Best Price for SawStop? (Actual "Free" shipping?)

[Marty Tippin]

Is there an online dealer that offers SawStop saws at regular retail price *and* ships for free? Or any that have been successfully negotiated with to get free shipping?

I've found plenty of dealers who claim to offer "Free" shipping but they've all conveniently inflated their selling price by $250 over retail - which is exactly what you'd pay if you bought it at regular retail price and paid the usual $250 shipping fee...

(And yes, I know about the free mobile base / dust collector arm rebate offer currently in effect...)

[Alan Lilly]

I am lucky enough to have dealer in my area. If I bought a sawstop for $3000 online... shipping appears to be about $250 most places. If I purchase locally... the tax would be about $180. This is assuming that my local dealer shipping costs aren't $250 and their local price is similar to online pricing. The savings would probably be small, but I would have the benefit of working with a local dealer if there are any problems. I could even check the condition of the saw (or it's container) before taking it home.

It appears that sawstop is similar to festool in it's pricing strategy. I don't think you will find much of a discount... so I would value the reputation of the dealer more.

[Mike Nguyen]

I think every online dealer charges shipping. When I bought my PCS over a year ago, I have the option of go down to Woodcraft pay for the saw plus tax or order from Woodcraft and have it shipped to my house for basically the same price, I had it shipped. However, I ordered the mobile base from Acme Tools and they shipped it free and no tax.

[Jon Nuckles]

I think Sawstop, like Festool, Leigh and others, prohibits dealers from running independent sales, including free shipping. I doubt you'll find anyone making that offer. If you find anyone that will negotiate it, they probably won't want it to be posted on a forum like this lest it get back to Sawstop. One dealer here in the Chicago area adds the $250 to the sales price and then charges you a separate shipping cost if you want the saw delivered!

[glenn bradley]

I'm confused. I bought mine at Rockler for the retail price (free overarm offer) and just took it home. Do the retailers you are saying jack up the price not have the saw in stock? If so, attempting to charge you to ship their stock would have me never shopping there again on moral grounds ;-)

If instead they are someone who can "get" a Saw Stop for you, there is no benefit other than their receiving the shipment for you if you cannot have it delivered to your home. Surely there is a Saw Stop retailer in the Kansas City area where you can just walk in and buy one. The Woodcraft in Lenexa maybe? No?

If a retailer is trying to charge you shipping, I would be inclined to contact Saw Stop and ask them if this is correct. It may be but, sounds fishy. Saw Stop may want to know about such things if they are inappropriate.

[John Sanford]

Is there an online dealer that offers SawStop saws at regular retail price *and* ships for free? Or any that have been successfully negotiated with to get free shipping?

I've found plenty of dealers who claim to offer "Free" shipping but they've all conveniently inflated their selling price by $250 over retail - which is exactly what you'd pay if you bought it at regular retail price and paid the usual $250 shipping fee...

(And yes, I know about the free mobile base / dust collector arm rebate offer currently in effect...)

If you're buying online, the saw is being drop shipped from SawStop. SawStop has a minimum pricing requirement in their dealer contracts, so no price break. SawStop will then charge the dealer for shipping to you, which the dealer will collect from you. No price break.

SawStop does this in order to protect the Brick and Mortar dealer network. Basically, you can pay local sales tax, or you can pay shipping. If you're fortunate and live in/adjacent to a state without sales tax, then you can get the best OTD price.

By working with a local dealer, or if you don't have one, directly with a small shop where you can talk to real decision makers, you may be able to work a deal on non-Sawstop items as part of a package. Say, for instance, that you currently have a 1 hp Contractor's Saw and all your blades are thin kerf, and you want to switch over to regular kerf blades with your nice new 5hp Industrial Cabinet SawStop. Ask for 1 or two blades thrown into the deal. Or GRRR-Rippers or whatever non-SawStop product lights your fancy. The worst they can do is say "no."

Don't get too hung up on shipping or tax, just look at total cost of getting what it is you want. And don't forget the value of being on a first name basis with your local toolmonger.

