Parts Shop goal

[robi99]

Is the Parts shop trying a)to make parts available, b) make parts available at a lower price or c) make parts available at any price ????
I have gotten a few quotes and find that the prices are very near what my local dealer charges so I am not ordering much.

[Bill Wood]

PartsShop is trying to make enough money to keep this MercedesShop site on line so we can offer FREE technical support to Mercedes owners directly from certified master technicians.

All of our prices are BELOW dealer MSRP but, the amount we are below is a function of our cost. If we can buy a part at a low cost then we will price it significantly below MSRP. If not, then we will be slightly below MSRP. Many dealers actually sell ABOVE MSRP so you are fortunate that your dealer does not follow that practice.

We are not a large volume purchaser of Mercedes parts so we don't have the buying power to get super low prices. We are able to sell below the dealer because we keep our overhead low and are willing to sell at low margins. Believe me, we make very little on our parts sales!

Many people have suggested that we should charge an annual membership fee for access to the Shop Forum. We have opted to pursue advertisers/sponsors and to sell parts at a fair price to fund the site.

Which would you prefer?

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Bill Wood - Webmaster
MercedesShop.com, LLC

[MikeM]

Bill,

I prefer the way you are doing it now. It gives another avenue to persue in buying parts.

I understand the basic rules of economics here and it seems to work. The part I bought was way below dealer price (I usually get 20% off list at my local dealer and it was still lower)
The Tax savings for people that are outside of Parts shop can also help in areas such as shipping charges, handling, etc.

One suggestion or idea, Is there a way to fax a page from a Picture Parts Catalog to check to find the Part Number? Or can we do as the PPC suggests buy identifying the PPC , Page Num, Section, and item # for ID ?

Reason I ask is that I need a PS Hose set for my 400E

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Mike Mullins
71 250 Coupe
92 400E Sedan
90 944/S2 Cabriolet

[Bill Wood]

Mike-
Thanks for the input and support. We really want to stay with the strategy we have. Part of the beauty of the internet, at least in my mind, is the free access to information.

We sometimes e-mail part drawings when necessary to help customers identify the part they are looking for. Usually it is not necessary. If you submit a Parts Information Request to us via the form in PartsShop we will e-mail you back and give you the part number you need to order. Be sure to include your chassis and engine number and on some items we need the VIN as well. All you have to do is describe the part you want, then we will identify the correct part number for you.

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Bill Wood - Webmaster
MercedesShop.com, LLC

[zachv]

Can't you guys get a deal going with tirerack and/or carparts.com to have them handle the parts that are generally available and just have them pay you a bonus for linking to them when we buy parts. This saves them money for not having to advertise to us and saves you time. I am an "IBO" affiliated with Quixtar.com and that is the way that their business works and it works very well, just ask IBM or Office Max.
Just an idea. Thanks for all that you do.

I have had private e-mail with the PartsShop along the same lines. I will share my opinion with the forum and see what happens. First, the Tech Forum is an extremely valuable resource for me. It provides information and guidance that I can not obtain from any other source. I had another supplier before discovering Mercedesshop.com, so they have suceeded in capturing a portion of my business that they did not have before. Pricing has prevented them from capuring all of it. Looking at the total package of what they provide (prices, info, and advice) I feel a personal responsibility to provide income to them for what they provide to me free of charge. I can not stress this enough, take care of the people that take care of you (or they may not be around in the future)! I also try to provide value added info the the site when I know enough, to make this site as attractive and productive as possible and expand their customer base as far as possible.

With their new supplier they have promised lower prices, but I have not had a need to get a quote yet, so I can not comment on any inprovement.

This is what I expect from Partsshop, only high quality parts (emphasis on known quality if it is an aftermarket supplier). Up front info that this is not an OEM part, which they seem to be doing, and a good price for the total package that they supply, this includes the "free" info on the web site!

Here is what I think they can improve on - quality of packaging and response time on price requests. When I need a part in a hurry, sometimes I have to call another supplier on the phone and get it sent in - or go to the dealer, because I can not wait for the lag on request, feedback, then order.

These guys are still new and I have great hopes for their success. Your comments are great and should help them think and communicate their goals to us so we will know what to expect and how to rate them.


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Deezel
87 300TDT
150,000 miles

[Bill Wood]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by zachv:
Can't you guys get a deal going with tirerack and/or carparts.com to have them handle the parts that are generally available and just have them pay you a bonus for linking to them when we buy parts.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>We would be very interested in doing something like that. We offer parts to our members as a service and as a way to support the site but, it is really not the primary objective of MercedesShop.


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Bill Wood - Webmaster
MercedesShop.com, LLC

[Larry Delor]

Carparts.com??? thats a four letter word for me! (kinda like pepboys and benzmac) I bought an a/c clutch from them - wrong one, my fault, no problem, i could deal with restocking charge with no problem. I ordered another one...wrong one again...I still have it. Why? Because I still havent gotten the refund for the first one....at least this way I still have at least something. carparts.com -phooey!

Larry

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03/83 300D
07/73 280

I think all of the questions above are answerd in the new fast lane catalog, Fast, accurate and no need to wait for a reply. It is as fast as your fingers on the mouse

[vrsmith]

I would completely agree that the forum at Mercedesshop is extremely beneficial. I follow two other lists as well, but the forums here are much easier to use and have a fantastic search tool. The Fastlane parts outlet is an excellent addition that I have already used. I have found that the prices are completely reasonable or exceptional. My local MB quoted $203 for a lower seat spring frame. Fastlane says the dealer list is $177, (local inflation?), but Fastlane sells for $164. I am not able to get discount pricing anywhere else.
Today, I purchased some parts for my Dodge truck. The catalogue system at the store looked somewhat like a really old Fastlane. Too bad Fastlane doesn't sell Dodge parts, though. A tie rod assembly cost more for the Dodge than for a Mercedes. Not only that, but browsing for parts at the counter is nowhere near as easy as on Fastlane.