Lightwave 4000 True Cost

[**DONOTDELETE**]

I made contact with what appears to be the true manufacter of the Lightwave 4000 and it's sibilings in China.

If you are willing to buy 1000 at a time you can get them for $15.10/ea. And the LW3000 are $11.20/ea. Plus you get to private label them!

The most interesting thing was they make the same unit in Aluminum (electronics anyways).

I just found it interesting and thought you might too.

I added pics of the aluminum ones. I didn't upload the LW4000 since everyone already knows what they look like!

 

[Nerd]

Ya know, this is all really a great deal!

However which flashaholic has enuff cash to shell out for 1000 Lightwave 4000..... not even 100 of us here will get 10 each right?

I don't mind double the price for half the minimum quantity. Don't know bout you guys

Afterall it's still cheaper than what they sell outside right?

 

[cave dave]

You really shouldn't worry about the "true cost" of things (or anything else for that matter). Distributors and retailers do us all a service by stocking these things and marketing them. I personnaly wouldn't want to take the risk of sitting on $11,000 of inventory that might be obsolete next month.

...And if I was I'd buy the 250 min order of Arc AAA's and get them in silver anodize with "CPF extral special Cave Dave light" engraved on it. Then I would hope to God that I could sell them all for $35 before Peter introduced version 3.2!

 

[WarrenI]

I paid $50 for my LW4000 just after it came out and paid $40 each for several LW3000s to give away as gifts. They are worth every bit of the price I paid as all 8 of these units are functioning perfectly and does not even flicker. Just great, heavy duty, zero maintenance, and simple to use lights all ways around. Some of these units are used many times per day as work lights. I like very heavy impact plastic as compared to very heavy weight aluminum bodies. Good heavy impact plastics take more of a beating than heavy weight aluminum and are non conductive in electrical applications. Nothing special, but just great lights...

 

[e=mc²]

If this is true, then the retail markup is obscene!
As an MBA in the marketing sector as well as a former retailer, I find this markup (more than 3X) to be most excessive, and what I would consider to be abhorrent business practices on behalf of the retailers. Of course, if this is the distributor price rather than what the retailers pay, then it would seem inline for the type of product being marketed. For 15 years I was in the home appliance (both major and small appls)business and I have never heard of this level of markup at the retail level. One would hope this is at the distributor level (one who does NOT simultaneously retail). Since we are also discussing a "niche" market, and not being familiar with the usual quantities on hand of both the distributorship and retailer, I cannot pass judgement at this time. This really is food for thought, worthy of further investigation. Thanks for bringing it to our attention, dr427.

e-

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Edwood,

Unfortunately they don't care who you are if you can pay. You have full rights to resell them retail. In fact they come blister packed. I can email you the spec sheet they gave just email me. Most of these guys can be bartered to sell less quantity as well. But I imagine a distributor is most likely the type of people who purchase. They know customs and exporting/importing better than a retailer.

Go to this website www.globalsources.com

It is a little known secret to the general public. You can find just about anything you want to resell. In fact I have seen people on eBay selling the link for $10, so if this interests you consider yourself $10 richer. Actually just paypal me the $10 that might work better. Hmmmm...I guess I will have to rely on the honor system for this.

Crazy, Crazy world!

 

[e=mc²]

David, I don't hold a grudge against the wholesaler overseas, it the price gouging that goes on at the retail level that bothered me in my previous rant. I sat on the board for the north jersey retailers alliance for 10 years, and businesses whose markup > 300% were frowned upon by the vast majority of respected business in our region. In fact they were oftentimes shunned by both distributors and even some consumer groups.
Just my opinion, but when it comes to down right "price-gouging", I have no tolerance for it.
<end of rant mode>

Regards,

e-

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Don't they make Nike shoes over there as well for like $2? And we buy them here for $120!!!!!!!! Gold and Diamond jewelry markup is outrageous as well, that $6000 diamond ring cost about $500 to make!!! It's a rock strapped on metal for goodness sake.

 

[cave dave]

yes, but we have a free market economy so anybody who thinks he can make a profit is welcome to buy these things and sell them at a lower price. This is called competition. If a retailer tries to price gouge they will go out of business. If a retailer sells at too low of a price they won't make enough money to feed their kids and they to will go out of business. I DARE anybody on this forum to buy 1000 ea lights and sell them all fast enough to pay for their expenses. REI can do it, WalMart can do it (and does), but a basement dealer like TTS and IMO? Not very likely.

Somebody post a link to "the true cost of doing business" somewhere on the CPF.