MichiganJason said:
Hey all, I've been looking at different dealers and such to figure out where I'm going to purchase my Deleon.
Regardless of brand, I always encourage consumers to shop from a local detector dealer ....
if they have one. You can then ask the dealer directly about
their suggested retail price and if they might include any accessories. Some dealers add inferior, poor quality accessories and show some inflated "suggested retail" prices for those 'freebies' just to make the buyer feel like they got a great deal. Some dealers carry good-quality accessories and will extend a fair discount to anyone buying a detector from them.
In addition, some manufacturers will offer consumers a seasonal or holiday special package that the purchaser can get by sending a coupon to the factory, or they include the special package for the various detector models directly through their dealers. Then, there are the manufacturers who do
]not offer any holiday specials and they also limit what their dealers might offer in the way of their own product.
MichiganJason said:
One thing I noticed is why you never get any extras when purchasing a Tesoro. I can by a Tesoro and get nothing extra...or I can buy a Minelab and get a free Lesche digger and Garrett Propointer, and headphones.
Let's start with Tesoro, and I am limiting my discounting info from when I was last a dealer in 2004. Back about 1987, Jack Gifford decided he wanted to limit some big discount houses from his Tesoro dealer base. He also wanted to control the discount structure dealers were allowed to use. He achieved this by, first, just saying 'NO' to some detector sources who wanted to carry Tesoro. The main big dealer he said No to was Kellyco and other associated discounting dealers at the time.
The next Discount program Jack employed was quite direct. It was for a dealer to buy 1 detector at 35% off suggested retail. 2-5 detectors could be ordered at 38% off of suggested retail. And if a dealer bought 6 or more detectors they got the maximum 40$ discount off of suggested retail. Also, all active Tesoro Dealers back then (when Tesoro was a young and growing business with a good size dealer base and wide-spread popularity) would buy Tesoro's at least 6-at-a-time for the maximum 40% discount.
Note: The 40% discount was for metal detectors. Search coils and other Tesoro accessories had a lower discount dealer price of about 35%.
Also very popular still in that late 1980's era were all the different metal detecting related magazines in store magazine racks all over the place. Western & Eastern Treasure and Lost Treasure being the biggest, and Jess Publishing's series of Treasure, Treasure Search, Treasure Found, and the last series of Treasure Search & Found. There were also a lot of metal detector dealers around who also carried those magazines. In every magazine were several multi-line dealers who sold metal detectors and you could call them and get their detector discount price list. Usually, during the late '70s through the late '80s, most detectors were sold at suggested retail, or "discounters" might offer them at 5% off or 10% off.
Once Jack made the new Dealer Discount Pricing, he also set a dealer-wide limit of not discounting any detector for more than 20%. The
intent was to let a dealer make a fair profit and also control the overall discounting. The problem that Tesoro then started with that approach as very simple and quickly became obvious. Almost every Tesoro Dealer bought detectors at 40% off, then passed along the allowable discount of 20%. Thus, all Tesoro dealers were guaranteed making a gross profit of 20% of the suggested retail price AND they knew that no other Tesoro Dealer was a,lowed to beat their price. They all could buy at the same price and all were limited to selling for the same discounted price.
Thus, there was no need to add any freebies to try and entice some sales because they already knew other dealers couldn't beat their price, and to add free items then cut into your discounted profit. The only real "specials" we have usually seen have been inferior quality free items from big bulk buyers, and who wants cheap junk? A Dealer couldn't offer any Tesoro accessory for "free", such as a coil cover or search coil or Tesoro detector bag. They could put together a "package", but it still could not reflect more than the allowable Tesoro discount.
Those were how things went then, and I would guess Tesoro might threaten dealers today, if they discount more than allowable, but we have also seen a drastic decline in Tesoro sales over the past 4-10 years, and maybe an even greater dwindling of active, stocking Tesoro Dealers. Why? Because the competitors offer far more models with a lot of modern features, such as TID and VDI displays, back-lighted displays, automated Ground Balance, and more. It would be good if Tesoro had a staff of modern design engineers to do R&D and kick out some newer models for consumers, but I', mot holding my breath.
MichiganJason said:
Seems to me a lot of people would pick a detector other than a Tesoro just to save 2-3 hundred bucks on extras.
Well, many hobbyists (newcomers and average folks) and detectorists (avid and very active guys and gals) have been/are shopping for other brands that offer different features and performance, or those who also offer seasonal/holiday special packages. Yes, some are also shopping for a Tesoro, but we all have to just contact the individual dealers and see what they can offer us in the way of better pricing or specials.
Some free accessories that are supplied by the manufacturers are often pretty good, but I feel it is best for the consumer to shop for the best accessories we can fit into our budget, such as quality headphones, search coils, lower rods, recovery tools, bags for recovered items, etc., etc. Pass on buying inferior stuff, and even pass of getting free stuff, if it falls short of what you consider to be a quality product.
If there is a Tesoro, new or used, that you believe can handle the hunting tasks you have, and you can find it at any reasonable price, buy it. Freebies? Just consider the source and what the item is. Most avid detectorists have more than one detector, so they likely already have at least one good quality set of headphones, and a recovery tool and bag. So, just shop for what you feel is a good price. If a Tesoro model doesn't offer all you want or need, look elsewhere. That might also bring a special or two.
There are still good used Tesoro's out there, and certainly one or two carried today might work for you. I sure miss the good old days of Tesoro, and I also miss Jack Gifford and how he ran the outfit. Yep, times have changed and things just aren't the same as they used to be ... specials or not.
Monte
