Toptul In Amazon

[turnthewrench 2.0]

Have I been living under a rock, or is this a new offering from Amazon?

https://amzn.to/2MzTPzf

I don't see Prime Shipping though, and the prices are somewhat high?. Not familiar with Toptul prices

 

[SilverBulletZ06]

Have I been living under a rock, or is this a new offering from Amazon?

https://amzn.to/2MzTPzf

I don't see Prime Shipping though, and the prices are somewhat high?. Not familiar with Toptul prices

$320 for a 1/4 socket set seems a bit steep.

 

[turnthewrench 2.0]

$320 for a 1/4 socket set seems a bit steep.

I saw that. The XL Wrench Set seems to be better priced at $110.00 though.

 

[Fedwrench]

If you look at the seller, it's Mike Wren who used to post and sell Toptul here more than a few years ago.

 

[LXCam]

I saw that. The XL Wrench Set seems to be better priced at $110.00 though.

Ouch, Denny sold those kits shipped for $50 and still made a profit. Someone is either getting screwed or doing the screwing.

 

[turnthewrench 2.0]

Ouch, Denny sold those kits shipped for $50 and still made a profit. Someone is either getting screwed or doing the screwing.

Again, never bought Toptul before... I guess someone else will get screwed

 

[Dirty Diesels]

$320 for a 1/4 socket set seems a bit steep.

Not really the set has both metric & SAE in shallow and deep sockets complete with a ratchet & extensions.

 

[LXCam]

Again, never bought Toptul before... I guess someone else will get screwed

Hard to say as we don't know what this guy paid wholesale. I never bought any socket sets but I do have Denny's pricing sheet. I can tell you that the 26 piece combo wrenches I bought was only $230 and was one of the more expensive sets that he sold. Maybe later I'll look up what his price was on that set

Oops, that's only half the set.

 

[LXCam]

Well that was easy to find since the file was still in my phone. He didn't sell that kit but he did sell the sockets sets on a rail. As you can see (hopefully it's not too small). The sets were super cheap. And their ratchets were cheap too, I bought one 1/4" swivel for like $15. Anyhow more power to the guy if he can sell that stuff at those prices. Hopefully no one from here is getting the shaft.




That ends today's "buyer beware" service announcement......you're welcome

 

[dnschmidt]

Look, I hope Wren gets whatever he can for his stuff. He's in business and he should charge whatever the market will bear. Here's exactly how I priced the stuff I sold. I took the price I paid from TOPTUL and multiplied by three. The XXL combination wrench set cost ME $17.92@ from TOPTUL. I sold it for $55.00.

Now that doesn't mean I made 3X. I actually made about 2X (in business language a 50% margin which is very typical) after paying small order fee ($150 per order) my typically order was for $6,000 or so and this was charged on any order less than $10,000 by TOPTUL. I considered this to be completely fair as they did an amazing job of packaging and it was well worth it. I'm sure Mike avoids this fee however as he buys more than $10,000 at a time. Freight forwarding fees (about $1200 per order - includes duty and sea shipment to LA and train shipment to a bonded warehouse in Phoenix from Los Angeles), wire transfer fee ($50 per order) bonded warehouse fees ($75-$85 per order) U-haul truck fee to move the boxes from the warehouse to my house ($85 per order) and all the other overhead which came to about $2000-$2200 per order.

I did this as a hobby and I also did it because I really believed in TOPTUL and felt that the United States had to be introduced to these superior tools so I priced this stuff super low. Truth is that I expected this to take off and instead it crashed and burned. EBay sales sucked even though I gave it away, TOPTUL support was non-existent and the aggravation became unbearable.

My hope is that Mike Wren gets what he wants for his tools because the TOPTUL stuff is truly worth it. His lack of presence indicates that he's not. After ten years, at least, of him doing this I estimate he's buying $50,000 yearly from TOPTUL. One Wal-Mart sells more than that a year of low end Stanley junk.