[Marty Tippin]

Do the retailers you are saying jack up the price not have the saw in stock? If so, attempting to charge you to ship their stock would have me never shopping there again on moral grounds ;-)

99% of the online dealers drop-ship from the factory to your door; they never see or handle the product themselves and are (most likely) passing along the shipping cost SawStop charges them. But there's probably one out there somewhere who will eat the $250 shipping charge to make a sale. I'm looking for that one...



Surely there is a Saw Stop retailer in the Kansas City area where you can just walk in and buy one. The Woodcraft in Lenexa maybe? No?

Sure, and the local Woodcraft doesn't charge the $250 shipping if they actually have it in stock and you pick it up in the store. But you pay 8-9% sales tax, which conveniently works out to about $250 on a $3000 saw. If you want them to ship it to your door, you pay the $250 shipping charge *plus* tax (if they have a retail store in the state you're in).

[Mike Nguyen]

[QUOTE=Sure, and the local Woodcraft doesn't charge the $250 shipping if they actually have it in stock and you pick it up in the store. But you pay 8-9% sales tax, which conveniently works out to about $250 on a $3000 saw. If you want them to ship it to your door, you pay the $250 shipping charge *plus* tax (if they have a retail store in the state you're in).[/QUOTE]
There is a Woodcraft about 12 miles from my house but Woodcraft.com never charged me for tax probably Woodcraft.com is based in Virginia (I think) and the local Woodcraft is independently own.
Mike

[John Huds0n]

I *believe* that SawStop will allow an internet retailer to ship FREE to people who live in that state where they are based.

WoodWerks, for example, is located in Ohio and will ship free to Ohio. (I also think the shipping charges are related to the sales tax issue)
http://www.woodwerks.com/sawstop-1-75hp-professional-cabinet-saw.html

[Ken Krawford]

I'm in the same boat. With 7% sales tax, it's slightly cheaper to buy locally but then I have to get the saw off my truck and into my basement. Buying online gets me the saw unloaded, placed at my basement door and if I'm really lucky and get a nice driver he'll roll it into my shop.

[Marty Tippin]

There is a Woodcraft about 12 miles from my house but Woodcraft.com never charged me for tax probably Woodcraft.com is based in Virginia (I think) and the local Woodcraft is independently own.
Mike

Looks like Woodcraft does charge sales tax in a limited set of states -- http://www.woodcraft.com/Static/CustomerService.aspx#whytaxes -- fortunately, mine isn't one, so I can either have the saw delivered or drive to the store in Kansas and pay sales tax, the cost is pretty much a wash.

If I can't find the saw anywhere with free shipping and no sales tax, I'll probably end up driving to the store to pick it up -- if its going to cost the same either way, I'd just as soon let the local guy have what little profit there is.

[David Kumm]

The sales tax savings is illusionary and not really fair to judge a purchase. All states require payment of use tax on internet sales if no sales tax is charged. Many ignore that but it is only a matter of time before all internet sellers will charge tax. Brick and mortar stores have a hard time competing now and peoples avoidance of the use tax is killing them. Dave

[Marty Tippin]

Nobody pays use tax.

[David Kumm]

Nobody pays use tax.

Doesn't make it right. Actually I run an accounting firm in real life and we do hundreds of returns with use tax on it. You would be surprised that more do than don't- maybe not the right amount but something close. States are sending out questionaires under penalties of perjury now asking why none is paid. I'm not telling people what to do, just stating it isn't fair to stiff the local businesses because of the sales tax issue. Dave

[glenn bradley]

99% of the online dealers drop-ship from the factory to your door; they never see or handle the product themselves and are (most likely) passing along the shipping cost SawStop charges them. But there's probably one out there somewhere who will eat the $250 shipping charge to make a sale. I'm looking for that one...

Bummer. I am handicapped by living in SoCal. There are 10 locations near me that have a saw in stock for pick up. It would be cool to score a no-tax option with free shipping to boot. I wish you luck.

I love to get the no-tax perk during a purchase. If there's no other way I comfort myself by remembering that the retailer is only collecting the tax that he has to pass along. The retailer doesn't charge tax, he collects it. If he has to take a hit by paying my tax for me, he can't afford to give Johnny that summer job while he's home from college ;-)

[Jon Nuckles]

I pay use tax.

