" price is always imaginary to allow salesmen to pretend you're getting a bargain. Tower's prices are normal, maybe a little lower than average.

-Jeff

BarracudaHockey

My Feedback: (11)

Great Planes supplies hobby shops the same items that Tower sells for a reduced price so that local hobby shops can carry those products and still make money. They also enforce something called MAP or Minimum Advertised Price that anyone that buys wholesale with them is obligated to use in their advertising. Shops such as Heliproz use the minumum advertised price on their web site but once you put it in your shopping cart you see the real price they charge.

Our LHS does the same thing on their price tags. The heli fuel I pay 19 bucks a gallon says "retail 34.99, our price 19.00" or some such. I just take it with grain of salt. Kind of like those matress ads with the "special spings" that the more weight you put on them the more they push back (say it aint so)

TLH101

My Feedback: (90)

Shop around. 90% of what Tower sells, with the exception Great Planes exclusive merchandise, can be had for less at other sites.

JNorton

My Feedback: (2)

Don't order out of their main catalog. Order online or from their sales flyers. Their main catalog prices are way higher and have different stock numbers than online or the sales flyers. I always look online for the stock numbers and my wife calls it in.

John

DaveB

In the past, the main catalog was significantly higher than the Tower Talk prices, but not this year. The seem to be the same.

DaveB

JNorton

My Feedback: (2)

Thanks for the infor Dave. I haven't received this years.
John

BradSD

My Feedback: (9)

Not trying to argue here nor take a stand for Tower but I have not seen this. You can spend $150 use a $20 coupon plus any other coupons that they have, then throw in free shipping. I just do not see anyone beating them in price or coustomer support. I do not want to see the little guys knocked out of business because competition is good for us all, but no one is going to beat Tower on pricing.
Brad

tailskid

My Feedback: (34)

Define 'pricing'.....our hobby shop often sells items for less than Tower, but then I have to add the TAX....grrrrrrrrrrrr.

Jerry

BradSD

My Feedback: (9)

I'm speaking of the final dollar that you have to give for a product or a group of products. I am saying that 99% of the time Tower will beat everyone. Now, if you do not take the time to use the sale catalog or the coupons that they offer then maybe not. I know right now I can spend 150 and get free shipping and $20 off. So lets say I order a Top Flite P-51 for 150 bucks, I then get free shipping and 20 taking off for the grand sum of 130. I do not see to many TF kits for 130 in the hobby shops or online and you still got taxes or shipping to add or both. Fuel is the only item I have seen cheaper and Tower is close on that also. And, they will bend over backwards to satisfy the customer, not that any hobby shop or online dealer wouldn't, but I do know first hand that they will make sure you are happy. Again, I do not want to see brick hobby stores extinct nor the other guys online but truthfully I am married to Tower Hobbies that is how happy I am with this dealer. One sour note in my opinion is they are starting to lean toward the electrics and arfs crowd more so than the builders and kit folks. This could be their demise in the end in my opinion the long term life long hobbiest are your kit builders. Most arf only folks will lose intrest and move on. Okay I probably will get hate mail on this so I better stop while I am behind[X(]
Brad

BasinBum

My Feedback: (2)

Abu,
What you have noticed is a bit of consumer retail psychology used by businesses. It might be more common with Americans but if they see a "regular' price and then a "discount" price some people will actually think they are getting a deal. It helps them rationalize a luxury purchase by being able to tell themselves they are saving money. It may work on people in other parts of the world as well but not on your neighbor to the Northeast if you know what I mean, they invented it.

AbuAnas

Well guys,

Thanks for your input and feedbacks..
I didn't want to make the thread sort of TH promotion.. But I did use that 20$ coupone plus $4 shipping discount.. that $24 I used for UPS Express..

Why don't everybody tell use where he gets his best online deals?

Basin you mean the Northestwest

piper_chuck

My Feedback: (12)

I get more good deals at Tower than anywhere else. I do shop prices, but 9 (or more) times out of 10, Tower has the best bottom line price.

BasinBum

My Feedback: (2)

You're right, I mean left.

Jimmbbo

My $.02 - I have been very pleased with Tower - you can save a buck here or there with other online shops, but overall Tower has the whole package - good inventory, fast delivery, decent prices, and I have had great customer service when an order went sour... IMO, they are the poster children for online shopping..[sm=thumbup.gif][sm=thumbup.gif]

Cheers!
Jim

redfox435cat

and that mode of thinking to save 3-5% in the long run is why hobby shops fold. I always ask my customers to print out the tower order they would have just sent out. I will always come to within 5% total cost, before I give em a discount. If the people want to bicker about that then the town doesn't need a LHS. When you factor in the fact the LHS a good one anyway will give you face to face advice, I do alot of free repairs, support the club as a board memberand a central communication hub to the locals 5% is a freakin deal. But there are always exceptions to the rule, granted alot of shops don't do this, most of my fellow LHS owners do. but I'm bias either way enjoy the hobby

Rcpilot

My Feedback: (78)

Where are these other sites? I would love to find other places to buy ARFs and kits at a discount. I've managed to find places to purchase bolts and hardware, but I haven't found the discount sites for the airplanes.

Could you post a link to some other sites that you've found to be comparable or even cheaper than Tower?

JNorton

My Feedback: (2)

I like Quantum.
http://www2.mailordercentral.com/qua...ls/default.asp

IronCross

I prefer Tower hands down... Prices are good and customer service is great.. Just not worth the hassel of dealing elswhere for me.

stick

My Feedback: (14)

Tower will also match price. I have done this before all you have to do is tell them where you seen the lower price and what the lower price was. Then you can still use the coupons and other discounts.

piper_chuck

My Feedback: (12)

Local shops that follow such a business model stand a good chance of surviving. The ones that (should) fold are those that insist on charging MSRP for everything, $18 per gallon for 10% fuel, etc, refuse to provide discounts for regular shoppers, club members, etc, and hire staff that are clueless about the hobby.

Prop Nut

My Feedback: (3)

I almost hate to admit it, but BasinBum is right. I was in Detriot one day with my wife (we live three hours west of there) and while looking through an RC Airplane shop (which I will not name as it was my fault for being took) I came across the Dynaflite SE5a kit. I was very excited as I had never built a biplane nor a WWI plane. The price tage said 240.00 with a huge sticker saying "This Weekend Only!!!" 169.00. I really wanted to get into the WWI thing and the kit looked good. I purchased it......when I returned home I went online to find out all I could about the kit and plane. Most all of the first page on Google were pages with the retail price listed..........119.99!!!! The suggested retail price was 149.99......................Buyer beware. I have learned not to impulse shop anymore

Epoxy Moxy

My Feedback: (3)

The way I understand it is Tower hobby is the retail, mail order division of Great Planes. My feeling is when tower and horizon drive all the LHS out of business it will be monopoly time. They will have only themselves to compete with. The LHS owner has to buy Futaba and OS from Great Planes. Saito from Horizon and so-forth. Then Tower sets the price the LHS can sell them for. Only pennies to be made for the LHS. To H--L with Great Planes and Tower. I'll Take the LHS any day of the week. I also rather the local lumber yard over Lowes and Home Depot. Just my 2 pennies

IronCross

Your foutunate to have a local hobby store... My closest on is probably 60 miles away, one way... Needles to say I don't make many trips there... Especially with the price of "liquid gold" these days...