I went into all of this in my "I'm quitting TOPTUL" post here on Garage Journal so no need to repeat my experience here again as you can simply read that missive. I'm just sad that American's don't see value when it's staring them in the face and that TOPTUL doesn't see value in America. What makes me saddest is that they might be right.

 

[M6erfan]

...I'm just sad that American's don't see value when it's staring them in the face and that TOPTUL doesn't see value in America. What makes me saddest is that they might be right.

Who is "they", Toptul or Americans?

IMO, it comes down to marketing. It's not that American's don't see value in Toptul, it's that they dont know about them. If Toptul marketed like GW does, they would be a force to be reckoned with in North America. But as you said, that was all discussed in your other thread.

 

[buckwheat_la]

Look, I hope Wren gets whatever he can for his stuff. He's in business and he should charge whatever the market will bear. Here's exactly how I priced the stuff I sold. I took the price I paid from TOPTUL and multiplied by three. The XXL combination wrench set cost ME $17.92@ from TOPTUL. I sold it for $55.00.

Now that doesn't mean I made 3X. I actually made about 2X (in business language a 50% margin which is very typical) after paying small order fee ($150 per order) my typically order was for $6,000 or so and this was charged on any order less than $10,000 by TOPTUL. I considered this to be completely fair as they did an amazing job of packaging and it was well worth it. I'm sure Mike avoids this fee however as he buys more than $10,000 at a time. Freight forwarding fees (about $1200 per order - includes duty and sea shipment to LA and train shipment to a bonded warehouse in Phoenix from Los Angeles), wire transfer fee ($50 per order) bonded warehouse fees ($75-$85 per order) U-haul truck fee to move the boxes from the warehouse to my house ($85 per order) and all the other overhead which came to about $2000-$2200 per order.

I did this as a hobby and I also did it because I really believed in TOPTUL and felt that the United States had to be introduced to these superior tools so I priced this stuff super low. Truth is that I expected this to take off and instead it crashed and burned. EBay sales sucked even though I gave it away, TOPTUL support was non-existent and the aggravation became unbearable.

My hope is that Mike Wren gets what he wants for his tools because the TOPTUL stuff is truly worth it. His lack of presence indicates that he's not. After ten years, at least, of him doing this I estimate he's buying $50,000 yearly from TOPTUL. One Wal-Mart sells more than that a year of low end Stanley junk.

I went into all of this in my "I'm quitting TOPTUL" post here on Garage Journal so no need to repeat my experience here again as you can simply read that missive. I'm just sad that American's don't see value when it's staring them in the face and that TOPTUL doesn't see value in America. What makes me saddest is that they might be right.

Toptul always intrigued me. I wish they would have more North American presence.

 

[LXCam]

Anybody know how much amazon charges for third party sales?

 

[General Geoff]

Not really the set has both metric & SAE in shallow and deep sockets complete with a ratchet & extensions.

https://www.tooltopia.com/grey-pneumatic-89653crd.aspx

Grey Pneumatic has a similar, all-inclusive set for less than half the cost.

 

[rijndael]

Anybody know how much amazon charges for third party sales?

Excluding very small sales and certain categories (books, dvds, etc), 15%

 

[dnschmidt]

Sure do. 15% 5% more than EBay. And, they hold your money for a month in case somebody returns what they bought. This was one of the reasons I very seldom used Amazon. ****, I forgot to include EBay fees (10%) and PayPal fees (3%) which they charge not only on the product but also on the shipping and additionally the cost of my car for going back and forth to the Post Office to mail the stuff. MY BAD.

Wren actually isn't screwing anybody. By the time all the overhead and Amazon fees are added up he's not making much. Seems weird that you can buy something for $18 and sell it for $100 and not get rich but that's really true. Amazon gets rich, the Post Office gets rich, everybody but the ******* doing all the work get rich. Truly the AMERICAN WAY. Isn't America a great country? M6erfan my reference was to TOPTUL being they. I hate to think that some dudes in Taiwan know that the American market ***** and I, who have lived here my entire life didn't, but that possibly could be the case.

