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In Reply to: Re: the view as an insider posted by Jim Austin on March 9, 2007 at 09:15:15:
"The writer isn't gonna sell the thing for a profit--that's not allowed, and if it happens it is--and should be--a major scandal."It is my understanding that there are normally conditions on such sales, the agreement to not sell the item for some specified period of time being common (I've seen 1 year mentioned). After that the item could be disposed of just like any other property.
"It's possible, I suppose, that a manufacturer stung by a lousy review might keep a reviewer from getting an accommodation price."
Let me think real hard about that... {crunch crunch rattle bang rattle bang bang}... and the ansewer is:
Glad I didn't write that!
LOL
Follow Ups:
> > It is my understanding that there are normally conditions on such sales, the agreement to not sell the item for some specified period of time being common (I've seen 1 year mentioned). After that the item could be disposed of just like any other property. < <Well I've been told that I am NOT free to sell this stuff at a profit, even after the specified term. That said, I don't know what the policies of the other magazines are.
> > Let me think real hard about that... {crunch crunch rattle bang rattle bang bang}... and the answer is:
Glad I didn't write that! < <
I'm afraid I don't get your implication.
here's what i'm saying....1. if you get an amp for 5k and a consmer gets it for 10k...is the recommendation based on what you paid? or will you say 'i can remmend this is good for 10k'...also, how do know that at another (lets say bigger company) the writer is told the accomodation price is the manufacturer's cost of goods or employee pricing...or they can pay the money over time. this wouldn't be fair to you as a writer. same difference.
"if you get an amp for 5k and a consmer gets it for 10k...is the recommendation based on what you paid? or will you say 'i can remmend this is good for 10k'..."Aren't you implying that the review is written AFTER the reviewer gets the accomodation price?? That doesn't seem to be what happens. AFTER the review, if the reviewer liked it (and supposedly better than what he currently uses as a reference) he buys it for the accomodation price. Still looks like a meaningful endorsement to me. And it certainly doesn't mean that the accomodation pricing buys an endorsement!
manufacturer...distributer.....retailer...consumer. other than the consumer, each or all of these links generally get accomodation to purchase at some stated discount. they also are, without question, part of the sales effort (and entitled as aperk of compensation), and its their job to sell product from the manufacturer. if it is the reviewers job to sell product, then they too would be part of this chain, which would make it less than objective. if that's the case, then that's the case.
The prices are different along the chain because of overhead costs added at each step. Very basic concept. A reviewer gets a product sold, essentially, as "factory-direct," so the mark-ups that result in the street price simply don't apply. There's no conspiracy, no quid pro quo. Those who think there are have too much time on their hands.
...but it's easy to answer. Value is a very subjective thing. I can't even begin to say whether it's "worth it" to a particular consumer. That's a decision consumers have to make for themselves. Of course it IS legitimate to make comparisons to other products at similar price points (which is widely done). But how much it would cost me makes no difference in those comparisons.There's a place near me that makes $18,000 speaker cables. I would not buy them even a fifth of that price. They're impressive looking things--like firehoses with a space ship on each end--but cables just don't make that much difference to me. Still, I know (of) at least one person who owns a pair. That doesn't make him wrong and me right, or vice versa. We have different priorities and different notions of value.
So the point is, I don't make such judgments for consumers. I don't think most other reviewers do either.
< < There's a place near me that makes $18,000 speaker cables > >Your info page on the Audio Asylum indicates that you live in Maine. Assuming that you are referring to Transparent, that is their *second* to the top product. A 10' pair of their top product costs $30,750, at least according to the price list linked below.
Unless of course, you were talking about accommodation pricing!
I THINK the $18K pair was top-of-the-line the last time I was there, but that was several years ago.Nice listening room.
.
No Guru, No Method, No Teacher
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