[V8] Re: H&R Group Buy Shuttered

[diemarthadie at aol.com]

Dave,
 
THANK YOU for all your efforts!  Perhaps this batch of cats was just too darn smart ;)
 
John 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: Coleman, David <David.Coleman at blackrock.com>
To: Coleman, David <David.Coleman at blackrock.com>; john at bysinger.net; carterjohnson3 at yahoo.com; lebakken1 at netzero.com; scott_matus at yahoo.com; DieMarthaDie at aol.com; jjmcvay at juno.com; thermobob at hotmail.com; Bob.Korn at fike.com; enzeder at comcast.net; kday at ultrameta.org; SuffolkD at aol.com; mefairhart at centurytel.net; cgtempest at hotmail.com; scott_matus at yahoo.com; lundabo at msn.com; rokasreipa at gmail.com; zero4875 at u.washington.edu; NCross at gdatp.com
Cc: v8 at audifans.com; s-car-list at audifans.com
Sent: Tue, 22 Mar 2005 13:55:05 -0500
Subject: H&R Group Buy Shuttered


Folks, 
After a considerable amount of research, negotiations, and comparative analyses, I received several attractive group buy price offers, ranging from $299 to $399/set (for #29921).   Offers were generally based on retail prices of $349 - $499, and I made it clear we'd need something substantial over Tire Rack's $310/set to compensate for shipping.  But the math isn't working out, and it seems H&R has a distribution arrangement which is not at all conducive to this sort of endeavor.
So even if we go with a $299/set offer (from Turner Motorsports, ECS Tuning, or GMP -- all classy establishments), shipping the skid to my door would be ~ $250 divided by # of participants, PLUS shipping from Delaware to wherever you are.   Plus a service charge for credit cards, if applicable.  Additionally, inventory in the U.S. is extremely low to non-existent, which means about 6 weeks before they'd arrive.  The fact that no one has them in stock makes it impossible for anyone to offer free shipping.
So my reaction to what I've seen is that it's likely in everyone's best interest to go it alone.   The cold hard fact is that TireRack has worked a deal to effectively Wal-Mart the competition out, at least in this situation.   The best discounted price just isn't attractive enough to warrant the effort.  Additionally, no waiting on slackers, no return hassles, and no settling for what majority has called for is probably worth any overall savings over Tire Rack's $310/set.
Please accept my sincere apologies that this didn't come together.  Perhaps the overall timing is wrong, and two months from now stockrooms will be overflowing, and we can try again.  But for now, if anyone has any questions or input, please feel free to contact me directly.
DaveC. 
302-547-4775 

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