 

[LXCam]

Excluding very small sales and certain categories (books, dvds, etc), 15%

Thanks

 

[6PTsocket]

Have I been living under a rock, or is this a new offering from Amazon?

https://amzn.to/2MzTPzf

I don't see Prime Shipping though, and the prices are somewhat high?. Not familiar with Toptul prices

A lot of Amazon prices are "a bit high " lately. Is it actually sold by Amazon or a third seller? Those prices are all over the place from lower than Amazon to far higher.

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[Dirty Diesels]

https://www.tooltopia.com/grey-pneumatic-89653crd.aspx

Grey Pneumatic has a similar, all-inclusive set for less than half the cost.

I'm wondering if the toptul seller on amazon is 1 of the tooltruck guys sidelining some sales on the internet. Pays to shop around.

 

[WWheeler]

I'm wondering if the toptul seller on amazon is 1 of the tooltruck guys sidelining some sales on the internet. Pays to shop around.

As mentioned above by FedWrench and dnschmidt (who also until recently sold Toptul tools) the seller on Amazon for all or most of the linked Toptul tools is Mike Wren, a member here username 'wrenhandtools': https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/search.php?searchid=37777941
He used to advertise on the front page of GJ IIRC.
He also had/has the site: http://wrenhandtools.com/

 

[M6erfan]

... M6erfan my reference was to TOPTUL being they. I hate to think that some dudes in Taiwan know that the American market ***** and I, who have lived here my entire life didn't, but that possibly could be the case.

Hard to believe they would think that about one of the largest consumer markets in the world...

 

[ReggieR]

I have the XXL combo and the XXL DBE/metrics. They're every bit as good as My Proto and Snapon in SAE. I put a pipe on a 19mm DBE last week. It broke the bolt.

 

[ultgar]

I'm also a former Toptul dealer and went into the line thinking sales would be great.....its wasn't! I've been corresponding with a person on another forum who is just as excited with big plans to make Toptul a well known name in the US. It's not going to happen.

Sonic continues to work the trade shows and spend money on advertising and they haven't caught on. I've been pushing USAG as an alternative to Facom and like Beta, neither of these 2 Italian companies is doing all that well here in the US. Facom is better (SK built their name here in the states for the years they were the US importer) but I have strong competition from Zoro and can't compete with their buying power. Fortunately, Zoro/Grainger only sells the 400 Facom items that SBD imports and not the full line.

Tool sales are tough........lots of competition and who knows what's going to ultimately happen to all of the Euro and Asian lines once the tariff war escalates.

SD

 

[Wamsutta]

If you go to Mike Wren's website, you'll find the prices are much lower than what he has them listed for on Amazon.

 

[turnthewrench 2.0]

Hard to believe they would think that about one of the largest consumer markets in the world...

Question is, Who/What is stopping Toptul from mass selling in the US Market?

 

[thugline]

I have been completely satisfied with the Toptul wrenches and sockets I’ve purchased. They produce top notch tools, better than some USA brands I own.

 

[dnschmidt]

SD. You and me both brother. Anybody that thinks they're going to strike it rich with TOPTUL here in the USA has brain damage. Wren tried, you tried, I tried and the only reason I have a Porsche stored away is that I had one before I ever heard of TOPTUL not because I could afford to buy my 911 because I sold TOPTUL. The only thing I and my friends got out of this business is a fantastic personal stash of tools for damn near free. That's great but not a very sustainable business model if you actually wanted to make money doing this.

The world is becoming bipolar. SNA & MAC on one side of the great divide and Harbor Freight on the other. Just as income distribution in the United States has gone the same way with you either being rich or broke with fewer and fewer people in the middle the same mechanism is in play in the tool business. There is no middle ground. I think that SBD will have more problems with selling Craftsman hand tools than they expect to. Harbor Freight is getting stronger every day and their tools are cheaper. SBD may have bought an 1960's illusion not today's reality.

