Garmin Price Fixing Post from other newsgroup

[TripodBill]

Subject: Re: Garmin too big for their britches? (Fixed Pricing)
From: (TripodBill)
Date: 7/14/2004 12:09 AM Central Standard Time
Message-id: >

Many readers appropriately picked up on one of the most important issues in my
earlier post: Minimum Retail Price Policy (i.e., controls). For those that are
still interested in the subject and are of the "pilot persuasion" here's an
update of what you can expect at the Oshkosh show this year. You may recall
from my previous post that I relayed information from a friend RE: Garmin's new
price policy on the GPSMAP 296 at SunNFun. Well, if you are headed to EAA's
Oshkosh show this year, there is good and bad news. Good news: The older GPSMAP
196 will be cheaper this year at about $795. More Good news: There will be new
low-end handhelds in B&W and color to replace the aging GPS III Pilot and
GPSMAP 295. The new handhelds will both be in the GPSMAP 76 form factor. (Not
sure if that's a great design for yoke mounting, but I'll leave that to pilots
to decide.) Bad news? ALL MODELS will now be under the Minimum Retail Price
Policy, meaning no dealer at the show will be competing with another dealer.
Buy from whoever you like, 'cause they can't sell it to you any cheaper. Any
dealer that screws up and offers free shipping, a package deal, or discounted
accessory will be canceled by Garmin. Garmin has now fixed prices on all their
aviation products. It will be just a matter of time before they do the same in
the automotive, outdoor and marine product lines. Happy shopping!

-Bill


(for more info, see sci.geo.satellite-nav newsgroup)

[Stu Gotts]

Screw them! I'm ditching my 295 for the Lowrance 2000.

On 15 Jul 2004 00:19:50 GMT, (TripodBill) wrote:

>Subject: Re: Garmin too big for their britches? (Fixed Pricing)
>From: (TripodBill)
>Date: 7/14/2004 12:09 AM Central Standard Time
>Message-id: >
>
>Many readers appropriately picked up on one of the most important issues in my
>earlier post: Minimum Retail Price Policy (i.e., controls). For those that are
>still interested in the subject and are of the "pilot persuasion" here's an
>update of what you can expect at the Oshkosh show this year. You may recall
>from my previous post that I relayed information from a friend RE: Garmin's new
>price policy on the GPSMAP 296 at SunNFun. Well, if you are headed to EAA's
>Oshkosh show this year, there is good and bad news. Good news: The older GPSMAP
>196 will be cheaper this year at about $795. More Good news: There will be new
>low-end handhelds in B&W and color to replace the aging GPS III Pilot and
>GPSMAP 295. The new handhelds will both be in the GPSMAP 76 form factor. (Not
>sure if that's a great design for yoke mounting, but I'll leave that to pilots
>to decide.) Bad news? ALL MODELS will now be under the Minimum Retail Price
>Policy, meaning no dealer at the show will be competing with another dealer.
>Buy from whoever you like, 'cause they can't sell it to you any cheaper. Any
>dealer that screws up and offers free shipping, a package deal, or discounted
>accessory will be canceled by Garmin. Garmin has now fixed prices on all their
>aviation products. It will be just a matter of time before they do the same in
>the automotive, outdoor and marine product lines. Happy shopping!
>
>-Bill
>
>
>(for more info, see sci.geo.satellite-nav newsgroup)

[Roger Halstead]

On 15 Jul 2004 00:19:50 GMT, (TripodBill) wrote:

>Subject: Re: Garmin too big for their britches? (Fixed Pricing)
>From: (TripodBill)
>Date: 7/14/2004 12:09 AM Central Standard Time
>Message-id: >
>
>Many readers appropriately picked up on one of the most important issues in my
>earlier post: Minimum Retail Price Policy (i.e., controls). For those that are
>still interested in the subject and are of the "pilot persuasion" here's an
>update of what you can expect at the Oshkosh show this year. You may recall
>from my previous post that I relayed information from a friend RE: Garmin's new
>price policy on the GPSMAP 296 at SunNFun. Well, if you are headed to EAA's
>Oshkosh show this year, there is good and bad news. Good news: The older GPSMAP
>196 will be cheaper this year at about $795. More Good news: There will be new
>low-end handhelds in B&W and color to replace the aging GPS III Pilot and
>GPSMAP 295. The new handhelds will both be in the GPSMAP 76 form factor. (Not
>sure if that's a great design for yoke mounting, but I'll leave that to pilots
>to decide.) Bad news? ALL MODELS will now be under the Minimum Retail Price
>Policy, meaning no dealer at the show will be competing with another dealer.
>Buy from whoever you like, 'cause they can't sell it to you any cheaper. Any

That's interesting. Back in "the old days", Remington and Winchester
had a minimum retail price. The FTC took exception to that form of
doing business and they quietly dropped the practice.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

