Festool Discounts at WW Shows?

[tom cooper]

It seems that any Festool dealer, on-line or local, has the same tools at the same price and even sites that offer 10% discounts off your complete shopping basket are required to exclude all Festool products! Normally I would not tolerate this type of manufacturer snobbery, BUT I am convinced I need the model ETS125 ROS and so I have almost saved enough to buy it. Does the Festool booth at the yearly woodworking shows offer any type of discount on their products?

Thanks.

[Dino Drosas]

I have never seen or been offered any discounts by Festool at any show that I ever attended. The only discounts offered are those that have tools bunbled together as a package; example - vacuum plus tool. These deals are listed in their catalog,

[Tom Sherman]

Tom when I worked at Woodcraft we were told that Festool would not authorize discounts for any reason.

[Dave Falkenstein]

The ONLY way you can get a discount on Festool tools is to buy reconditioned tools from Festool-USA. The selection is very limited and they seldom have inventory. All Festool dealers and retailers sell the tools for the same price. You can save shipping and sales tax by buying on line. There are lots of excellent online dealers, but I usually buy from Bob Marino:

http://www.bobmarinosbesttools.com/

Used Festool products STILL carry the factory warranty from the original date of purchase. Festool dealers and retailers are required to register sales with the company, so that all tools sold are on file at Festool-USA. If you can find one used, it will be treated as if you bought it new by Festool. Don't know of any other tool company that deos that!

[Ed Brady]

Years ago fair trade laws allowed manufacturers to set the price (or minimum price) for their products so that retailers could not provide competitive prices. I believe they referred to this as price maintenance -- a euphemism for price fixing. I believe all of those laws were repealed by the 80s.

Woodworking is the only area where I have seen price fixing recently, but I am sure there are other areas, too. Festool and SawStop have chosen to fix prices by requiring retailers to sell at full price and I assume they do this by refusing to provide their products to retailers who don't cooperate. My guess is that they do this as much for branding as for profit.

I think of this as a form of extortion where the consumer is denied the benefit of competition. Personally, I'll do whatever I can to avoid buying products priced in this way.

Ed Brady

[Bob Childress]

Sigh. Every time this comes up someone always says Price Fixing and no competition.

Price Fixing is when one manufacturer conspires with another one (or several) to set prices. Festool and Sawstop are not conspiring with anyone to set prices, only with themselves. Don't want to pay? OK. Buy a Metabo, Bosch, DeWalt, Porter-Cable, Jet, Delta, Powermatic, Grizzly, ad nauseum. They are all competitors to Festool and Sawstop. Your choices are practically unlimited.

If I invent a widget and I want to sell it for a particular price, that's my business. If no one buys it, I made a bad decision. But I am no Price Fixer.

[Greg Just]

Minimum pricing is very common on high end products, especially new ones in high demand. This practice is very common with high end appliances. The only way to get any kind of "discount" is to get something thrown in with the deal like supplies or service associated with the purchase. It sucks, but it happens all the time. In a few years, when Festool has some competition, they will relax this policy. For now, take it or leave it!

[Ed Brady]

Sigh. Every time this comes up someone always says Price Fixing and no competition.

Price Fixing is when one manufacturer conspires with another one (or several) to set prices.

You are quite right, Bob. I used "price fixing" as a generic term and should not have equated it to price maintenance nor implied collusion -- plus true price fixing IS illegal. Nonetheless, the result (price maintenance) is not good for the consumer. And, yes, there are other places to take my business which I mentioned is my objective.

EDB

[Eric Haycraft]

They also allow discounts on demo/display items when that product is phased out/replaced with a newer model. But those are hard to get and rarely the tool that you are looking for.

[Pat Germain]

Indeed, there are many consumer products where the prices are fixed and fixed hard. Just try to negotiate on a new Saturn. Try to find discounts on All-Clad cookware. Every sale on kitchen tools I've ever seen says, "Excludes All-Clad".

Until the US Dollar starts to rise against the Euro, Festool products will remain very expensive. Thus, it's going to be big bucks just for a plastic drawer to hold and stack Festool tools. At least with Festool, it would seem you get what you pay for. I would expect their power tools to last a very long time. And their designs are outstanding.

I used to be a Porter-Cable guy, but since that brand is going downhill fast, I might start saving and looking hard at Festool. At least I know no matter where I buy them, the pice will be the same; high. That sure beats buying another brand only to find out it's junk.

[Dave Falkenstein]

...I think of this as a form of extortion where the consumer is denied the benefit of competition. Personally, I'll do whatever I can to avoid buying products priced in this way.

Ed Brady

To even suggest that Festool does not have competition is ludicrous. EZSmart and others certainly compete with Festool in the guided rail systems market. Recently Dewalt and Makita have announced plunge circular saws on a guide rail system, currently available in Canada and Europe, and expected soon in the USA. These saws even LOOK like a Festool saw. The Fein vac is a direct competitor of Festool's. And on and on. If you don't like Festool's pricing policy, then don't buy their tools.

[William Nimmo]

I attended a show a few years back, and was ready to purchase the ts 55 and vacuum combo. I was actually relieved when they told me to come to their store the following week and buy it then. There was no show special price and that way I didnt have to battle the crowds lugging the boxes. Although Festool prices are high, the tools are worth every penny, and I find it comforting that I don't have to hunt downt the best deal when I do decide to add to my Green and black arsenal.

[russ bransford]

Couple of points. Festool makes their money off of the dealer. The profit is already made. The dealer's selling price being set allows the playing field to be level. This keeps the pipeline flowing in all driections, allowing the marketing to pull the product through and allowing the manufacturer to dictate the course of action at the dealer level. This gives the dealer less control, but more margin.
The main point is everyone is always more concerned about getting a deal than getting something they want /need.
Compared to other hobbies, woodworking is a "great deal". Trying to shave a few bucks off of a tool that will live longer than the owner just sounds strange sometimes.
Just find a tool that you like and a dealer that you trust and in the long run you'll spend less and enjoy more.

[Gary Keedwell]

Couple of points. Festool makes their money off of the dealer. The profit is already made. The dealer's selling price being set allows the playing field to be level. This keeps the pipeline flowing in all driections, allowing the marketing to pull the product through and allowing the manufacturer to dictate the course of action at the dealer level. This gives the dealer less control, but more margin.
The main point is everyone is always more concerned about getting a deal than getting something they want /need.
Compared to other hobbies, woodworking is a "great deal". Trying to shave a few bucks off of a tool that will live longer than the owner just sounds strange sometimes.
Just find a tool that you like and a dealer that you trust and in the long run you'll spend less and enjoy more.

Real good post Russ...especially the part about getting a "great deal" instead of getting something they want /need.
Gary

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

I asked a dealer at a show if there was a show discount and was very rudely treated. So rudely in fact that I crossed them from my list.

While in under-grad there was a couple from Iceland living in the same housing unit as us. The guy was the single most loudly: haughty, self assured, arrogant sob I'd ever met. This guy at the show was about like that. Looking down his nose, sneering, displaying what I could only take as a jeering insulting persona.