 | Home > Off Topic > Site Sponsors ( I know I am dodgy ground) |
 
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| Chopperone Member Since: 13 Nov 2016 Location: Derbyshire Posts: 396  
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I know that I am on dodgy ground here & that this site/forum possibly only exists through the revenues generated from site sponsors.
I AM GRATEFUL THAT THEY PAY & WE CAN USE THE FORUM. I AM GRATEFUL THAT THEY PAY & WE CAN USE THE FORUM. I said it twice for the avoidance of all doubt. However,what is in it for a site sponsor? Should they give preferential rates on their services or products to encourage us to use them OR do we just go to them out of a sense of loyalty & thanks for providing us with a forum. Just curious as to how it is sold to site sponsors. Guy May your life be like toilet paper ; long & useful. |
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14th Jan 2017 6:23pm |
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| Mash Member Since: 09 Feb 2015 Location: Guernsey Posts: 1674  
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The site sponsores are often my go to companies for landy bits as the ones who sell Land Rover related items are often very much Land Rover people who take pride in their customers and the products they sell. They often do group discounts if a certain product is wanted by the masses etc. 90 wolf - Jasmin http://www.defender2.net/forum/topic39408.html
90 V8 - Maggie http://www.defender2.net/forum/topic42564.html 110 TD5 - Buggsy http://www.defender2.net/forum/topic59029.html 52HG25 lightweight https://www.defender2.net/forum/topic72342.html D3 Hse - Fiona Capri 2l S - Anna Think I might have a problem............ |
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14th Jan 2017 6:29pm |
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| leeds Member Since: 28 Dec 2009 Location: West Yorkshire Posts: 8578
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Why are you on dodgy ground Chopperone?
Brendan |
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14th Jan 2017 9:10pm |
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| Slideywindows Member Since: 09 Sep 2016 Location: North Essex Posts: 1283 
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I guess the problem arises if you have had bad service or want to relate a negative experience that you've had with a site sponsor?
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14th Jan 2017 9:52pm |
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| Chopperone Member Since: 13 Nov 2016 Location: Derbyshire Posts: 396
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No bad experience just a slightly negative one......
I had spent £650 & then was about to spend another £650 with them & I asked if there was a deal to be had. They had already done an introduction deal some months before. I asked if there was a forum discount & the same "high street" price was quoted backed. In the end I went elsewhere & saved a considerable amount but it was done at mates rates. It just got me thinking that if I was a site sponsor l would want a hook to drive people to me rather than just having a presence. May your life be like toilet paper ; long & useful. |
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15th Jan 2017 12:15am |
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| leeds Member Since: 28 Dec 2009 Location: West Yorkshire Posts: 8578
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Chopperone your thread seems to be of two parts. 1) What is in it for a site spnnsor 2) You have had a slightly negative experience with a site sponsor As a site sponsor may I reply? A site sponsor is allowed to promote their wares on the site with relative freedom in exchange for a payment. Now some site sponsors do exactly that, other site sponsors join in with the general 'crack' and give freely of their experience knowledge and information. Surely it is good for the forum for experienced defender owners to share their experience and knowledge. Being a site sponsor does put certain constraints on what they can put on the forum! Now should site sponsors automatically offer discount to forum members? Should site sponsors automatically offer a discounted price several months after a special offer? My simple answer is NO and NO. Now I can not speak for other site sponsors but our margins vary a reasonable amount so what we could possibly offer on one item we can not offer on other items. Now keeping a special offer open for months? Costs can change drastically in that time scale Now we will be having to increase the price of some of our items by 30 % due to changes in currency exchange rates. On some goods which we buy in a different currency that exchange rate has dropped 5% so far THIS year. Now do we increase prices? Cut our margins? Refuse to do discounts on those products? Now we take payments from most cards etc. Now depending on the card we could potentially lose up to 15% (we do not accept certain cards for that reason) Some people are surprised when a) we will not give discounts especially when coupled with payment by credit card. "But we get 1-5% cash back with this card"  Where do they think the cash back is coming from??
So please do not expect a discount 'as of right' from forum sponsors just because you are a forum member. Forum sponsors can simply not compete with 'mates rates' Believe it or not sponsors are running commercial operations and the idea is to make that dirty P word otherwise know as PROFIT What you can expect from forum sponsors are good quality goods coupled with good advice and information. Brendan |
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15th Jan 2017 10:10pm |
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| Chopperone Member Since: 13 Nov 2016 Location: Derbyshire Posts: 396
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In reply to the above.
I take credit cards in my business- I understand them fully but thanks for the insight. I also purchase goods from abroad so I understand exchange rates. I offer a discount for repeat business in certain cases - my choice. I made it clear that I got the other part of my work done by a mate at mates rates.I didn't expect the SS (site sponsor) to do it at that rate.It was only when I wasn't offered any discount that I looked elsewhere.So the SS missed out on my second part of my order. There may in fact be another part to my order which would be approx £1000; they will also miss out on that. All my choice. We live in a time when people are looking for a deal, l always ask for a deal on big purchases but didn't on the first purchase with the SS. I actually collected the item & saved them the carriage- no refund was offered or asked for. In fact l asked for some advice & was told to look on their website ( which wasn't helpful) . I would have thought it would be advantageous to a SS to offer special offers/ discounts and/or deals - it must be cheaper than advertising in magazines & on this site there are numerous people who follow what others do or fit. It was just a slight niggle nothing more. Guy May your life be like toilet paper ; long & useful. |
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15th Jan 2017 10:39pm |
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| Projectblue Member Since: 22 Nov 2011 Location: Devon Posts: 1096
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This is not aimed at Choperone or anyone in particular, it's a cautionary tale. I'm not a Site Sponsor, nor have any links to any - but I'm responsible for around annual spend of £2.5m for the company I work for. So I like to think I know a bit about buying stuff.
