Wot No RV Spares Available!!!! (1 Viewer)

[Geo]

Looking at the Stratford Motorhome and RV show
I see we have NO RV spares traders in attendance
Wots Happened to them !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And why cant I edit the title, i forgot an R

 

[dazzer]

Is Linda not going??

 

[moandick]

Looking at the Stratford Motorhome and RV show
I see we have NO RV spares traders in attendance
Wots Happened to them !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The cost of the stand?

The cost of the fuel getting there?

The cost of accommodation there?

The cost of the spares themselves?

The cost of shipping the spares?

The fact that nobody is spending money on RV's at the moment?

The number of complaints about 'rip-off' traders trying to make a living with all these increased costs?

As was said by somebody once upon a time - "You reap what you sow!"

Dick

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[olley]

Or Duncan, or ABP?

Hi Dick I spent around £100 with Duncan at Newark.

Geo, try "Advanced" in the edit menu.

Olley

 

[Road Runner]

I spent money at Newark and generally do at most shows (thats why I am so skint)

 

[moandick]

Hi Olley - and John

I don't believe I have ever heard or seen either of you - or many of the other 'posters' on this forum - calling anybody "Rip-Off" merchants - but you must admit that there are some members of this forum who literally want everything for nothing.

I have just had to accept an increase in toner prices from £96 to nearly £115 per cassette for my laserjet printer - and I need four of them to produce 20 books. I have also had to stomach an increase in postal rates - only 20p per package but added to all the other price increases etc., etc., etc. it soon adds up to me wondering whether it is worthwhile continuing what is (or was) a labour of love.

However, I am very, very small fry in respect to the expenditure that most dealers have to expend when attending Shows - and you really do not have to look too far on this (and other similar) forums to see the comments being bandied about people who are trying to make a living in what are very difficult times.

Add to that the very simple fact that most of the 'big' shows now lay on coaches to take people (our customers) out of the showground into the local facilities for shopping every day etc - most of the 'big' shows now lay on evening entertainment - and suddenly it would seem that people are attending a giant Rally rather than a Caravan show.

I, personally, have enough business to cope with at home - without the extra expense of attending Shows - and with the added 'hassle' of unsavoury comments - I have to say "Why should I bother?" - and I have no doubts whatsoever that that is how most of the other dealers think.

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[olley]

Hi Dick sounds like you have a HP3500 laser, because that's what I have just paid, only need two this time though.

As for the shows, for me they have never just been about "the show" but as you say a giant rally and a weekend holiday plus the opportunity to buy some toys.

Everybodies got different ideas of what a "rip off" is, I was told years ago, "theirs only one reason to be in business, and that's to make money" if I could charge £100 for a wash cut and blow dry I would, "rip off"; no just charging what people will pay.

I think maybe if some of the posters ran their own businesses they might have a different perspective on what's a "rip off"

Olley

 

[GJH]

(snip)
I, personally, have enough business to cope with at home - without the extra expense of attending Shows - and with the added 'hassle' of unsavoury comments - I have to say "Why should I bother?" - and I have no doubts whatsoever that that is how most of the other dealers think.

I'm sure you're right Dick. (At the risk of going off topic) we've found similar experiences with family history fairs. We still exhibit at the two large ones in the north (York & Gateshead) but the cost of others (totalling monetary and time involved) means it simply isn't worth the effort on top of day to day business.

Graham

P.S. Geo, just think of all the money you'll save - and can spend on treating Pammy

 

[Yetties]

RE :- Rip offs

Speaking in general terms for a long time now it has been common practice for event promoters to in a lot of ways underwrite the event of what ever sort by charging inflated fees to traders based on usually over optimistic attendance figures based on previous years attendances plus an unrealistic percentage increase, by doing this all or virtually all of their costs are coverred prior to the gates opening.

I will at this point say with regular repeat promoters it seems there is much less of a problem.

Trouble is when the climate is as todays the traders may be very lucky to break even let alone make a profit

This is why food traders at high profile events charge very high prices often for far from very good food and so it goes on.

I would suggest therefore that when it comes to the specialist traders that frequent motorhome and RV shows in many cases we are very lucky that the regular traders turn up a often as they do and many of them also put on special deals for shows that give them quite limited margins this is possibly because of the type of people they are being motorhome and RV users as much as traders .

So in a lot of ways its the traders that are being ripped off at a lot of events and actually the gain over what business they would normally have is minimal but still they come to provide a service to us and deserve our support.

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[Geo]

I have to agree 100% it appears traders, with a small trailer will be expected to pay approx £800 for their pitch at this show, despite offers of pitches from £150 on Stones web site,a small gazebo cost about £350 to set up there, imagine how many door handles and waste pipes you have to sell to clear £800, before you can even talk profit, sell one RV at £70 k and it seems a bargain they are killing the shows without doubt,I would suggest gate fees alone more than covers the rent, Newark this year was poorer for the lack of traders and if this continues I may well give up the shows entirely, for nearly £50 I can get a nice site anywhere for a weekend

Geo

 

[Road Runner]

I feel gutted for small traders when the heaven open up.

They have such a short slot to earn cash and being washed out must be really gutting.

Geom,is dead right the profit on some vehicle sales are far more profitable than selling some minor parts.

