Has Anyone Tried a Snap-on Group Buy?

[Mazderati]

Has anyone tried a Snap-on group buy? Guessing this would have to be done through a franchisee if anywhere.

 

[shawndp]

What tools did you have in mind?

 

[cowboy73]

It could never happen. Franchisees can't sell outside their own region. Bob the local snap on guy can't sell stuff in B-town since his territory A-town.

 

[shawndp]

What if Bob sold to Shawn who was in his territory, but Shawn had a bunch of mates who lived elsewhere who had them mailed over?

 

[Mazderati]

What tools did you have in mind?

Basics like ratchets, sockets, and wrenches but it may not matter which tools if the criteria is total dollars driven instead of quantity driven.

It could never happen. Franchisees can't sell outside their own region. Bob the local snap on guy can't sell stuff in B-town since his territory A-town.

Right, but if a single person collects the money, purchases the tools, and then ships the tools to the group buyers, does it matter?

Edit: What Shawn said.

 

[kythri]

And who would be the single person that everyone would trust with their money?

 

[bravvo]

Have no Snap on tools and only know what I have read so feel free to tell me I am wrong. If one person buys and ships would you potentially run into warranty issues as you wouldn't be seen as the initial purchaser?

 

[BDT/NWMN]

I could picture a car club or similar organized group pooling an order; but I would want My name on the receipt of anything I purchased.. I would guess a local dealer would appreciate the business and offer somewhat of a discount, but I wouldn't waste time on dreams of a student type discount.

 

[Super Sport]

And who would be the single person that everyone would trust with their money?

There was a group buy for plasma cutters here on GJ that did exactly that IIRC. I'm not sure who the OP was in that case.

Have no Snap on tools and only know what I have read so feel free to tell me I am wrong. If one person buys and ships would you potentially run into warranty issues as you wouldn't be seen as the initial purchaser?

I have warrantied about a dozen different tools through Snap On's corporate and they have never even asked if I was the original purchaser, let alone ask for any proof of purchase. There is the potential there, but it doesn't seem like a current issue.

 

[Mazderati]

And who would be the single person that everyone would trust with their money?

The person organizing the group buy and paying for the product generally holds the money.

Have no Snap on tools and only know what I have read so feel free to tell me I am wrong. If one person buys and ships would you potentially run into warranty issues as you wouldn't be seen as the initial purchaser?

I could picture a car club or similar organized group pooling an order; but I would want My name on the receipt of anything I purchased.. I would guess a local dealer would appreciate the business and offer somewhat of a discount, but I wouldn't waste time on dreams of a student type discount.

The warranty question is a good one. Looking at the warranty information on Snap-on's site, reference to the "original Customer" and proof of purchase is explicitly made. Which is a surprise and kind of off-putting for super-premium products. How many people keep receipts for 20 years or received tools as gifts?

 

[kythri]

The person organizing the group buy and paying for the product generally holds the money.

That wasn't what I was asking.

 

[seber]

This would require someone who is bonded for this type of deal.

 

[Mazderati]

Can't imagine anyone getting bonded for any group buy. I think at that point you either dip in with a small purchase or just don't participate.

 

[bob15]

I doubt Snappy would even be interested. Even their factory store I visited many years ago in WI had some tools for sale, all at list price. Also, Snappy sells such large quantities to corporations, I doubt they would really be interested in a small/tiny group purchase from a website.

 

[BDT/NWMN]

The person organizing the group buy and paying for the product generally holds the money.






The warranty question is a good one. Looking at the warranty information on Snap-on's site, reference to the "original Customer" and proof of purchase is explicitly made. Which is a surprise and kind of off-putting for super-premium products. How many people keep receipts for 20 years or received tools as gifts?

I have receipts going back over 50 years, but keep them for tax purposes more so than warranty concerns.

 

[gregpack]

I have receipts going back over 50 years, but keep them for tax purposes more so than warranty concerns.

That's about 43 years longer that the IRS expects you to keep them.

 

[BDT/NWMN]

That's about 43 years longer that the IRS expects you to keep them.

No reason to toss them, and if I suffered a fire or theft loss, I have the receipts to back up My records for insurance purposes.

 

[shanny19]

I doubt Snappy would even be interested. Even their factory store I visited many years ago in WI had some tools for sale, all at list price.

I agree. The reason a manufacturer heavily discounts a group buy to a bunch of forum fanboys/girls is to generate enthusiasm and get a bunch of word-of-mouth advertising going. Snap On has exactly zero need for these things.

No reason to toss them,

Your kids, neices, nephews, landlord, whoever it is that comes in to deal with your 50 year old receipts..... that's the reason to toss them.

 

[Mazderati]

Yeah, I doubt Snap-on corporate would be interested but franchisees may be a different story. A large sale could definitely affect their bottom line.

Either way, a group buy sounds rare if it's happened at all so that's a good data point.

 

[Strouty]

There are many trustworthy people on this site. I know the plasma cutter group buy was something like $50k. My local driver wheels and deals and I am sure he would love to give a discount for multiple purchases, I bet there are many franchise owners that would do the same.