If you take credit cards as a business Choperone, you will be aware that there is turnover and profit. In business there is a saying 'turnover is vanity, profit is sanity'. Some people seem to think PROFIT is a dirty word. Business is business and doing business has a cost. Most people will understand that different products come with differing profit levels. Just because one spends £650 - to take your amount in particular - doesn't mean that there is as much profit in it for the dealer as the day before when you spent say £300 on something else. Site sponsors will support forums like this because it's beneficial to them. They receive concentrated traffic of the right sort - e.g. connected to their business. They pay the site owner to recognise the work that went in to building the site, creating the forum and building it carefully with the right people takes effort. Finally in return for customer loyalty (e.g. coming back to the forum, which brings in more members so creates a self perpetuating cycle) Site Sponsors may create deals for members based on bulk deals. All of this leads me to the following. It's a mutual cycle. If you don't use the Site Sponsors, they may not stay in business and consequently they may not be around to support Martin, who after a while thinks it's waaay too much work AND cost (server rental isn't free - trust me) and shuts it down. And suddenly you come to find some help, or a buy a part from a trusted source and it's no longer there and you are having to source an unknown bit, from an unknown ebay site, and you're not sure it's the right thing even. Because you shopped around to save two percent on the doohickey flange warbler you bought the month before. I'll put me soap box away and get my coat  New project and it's green: www.projectoverland.info |
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15th Jan 2017 11:26pm |
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| CR Member Since: 28 Jan 2010 Location: Ireland Posts: 947  
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I think it is much simpler, the forum is just an advertising platform for SS. Nothing more nothing less. How they then want to deal with the enquiry or sale is 100% up to them.
Having said that, any and all that I have dealt with have always been really good to deal with and understand the product. This is not always the case with other suppliers Any deal for me is not screwing the last penny as in the long run that never works |
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16th Jan 2017 11:54pm |
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| leeds Member Since: 28 Dec 2009 Location: West Yorkshire Posts: 8578
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Maybe instead of asking the question what is in it for a site sponsor we should ask the question what do forum members realistically expect from a site sponsor?
Note the expression realistically expect. Brendan |
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17th Jan 2017 12:49am |
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| mk1collector Member Since: 17 Sep 2009 Location: West Yorkshire Posts: 6769 
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Everything for free!!!
  Ray
My build thread http://www.defender2.net/forum/topic17615.html |
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17th Jan 2017 1:23am |
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| leeds Member Since: 28 Dec 2009 Location: West Yorkshire Posts: 8578
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Mk1, am not sure if best advice to you is to go and visit your optician for a free eye test, or go to the doctors to have the strength of your medication increased
Brendan |
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17th Jan 2017 9:42am |
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| simon67 Member Since: 18 Jun 2015 Location: west sussex Posts: 569 
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I'm with Mk1, everything for free and postage paid plus maybe £10 for my efforts in buying?
Brendan - always had great service from you and Barbara  |
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17th Jan 2017 10:51am |
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| gilarion Member Since: 05 Dec 2013 Location: Wales Posts: 5084  
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Free
 On a more serious note.
Firstly let us all be realistic all site sponsors are businesses and businesses exist to make money. On the other hand members of the public want to pay as little for a product as possible, hence price comparison web sites and the ability to use a search engine to find the best deal. However, Land Rover parts are a niche market and one sadly in the case of current Defenders will become in the future ever smaller, especially in the modification market due as we all know to the end of production for this model. Now I have no problem with any business making a profit as independent businesses work hard to do so. Conversely we must also take into account that it is not as simple as placing a product on a web site and then posting it once bought and reaping the profit, for there are many on cost in running a commercial enterprise, business rates, staff wages the cost of up keeping a web site, phone bills, advertising costs to name but a few that eat into profits. Should site sponsors give a discount, why should they, advertising on this forum is purely a way of promoting their business like any other form of advertising and all site sponsors pay a fee for the privilege of advertising on this forum and without that fee this forum would maybe not exist, so thank you site sponsors
Now it has been mentioned that if goods are collected in person should the cost of postage (if offered free) be deducted from the total invoice, that maybe so, on the other hand it could be that postage costs can be set against profits and if that is the case the seller would be no better off, Leeds could probably expand on this. I think though what is most important about site sponsors is that on the whole they can be trusted to deliver a good service, not that they do not offer this service to all customers, but for site members maybe more so as no business wishes for bad feedback on a public forum. Should we only buy from site sponsors of course not, especially when we can buy the same product elsewhere cheaper, but how many of us have done this only to receive a dreaded blue box, or the wrong part? And then when we complain get the run around or worse a very unfriendly person on the other end of the phone or no reply to emails. So in the end you makes your choice, personally rather than save a few pounds on an order such as from Paddocks, Craddock’s and many others that I have had bad service from over the years and risk not being satisfied, or do I wish to pay a little bit extra knowing that the risk is minimalized. Also and lets be fair many site sponsors do offer very good deals when it comes to group buys, they do not have to do this but they do and for this we should be appreciative, as yes they are making money but with reduced profits for doing this. For those who like Welsh Mountains and narrow boats have a look at my videos and photos at.. http://www.youtube.com/user/conwy1 |
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17th Jan 2017 4:36pm |
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