Paying for a name!

[jim whitney]

Just found out the blower in my harman pellet stove isn't,t working. I just got it from my daughter it was supposed to be an upgrade from what I had , looked on line for a new motor at harman and the rest of the hi way robbers,172.00$ was the cheapest. Then I noticed Dayton was the mfg. Went to grainger, 50.50$ guess who gets my vote and money?

 

[rburke65]

Dah.....sounds like an easy vote to me!

 

[padroo]

The sad part is someone paid the $172 For it.

I can justify my Internet service because it saves me money and time. I rarely get on the phone to call around looking for things I need. Usually I don't need it right now and my favorite place to buy is Amazon Prime.

 

[Cyberbear]

Unfortunately, many companies rely on the ignorance of their customers when it comes to replacing commonly stocked items. Just another example of "Whatever the traffic will bear" syndrome.

 

[Showkey]

Or the OEM is paying $50 ( due to low volume) for the part and after they catalog it, box it , stock it, ship it, dealer makes their market up ..........your get to $175 pretty quick.

GJ guys get rewarded for being resourceful. Just think how much it would have been for the repair tech tell you it's the blower and install the new one. Having GJ skills pays well.

 

[Lassen Forge]

A lot of the time even IF the OEM wasn't a Dayton, Grainger will still have one that will either be a direct drop in, or a drop in with very little modification. So far they haven't let me down...

 

[MagKarl]

I've tried buying from Grainger in the past but they wouldn't take my money because I wasn't a commercial account. I don't understand their business model.

 

[ratdoggy]

Amazon isn't always the best.....
Here's an example
http://www.amazon.com/RSC187-Lacing-Tool-125-Lacer/dp/B00JPNDPWS

I paid $232 from my local conveyor belt distributor...

 

[themiller]

Amazon isn't always the best.....
Here's an example
http://www.amazon.com/RSC187-Lacing-Tool-125-Lacer/dp/B00JPNDPWS

I paid $232 from my local conveyor belt distributor...

Amazon isn't the one selling that item

 

[ratdoggy]

Amazon isn't always the best.....
Here's an example
http://www.amazon.com/RSC187-Lacing-Tool-125-Lacer/dp/B00JPNDPWS

I paid $232 from my local conveyor belt distributor...

Amazon isn't the one selling that item

I know; some were more money ...It pays to shop around since Amazon isn't always the best price

 

[d19h]

Grainger should still sell to an individual that's not associated with a company. I've bought many items there and have no company affiliation.

 

[atthebeach]

I used to give my employer's name who had an account with Granger, and then paid cash at the counter. My employer probably got a bill later that was marked paid in full. Accounts payable probably assumed it was a petty cash purchase and didn't think anything of it. It was not for resale so I also paid the sales tax.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Unfortunately, many companies rely on the ignorance of their customers when it comes to replacing commonly stocked items. Just another example of "Whatever the traffic will bear" syndrome.

Sad but true.

Then there are other times that I think somebody in purchasing who got the contracts is completely ignorant and paid top dollar for parts, which in turn is passed on to the customer.

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

Actually it is very dependent on how many hands it passes through.
Dayton builds the motor, sells it through a distributor to Harmon who then sells through a distributor to the dealer that sells it to you. Each one puts a mark-up (usually 20-30%).
Sometimes you can cut out 4 or 5 middlemen.

 

[Ironhorse74]

Actually it is very dependent on how many hands it passes through.
Dayton builds the motor, sells it through a distributor to Harmon who then sells through a distributor to the dealer that sells it to you. Each one puts a mark-up (usually 20-30%).
Sometimes you can cut out 4 or 5 middlemen.

I am in the hearth business. I work for a competitor to Harmon. I guarantee you that Harmon does not buy it from a distributor, they buy it direct from the blower manufacturer.

Brad

 

[kv501]

I am in the hearth business. I work for a competitor to Harmon. I guarantee you that Harmon does not buy it from a distributor, they buy it direct from the blower manufacturer.

Brad

I work for a medium to large sized agricultural OEM and can tell you that this is not a unique situation to Harmon. We make very large, expensive spraying and grain handling equipment and our spare parts pricing is much higher than buying from a place like Grainger or one of our dealers. We also don't shy away from that, and if customers hit us up on it we are fine with them going someplace else if they can get the same thing cheaper from another supplier. What 99% of people don't understand is that OEMs aren't gouging you. They are manufacturers, and definitely not in the spare parts business. The overheads in a manufacturing plant are orders of magnitude higher than some warehouse like Grainger or Northern Tool. We don't have the time, space, or financial interest to stock tons of every spare part for end users that may need them. That's what dealers and wholesalers are for. Dealers need to have parts for customer service, and wholesalers buy in large quantities and their overheads are close to nil.

 

[Norcal]

I am in the hearth business. I work for a competitor to Harmon. I guarantee you that Harmon does not buy it from a distributor, they buy it direct from the blower manufacturer.

Brad

Dayton is a Grainger brand, and they do deals if you buy enough from them.

 

[jim whitney]

Well, today ups showed up with my new 50$ motor vs.172$ from a Harmon or other replacement part company. Put the motor in the blower housing, brought it in the house installed it in the stove, took about 20 mins. From start to finish, started the stove, temp went up 10 degrees in ten mins. After blower came on. Unbelievable! Saved 122$ just for my time and being GJ handy! Love it!

