Hi, I sincerely wanted to purchase the BAC281P, and PI-0200E, but to pay $15.00 for shipping a set of wires is ridiculous. I think GM is milking this cow a bit too much. The wires could be shipped in an envelope along with the controller at no extra cost or maybe a buck or two.
I guess I’ll look elsewhere for a controller where the manufacturer doesn’t try to bilk me.
If anyone at GM has something to say that disputes this I am open for discussion.
Regards,
This is such a huge misconception about GM and the profits on individual items. The average customer sees all companies as an entity that’s making a huge profit and ripping them off to do it. For one thing the profits on all the GM products are allot less then the average person would imagine. Have you compared GM’s prices with the competitor’s equivalent items? As a dealer, after paying all the expenses taxes duties etc, If a profit is still actually made on an individual item, it is very slight. The controller you are referring to the profit is smaller then most other items. Somewhere around 10 dollars I believe. Now if I was to sell this item to someone in Canada I have to also pay the 13 percent tax on top of the sale price or I would have to charge 13 percent more then GM China sells it for. Why would anyone then by from me? So think about that, 10 dollars profit minus 8.45 (13 percent of 65 dollars) leaving a whooping profit of $1.45. The item then has to be picked from stock, then packaged (packaging cost money), then labelled (ink and paper) and in my case driven to the post office (time and fuel). So what is my profit at now? This is why I charge the same shipping as GM china as well, I have to have the items shipped to me then to the customer in many cases it actually costs more. Of course with sea shipping, the shipment cost is lower, but a huge investment is laid out and months go by waiting for stock then you have to pay duties taxes handing fees customs charges etc. You have to have space to store the product as well. Also there are website costs, accounting expenses internet access. Equipment, my own time, etc, Then if you make a profit you have to pay tax on that! The list is long and I’m sure that I’m forgetting many things as I'm writing this on the fly.
The only way you ever make any profit is when a customer buys multiple item, then 5 dollars on this item 10 dollars on that all adds up.
So when you say “they are making enough profit on the controller” I think you are mistaken.
Now of course this is the view of a Dealer, not the manufacturer. However I would think they have expenses to. Certainly a lot more then I do. I wonder what the Research and development was to develop the controller and the USB link? So on a single item like a controller I would think the profit is next to nothing, some profit if you buy a second item, If you buy a whole kit then its worth being in business.
Anyway I hope not to offend you but simply explain why shipping on some items may seem unreasonable. I think it’s because they are actually trying to make a profit. I charge the same cost and shipping as GM china does as I’m also trying to make a profit. I have been in several businesses in my time and the profit margin in this one is less then most. But this one has huge potential and is of personal interest to me so I stick with it. I think most GM dealers think they are going to make a lot of money at the beginning, But after time the ones that stick with it do so because they believe in and enjoy the product.
Another perfect example would be something most of us use everyday ‘Microsoft Windows” xp, vista, seven whatever. I wonder what it actually costs to burn a dvd with windows seven on it. Would it be as much as a dollar? I doubt it. But what is the current cost to buy it? Do you think Microsoft could survive it they sold it for a dollar? 10 dollars? 50 dollars? 100 dollars? I think it probably needs to sell in the 200 dollar range for them to survive and they need to sell millions.
Enjoy the Ride!
Gary Salo
Golden Motor Canada
P.S. if you do look elsewhere and find another controller that is programmable by PC, Please do come back here and let us know about it, I’m sure we will all be interested.