Shame really as its the icing on the cake for me as meeting up with funsters and getting to wonder around accessory heaven make my usual 400 mile round trip worthwhile

 

[RuthRv]

I have to agree 100% it appears traders, with a small trailer will be expected to pay approx £800 for their pitch at this show, despite offers of pitches from £150 on Stones web site,a small gazebo cost about £350 to set up there, imagine how many door handles and waste pipes you have to sell to clear £800, before you can even talk profit, sell one RV at £70 k and it seems a bargain they are killing the shows without doubt,I would suggest gate fees alone more than covers the rent, Newark this year was poorer for the lack of traders and if this continues I may well give up the shows entirely, for nearly £50 I can get a nice site anywhere for a weekend

Geo

totally agree, if this is the way that the shows are going to go then we will just have to have funsters rallys, and no one can chuck us out tony and i had already decided that we won't be going to all the shows this year, but will have weekends away instead.:thumb: we usually spend money at the shows, but i hardly spent anything (i mustn't be well) but tony made up for what i didnt spend

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[Boo]

Hands up how many traders have been ripped off!!!! (i'll bet all)

Well after running my own business for near on 30yrs there is one thing that stands out more than anything else, and that is the fact that most of the public will rip you off rather than look at you ie.... tradeing in vehicles without telling the dealer the problems.........like rumbling from gearbox, breaks shot, battery knackered (charged up for the px) I have even had cars pushed onto the forcourt from around the corner because they blew it up between the time of the deal and the handover......I could go on and on.

Now if the public rips of a dealer then it's "good on ya". however if we simply pass it on to the public without putting it right then we would be in court and branded a cowboy!! the lesson here is treat as you expect to be tret.

Thankfully I work for local government so don't have that hassle anymore pheeew!

So you see.......it works both ways.......what is good for the goose is good for the gander.

Boo

 

[moandick]

I apologize for being just a little off topic here - but it is relevant to the original topic as a sign of the times.

I print the Big Pitch Guide at an actual printing cost of £30 per Guide - costed down to the very last penny - and based on four toners (for my Konica Magicolour 2530DN laser printer) at a cost to me of £88 per toner and £104 for the drum - those prices relevant as of three weeks ago.

On Monday of this week the toners had gone up to £125 each and yesterday I ordered a new drum and found it had gone up to £175 (from £104 three weeks ago)

Put it another way - in order for me to stay in business I would have to increase the cost of each Guide by about £9 if I were to pay those increased prices. - And very few, if anybody, would be prepared to pay that kind of increase in my experience to date. I could actually go into PC World Business Section and order a new Konica 2530 printer complete with drum and toners (and providing I could wait for it) I would get it cheaper than the cost of 4 toners and a new drum.

When I checked up with the suppliers (Lyreco and IJT) I was told that my machine is now so far out of date that the manufacturers want me to upgrade to a more modern machine to save them having to supply the out-of-date drum and toners.

MY PRINTER IS 11 MONTHS OLD - AND NOT YET OUT OF MANUFACTURERS WARRANTY oh:oh:oh:

Rip off - what rip-off?

 

[Geo]

Yup 11 months is very old in the IT game
have you tried running home with your new purchase
I did once, and managed to plug it in just before it became extinctoh:
Geo
Ps I was going to comment on Boo,s move to local govenment to get out of ripping people off but I wont,
that would be very unfair

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[eddie]

Oh If I had a pound for every time that a customer turns up to have all the toys fitted to their new van and we are asked to re-fit the batteries that we installed on their "old" van a couple of months ago! "What did you replace these with? We ask

"The knackered ones, I kept them when I bought the new ones"

A few weeks later, I have just bought this van and the batteries go flat so quickly, and I don't know why!

On another rip off thread I made the point that we are all general public to everyone else! The ministers are ripping us off with their expenses, (but not all od them) The Civil Servants are ripping us off fiddling their sick leave (but not all of them) Mechanics rip us off with parts (but not all of them) Etc etc

I as a trader need to make a profit Think of it as my wages if it helps. The difference is that If I have to use part of my "wages" to look after my customers in the future with warranty claims, my staff when they want to have babies and attend school plays (yet still keep my customers happy "What do you mean you don't have time to do the work because one of your fitters, wives is having a baby) So I put my prices up to cover the extra staff I need to allow everyone the time off that the Government keep giving to my staff, and I get accused of ripping people off!

You may start to see some of the problems. I am not asking for sympathy as there is no point as anyone doing it will understand but be too busy to give me sympathy and anyone that has never tried won't feel any, anyway

As for shows, it has all been said!

I love working all week, then all weekend getting the show stuff organised, ready to leave Wednesday to work Thursday Friday Saturday and Sunday, driving home on the Sunday evening, ready to be back at work Monday morning, working all week trying to catch up with the loss of three of us for half the previous week and the enquiries that were made at the show, By this time, we have worked 19 days straight

In addition we have paid for three or four vehicles to be at the show, over time for staff, meals, drinks and all the other costs on top of the hundreds, and some times thousands of pounds to attend the show, when we try to make a profit and get accused of "Ripping people of" does make me laugh

Please don’t think that I am asking for sympathy, I don't need it! This is more just trying to open a tiny little gap into some peoples thinking that all traders are rip of merchants and all customers are saints who are like lambs to the slaughter!

 

[Boo]

Geo
Ps I was going to comment on Boo,s move to local govenment to get out of ripping people off but I wont,
that would be very unfair

Well, the Cornwall council (now known as from 1st April) is a non-profit making organisation..................and next to being self employed is a breath of freash air

Go on Geo................give it some son...........I can take it lol!


Boo (on the payrole)

 

[Geo]

Well, the Cornwall council (now known as from 1st April) is a non-profit making organisation..................and next to being self employed is a breath of freash air

Go on Geo................give it some son...........I can take it lol!


Boo (on the payrole)

Boo
Your a Gent
Nay a Saint:thumb:
Geo

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[Boo]

Boo
Your a Gent
Nay a Saint:thumb:
Geo

LMBO!!! cheers :thumb:

Boo