 

[LS6 Tommy]

I've tried buying from Grainger in the past but they wouldn't take my money because I wasn't a commercial account. I don't understand their business model.

It's called "Wholesale". Business to business sales. "Retail" is business to end user sales. Not really a tough concept...

Tommy

 

[padroo]

I use Amazon all the time but I do compare to see if it is a good price. Most of the time Amazon is cheapest because I am a Prime Member. Shipping is usually the deal breaker.

 

[Ironhorse74]

Dayton is a Grainger brand, and they do deals if you buy enough from them.

I would bet you a large lunch at a drive through window that Dayton does not manufacter that blower. I bet that Dayton is buying it from the blower manufacturer. It may not even be the same one that Harmon is buying it from. They may just look alike.

Brad

 

[Ironhorse74]

Well, today ups showed up with my new 50$ motor vs.172$ from a Harmon or other replacement part company. Put the motor in the blower housing, brought it in the house installed it in the stove, took about 20 mins. From start to finish, started the stove, temp went up 10 degrees in ten mins. After blower came on. Unbelievable! Saved 122$ just for my time and being GJ handy! Love it!

Which blower was it? Room air or combustion? Got a picture of it?

Brad

 

[phiftyseven]

Just a FYI about Grainger. They do now sell to everyone. Yes, years ago they were "wholesale only", only selling to businesses, or municipalities, but there was always a way around that. MagKarl must have dealt with a real "by the book" employee who wouldn't bend the rules. There was almost always a way for an individual to make a purchase.
Dayton is the Grainger trademark. Most everything is made overseas or in Mexico these days, but still labeled as Dayton for their private brand line. Still goes through rigorous testing and quality control before becoming a Dayton product.
Bottom line is, no one should have a problem buying directly through Grainger these days.
( And yes, if you haven't figured it out yet, I'm a former Grainger employee )

 

[jim whitney]

So,iron horse where you taking me for lunch? It is a Dayton ,but I,m not taking the stove apart again for a pic so I guess you lucked out.btw it was the distribution blower.

 

[bwringer]

If a business is dumb enough to sell B2B only, then they're dumb enough to believe that "WringCo Worldwide Amalgamated" is a multinational corporation operating out of my garage... Heck, I'm starting to get all kinds of credit card and business loan offers in the mail, sample pens and trinkets, etc.

I guess they figure if silly names like "Google" or "Worldwide Pants" are serious big businesses, then they're not going to throw anything out based on a stupid name.

Odds are with some more digging and waiting a few more days, you probably could have gotten that exact same blower even cheaper. But $50 is pretty darn good.

 

[Norcal]

I would bet you a large lunch at a drive through window that Dayton does not manufacter that blower. I bet that Dayton is buying it from the blower manufacturer. It may not even be the same one that Harmon is buying it from. They may just look alike.

Brad

Of course they don't, Grainger contracts a manufacturer to make the blowers, motors, & other products under the Dayton name, same w/ the other Grainger brands like Speedaire, & Teel.

 

[Ironhorse74]

Of course they don't, Grainger contracts a manufacturer to make the blowers, motors, & other products under the Dayton name, same w/ the other Grainger brands like Speedaire, & Teel.

^^^^^^^^^^^^ this.

Brad

 

[jomobco]

I work for a medium to large sized agricultural OEM and can tell you that this is not a unique situation to Harmon. We make very large, expensive spraying and grain handling equipment and our spare parts pricing is much higher than buying from a place like Grainger or one of our dealers. We also don't shy away from that, and if customers hit us up on it we are fine with them going someplace else if they can get the same thing cheaper from another supplier. What 99% of people don't understand is that OEMs aren't gouging you. They are manufacturers, and definitely not in the spare parts business. The overheads in a manufacturing plant are orders of magnitude higher than some warehouse like Grainger or Northern Tool. We don't have the time, space, or financial interest to stock tons of every spare part for end users that may need them. That's what dealers and wholesalers are for. Dealers need to have parts for customer service, and wholesalers buy in large quantities and their overheads are close to nil.

That model counts on the fact that they can gouge due to designing products most people can't replicate. They are in the spare parts business. I'm sure their margins and turn rates (ROI) are higher than Northern tool due to their extreme margins. They have the time, space and large support warehouses and count on the fact that they've designed an exclusive product that only they can stock (or is difficult to find by the common folk). Drug companies are a good example.

 

[reader2580]

I'm surprised Grainger's price on that motor was not sky high. Any time I see a product listed at Grainger.com that can be purchased elsewhere the price at Grainger is usually 50% to 200% higher than elsewhere.

Grainger used to have branches everywhere where I live, but they downsized during the recession to three branches in our area. I figured the reason businesses were willing to pay the premium prices were because the branches were nearby, but not so much anymore.

When Grainger was still strictly business the local hardware store could order stuff from Grainger for you and use just drove down the street to pick up your order.

 

[CNGsaves]

When I saw title of thread . . . . .
. . . .
. . . . . . . AND . . . . OP was . . . . Jim Whitney
. . .
. . . . .
. . . . . . I thought his middle initial might be . . . C
. . .
. . .
. . .
. . . . and this thread would be about . . . . . . . J C Whitney !!!!