I see comments in various threads about buying parts from various online stores instead of our vendors. As I am a CASO at heart I truly understand this. But there is something else we should all think about when we buy online from a non vendor. I am not talking about going to the corner FLAPS (if you can find one) and getting the part off their shelf. When you buy from a Studebaker Vendor 95% of the time you will get the part you need and not a generic part someone said should fit. Yes, our vendors are human and sometimes make mistakes!
The thing we need to think about is all the parts our vendor have had reproduced that are not available online elsewhere. We are very fortunate to have such a high availability of good quality parts. I remember back when V8 wheel cylinders were so hard to find. One of our parts vendors went to Wagner and laid out a considerable amount of money out of their own pockets to have a run make. Parts manufacturers will generally not make say 10 wheel cylinders, but they will run say a 1000 of them. Not many of us can lay out the cash required to run 1000 of an item and let them sit on a shelf in warehouse space that also is costly until they are all sold. If the vendor did not have money for this, it would not get done. How do you think they do this?? That part you pay them $50 for and they make $25 on it, that $25 of profit is how they do it. From what I hear now, profit margins have lessened over what they use to be so my example is probably high but you get the point I hope.
I have personally seen a master cylinder from an online vendor and compared it to one our vendors sell. I could personally see the difference in quality. I for one, do not want to risk anyone's life with an inferior product.
If you ever get the chance to tour the facilities of one of our larger vendors, you may see a 20 foot set of shelves loaded down with say, piston sets. Ask yourself, how much money that vendor has tied up in the parts waiting for a customer and how much that footprint costs the vendor in floor space and taxes.
If we all buy from online vendors, how is this going to affect our Studebaker vendors and their ability to reproduce other parts in the future?? Do you think a Rockauto is going to reproduce a piston for a champion engine??? I think not.
My experience has been that our vendors do not buy parts from an online store and mark them up. They only buy quality products.
The online world has affected even the major parts manufacturers like Standard and Napa etc. Most of them will carry two lines of parts like starting solenoids. They will have one that sells for say $15 to compete in the online world and another that sells for say $25 that is of better quality and which is sold to repair shops that want to provide quality repairs on customers cars. If I am buying a part from a Flaps I always try to buy the better quality part. I think most of our vendors will opt for the higher quality part also when ordering from their suppliers.
Thanks for listening
The thing we need to think about is all the parts our vendor have had reproduced that are not available online elsewhere. We are very fortunate to have such a high availability of good quality parts. I remember back when V8 wheel cylinders were so hard to find. One of our parts vendors went to Wagner and laid out a considerable amount of money out of their own pockets to have a run make. Parts manufacturers will generally not make say 10 wheel cylinders, but they will run say a 1000 of them. Not many of us can lay out the cash required to run 1000 of an item and let them sit on a shelf in warehouse space that also is costly until they are all sold. If the vendor did not have money for this, it would not get done. How do you think they do this?? That part you pay them $50 for and they make $25 on it, that $25 of profit is how they do it. From what I hear now, profit margins have lessened over what they use to be so my example is probably high but you get the point I hope.
I have personally seen a master cylinder from an online vendor and compared it to one our vendors sell. I could personally see the difference in quality. I for one, do not want to risk anyone's life with an inferior product.
If you ever get the chance to tour the facilities of one of our larger vendors, you may see a 20 foot set of shelves loaded down with say, piston sets. Ask yourself, how much money that vendor has tied up in the parts waiting for a customer and how much that footprint costs the vendor in floor space and taxes.
If we all buy from online vendors, how is this going to affect our Studebaker vendors and their ability to reproduce other parts in the future?? Do you think a Rockauto is going to reproduce a piston for a champion engine??? I think not.
My experience has been that our vendors do not buy parts from an online store and mark them up. They only buy quality products.
The online world has affected even the major parts manufacturers like Standard and Napa etc. Most of them will carry two lines of parts like starting solenoids. They will have one that sells for say $15 to compete in the online world and another that sells for say $25 that is of better quality and which is sold to repair shops that want to provide quality repairs on customers cars. If I am buying a part from a Flaps I always try to buy the better quality part. I think most of our vendors will opt for the higher quality part also when ordering from their suppliers.
Thanks for listening
"GROK!" 
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