 

[shawndp]

There are many trustworthy people on this site. I know the plasma cutter group buy was something like $50k. My local driver wheels and deals and I am sure he would love to give a discount for multiple purchases, I bet there are many franchise owners that would do the same.

This is worth a shot. I will inquire on Friday and report back.

 

[BDT/NWMN]

I agree. The reason a manufacturer heavily discounts a group buy to a bunch of forum fanboys/girls is to generate enthusiasm and get a bunch of word-of-mouth advertising going. Snap On has exactly zero need for these things.



Your kids, neices, nephews, landlord, whoever it is that comes in to deal with your 50 year old receipts..... that's the reason to toss them.

There is a little trick You apparently are not aware of; The receipts can be laid on their flat side and respective groups can be slid into flat envelopes, with the contents listed on the outside of the envelope. Then the envelopes can be stored with My original car manuals for a Model A and a T, the History Book I co-authored, the tool catalogs many of the tools were listed in,original John Deere tractor manuals from the 1920's and up, and a bunch of other informative tidbits that some people are actually interested in;;;;;including My three Kids....

 

[Stumble]

I don't think you would really need to worry about the person being bonded, there have to be a few attorney's on the site that could hold the money in their escrow account. It wouldn't make sense to do it for just a couple grand but if the board put together a large purchase it could be worth doing.

 

[scooby074]

Interesting but I dont know how it would work in practice. Any local dealer would get nailed for selling into another territory if they did it directly. If a single person bought like 100 ratchets to distribute, its probably not a big deal, but your local guy wouldnt have it on your file and that could cause some warranty grief.

What would have to happen is SO Corporate would have to authorize it, something like the student discounts and you could do a local purchase through the industrial rep. I dont see SO getting on board, they dont need the advertising. Students are different, SO is indoctrinating them into the brand for their career, selling here on GJ isnt the same target market.

 

[rsanter]

Yes, kind of...
I have a snap on industrial rep, they used to have some amazing deals but they are not as hot as they used to be, still good deals though

I used to let friends know and then order the number that people wanted. I think one time we ordered over 20 of one item

 

[BDT/NWMN]

Interesting but I dont know how it would work in practice. Any local dealer would get nailed for selling into another territory if they did it directly. If a single person bought like 100 ratchets to distribute, its probably not a big deal, but your local guy wouldnt have it on your file and that could cause some warranty grief.

What would have to happen is SO Corporate would have to authorize it, something like the student discounts and you could do a local purchase through the industrial rep. I dont see SO getting on board, they dont need the advertising. Students are different, SO is indoctrinating them into the brand for their career, selling here on GJ isnt the same target market.

I agree, and
SnapOn would be crapping on their dealers if they allowed that to happen.

And even going thru a dealer///
With a Forum Member spearheading the sales and distribution of a group buy; with anything over a certain dollar amount, the IRS may also be interested in the transaction.

So,, Everyone could prepay for their orders with check or credit card to the dealer, but then the dealer would be in hot water for selling outside his territory,,,, and shipping charges would still have to be dealt with..

Also,, some states have a higher state sales tax rate. Best to sort this stuff out beforehand.

SnapOn is set up to handle their own sales, service, and distribution.

We currently have a good Dealer I can meet at one of His regular stops. I can either settle for this arrangement, or order online.

 

[L.Cheapo]

You could probably get some kind of a deal if you wanted 100 triple bank toolboxes or 100 tire balancers. 50 ratchets? They won't be interested.

 

[General Geoff]

You could probably get some kind of a deal if you wanted 100 triple bank toolboxes or 100 tire balancers. 50 ratchets? They won't be interested.

Yeah, I don't think Snap-On Corporate would be at all interested in entertaining a group buy discount for less than a seven-figure buy-in.

 

[BK13]

Bummer. There goes my thoughts of a cheap FBF80 or FLL80...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Mazderati]

A couple people have mentioned how Snap-on corporate wouldn't be interested. I think that's a given; scratch corporate off the list of participants. Franchisees, however, may very well be interested given a large sale would directly impact their bottom line. So, not corporate. Franchisee.

Good group buys are not complicated. There is no reason for bonding, attorneys, tax IDs, the IRS, or retina scans. If someone has reservations about participating, they don't participate. That's it.

 

[dkroth]

I have participated in Snap On group buys in the past.

One guy makes a deal with his dealer, sets the deadline, collects the money, deals with Paypal, buys the product, buys the packaging, packages it all up and ships it all out. If it's not a close-knit group he also deals with the flakes and general assholes.

Participants end up paying what they would have if they had a good dealer of their own.



.

 

[Strouty]

I may have the answer, but I think I want to discuss this with Ryan before going too far. The other aspect is that this needs to be a thread that you would have to sign up for or something to keep it private, we would not want anyone's driver getting in trouble over this.

What are people looking for in particular? A ratchet with deep and shallow sockets, just a ratchet? The minimum quantity would need to be 25, but 50 would be a better discount.