>dealer that screws up and offers free shipping, a package deal, or discounted
>accessory will be canceled by Garmin. Garmin has now fixed prices on all their
>aviation products. It will be just a matter of time before they do the same in
>the automotive, outdoor and marine product lines. Happy shopping!
>
>-Bill
>
>
>(for more info, see sci.geo.satellite-nav newsgroup)

[John]

There's quite a difference between Minimun retail pricing and MSRP
(manufacturers suggested retail price).
John



Juan Jimenez wrote:

>
>>
>> (for more info, see sci.geo.satellite-nav newsgroup)
>
> Minimum retail pricing is not illegal. It's called MSRP, under another
> name. For example, all the video game console manufacturers have been
> doing it for years. What stores do is tell people to call for special
> pricing when they have it available. Garmin would be making a big
> mistake if they were to cancel dealers who sell product at anything
> below their min pricing guideline, or who offer incentives that have
> nothing to do with the price of the units, because the media (myself
> included) would not look kindly at such actions.
>
> I will make it a point to check on this at OSH. If anyone has evidence
> that a dealer has been cancelled or otherwise penalized for offering an
> incentive like the ones described above, come to the Aero-News trailer
> at the Media Center and let us know.
>
> Juan

[Juan Jimenez]

(TripodBill) wrote in
:

> Subject: Re: Garmin too big for their britches? (Fixed Pricing)
> From: (TripodBill)
> Date: 7/14/2004 12:09 AM Central Standard Time
> Message-id: >
>
> Many readers appropriately picked up on one of the most important
> issues in my earlier post: Minimum Retail Price Policy (i.e.,
> controls). For those that are still interested in the subject and are
> of the "pilot persuasion" here's an update of what you can expect at
> the Oshkosh show this year. You may recall from my previous post that
> I relayed information from a friend RE: Garmin's new price policy on
> the GPSMAP 296 at SunNFun. Well, if you are headed to EAA's Oshkosh
> show this year, there is good and bad news. Good news: The older
> GPSMAP 196 will be cheaper this year at about $795. More Good news:
> There will be new low-end handhelds in B&W and color to replace the
> aging GPS III Pilot and GPSMAP 295. The new handhelds will both be in
> the GPSMAP 76 form factor. (Not sure if that's a great design for yoke
> mounting, but I'll leave that to pilots to decide.) Bad news? ALL
> MODELS will now be under the Minimum Retail Price Policy, meaning no
> dealer at the show will be competing with another dealer. Buy from
> whoever you like, 'cause they can't sell it to you any cheaper. Any
> dealer that screws up and offers free shipping, a package deal, or
> discounted accessory will be canceled by Garmin. Garmin has now fixed
> prices on all their aviation products. It will be just a matter of
> time before they do the same in the automotive, outdoor and marine
> product lines. Happy shopping!
>
> -Bill
>
>
> (for more info, see sci.geo.satellite-nav newsgroup)

Minimum retail pricing is not illegal. It's called MSRP, under another
name. For example, all the video game console manufacturers have been
doing it for years. What stores do is tell people to call for special
pricing when they have it available. Garmin would be making a big
mistake if they were to cancel dealers who sell product at anything
below their min pricing guideline, or who offer incentives that have
nothing to do with the price of the units, because the media (myself
included) would not look kindly at such actions.

I will make it a point to check on this at OSH. If anyone has evidence
that a dealer has been cancelled or otherwise penalized for offering an
incentive like the ones described above, come to the Aero-News trailer
at the Media Center and let us know.

Juan

[Juan Jimenez]

The line is not as thick as some people think. MRP is MSRP with contractual
teeth. If Garmin is threatening dealers at OSH with dismissal from the
dealer program if they offer incentives like free shipping, they're
stepping over the line, IMO. Somehow I find it a little hard to believe
that Garmin would do that, though. They don't strike me as that kind of
company.

John > wrote in :

> There's quite a difference between Minimun retail pricing and MSRP
> (manufacturers suggested retail price).
> John
>
>
>
> Juan Jimenez wrote:
>
>>
>>>
>>> (for more info, see sci.geo.satellite-nav newsgroup)
>>
>> Minimum retail pricing is not illegal. It's called MSRP, under another
>> name. For example, all the video game console manufacturers have been
>> doing it for years. What stores do is tell people to call for special
>> pricing when they have it available. Garmin would be making a big
>> mistake if they were to cancel dealers who sell product at anything
>> below their min pricing guideline, or who offer incentives that have
>> nothing to do with the price of the units, because the media (myself
>> included) would not look kindly at such actions.
>>
>> I will make it a point to check on this at OSH. If anyone has evidence
>> that a dealer has been cancelled or otherwise penalized for offering an
>> incentive like the ones described above, come to the Aero-News trailer
>> at the Media Center and let us know.
>>
>> Juan
>
>