[Lee Reep]

Amazon offers free shipping (sold by SawStop). But the price is $250 more ($3149 vs. $2899 at Woodcraft). This was on the 36" 3HP PCS. I think I would rather give my local Woodcraft the business, knowing that even with added sales tax I'm ahead, and supporting my local store. I bought my Powermatic bandsaw and Laguna DC from Woodcraft. Unassembled they were still a pain to get into my basement shop. If we ever sell the home, I hope it is to someone that wants a furnished shop!

[John Sanford]

For those of you considering local, don't forget to ask if they'll deliver for free. My local Woodcraft has said they would, and it wouldn't surprise me if a lot of other retailers will. Especially in a competitive market. (I'm looking at you SoCal) They can't compete on price, so they'll need something else to sway you to drop the coin in their store.

[Wade Lippman]

My Woodcraft advertises free liftgate delivery. Before I ordered some tools two years ago I asked them about it. Delivery is a large extra charge, but the liftgate is free. I figured that once I pointed out to them how deceptive that was they would change, but are still saying it.

Well, I bought the two tools in question from Highland. They charged me delivery for the SS, but threw the bandsaw in without an additional charge. I think that is as close to getting free shipping on a SS as possible.

[Mort Stevens]

My Woodcraft advertises free liftgate delivery.

My local Woodcraft charges $85 for delivery, at that rate it's hard to go wrong. I recently bought a jointer, planer and drill press and all they charged was $85 to deliver it to my home about 15 miles away, I was expecting to be charged $85 per item. I don't know if they contract with someone or it's their own staff that does the delivery, but they even help me uncrate and even lift the drill press head on the post - wish I could have gotten them to take the packaging trash with them! But, I did tip the guy $100 for the help anyway. :) I like this particular store and staff a lot and make all my major purchased though them.

[Mike Nguyen]

I would be happy to pay local tax if my local Woodcraft would deliver the saw and put it in my garage for free since I have no way of taking the saw home without renting a truck and someone to help to unload it. Laguna Tools is about 6 miles away from my house but I think I will order the bandsaw online and pay shipping instead of buying directly from Laguna and pay tax and shipping.

[Marty Tippin]

Laguna Tools is about 6 miles away from my house but I think I will order the bandsaw online and pay shipping instead of buying directly from Laguna and pay tax and shipping.

I'm pretty sure you'll end up paying shipping *and* sales tax if Laguna has a physical presence in your state (a "tax nexus" if you want to be technical) and you place your order online...

[John Huds0n]

I ordered my Laguna Bandsaw from WoodWerks when it was on sale. No sales tax and $49 shipping (it was dropped shipped from Irvine)

[Jason A Morgan]

Also Southern Tool has the saw with free shipping and no tax. It was the best price I had seen.

[Marty Tippin]

Also Southern Tool has the saw with free shipping and no tax. It was the best price I had seen.

They're just like all the others -- $250 shipping is rolled into their selling price...

[Izzy Camire]

All you guys talking about shipping charge verses tax makes realize how lucky I am living in NH. No sales tax!

[Steve Wilde]

I bought my PCS last week from a local dealer. M&M Tools and Machinery if anyone is interested, they're a really good shop. Anyway, I bought it with the 52" rails, and put the front rail on and realized that it was just too big for my shop. I packaged them back up and went down to M&M. Within an hour I was installing my 36" fence. Sometimes it just pays off to pay the sales tax and not have to deal with the inter web thing. I can't imagine what it would have cost to ship the 52" fence back and get the shorter rails, and that doesn't count the time for shipping both ways.

[Lee Reep]

All you guys talking about shipping charge verses tax makes realize how lucky I am living in NH. No sales tax!

Izzy,

I envy you having no sales tax, but wonder if it isn't more than extracted from you elsewhere. I'd be curious to know what property taxes are in NH. I've gotta believe most New England residents are paying incredibly higher property taxes than the country's norm. I'm reminded of the phrase from several of Robert Heinlein's books -- TANSTAAFL (There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch.)