 

[JR 42]

Good lord, I hope not. Seems like there's a gulf between the two extremes occupied by random parts- store import tools, Gearwrench, Williams Taiwan, Blackhawk, Carlyle, SK, Wright, Williams USA, and Proto (all the US- made stuff is on the high side, sure). I guess time will tell.

As an aside, I bought some Toptul stuff from Mr. Schmidt and am very impressed with it, especially at his prices. I'm no mechanic, though.

ETA - I agree about the world becoming bipolar (in more ways than one, really), but it seems like the tool market in the US still has a pretty wide spread of price points for good stuff.

JR

 

[ReggieR]

You want to compete with trucks ? NEVER give a price. How much per week ?

 

[dnschmidt]

ReggieR. I hate Snap-On as they are clearly parasites. However, I really like money. So even though I sold TOPTUL and had dreams of putting Snap-On out of business I always hedge my bets so I have a substantial stock position in SNA. It's never disappointed me.

The best edition of Jim Cramer's show Mad Money was call the ATF show. Cramer nailed it on this episode. He's comments were: I don't like drunks, I hate tobacco and I despise guns. So I have big positions in Diageo, Altria (previously known a Phillip Morris), and Smith and Wesson. The money I make from these holdings, and it's been a bunch, I donate to MADD, Cancer Research and groups that fight against the NRA. Never let your personal feelings get in the way of making money.

 

[48548]

I emailed mike and here is what he said... but not to order until it is fully up so you can get the 20% off. I did ask permission to post this info.


Putting about 100 new items on the website this weekend. Getting the 20% discount process checked out for members with codes in the shopping cart.

And trying to make sure that several places on the site remind folks that I will unconditionally guarantee everything except screewdrivers.

So I'm shooting for the end of July at the latest.

Mike



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[Skin]

Better off just buying direct. Price will be cheaper and your money wont be needlessly paying bloated Amazon selling fees.

 

[Wamsutta]

ReggieR. I hate Snap-On as they are clearly parasites.

I feel the same way about insurance companies and municipal power companies. My Snap-on tools in comparison have been a very good investment and the tools themselves treat me well.

 

[Volvotechdude]

Thought I'd throw my hat in the ring and try some Toptul. Bought the double box end wrenches with satin finish on Amazon.

 

[Steve_P]

Toptul in the US is a boutique brand like PB Swiss or NWS. As we know. Not pricey, but obscure and hard to find. And they skip socket and wrench sizes which doesn't go over well with tool fans that will look at obscure brands. I'm sure they're as good or better as brands like SK, but most buyers aren't going to chase after Taiwan tools when you can readily buy them from 20 other brands on Amazon or Tooltopia. Toptul doesn't care about the US so 99.99% of tool buyers here won't care about them. I wouldn't mind to own some but won't chase after them from a few small sellers when there are so many other options.

 

[48548]

Buy from mike wren he was pushing them and will give 20% off to forum members.

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[BigBoreFan]

I bought some Toptul from Dennis and from Wren. I've been a member a long time, joined to look at fancy garage pictures, but just got active lately. Over the winter I started buying some tools as I really did not have much.

Prices from Dennis were pretty, pretty good, especially sockets. i wish I had bought more. I did buy some extensions from Wren. Wren seems to stock the chrome stuff, I like the satin stuff. Yea, I might be a tool polisher, so sue me.

I like the Sonic Tools also, but I think they are just overpriced for what they are.

 

[Qualitytools]

I just reached out to Mike Wren for some tools, I will share my experience and what I end up getting

 

[Qualitytools]

Anyone try the 3/8 gearless ratchet?

 

[48548]

I have bought from both.. i spent probably 1k with each... i recommend both. Dennis was local but i will go back to mike in the future and go with the 20 percent off.

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